Torzhok
Torzhok is a thousand-year-old but still young city beautifully located on the steep slopes of the Tvertsa River. The city was daily passed by caravans of boats until the 15th c., and in the 18th c. a “monarchial road” connecting Moscow and St.Petersburg crossed the city.
Apparently, the city emerged in the 9th – 10th cc., though it was first mentioned in the chronicles under 1139 as Novy Torg (New Market). Torzhok was part of the Novgorod Land, and located on its south-eastern border, it had a significant defensive role, though the city’s name implies that its main function was trade. Archaeological findings prove that the city was a large commercial centre. By the number of birch-bark manuscripts found here, Torzhok is third after Novgorod and Staraya Russa.
Peter the Great designed a new waterway connecting Moscow and St.Petersburg, and the Tvertsa River was part of it. The Moscow-St.Petersburg road built later also passed through the city. This naturally resulted in the rapid development of crafts and growth of the city. The early 19th century is Torzhok’s “Golden Age”.
Now Torzhok is a big centre of railway coach manufacturing. It also has the only in Russia factory of fire-fighting equipment (fire extinguishers, fire-hose barrels, etc.). the Torzhok District is one of the main flax-growing centres of Russia.
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