One of the oldest cities in Russia, founded at the turn of the 10th-11th centuries in the Tver region, is famous for its historical monuments and magnificent landscapes. Torzhok managed to preserve the atmosphere of a provincial Russian town - warm and cozy.
Overview
The city is located in the foothills of the Valdai Upland, the European part of Russia, on high hills along the two banks of the Tvertsa River, the left tributary of the Volga. Torzhok forms an urban district and is the administrative center of the Torzhok District. The area of the city of Torzhok is 58.8 km². The average height above sea level is 165 m. In the southeast, 64 kilometers, is the regional center Tver, 239 km - Moscow. Nearby passes the highway "Russia" connecting Moscow and St. Petersburg. There is a railway station "Torzhok" in the city. The official name of the population of Torzhok: men - Novotor, women - Novotorka, townspeople - Novotortsy.
The territory of the city is located in the temperate continental climate zone. The average temperature of the coldest month, January, is minus 8.5-10.5 degrees; the hottest, July, is plus 17 °C. Average annual amountrainfall is 550-750 mm.
The city has a fairly developed industry, there are 25 large and medium-sized enterprises. About 70% of industrial products are produced by the Pozhtekhnika, Torzhok Printing Ink Plant and Torzhok Carriage Works. A major enterprise in the electronics industry is the Mars plant. Several facilities have been built by foreign investors, including the Royal Dutch Shell lubricants plant and the Schiedel chimney and ventilation system plant.
History
The exact date of the city's foundation is unknown, it is believed that it was founded by Novgorod merchants around the beginning of the 11th century. The first reliable written mention found in the Novgorod Chronicle dates back to 1139. In that year, the city was captured by the Suzdal prince Yuri Dolgoruky. The name of the city comes from the word "bargaining". In ancient times, merchants from Russian principalities and foreign lands were engaged in trade in this area. Approximately from the 12th century, the names of the settlement "New Torg" and "Torzhok" are found in the annals. The shorter name has been consolidated as the official one. At the same time, adjectives such as Torzhsky, Novotorzhsky are used in modern toponomy. The self-name of the townspeople, as already mentioned, remains - innovators.
In 1238, the population of the city of Torzhok resisted the Mongol troops of Batu Khan for two weeks. In 1478, Torzhok, together with the Novgorodland was annexed to the Moscow principality. In later times, the city was ravaged by both foreign and troops of neighboring principalities. In 1775, Torzhok became a district town of the Tver province. In the 19th century, 21 factories operated in the city, there were 29 churches and 10 schools. In Soviet times, monasteries and churches were demolished in Torzhok, and several industrial enterprises were built.
Population in the pre-revolutionary period
In ancient times, the city was repeatedly devastated as a result of Russian civil strife and foreign invasions. The population of Torzhok was almost completely destroyed several times. However, exact data on the number of inhabitants of that period is not available. The first official data in 1856 recorded the population of Torzhok - 10,200 people. It was a fairly large city for those times. The population in 1897 increased to 12,700 inhabitants. The growth was caused by the rapid development of the industry, especially the leather industry. The influx of labor resources came mainly from the rural areas of the region. According to the latest pre-revolutionary data in 1913, 14,000 people lived in the city.
Population in modern times
The first data in the Soviet period refer to 1931, when the population of Torzhok was 17,000 people. During this period, the number of inhabitants increased rapidly due to the peasants recruited for new industrial enterprises. In 1939, 29,300 people lived in the city. In the post-war years, the population continued to increase from 34,921 in 1959year to 43,000 in 1967. Sufficiently high growth rates in the number of residents were associated with the involvement of labor resources from other regions. In 1986, the population of Torzhok first reached 50,000 people, and in 1987 - 51,000. In the post-Soviet years, the number of inhabitants has generally decreased gradually, due to the closure of many industrial enterprises or a decrease in production volumes. As in all small towns, young people leave for megacities without determining their life prospects. In 2017, the population of Torzhok was 46,031.
