Rybinsk, Yaroslavl Region (Russia)

By | June 30, 2022

According to howsmb.com, Rybinsk is located 90 km northeast of Yaroslavl at the confluence of the Volga and Sheksna rivers. The city is known as the former capital of burlaks and is one of the points on the Golden Ring tourist route.

Settlements on the site of the present city have been known since 1071. The annals mention two churchyards – Ust-Sheksna and Rybansk, which eventually turned into fishing and fishing settlements. During the Tatar-Mongol invasion, they suffered greatly. Ivan III remembered the settlement of Ust-Sheksna on the Volga River at the beginning of the 16th century, when he made a will, and called it Rybnaya Sloboda. Local residents of Rybnaya Sloboda were engaged in fishing, for which the tsar issued a charter, and traded with neighboring lands. After the founding of St. Petersburg and the opening of the Vyshnevolotsk water system, the settlement turned into a large shopping center. Goods passed through it (mainly bread), which were transported from the lower reaches of the Volga to the north. A customs house, trading areas, a fairground and a transshipment pier were created here, where cargo was transshipped to smaller ships.

Grain trade became the basis for the economic development of the settlement. The goods that arrived here were loaded onto small ships (barks), which were then transported to the north. Barges moved along the rivers with the help of barge haulers. Barge haulers were hired mainly by peasants who came to the settlement to earn money. In 1777, Rybnaya Sloboda received city status and was renamed Rybinsk.. With the opening of the Mariinsky and Tikhvin water systems in the early 19th century, the city became the main hub connecting the Volga-Caspian basin with St. Petersburg. By the beginning of the 19th century, a huge number of barge haulers had accumulated in the city, the number of which exceeded the population of the city. Volga haulers worked on the water systems between Rybinsk and St. Petersburg and between Rybinsk and Astrakhan. Thus, the city became the capital of burlachistvo. Here, at a later time, a monument to a barge hauler was even erected. But soon steamboats began to appear, which replaced the labor of barge haulers. In the middle of the 19th century Rybinsk becomes one of the centers of the Volga Shipping Company, and in the second half of the 19th century it continues its development as an inland port. The significance of the city increased when, in the period from 1935 to 1947, the Rybinsk hydroelectric complex was built and the Rybinsk reservoir was formed.

The most notable building in the city is the Cathedral of the Transfiguration of the Savior. It was built on the Cathedral Square in the second half of the 19th century and became the main city temple. From the Transfiguration Church that has stood on this site since ancient times, a bell tower has survived to this day. The time of its construction dates back to 1804. The interior of the cathedral was lost at the beginning of the 20th century, however, its majestic building, built in the spirit of classicism, is still the main attraction of Rybinsk.

The most ancient building in Rybinsk is the Church of the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God, which was built in 1697. The frescoes of the end of the 17th century are the most interesting in the temple. They were painted by Yaroslavl artists headed by F. Potatuev. The main subjects of church painting are the Legend of the Kazan Icon and the Meeting of the Kazan Icon in Moscow in 1612. Also of interest is the carved five-tiered iconostasis, installed in 1768. The Church of the Great Martyr George stands at the city’s St. George’s Cemetery. The current stone church was built in 1790 on the site of a small wooden church. Also interesting in Rybinsk is the Church of the Presentation of the Lord late 19th century, made in the Byzantine style and the Church of Tikhon of Zadonsk in 1882.

On the embankment of the Volga River in 1977, a monument to a barge hauler (the only one in the world) by the sculptor L. Pisarevsky was erected. Here you can also see the monuments to Admiral Ushakov and the poet Lev Oshanin. The Rybinsk Historical, Architectural and Art Museum-Reserve

has been operating in the city since 1910. The main expositions of the museum are located in the building of the New Stock Exchange. Inside, it resembles old Russian chambers. The museum’s collection includes about 90,000 items – original paintings by foreign and domestic artists, old books, weapons, furniture, clothing and household items. From Rybinsk you can go to the village of Makarovo, which is located northeast of the city. Here, near a small cemetery, stands the Alexander Nevsky Church of the early 20th century. A little south of Rybinsk (downstream of the Volga River) it is worth visiting the village of Pesochnoye, where a porcelain factory operates. The plant was founded in 1884 by the merchant Nikitin. Nowadays, the factory produces a variety of porcelain products, among which are unique author’s products.

Rybinsk, Yaroslavl Region (Russia)