During the time of Ivan the Terrible, Alexandrovskaya Sloboda, as Alexandrov was then called, was the actual capital of the Russian kingdom. At the same time, the largest beauty contest in the history of the country was held here. About 2,000 girls from all over Russia were brought to the tsar, who chose the winner and married her. The population of Alexandrov, Vladimir Region, is unlikely to ever again be honored with such an event.
Overview
A small town in the Vladimir region is located on the eastern spurs of the Klin-Dmitrov ridge, in the north-eastern part of the Smolensk-Moscow Upland. The fourth largest city in the region is a popular tourist destination of the "Golden Ring" of Russia. Dozens of architectural and historical monuments of the country, preserved from ancient times, churches and temples, are located on the picturesque banks of the Seraya River.
The city is located almost at equal distances from Moscow (111 km north-east) and Vladimir (125 km northwest). A developed transport infrastructure connects the city with the capital, the regional center and other settlements of the region. Alexandrov has two railway stations.
The population of Aleksandrov was 59,328 in 2017. The city is the center of the Aleksandrovskaya agglomeration with the satellite towns of Karabanovo and Strunino. The population of the agglomeration is 112 thousand inhabitants.
Origin of the name
There is no generally accepted version of the origin of the city's name; back in the 19th century, several theories were put forward by local historians. According to one legend, the Grand Duke Alexander Nevsky several times set up camp at this place, "stood encamped". Then the village of Alexandrovo was founded here, named after the founder. According to another version, the area could be named after the owner - Prince Alexander of Rostov, great-great-grandson of Ivan Kalita. The prince had the nickname Khokholok, and in his estate, near the territory of modern Aleksandrov, the village of Khokhlovka has been located since that time. Therefore, the area nearby was called Aleksandrovo. True, there was another owner of these places - the boyar Alexander Vladimirovich, who lived in the 15th century.
The records of 1473 scribes mention that the childless boyar Alexander Ivanovich Starkov left his fiefdom to his brother Alexei. The center of the volost moved to the New village of Aleksandrovskoe, the village of Starkov became known as "Staraya Sloboda". This is the version of local historians.
History of the settlement
It is believed thatAlexandrov was founded in the 14th century, the first written evidence dates back to 1434, when the settlement was called Velikaya Sloboda. Then it became known as the New Village of Aleksandrovskoye and Aleksandrovskaya Sloboda. Due to its proximity to Moscow, the settlement was often used by Russian tsars for recreation. In 1509-1515, under Ivan III, a palace and temple complex was built, of which 4 churches have survived to this day.
From the autumn of 1565, Ivan the Terrible lived here, Aleksandrovskaya Sloboda became the political and cultural center of the Russian state. In 1581, he left the settlement forever after Tsarevich Ivan died here. In 1635, a wooden palace was built for Tsar Mikhail Romanov, which stood for a hundred years. From 1729 to 1741, the future Empress Elizaveta Petrovna lived in the settlement, exiled here by her cousin, Empress Anna Ioannovna.
History of the city
Aleksandrov became the county town on September 1, 1778 in accordance with the decree of Catherine the Great. In 1870, a railway was built through it, linking the city with Moscow and Yaroslavl. Industry developed rapidly, manufactories, factories, profitable, commercial and government houses were built.
In Soviet times, Aleksandrov was the center of the radio engineering industry, semiconductors and the famous Soviet TV sets "Record" were produced here. Many of the businesses were closed in the 90s. Currently, about 1,400 enterprises operate in the city, the largest volumeproducts account for the electronic and electrical industries.
Population before the revolutionary period
People from ancient times lived on the territory where modern Alexandrov is located. Since the 14th century, there were quite densely populated, by the standards of those years, settlements here. However, reliable information has been preserved only since 1784, when the population of the city of Alexandrov was 1859 people. A tangible influx of residents occurred due to the creation of weaving manufactories that were in need of labor.
In 1897, 6810 people already lived in the city, the vast majority of them were Russians (6501 people), Ukrainians and Poles were 87 people each, 84 Jews. The population of the city of Alexandrov increased due to internal migration in connection with the construction of the railway, several factories, including the glass sisters of the Mukhanovs and the porcelain factory of E. V. Sabanin. According to the latest pre-revolutionary data in 1913, 8,300 people lived in the city.
Population in modern times
The first data from 1920 showed that there were 11,287 inhabitants in Aleksandrov. In 1932, radio plant No. 3 was transferred here from Moscow, which caused a sharp increase in the population of Alexandrov from 15,200 in 1931 to 27,700 in 1939. Further, the rapid growth of the population in the Soviet era continued, which was also associated with the development of industry, especially radio engineering.
Natural growth was supplemented by the arrival of specialists from other regions of the country. ATIn 1992, 68,300 people lived in the city. The maximum number of inhabitants in Aleksandrov was recorded in 1996 - 68,600 people. In subsequent years, the population gradually decreased. This is due to the closure of many industrial enterprises, the migration of young people to megacities. According to the data of 2017, the population of Aleksandrov, Vladimir region, was 59,328 inhabitants.
