Uglich
Uglich is one of Russia's oldest cities. Local lore dates its origins to 937 when it was said to have been founded by Prince Ivan Pleskovitch, but the earliest documents date it at 1148. For foreigners, Uglich is an undiscovered gem – a quaint town on a sharp bend in the Volga River, perfectly situated above the water and full of medieval charm. For Russians, it played a key role in history. The town prospered until Ivan the Terrible's grandson, the last of the Rurik royal family, was murdered by the tsar's advisor. This threw Russia into an age of conflict known as Smutnoye Vremiya (The Time of Troubles). During the Time of Troubles the city was plundered and burned, and when the Soviets were in power they flooded Uglich's outskirts to create a reservoir. Through all this the old city stood, weathering the trials of war and politics to emerge a surviving testament to Old Russia.
Today Uglich is one of the Golden Ring cities and the primary stop downriver from Moscow. Your first glimpse will be of its towering buildings, such as the old Resurrection Cathedral and the Church of St. John the Baptist. The true gem of Uglich, though, is its kremlin, a great fortress that withstood attacks from the Mongol-Tatars to the Lithuanians. Within its walls you can see the chambers where the doomed grandson of Ivan the Terrible lived and the blue-domed Church of Dmitriya-na-Krovi (St. Dmitry on the Blood), built where the dead tsarevich was found. You can also see Uglich’s famous bell, exiled after tolling the news of Dmitry's death but eventually returned from Siberia. Also worth visiting inside the kremlin is the stately Spaso-Preobrazhenski Cathedral, decorated with white-carved stone, and the 110 ft tall bell tower. The tower dates back to 1730 but the digital clock inside was installed in 1984.
Among the other highlights of Uglich are the Alekseevsky Monastery and the nearby jewel of Russian medieval style, the Divnaya (Marvelous) Assumption Church. The Divnaya is so called because of its unusual triple tent towers, an architectural wonder that gives the illusion of the church floating in air. Closer to the river is the Resurrection Monastery which contains a great cathedral, a refectory (monks' dining room), a bell tower, and a summer church.
Like any good city, Uglich has no shortage of museums. The Uglich Museum of City Life displays exhibits of ancient everyday artifacts, from costumes to musical instruments. A stop at the Vodka Museum is a must, where you will learn about the history of Russia's most famous drink and sample a few glasses (included in the admission fee).
Please see our list of Russian Cruises cruises that stop in Uglich to book your visit to this Russian gem.
MS Tolstoi
MS Volga Dream
