Toropets is located in the western part of the Tver region. Known
since the 11th century, it was once the capital of its own principality,
then a rich merchant city, and now it is a small original town among
lakes and deep forests, which has preserved its historical atmosphere.
Toropets was first mentioned in chronicles in 1074. In the city,
continuity is sometimes traced to the capital of the Krivichi,
Krivitesku, which allegedly stood in its place in the middle of the
first millennium, but there is no documentary evidence of this. The
advantageous position on the banks of the Toropa River (along which the
route from the Varangians to the Greeks passed and which gave the city
its name) led to the rise of Toropets, and by the middle of the 12th
century it was the center of an independent principality - the city
preserved the remains of the fortifications of those times. The Toropets
princess was the mother of Alexander Nevsky, and the Grand Duke himself
later chose Toropets as the place of his wedding to the daughter of the
Polotsk prince Alexandra Bryachislavna.
In the middle of the 14th
century, Toropets was occupied by the Lithuanian prince Olgerd and for
one and a half hundred years was part of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania.
In 1503, after the Truce of Annunciation, the city became part of the
Moscow Principality and since then has not changed its state
affiliation. During the 16th and 17th centuries, Toropets experienced
several sieges of varying degrees of destruction, but its advantageous
location helped it recover after each of them.
The 18th century
was the heyday of Toropets. At this time it was a fairly wealthy
merchant city and an important center for the leather industry. Thanks
to the trading activity of Toropets merchants, features characteristic
of Central Russia, the Pskov region, the Russian North, Ukraine and a
number of other places were introduced into the style of city churches.
All this was combined with local traditions of wooden architecture
(mainly in decoration) - and the result was an unusual combination,
which art historians later called the Toropets style or even Toropets
baroque: such churches are found only in the city and its environs.
Within this style there are two branches, early and late, separated by
Peter I’s ban on stone construction outside St. Petersburg. Later
churches more actively use traditional Baroque forms and usually look
more elegant. The decorative solutions of churches also migrated to
residential buildings, which is very unusual for other provincial
architectural schools of that time. At least a dozen such houses have
survived in Toropets.
At the end of the 18th century, the wealth
of Toropets merchants was noticeably influenced, and for the worse, by
the increase in the territory of Russia after the partitions of Poland:
the city was no longer located on the border and could not use this
advantage. Nevertheless, Toropets remained one of the largest (after
Pskov and Velikiye Luki) cities in the Pskov province. The main
Moscow-Vindava railway passed by the city (although relatively close to
it), but the construction of the Bologoe-Polotsk line at the beginning
of the 20th century stimulated the development of the timber industry in
the city. The Great Patriotic War did not escape Toropets, but it
suffered much less from it than other cities in this area. After the
war, the city, in transit through the short-lived Velikolukskaya region,
ended up in Tverskaya, for the first time in its history falling under
the subordination of Tver.
Despite its modest size, Toropets was
for centuries the largest city in a prominent area west of Moscow, only
losing this status to Nelidovo, which grew up on the coal deposit, in
the second half of the 20th century. There have never been large cities
in this region, and, despite the wartime destruction, Toropets has
perfectly preserved its identity. In recent years, Toropets and its
surroundings have become a popular outdoor recreation destination for
Moscow residents; however, they are still very far from Seliger in this
indicator.
It is worth noting that the city is quite clean, the
main streets have smooth asphalt, and on the central Sovetskaya there
are even paving slabs - all this is completely uncharacteristic for the
provincial cities of the Tver region. There are also far fewer abandoned
houses in the city than one would expect, given the marked decline in
population in recent years.
The city is located on the Toropa River, between lakes Solomeno and
Zalikovskoye, through which it passes. Old Russian Toropets arose at one
time on the southern bank of the river, now its settlements are located
there. In the 16th century, the fortress (nowadays not preserved wooden
Kremlin) was moved a little further north, to an island between the
branches of the Toropa. At the same time, the settlement near the
fortress began to grow on the northern shore, and, over time, the city
center moved there. The railway ran a couple of kilometers north of the
then city border; the city was growing in that direction already in the
20th century. Toropets is small, and a few hours will most likely be
enough for you to explore the sights of the city.
The central
street of the city is Sovetskaya, leading from Bazarnaya Square on the
banks of the Toropa to the railway station. Beyond the river it
continues as Komsomolskaya, then turning into the access road to the M9.
Posad
Toropetsk Posad was located on the northern bank of the
Toropa. When the military threat disappeared, the city center moved
there. The center of the posad was the current Market Square, located on
the river bank, not far from the bridge to the island. All the buildings
in the square had and still have commercial purposes; the city market is
also located here. Many buildings that were located on the square before
the revolution (including three churches) have now been lost, but a
number of interesting buildings have still been preserved. Perhaps the
most interesting of them is 1 House with a Portico, but the large
shopping arcades look rather nondescript. On the southern side of the
square, it is worth paying attention to the Su-9 fighter, erected in
honor of the fortieth anniversary of the Victory as a monument 2,
located as if it were taking off over Toropa. There was also a paradox
here - the first aircraft of this type took off only in 1956.
From the square, streets occupied by historical buildings diverge for
several blocks. Generally speaking, Toropets, like many other cities of
the Russian Empire, received a regular plan at the end of the 18th
century, but here they treated it without fanaticism, and along with the
ideal rectangular grid, they preserved a number of old crooked streets.
What is interesting here is the complete ensemble of the main Sovetskaya
Street in the city. Many pre-revolutionary mansions have been preserved
on Karl Marx, Krasnoarmeyskaya and some other streets. The most notable
of them are on the city’s cultural heritage list. The oldest of these
buildings date back to the mid-18th century and are easily recognizable
by their characteristic architraves. Younger houses are also of
interest, although they tend to be much simpler in appearance. Also pay
attention to the northern colorful courtyards. Most of the city's
churches are also located here.
3 Savior Transfiguration
Church Wikidata element, st. Nikitina. It is located slightly to the
west of the Market Square and is visible from it. From this church one
can trace the entire evolution of Toropetsk church architecture: its
main volumes date back to the beginning of the 17th century and belong
to the early Toropetsk style, the bell tower clearly influenced the
development of the later one, and in the decoration and extensions all
eras were noted until the beginning of the 19th century. The rector of
this church for many years was the father of Patriarch Tikhon, the first
church ruler to receive this rank after the restoration of the
patriarchate in 1917.
4 Kazan Church , st. Solovyov. ☎ +7 (48268)
2-21-73. One of the oldest churches in the city was built at the end of
the 17th century. This is an example of the early Toropets style. From
the outside it looks rather heavy, which is partly due to the demolition
of the high bell tower in the 1930s. The decor is also typical of early
Toropets churches. Pay special attention to the tiles with cherubs
(“divine children,” as the locals called them) - this is one of the
symbols of the city. Inside, the temple, which in its structure belongs
to a rare type of double-column church, seems much more spacious and
taller. Of interest are the internal entrance portal from the time the
church was built and the paintings, both preserved from the 19th century
and restored in recent years.
5 Church of the Nativity of John the
Baptist, st. Karl Marx. The temple of the early 18th century is another
representative of the early Toropets style. In general, the church is
similar to the Spaso-Preobrazhensky and Kazan churches, but smaller in
size, and its external decor is somewhat poorer.
6 Watchtower,
square, intersection of Eremenko and Sovetskaya streets. In 1999, a
watchtower depicted on the city’s coat of arms was erected on one of the
squares of Toropets. It is not a direct replica of any historical
building, but it looks quite photogenic. Across the road from the tower
(near the building of the cultural center) there is a monument to A.N.
Kuropatkin - Minister of War of the Russian Empire, born in the village
of Sheshurino, 60 kilometers from Toropets.
7 Pokrovskaya Church ,
st. Eremenko. The tallest and, perhaps, the most impressive church of
Toropets was built in 1774 - this is the result of crossing local
traditions with metropolitan architecture or, in more strict terms,
Baroque with features of classicism. It turned out quite unusual; direct
analogues to this temple are difficult to find. The interior of the
church is impressive with its exquisite stucco moldings and shapes -
from the inside the temple seems even larger than it actually is.
Nowadays the church, together with the neighboring Nikolskaya, belongs
to the St. Tikhon’s Monastery for women (divine services are held in the
Nikolskaya Church).
8 St. Nicholas Church. Somewhat “hidden” from
view by the brighter and larger Church of the Intercession; to view it
you will need to go beyond the monastery fence. This is the oldest
surviving temple in the city, built in 1666, although it did not escape
later reconstruction. Pay attention to the tiles - there are more of
them here than in any other Toropets church.
9 Church of the
Nativity of the Virgin Mary, st. Leningradskaya. Erected in 1742, this
is the first church built in the late variation of the Toropets style.
In terms of its external volumes, it is close to the “early” churches,
but it looks more elegant. The settlement is separated from the main
part by the small river Ukleenka, but it is still the historical part of
the city.
10 Assumption Church, crossroads st. Lenin and st. Karl
Marx. Another monument of the Toropets Baroque, a temple built in 1768.
It is in severe neglect, but even in its current state it is of interest
due to its partially preserved decorative elements and general
plasticity.
11 Estonian Lutheran Church, st. Oktyabrskaya, 48. The
wooden and now half-abandoned church is evidence that Toropets once
belonged to the Pskov province, with its characteristic noticeable
diaspora from among the peoples of its western neighbors. Jews, Germans,
Latvians, and Finns lived in Toropets and the surrounding area, but most
of all there were Estonians. In the 1870s, a wooden church was built for
them; under Soviet rule, it lost its bell tower and was used for
utilitarian purposes: its last function was a gym, which was removed
from it already in the 2000s.
From Market Square the bridge leads to the Special Island, where from
the 16th to the 18th centuries. the fortifications of the Toropets
Kremlin were located. All that remains of the island's fortifications
are the unimpressive remains of a rampart (the "Red Wall"), which you
may not even notice. Over time, the administrative part of the city also
moved to the suburb, closer to the place of urban activity, and the
island became a remote part of the city center.
12 Epiphany
Church, st. Komsomolskaya, 2. Built in 1765, the temple is considered
the main masterpiece of the Toropets Baroque. Possessing features
characteristic of other city churches, Epiphany is distinguished by the
most elegant composition. The church is located on the shore of the lake
and is perfectly visible from the Market Square. Now the church is in
poor condition, and inside it there is a local history museum.
Next to the church there is a stone monument to Admiral P.I. Rikord (a
native of the city) in the form of a granite block with a sea chain and
an anchor.
13 Monument to the Teacher, st. Komsomolskaya (between
the Epiphany Church and the Korsun Cathedral). The first monument to the
teaching profession on the territory of present-day Russia was erected
in 1974 on the initiative of former graduates of school No. 1 located
across the road. It represents the figure of a man teaching a lesson,
leaning his hand on the desk. As of summer 2023, it is under
reconstruction.
14 Korsun-Bogoroditsky Cathedral, st. Komsomolskaya.
The youngest of the city churches (1804) and the only one built by a
non-local architect, the cathedral was built to store the main local
shrine, the Toropetsk Icon of the Mother of God, so an architect from
Smolensk was invited to build it. The cathedral has a non-standard,
somewhat ponderous shape, which hides its considerable height up close.
As in other Toropets temples, the details deserve special attention.
The Toropetskaya icon itself, which in the city is identified with the
ancient Korsunskaya (hence the name of the cathedral), has been known
since the end of the 17th century. There is a popular legend in the city
that the icon was a gift to the city from Alexandra Bryachislavna, the
wife of Alexander Nevsky, but it, apparently, has no basis. The icon was
kept in Toropets until 1936, then it was transported to the Russian
Museum. In 2009, the icon was transferred to the newly built Alexander
Nevsky Church in one of the cottage villages near Moscow.
On the
southern bank of Toropa there is a place where the city was located in
the Middle Ages. There are no historical buildings here, either from the
Middle Ages or later, but the ancient earthen fortifications are
perfectly preserved.
15 Vysokoe Maloye Gorodishche, st.
Komsomolskaya. An impressive, round hill (about 60 meters in radius and
a dozen in height) with steep slopes is what remains of a fortress of
the 11th-15th centuries. Unlike many other similar structures, the
Vysokoye Malyaya Settlement is completely man-made, without any natural
elevations at its core. There are several rather steep paths leading to
the top (be careful!). The views of Solomennoye Lake and Osooblivy
Island from the settlement are truly impressive, but the planting area,
unfortunately, is hidden behind vegetation in the summer.
16 Big Old
Settlement (across the road from Maly). As the name suggests, it is
really large - many times larger than Maly - but at the same time it is
more gently sloping, inhabited (huts and city streets climb right onto
it, and on the undeveloped part local residents graze their cattle) and
is partly based on a hill of natural origin . The other part of the name
regarding Maly is not so correct: most likely, both settlements were
parts of a single fortification system. Due to the lower height and
buildings blocking the view, you can see less from the Big Settlement
than from the Small Settlement, but the view of the city center from
here is a little better.
Cemetery churches. At the end of the 18th century, burials within the
city limits were prohibited in Toropets, which led to the appearance of
three cemeteries outside the city and churches on them. The churches
were built similar to each other - small, located on hills, with one
tower - in their appearance they resemble the churches and churches of
central Europe.
17 Church of the Myrrh-Bearing Women, st.
Komsomolskaya (south of the city). It differs somewhat from the other
two in its heavy appearance. It is located next to the Old Settlement
and is visible from it.
18 Church of All Saints , st. Roshchinskaya,
49 (northeast of the city). ☎ +7 (48268) 2-25-07. The only one of the
Toropets churches that did not close during Soviet times, it is still
distinguished by a large number of parishioners. Despite the distance,
it is visible from both the Big Settlement and the Small Settlement.
19 Ascension Church , st. Kutuzov (northwest of the city). Unlike the
other two, it is not so panoramic, but may be of interest to pilgrims -
in the cemetery of the church there is a chapel where the parents and
brothers of Patriarch Tikhon are buried.
20 Trinity-Nebin Monastery,
st. Lermontov. It was located on the banks of the Toropa and therefore
quite noticeable in the city panorama. Until recently, the buildings of
the monastery were occupied by a foundry and mechanical plant; the
monastery buildings are still in disrepair; the cathedral of the early
18th century has been decapitated. Is it possible to explore the
monastery up close? It is unknown
1 Local History Museum , st. Komsomolskaya, 2 (in the building of
the Epiphany Cathedral). ☎ +7 (48268) 2-26-94. Wed–Sun 11:00–17:00. 30
rub. There are not very many exhibits, but they are quite varied - you
can see, for example, a model of the Toropetsk Kremlin, artifacts from
the Great Patriotic War, and even the armor of a Japanese samurai (from
the collection of the Minister of War of the Russian Empire A.N.
Kuropatkin, a native of the Toropetsk district). You should also contact
us about city tours.
2 Museum of the History of Photography, st.
Eremenko, 4. Exhibition of antique photographic equipment and historical
photographs of the city at the children's art school.
3 Museum of
Patriarch Tikhon, st. Nikitina, 11 (across the road from the
Transfiguration Church). A small museum located in the house where
Tikhon spent his childhood. The collection includes personal belongings
of the patriarch and his family, as well as household furnishings from
the late 19th century. Regarding visits and excursions, you need to
contact the gymnasium named after Patriarch Tikhon (Karl Marx St., 59).
4 Museum of Cosmonautics, st. Sovetskaya, 36 (in the building of the
Palace of Culture). ☎ 2-12-95 +7 (48268) 2-17-84, 2-12-95. except Mon.
The museum opened in the fall of 2016. Toropets is the birthplace of
Yuri Semenov, former chief designer of RSC Energia. The Internet says
that visiting the museum is possible by prior arrangement, but in
general there is still very little information about it.
By train
Toropets is located on the inactive Bologoe-Polotsk
railway. There are no long-distance trains on it, but 5 commuter trains
run to Velikiye Luki (a little more than 2 hours) and Ostashkov (a
little more than 3 hours) - daily in summer, 5 times a week in winter
(except Mon and Wed). This road, which passes through a picturesque and
remote area, and has preserved a significant part of its buildings and
equipment since the beginning of the 20th century, is an attraction in
its own right.
To get to Toropets by rail from Moscow or St.
Petersburg, you need to take an overnight train to Velikiye Luki, where
you change to a suburban train departing in the morning to Toropets. If
you are coming from Moscow, you can get off the Velikiye Luki train
earlier, at the Staraya Toropa station in the village of the same name,
25 km from the city, and get to Toropets by taxi for 700-800 rubles
(2023). This will save several hours, and if traveling with two or three
it will even be cheaper. It can be convenient to combine these options:
for example, go to Toropets through Luki, and back through Toropa.
There is no convenient route from Tver by rail.
1 Toropets
station (north-eastern outskirts of the city). A rather large post-war
station with a waiting room and toilet (commuter tickets are sold
directly on the train). Much of the station's interior has been
preserved from the 1950s. The city center is at least half an hour on
foot, buses run rarely.
2 Staraya Toropa station. 0:30–22:30.
Station on the Moscow–Rzhev–Velikie Luki line. A night train from Moscow
stops (every day in summer, every other day in winter), commuter trains
run 2-3 times a day in the direction of Rzhev and Velikiye Luki. The
station contains only a waiting room and a toilet; on the right side of
the square there are several small grocery stores.
By bus
From
Moscow there are 4 buses a day from Khovrino, the journey takes from 6
hours. At the same time, officially these are flights to the city of
Nelidovo (you need to look for it in the schedules), and upon arrival
there you need to buy a separate ticket from the driver to Toropets,
sometimes you will also have to transfer to a neighboring bus there
(listen to the instructions of the bus station workers). In Toropets
they sell tickets directly to Moscow.
There are also 4 buses a
day from Tver, the journey takes from 5.5 hours, you can also use
connections in Nelidovo.
The bus to Tver will stop anywhere along
the way, including Rzhev and Staritsa, but Moscow buses do not have
official stops between Moscow and Olenino, which is already beyond
Rzhev. Buses to St. Petersburg, Velikiye Luki, Smolensk occur
sporadically, you should not count on them.
All intercity buses
pass through the city center, making a stop at Market Square. It’s
definitely possible to get off there, but it’s better to discuss the
possibility of boarding in advance.
3 Toropets bus station (next
to the station). ☎ +7 (48268) 2-10-64. A small and scary building made
of sand-lime brick. The opening hours of the waiting room and ticket
offices are tied to the departure of municipal buses around the area and
to Tver, but tickets for flights of private companies can also be
purchased there. In the building itself there is a grocery store, open
from 9 to 18, and nearby there are several benches under a canopy, which
can be accessed at any time of the day. Inside, time seems to have
stopped: you can see classic wooden benches, and on the walls are
preserved orders of the Ministry of Transport of the RSFSR and a number
of other equally archaic artifacts.
By car
The M9 “Baltia”
Moscow-Riga highway runs 20 km south of the city. The turn to Toropets
is located 379 km from Moscow. From Tver (330 km) you can get to the M9
through Rzhev, and from St. Petersburg (580 km) - follow the M20 to
Ludoni, then through Porkhov and Velikiye Luki.
Local roads lead
to Kholm (via Ploskosh) and further to Staraya Russa, as well as to
Andreapol (via Khotilitsy) and further to Seliger. As of summer 2023,
these roads are passable by car and are a mixture of asphalt and grader
sections.
In Toropets there is a city bus that can take you from the train and
bus stations to the city center. Buses run rarely and are not tied to
intercity transport schedules.
A taxi around the city costs 150₽
(2023), numbers can be easily found on the Internet. Taxi drivers are
also on duty on the northern side of Market Square.
There are several places in the city center that sell souvenirs.
There is also no shortage of grocery stores, and these are mainly
supermarkets.
1City Market, Market Square. 10:00–16:00. Market
day is on Sunday, but there is some activity on other days (Wednesday
and Friday).
Traditionally for the Russian provinces, on weekends some
establishments may be closed for special services.
1 Restaurant
“Krivitesk” (at the hotel of the same name), st. Sovetskaya, 11. ☎ +7
(48268) 23499. 8:00–0:00. The most expensive place in the city, although
by Moscow standards it is more of a cafe. In general, people are
satisfied with the cuisine, although there are also negative reviews. In
the same building there is a door with a sign “Confectionery “Volzhsky
Baker”” - there you can drink tea/coffee with local pastries or products
of the company of the same name, but only a couple of people can fit
inside.
2 Cafe “Yuna” (at the Toropa Hotel), Sovetskaya St., 35/21.
☎ +7 (48268) 2-17-63. 9:00–23:00. Overall similar to Krivitesk, but more
loved by locals.
3 Grill bar “Shampur”, st. Krasnoarmeyskaya, 6,
building 1. 17:00–2:00. In the evenings it is used as a place of not
very cultural relaxation with all the ensuing consequences, but they
also cook there, and they even say it’s edible.
4 Coffee shop “On
the Old Square”, st. Sovetskaya, 7/2. 9:00–19:00. In addition to coffee,
you can also eat here, but the food here doesn’t have the best reviews,
as does the coffee.
There are two hotels in Toropets, both of them are located in
merchant mansions on Sovetskaya Street not far from each other.
1 Hotel “Toropa”, Sovetskaya st., 35. ☎ +7 (48268) 2-11-08. single
room: from 1000₽.
2 Hotel “Krivitesk”, Sovetskaya st., 11. ☎ +7
(48268) 2-34-99. double room: from 3000₽.
Post office (department 172840), str. Sovetskaya, 26. ☎ +7 (48268) 2‑19-60. Mon–Fri 8:00–20:00, Sat 9:00–18:00, Sun 9:00–14:00
The name of the city is due to its location on the Toropa River (in the early years Toropitsa). In turn, the origin of this hydronym is associated with the Russian rush "haste", arising from the high speed of the river at the threshold before the confluence of the Western Dvina.
The city is located in the west of the Valdai Upland, 263 km west of Tver. It is located on the Toropa River, which flows within the city through the Solomennoye and Zalikovskoye lakes. Railway station on the Bologoye - Velikiye Luki line. To the south of the city there is the M9 E 22 “Baltia” highway, as well as the Moscow-Riga railway (Staraya Toropa station, located in the city-type settlement of the same name), which provide a connection between the city and the capital.
Toropets was first mentioned in
chronicles in 1074. The chronicle text speaks of the death in the
Kiev-Pechersk monastery of the Toropchanin, the Monk Isaac of the
Caves (a merchant of the Toropechanin named Chern).
The city
itself was first mentioned in documents under 1168 as the center of
an independent Toropets principality (the ancient ramparts, probably
preserved in the center of the city, probably date back to the XII
century, were probably poured by the Toropets prince Mstislav
Rostislavich Brave - the son of the Smolensk prince Rostislav).
The Toropets principality was small and was
located in the upper reaches of the Toropa and Zapadaya Dvina
rivers, bordering on the lands of Smolensk, Novgorod and Polotsk.
The famous route from the Varangians to the Greeks passed through
the city. After the death of Mstislav Rostislavich, the reign passed
to his son Mstislav Mstislavich, later nicknamed Udatny.
Later Mstislav Udatny handed over the Toropets table to his brother
David Mstislavich. At the beginning of 1212, David's Toropets
troops, together with the troops of the Pskov prince Vsevolod
Mstislavich, participated in the campaign of Mstislav Udatny (who
then occupied the Novgorod table) to Northern Estonia, as a result
of which the Estonians were taxed.
Since the 13th century,
the Lithuanian attack on Toropets intensified. So, in 1225, the
attack of the Lithuanian princes was repulsed by the joint efforts
of the troops of David Mstislavich and his son-in-law, the Novgorod
prince Yaroslav Vsevolodovich, but in 1226 David fell in battle with
the Lithuanians near Usvyat - a city in the east of the Polotsk
land.
In 1245, the Lithuanians undertook the largest invasion
of Russian lands; they captured Toropets and ruined it, but the
Novgorod army of Alexander Nevsky (the son of Yaroslav Vsevolodovich
and - by his mother - the grandson of Mstislav Udatny) recaptured
the city, and then in two fierce battles - near Zhizhets (35 km
south-west of Toropets) and Usvyat (still 65 km southwest) - the
Lithuanians were utterly defeated.
For Alexander Yaroslavich,
Toropets was also significant because it was here in 1239, when he
had not yet earned his famous nickname Nevsky, that the prince was
married to Alexandra, the daughter of the Polotsk prince
Bryachislav). From her, the city got one of the main local shrines -
the Korsun Icon of the Mother of God, which was kept in the
cathedral of the same name for over 700 years.
In 1362,
Toropets was still occupied by the Lithuanian prince Olgerd and
became part of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania.
On August 9,
1500, during the Russian-Lithuanian war of 1500-1503, the troops of
the Moscow commander, Novgorod governor Andrei Chelyadnin took
Toropets; according to the Annunciation Armistice concluded on March
25, 1503, which ended the war, Toropets and 18 other border cities
went to the Russian state. In 1580, during the Livonian War,
Toropets was besieged by the army of the Polish king Stefan Batory,
who, however, did not achieve success, and in 1582 the city, in
accordance with the results of the Yam-Zapolsky peace between Poland
and Moscow, remained with the Russians.
New and modern times
At the beginning of the 17th century, during the Time of Troubles,
Toropets was taken and ruined by the Poles. In 1609, the Poles were
expelled as a result of the Battle of Toropets, but already in 1617
Toropets became a target for the Ukrainian Cossacks. In the summer
of 1698, the archers stationed here rebelled in Toropets, who
marched to Moscow, forcing some of the Toropets burghers to join
them; repression in this case continued until 1707.
In the
XVI-XVII centuries, the role of Toropets as a trade and craft center
on the western borders of the Russian state increased. Since the
18th century, leatherworking has been actively developing here.
Since 1708, the city became part of the Ingermanland province (since
1710 called St. Petersburg), since 1719 it has been a part of the
Velikolutsk province of the Petersburg province, since 1727 - in the
Velikolutsk province of the Novgorod province. In 1777 it received
the status of a district town of the Pskov province.
In 1897, 7,556 inhabitants lived in Toropets (90% were Orthodox
and 8% Jews, the rest were Catholics, Lutherans and Old Believers).
The population of the city was distributed according to the class
composition: 64.1% were burghers and guilds, 21.9% were peasants and
14% were attributed to other classes. There were 18 churches and
1527 residential buildings, 28 factories and factories. At that
time, there were up to 28 active churches in Toropets. After the
construction of the Toropets section of the Bologoye-Polotsk railway
in 1905-1907, Toropets became the center of the timber trade.
On October 28-30 (November 10-12), 1917, Soviet power was
established in Toropets, after which the demolition of the Toropets
Baroque monuments that adorned the city center began.
Since
1935 Toropets has been included in the Kalinin Region of the RSFSR.
From August 29, 1941 to January 21, 1942, it was occupied by German
troops (liberated during the Toropetsko-Kholmsk operation by the
troops of the 4th Shock Army under the command of Colonel General
A.I. Eremenko). In April 1962 Toropets was given the status of a
city of regional subordination, but in 1965 Toropets again became a
city of regional significance.
In 1974 Toropets celebrated
its 900th anniversary. On June 24, the city was awarded a diploma of
the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the RSFSR. In 1978 the
Metaplast plant was put into operation.