Zaraysk

The town stands on the right bank of the Osyotr River, which is a right confluent of the Oka.

In the Middle Ages, the town belonged to the Princes of Ryazan and was known as Krasnoye (13th century) and Novogorodok-upon-the-Osyotr (14th and 15th centuries). From 1528 onwards, the town was called "the town of Nikola Zarazsky" and only by the beginning of 17th century it received its present name of Zaraysk. Before the 20th century, the town was a part of Ryazan Governorate and its architecture and vernacular dialect seem closer to Ryazan than to Moscow.^[9]

In the Grand Duchy of Moscow, Zaraysk was one of the fortresses forming a part of the Great Abatis Border, a fortified line of felled trees, barricades, fortresses, ditches, which were built by Russians as a protection against the hordes of the Crimean and Kazan Tatars. In 1531, a stone kremlin was built in place of the former wooden citadel. The Tatars failed to take the fortress during their raids in 1533, 1541, and 1570. It was briefly captured by the Lisowczycy during the Time of Troubles.

The brick-and-limestone kremlin in Zaraysk still stands and is kept in a rather good condition. The citadel is very small and has a rectangular shape, with only six towers, two of which are pierced by the gates.

Within the framework of administrative divisions, Zaraysk serves as the administrative center of Zaraysky District.^[1] As an administrative division, it is incorporated within Zaraysky District as the Town of Zaraysk.^[1] As a municipal division, the Town of Zaraysk is incorporated within Zaraysky Municipal District as Zaraysk Urban Settlement.^[4]

Zaraysk is an industrial center of the district, with printing, building materials, foodstuff, and footwear industries.

Transport

Bus line from Moscow, jorney time is 2:30 at 2024.^[10]

Zaraysk has a freight railway branch Lukhovitsy - Zaraysk.^[11] It was built almost immediately after the construction of the main line through Lukhovitsy, in 1870. Passenger service was closed in 1969. In the 2020s, the line still used for occasional freight trains.

The main tourist attraction is a traditional Russian citadel known as the Zaraysk Kremlin. There are five churches in Zaraysk, the oldest of which is St. Nicholas Cathedral, consecrated in 1681. The downtown also has a traditional covered market, or Gostiny Dvor.

Archaeology

Near the kremlin wall is an Upper Paleolithic site associated with the Gravettian culture. It first attracted attention when a bison figurine dated 22000 BP was found there.^[12] By 2008, many other artefacts were found, including:^[13][14]

1. A mammoth's rib with drawings on them which are thought to be the images of three mammoths.
2. A small bone having an ornament of X-shaped patterns on it.
3. Two figurines of humans, presumably of women.
4. A piece with a conical shape made of a mammoth's bone. The upper part of the cone has been cut, it has a hole in the centre and many patterns. The purpose of this object is not known.

• Popovo, Bulgaria
• Arzamas, Russia

Notes

Sources

• Губернатор Московской области. Постановление №123-ПГ от 28 сентября 2010 г. «Об учётных данных административно-территориальных и территориальных единиц Московской области», в ред. Постановления №252-ПГ от 26 июня 2015 г. «О внесении изменения в учётные данные административно-территориальных и территориальных единиц Московской области». Опубликован: "Информационный вестник Правительства МО", №10, 30 октября 2010 г. (Governor of Moscow Oblast. Resolution #123-PG of September 28, 2010 On the Inventory Data of the Administrative-Territorial and Territorial Units of Moscow Oblast, as amended by the Resolution #252-PG of June 26, 2015 On Amending the Inventory Data of the Administrative-Territorial and Territorial Units of Moscow Oblast. ).
• Московская областная Дума. Закон №63/2005-ОЗ от 28 февраля 2005 г. «О статусе и границах Зарайского муниципального района и вновь образованных в его составе муниципальных образований», в ред. Закона №147/2010-ОЗ от 26 ноября 2010 г. «О внесении изменений в Закон Московской области "О статусе и границах Зарайского муниципального района и вновь образованных в его составе муниципальных образований"». Вступил в силу со дня официального опубликования. Опубликован: "Ежедневные Новости. Подмосковье", №42, 10 марта 2005 г. (Moscow Oblast Duma. Law #63/2005-OZ of February 28, 2005 On the Status and the Borders of Zaraysky Municipal District and the Newly Established Municipal Formations Comprising It, as amended by the Law #147/2010-OZ of November 26, 2010 On Amending the Law of Moscow Oblast "On the Status and the Borders of Zaraysky Municipal District and the Newly Established Municipal Formations Comprising It". Effective as of the day of the official publication.).

• (in Russian) Зарайск. Материалы для истории города XVI-XVIII столетий (Zaraysk. Materials for the History of the 16th-18th centuries (1888)). Available at Runivers.ru in DjVu and PDF formats.

• (in Russian) Unofficial website of Zaraysk
• Small Towns of Russia. Zaraysk.
• (in Russian) Photos of Zaraysk
• Pictures of Zaraysk in 1995
• Russia Beyond the Headlines. Zaraysk, the "Grandfather City"