Gus-Zhelezny (Iron) is an urban-type settlement in the Kasimovsky
district of the Ryazan region, 20 kilometers northwest of the city of
Kasimov.
The name "Gus-Zheleny" comes from the Gus River and the
ironworks. In turn, the hydronym “Goose” was apparently originally of
Meshchera origin, but later became Russified (compare Kistrus, Svinchus,
Iberdus, etc.)
Among the attractions of Gus-Zhelezny:
Trinity Church, built in
the first half of the 19th century in the pseudo-Gothic style, and the
Batashev estate, built at the end of the 18th century.
The owner of
the estate, Andrei Batashev, is also buried here. The grave and
headstone have recently been restored.
On the northern outskirts of
the village there is a natural monument of regional significance “White
Forest” with small karst lakes Bolshaya and Malaya Klyuchnaya Yama.
By bus
From Moscow, buses going to Kasimov pass through
Gus-Zhelezny.
Bus station, st. Sovetskaya, 8.
By car
From Moscow along the P105 highway (Egoryevskoe highway), 250 km. There
is asphalt everywhere, and almost everywhere there is one lane in one
direction.
Story
In 1758, the famous factory owners Batashevs bought land and
set up an iron smelting and iron plant; a huge artificial lake was built
for work at the plant. After establishing the plant, the Batashevs built
a wooden church here in the name of the Holy Prophet John the Baptist in
1766; this church burned down in 1812. In 1802, construction began on a
stone two-story temple; in 1825, after the death of the temple builder
Andrei Batashev, work was suspended. By this time the main temple had
been extended to the dome of the upper floor, and the refectory and bell
tower to the cornice. The unfinished church remained in this form until
1847. Meanwhile, on the lower floor, all internal work was completed
before 1825, three altars were installed in it and divine services were
performed. In 1847, with funds from Batashev’s heirs and the factory
workers, work was resumed to finish the upper floor of the temple and
the bell tower. All work was finally completed and the temple was
consecrated only in 1868. There are four altars in the church: on the
upper floor in the name of the Life-Giving Trinity, on the lower floor
in the name of the Nativity of Christ, St. Nicholas the Wonderworker and
in the name of the holy apostles Peter and Paul.
The life of the
brothers Andrei and Ivan Batashev was described in the novel by Andrei
Pechersky “On the Mountains”, in the novel by Count Salias “The Vladimir
Monomakhs” and not only).
Here is what a 19th century eyewitness
recalls:
A massive house, the stone ruins surrounding it, a huge
hundred-year-old park behind the house, surrounded by a high wall with
towers stretching two miles in length, a nine-verst pond stretching out
in front of the estate, along which sailing ships once sailed, a
three-verst dam made of white stone, damming three rivers and holding
back gigantic masses of water for a whole century without much harm to
itself - all this cannot but evoke the titanic work of tens of thousands
of hands that created all this in just two years. Incredible!
-
Belokonsky I.P. Batashevs. // In the book: Village impressions. - St.
Petersburg, 1900[
In accordance with the resolution of the
All-Russian Central Executive Committee “On a new network of districts
of the Moscow region” in 1935, the Belkovsky district was formed with
its center in the village of Belkovo, 5 kilometers from Gus-Zhelezny
(the road from Moscow to Kasimov passed there at that time). In 1937,
the area became part of the newly created Ryazan region.
By 1940,
Gus-Zhelezny became the center of the district. In 1959, the Belkovsky
district was abolished, its territories became part of the Tumsky and
Kasimovsky districts.
The status of an urban village has been
since 1964.
The name of the village comes from the Gus River and
the ironworks.
Currently, in Gus-Zhelezny there are housing and communal services enterprises, a timber processing plant, and a forestry enterprise.
The village also has a secondary school, a hospital, and a House of Culture, where three folk ensembles operate.