Uglich

Uglich is a historic town in Yaroslavl Oblast, Russia, on the Volga River. A local tradition dates the town's origin back to 937. It was first documented in 1148 as Ugliche Pole (Corner Field). The town's name is thought to allude to the turn the Volga makes nearby. Uglich had been the seat of a small princedom from 1218 until 1328 when the local princes sold their rights to the great prince of Moscow. As a border town of Muscovy, it was burnt several times by Lithuanians, Tatars and the grand prince of Tver. Grand Duke Ivan III of Moscow gave the town to his younger brother Andrei Bolshoi in 1462. During Andrei's reign the town was expanded and first stone buildings were constructed. Particularly notable were the cathedral (rebuilt in 1713), the Intercession Monastery (destroyed by the Bolsheviks) and the red-brick palace of the prince (completed in 1481 and still standing).