Starodub (in the old days - Starodub Seversky) is an ancient city in the southwestern part of the Bryansk region, 30 kilometers from the border with Ukraine. Founded under Vladimir Monomakh, it was one of the historical centers of the Seversk land, survived the Tatar-Mongol invasion and many other significant events and therefore today could become a generally recognized tourist center, but is now known mainly as the place where “Starodubsky” cheese is produced and there is a correctional labor colony.
Nativity (Cossack) Cathedral, Pervomaiskaya street, 11. Located in
the city center, on the former market square. Built in 1677. It is
considered one of the earliest examples of a Ukrainian three-chamber
domed pillarless temple. In Soviet times, it was used as a warehouse,
now it has been restored with somewhat excessive zeal (the traditional
white iron covering was replaced with gold, new crosses are also painted
“gold”), but overall it has retained its ancient and impressive
appearance.
Epiphany Church, st. Frunze, 63 (on the shore of Lake
Babinets). The temple was built in the 1780s in the Ukrainian Baroque
style. Repaired, maintained in order, operational.
Church of St.
Nicholas (Staronikolsky) (1803), Evseevskaya st., 23. A small church on
a hill in the city center, built at the beginning of the 19th century in
classicist style, with four-column porticoes. During Soviet times it was
also used as a warehouse, now it has been restored and is operational.
Former synagogue building (now post office building)
A memorial sign
in honor of the visit of the city by Empress Catherine II in 1787
Prison castle (architect Andrian Zakharov, early 19th century)
The
building of the former religious school (Correctional Colony No. 5) (2nd
half of the 19th century)
The building of the former men's gymnasium
(facade of the Relay factory) (2nd half of the 19th century)
Lenin
School building (1887)
The building of the former women's gymnasium
(Kalinin school) (1902)
Building of the children's creativity center
(1905)
House of Y. V. Zavadovsky, the last colonel of the Starodub
regiment (XVIII century)
Miklashevsky House (early 19th century)
Yakubenko House (1st third of the 19th century)
Cherkunov House
(1853)
House of merchant Dyatlov (XIX century)
House of merchant
Sapozhkov (XIX century)
House of the merchant Reikhinshtein (2nd half
of the 19th century)
Former Akundova hotel (2nd half of the 19th
century)
House of the merchant Konovalov (1872)
Former district
court building (2nd half of the 19th century)
Former building of the
Theological School (1898)
Monument to Ivan Grigorievich
Shcheglovitov, Minister of Justice of the Russian Empire, the last
Chairman of the State Council of the Empire.
Prison castle (Ekaterininsky prison), st. Malecha, 5. Located at the
confluence of the Shmergovka stream into the Babinets River, on the cape
where the historical core of the city was located. There was a former
fort here, and in the 1980s, the remains of the defensive ramparts of a
pre-Mongol fortress from the late 10th century were found nearby. The
current prison castle was built in the first half of the 19th century -
according to legend, according to the design of the outstanding St.
Petersburg architect Andreyan Zakharov. Whether this is true or not, the
building is in any case impressive and, despite its current abandonment,
has retained its noble outlines. It is called Catherine’s, apparently,
not in honor of Catherine II (who, although she visited Starodub, did so
long before the construction of the fort), but after the unpreserved
Catherine’s Church, located nearby.
City park, between Kalinin,
Lunacharsky and Uritsky streets. Next to the park (Lunacharsky St., 19)
there is a house where the Ukrainian folklorist and musicologist
Alexander Ivanovich Rubets lived, and therefore the park bears his name
(previously it was a park named after Shchors). There is no museum in
the house, but in the park there is a monument to Rubts, as well as a
fountain and two sculptures of lions (more precisely, a lion and a
lioness) at the entrance from Kalinin Street.
Starodubsky Museum of Local Lore, Krasnooktyabrskaya st., 36. ☎ +7 (48348) 2-29-59. 09:00–17:00 (Tue-Fri), 10:00–14:00 (Sat-Sun). 30–50 ₽.
By plane
There is no airport in Starodub.
By train
Dead-end branch from Unecha.
Railway station, st. Sverdlova, 62.
By bus
Bus service with Bryansk, Klimovo, Klintsy, Novozybkov, as
well as with Moscow and Gomel.
Bus station, st. Semashko, 9.
Cheap
1 “Gulliver”, Krasnoarmeyskaya sq., 97D (near the hospital).
☎ +7 (930) 726-21-52. 08:00–21:00, on Sun – 09:00–20:00. from 150 ₽.
Cafe near the bus station (landmark - water tower). Simple, but
according to reviews, delicious food. The menu is small. There is a
"coffee to go" option.
Average cost
2 “Old Town”,
Krasnoarmeyskaya st., 1. ☎ +7 (909) 241-52-78. 10:00–00:00 (Mon-Thu),
10:00–02:00 (Fri-Sun). Mostly good reviews.
3 “Caspian”, st.
Lunacharsky, 15 (near the park). 11:00–02:00 except Mon. Conflicting
reviews.
Average cost
1 “Quarter”, Krasnooktyabrskaya st., 47B. ✉ ☎ +7
(905) 104-25-89, +7 (961) 101-07-08. 2000-2500 ₽. Mini-hotel in the city
center. There is parking, free Wi-Fi, and a restaurant. Good feedback.
Located on the Babinets River, 145 km southwest of Bryansk, 130 km from Belarusian Gomel, 180 km from Ukrainian Chernigov.
The prevailing climate is moderate continental. Winters are cool, with thaws. Summer is warm and long. The average annual precipitation is 530 mm.
The exact age of Starodub is unknown. The first mention of him was in
the “Teaching” of Vladimir Monomakh in 1080. There, in the Laurentian
Chronicle, it is reported that the siege of the Starodub fortress
(during the campaign of Vladimir Monomakh in 1096 to Starodub against
Oleg of Chernigov, who took refuge there after being expelled from
Chernigov) lasted 33 days. Only a powerful, well-developed fortress,
capable of providing food supplies for the townspeople, the garrison and
the princely squad, could withstand such a long siege.
In 1152,
Yuri Dolgoruky and settlers from Starodub founded another city -
Starodub-on-Klyazma, which later became the center of the Starodub
principality, located on the territory of the modern Vladimir region.
In the 13th century, during Batu's invasion, the city was destroyed
by the Mongol-Tatars. From the middle of the 14th century it was the
center of the principality in the Grand Duchy of Lithuania and Russia.
It suffered greatly in 1379 from the troops of Grand Duke Dmitry
Ivanovich (“Donskoy”).
In 1503, after the victory of Ivan III
over the Lithuanians in the Battle of Vedrosh, it became part of the
united Russian state. Being a border fortress on the southwestern
outskirts of the Russian state, Starodub was repeatedly attacked by
Polish-Lithuanian forces, for example in 1515, 1534 and 1535. In the
summer of 1535, during the Starodub War, the Polish-Lithuanian army
under the command of hetmans Radziwill and Tarnowski captured and
ravaged the city and burned the fortress walls, killing 13 thousand
inhabitants. But in the same year the city with all the fortifications
was rebuilt. The fortifications consisted of ramparts, ditches and
wooden chopped walls with travel towers. In 1563, the existence of two
fortresses in Starodub was first mentioned, the larger of which was
located on the left bank of the Babinets River, and the other, smaller
(“part of the suburb”) in Zarechye. According to the surviving plans of
that time, it is clear that the space-planning structure of the city was
almost the same as it is now, and resembled a radial ring.
In
1562, during the Livonian War, Starodub was attacked by a Lithuanian
army led by Philon Kmita, but managed to survive.
In 1616, the
Poles again captured the city, and according to the Deulin Truce, they
retained it. In 1620, King Sigismund III granted the inhabitants
liberties under the Magdeburg Law, and the city a coat of arms depicting
an old oak tree with an eagle's nest. The royal charter spoke of
Starodub as a border city, “formed by ramparts and... capable of
defense.” Poland used its fortifications to protect its lands from the
Russian state. In 1648, during the uprising (revolt) of B. Khmelnitsky
against the government of the Polish-Lithuanian Republic, Jews were
beaten here by the Dnieper Cossacks, who occupied this city.
In
1649, under the terms of the Treaty of Zborov, the entire region was
assigned to the Hetmanate. And in 1654, the Hetmanate united with
Russia, and Starodub became a regimental city - the administrative
center of the Starodub regiment. In 1660 it was ravaged by the Crimean
Tatars, and in 1663 by the Poles. Since the 1660s, numerous Old Believer
settlements have been founded on the lands of Starodubshchina.
From the second half of the 17th century, Starodub became one of the
most important centers of fair trade between Polish, Lithuanian and
Russian cities. Various goods were brought in large quantities to two
large fairs - Cathedral and Ten Fairs: hemp, oil, honey, wax, furs,
potash, glass. The local merchants were famous for their wealth.
In 1666, Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich granted Starodub a charter confirming
the rights of its residents under Magdeburg Law. After a terrible fire
in 1677, as a result of which all the buildings burned down, including
four churches and the city ramparts, large construction began in
Starodub and the entire settlement was soon restored. The only surviving
monument of that time is the Cathedral of the Nativity of Christ (1677).
In the Northern War of 1700-1721, Starodub played the role of an
important fortress, and the Starodub regiment took an active part in
military campaigns. In the autumn of 1708, near Starodub, many days of
bloody battles were fought between Swedish and Russian troops. All
attempts by the Swedes to capture the city were unsuccessful. For this,
Peter I awarded the Starodubites with confirmation of the liberties they
received under Magdeburg law. In 1708, “the Swedes and Krauts and the
entire embassy in Starodub” killed up to 50 Jews.
After the
abolition of the regimental division of Little Russia and the
establishment of governorships, Starodub from 1782 became a district
town, first of the Novgorod-Seversk governorship (1782), and then of the
Chernigov province (1802). By this time there were 18 churches and more
than a thousand courtyards. In the same 1782, the city’s coat of arms
was approved - “an oak in a silver field”, made on the basis of the coat
of arms of the regimental banner.
The period from the end of the
18th century and throughout the 19th century was characterized by
intensive construction initiated by the wealthy merchants. Almost all
the architectural monuments that have survived to this day were built
then, most of which, unfortunately, are in a deplorable state today.
By 1897, the number of households increased to 1,475, and the
population numbered about 12 thousand. The growth of the city was
associated with some growth in industry. During this period, four
hemp-scraping factories, a tannery and a brewery operated in Starodub,
and four fairs were held annually. In 1900, a railway line was built
from Unecha station, which included Starodub in the Russian transport
network.
In 1917-1918, Starodub was part of the Ukrainian People's Republic
(it was part of the land of Severshchyna) and the Ukrainian state of
Skoropadsky.
The beginning of 1918 - the establishment of Soviet
power.
On February 19, 1918, at the Congress of Soviets of Mglinsky,
Surazhsky, Starodubsky and Novozybkovsky districts, which was held in
Unecha under the leadership of P. B. Shimanovsky, it was decided to
unite them due to rejection of the policy of the Ukrainian Rada.
March 1918 - the first battles with the Germans on Bryansk land.
On
April 10, 1918, Starodub was captured by German troops.
Mid 1918.
Resistance to the German occupiers covered Novozybkovsky, part of
Starodubsky and Surazhsky districts. Rebel partisan detachments attacked
German and Haidamak units and prevented the export of property and food
looted by the invaders to Germany.
On November 25, 1918, the city was
liberated by the forces of the Tarashchansky regiment. Soviet power has
been restored.
On January 1, 1919, the First Congress of the
Communist Party of Belarus (Bolsheviks) adopted a resolution according
to which Starodub was designated as the center of the subdistrict of the
Gomel region within the SSR of Belarus.
January 16, 1919 - December
1926 Starodub - the center of the district of the Gomel province as part
of the RSFSR.
1926-1929 - as part of the Bryansk province of the
RSFSR.
1929-1937 - in the Western region of the RSFSR.
1937-1944 -
in the Oryol region.
In March-June 1941, on the basis of the order of
the NKO, according to the directive of the Military Council of the Oryol
Military District No. 003000 dated 03/05/1941, the 222nd Infantry
Division was formed in Starodub.
On August 18, 1941, it was captured
by Nazi troops during the Battle of Smolensk. During the occupation, 336
residential buildings, pedagogical college and ten-year school
buildings, and all industrial and cultural and educational institutions
were almost completely destroyed.
In September 1941, the occupation
authorities, using local auxiliary police, carried out an action to
“evict” Jews from Starodub to the ghetto on the territory of the former
Belovshchina state farm. On February 24-27, 1942, all residents of the
ghetto, including children, were shot.
September 22, 1943 - liberated
by the troops of the Bryansk Front (348th Infantry Division of Major
General I.G. Grigorievsky and 250th Infantry Division of Colonel I.V.
Mokhin).
Since 1944, part of the Bryansk region.
In 1962, the
Bryanskgrazhdanproekt Institute developed a project for the
reconstruction of urban development, according to which the city was
reconstructed. Fortunately, the project did not introduce anything
significant into the planning structure, limiting itself to partial
reconstruction of the main highways and straightening of some streets.
Therefore, the main advantage of the city has been preserved - the
almost untouched ancient planning structure, a rare example of
pre-regular urban planning.
The main enterprises of the city are TNV "Syr Starodubsky", OJSC "Konservsushprod".
The city is home to the Starodub Industrial and Technological College named after Hero of Russia A.S. Zaitsev, three secondary schools, the Cossack Cadet Corps named after. Hero of the Soviet Union A. Tarasenko, children's art school named after. A. I. Rubtsa, children's creativity center, TsEVD "Merry Crew" as part of the Starodubsky CDT
There is a local history museum, a city children's library, and at the service of citizens there is the Zarya stadium (matches of the Bryansk region football championship are held here), the Starodub indoor sports complex (various sections are open, competitions in various sports are held all year round), an ice palace, there is a flying club.
Currently, correctional colony No. 5 of the Federal Penitentiary
Service of Russia in the Bryansk Region operates in the city. The
institution was located almost in the city center on Semashko Street.
The building of the former religious school, built in the 1870s, is now
one of the buildings of the correctional institution.
At the
beginning of the 20th century, future clergy were trained in this
building, and since 1932, these buildings were transferred to a colony
for street girls. During the Great Patriotic War, after the liberation
of these places from the occupiers, a special prison functioned here,
where enemy collaborators and traitors were kept. After the war,
juvenile delinquents were kept in this area.
Only in 1998 the
institution became a general regime colony, and in 2016 - a maximum
security colony. On the territory of the colony, several residential
buildings were built, production facilities, warehouses and a bakery
were located. It has its own tool and press shops, as well as a
carpentry department. In 2018, the medical and sanitary part of the
colony was overhauled and equipped.