Bezhetsk
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The settlement of Bezhichi was first mentioned in 1137, when it was owned by Novgorod. The original name, with the literal meaning of "refugees", suggests that early settlers were former Novgorodians. Historical Bezhichi was located 20 km north from the present-day town; the settlement was destroyed by raiders in 1272 and re-established on the present site as the fortress of Gorodetsk (Городецк).
In the early 15th century, the area of Bezhetsky Verkh was annexed by Grand Duchy of Moscow. Since 1433, Bezhetsk had its own prince, who was subordinate to the Grand Prince of Moscow.
In the course of the administrative reform carried out in 1708 by Peter the Great, Gorodetsk was included into Ingermanland Governorate (known since 1710 as St. Petersburg Governorate), but in 1727 it was transferred to Moscow Governorate. In 1766, Gorodetsk was renamed Bezhetsk. In 1775, Tver Viceroyalty was formed from the lands which previously belonged to Moscow and Novgorod Governorates. In 1776, Bezhetsk became the seat of Bezhetsky Uyezd. In 1796, Tver Viceroyalty was transformed into Tver Governorate. Bezhetsk remained the administrative center of the uyezd until 1929.
On July 12, 1929, the governorates and uyezds were abolished. Bezhetsky District, with the administrative center in Bezhetsk, was established within Bezhetsk Okrug of Moscow Oblast. On July 23, 1930, the okrugs were abolished and the districts were directly subordinated to the oblast. On January 29, 1935, Kalinin Oblast was established and Bezhetsk was transferred to Tver Oblast.
In the late 20th century, Bezhetsk, as a "reference small town" with well-preserved archives, became a subject of detailed academic studies of the 18th-century Russian countryside.
Map - Bezhetsk
Map
Country - Russia
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The East Slavs emerged as a recognisable group in Europe between the 3rd and 8th centuries CE. The first East Slavic state, Kievan Rus', arose in the 9th century, and in 988, it adopted Orthodox Christianity from the Byzantine Empire. Rus' ultimately disintegrated, with the Grand Duchy of Moscow growing to become the Tsardom of Russia. By the early 18th century, Russia had vastly expanded through conquest, annexation, and the efforts of Russian explorers, developing into the Russian Empire, which remains the third-largest empire in history. However, with the Russian Revolution in 1917, Russia's monarchic rule was abolished and replaced by the Russian SFSR—the world's first constitutionally socialist state. Following the Russian Civil War, the Russian SFSR established the Soviet Union (with three other Soviet republics), within which it was the largest and principal constituent. At the expense of millions of lives, the Soviet Union underwent rapid industrialization in the 1930s, and later played a decisive role for the Allies of World War II by leading large-scale efforts on the Eastern Front. With the onset of the Cold War, it competed with the United States for global ideological influence; the Soviet era of the 20th century saw some of the most significant Russian technological achievements, including the first human-made satellite and the first human expedition into outer space.
Currency / Language
| ISO | Currency | Symbol | Significant figures |
|---|---|---|---|
| RUB | Russian ruble | ₽ | 2 |
| ISO | Language |
|---|---|
| CE | Chechen language |
| CV | Chuvash language |
| KV | Komi language |
| RU | Russian language |
| TT | Tatar language |