Borovsk, Russia

Transportation

Hotels, motels and where to sleep

Restaurant, taverns and where to eat

 

Description of Borovsk

Borovsk is located in the Kaluga region. This old Russian city, known from the middle of the 14th century. Borovsk - the regional center of the Kaluga region. The population is about 11,000 people. Borovsk is located on the river Protva, the left tributary of the Oka. Before the revolution, it was one of the centers of the Russian Old Believers, the place of resodemce of Avvakum, the Archpriest, and the Boyar Morozova.

Borovsk has never had heavy industry, and the city as a whole has retained its historical appearance. Now Borovsk is interesting for its preserved architecture of the XVII-XIX centuries, the atmosphere of a small county town and modern street frescoes.

 

Travel Destinations in Borovsk

Borovsk is unique for its street frescoes. The artist Viktor Ovchinnikov, having retired, moved to Borovsk and began to paint the walls of the houses, currently there are about 100 frescoes.

Pafnutiev Borovsky Monastery - a monument of architecture of the XVI — XVII centuries.
Annunciation Cathedral of the late XVII century.
Pokrovsky Old Believer Cathedral, in which the motor transportation business is located.

 


Transportation

How to get there
The best way to get to Borovsk is via Balabanovo - a transport hub on the M-3 highway and the Moscow-Kaluga railway.

By car
From Moscow:

On the highway M3 (Kievskoye Highway) to the right turn to A108 (Great Moscow Ring, exit exactly at 91 km), then follow the signs for Borovsk. An alternative route (if traveling along the A108 is complicated by road repairs): take the M3 to the right turn to Balabanovo (after the 95 km mark), then after the tunnel under the railway to the right. Then go straight along the station street, which turns into A108, then follow the signs to Borovsk.
On the A130 (Kaluzhskoye, then Varshavskoye Highway) to the intersection with A108, behind the village of Sparrow, to the right along the A108 to the intersection with M3, to the right (towards Moscow) to M3 to the left turn to A108 at 91 km, then follow the signs to Borovsk. Traveling through the city of Balabanovo on this route is also possible, but there may be unforeseen delays on the left turn from A108 to M3.

By bus
In Balabanovo, buses and minibuses leave from the square next to the station as they are filled, the journey time to Borovsk is 20 minutes.

Transport
Borovsk has a bus route, but all the sights are within walking distance.

 

Hotels, motels and where to sleep

Average cost
"Guest House in Borovsk", st. Bernikova, 66A.

 

Restaurant, taverns and where to eat

Cheap
Druzhba, st. Lenin, 1.
Pizzeria "Peacock" or "Pavlin", st. Communist, 45.

Average cost
Izba, st. Lenin, 9a. Cafe with a terrace overlooking the left bank of Protva.

 

Geography

The city is surrounded by forests and located on the hills on both banks of the Protva River, approximately 15 kilometers from the Balabanovo station of the Kyiv direction of the Moscow Railway and 84 kilometers southwest of Moscow.

 

History

The first mention of the city is contained in the spiritual charter of Grand Duke Ivan the Red, dated 1358. However, the ceramics found at the Borovsky settlement (the site of the Borovsky Kremlin) date back to an earlier time, from the 11th to the 13th centuries, which indicates the existence of an ancient Russian settlement here. Archaeological excavations and surveys of Borovsk show that at a distance of 500-800 meters from each other there were settlements on the left bank of the Protva River (“Petrova Gora”) and on the right (at the settlement and in the area of Kosovo ravine).

Borovsk. Denga of Prince Semyon Vladimirovich. 1410-1426
Borovsk. Denga of Prince Semyon Vladimirovich. 1410-1426
Borovsk. Denga of Prince Semyon Vladimirovich. 1410-1426
Borovsk. Denga of Prince Semyon Vladimirovich. 1410-1426
Borovsk. Denga of Prince Semyon Vladimirovich. 1410-1426
Borovsk. Denga of Prince Semyon Vladimirovich. 1410-1426
Around 1378, Dmitry Donskoy transferred Borovsk, along with several volosts, to Prince Vladimir the Brave and the city became one of the centers of the Serpukhov-Borovsk principality, which existed until the 3rd quarter of the 15th century.

In the middle of the 15th century, Pafnutiy Borovsky founded a large cultural and religious center of the Moscow state on the outskirts of the city - the Pafnutievo-Borovsky Monastery. In 1480, Ivan III, who owned the city, prepared troops near Borovsk for battle with the Horde.

In 1565, when Tsar Ivan the Terrible divided the Russian state into oprichnina and zemshchina, the city and the surrounding lands became part of the latter and were included in it until the end of 1567.

In the 17th century, Borovsk became the scene of the tragedy of the Old Believers. Archpriest Avvakum was exiled here, and his comrades, the noblewoman Morozova and her sister Princess Urusova, were placed in the Borovsky prison (and there they were killed).

Since 1776, Borovsk has been a district town of the Borovsky district of the Kaluga governorate (since 1796 - the Kaluga province). In 1777, the coat of arms of Borovsk was established.

During the Patriotic War of 1812, the city and the Pafnutiev Monastery were burned and devastated by the French. In May 1857, the city was again badly damaged by fire - 150 residential buildings, 200 shops and several churches burned down.

From 1880 to 1892, Konstantin Tsiolkovsky lived in Borovsk, working here as a teacher. Previously, the religious thinker N. F. Fedorov lived and taught here.

Since July 1929, Borovsk has been the center of the Borovsky district of the Kaluga district of the Moscow region.

Since July 1930, Borovsk has been the center of the Borovsky district of the Moscow region (Kaluga district, like most other districts of the USSR, was abolished).

Since July 5, 1944, Borovsk has been the center of the Borovsky district of the Kaluga region.

 

Defense of Borovsk in the fall of 1941

Military units and subunits of the 5th, 33rd and 43rd armies of the Western Front and the Moscow Military District took part in the defense:
113th Rifle Division (formerly 5th Moscow Rifle Division of the People's Militia).
110th Rifle Division (formerly 4th Moscow Rifle Division of the People's Militia).
312th Infantry Division.
53rd Infantry Division.
17th Tank Brigade.
2nd motorized rifle regiment of the separate motorized rifle division for special purposes of the NKVD named after. F. Dzerzhinsky.
Special cavalry regiment.
Artillery regiments of the 43rd Army.
Units of the 151st and 152nd motorized rifle brigades.
Anti-aircraft artillery group of the 1st Moscow Air Defense Corps.
3rd Division of the 12th Guards Mortar Regiment.
Units of the 22nd Tank Brigade (group of captain K. G. Kozhanov).
Separate tank units of the 5th and 43rd armies.
40th Borovsky and 41st Podolsky fighter battalions of the NKVD.

 

Liberation of Borovsk in the winter of 1942

The city was liberated from German occupation by the troops of the 33rd Army of General M. G. Efremov during battles that lasted from December 31, 1941 to January 4, 1942. Borovsk was taken by units of the 113th, 93rd and 201st Infantry Divisions with the support of units of the 338th Infantry Division.

 

Coat of arms

In 1777 (March 10), the coat of arms of the city of Borovsk was approved, reflecting the feat of Mikhail Volkonsky, who died a brave death with his soldiers at the hands of the Poles in 1610: “Recalling this incident worthy of being remembered, the coat of arms of this city consists of a silver field depicting innocence and sincerity, a scarlet heart, showing fidelity, in the middle of which there is a cross, expressing true zeal for God's Law, the basis of all virtue, and this heart is surrounded by a green laurel crown, showing the indestructibility and firm persistence of glory worthy of this leader and others who died for a just cause with him." (PSZ of the Russian Empire. T. XX. 1775-1780).