The town of Santa Claus fabulous Great Ustyug

Velikiy Ustyug (the historical name Ustyug — city in Russia, administrative centre of the Veliky Ustyug district of the Vologda region. One of the oldest cities in the Russian North, with its rich cultural heritage. Located 450 km to the North-востоку from Vologda on the left Bank of Sukhona river against its confluence with the river South to the shipping lines of these rivers and the Northern Dvina. In 1999 declared the homeland of the Russian Santa Claus, which has become a popular family tourism.

Title
city Name Ustyug, is, according to one version, from a location near the mouth of the South. According to another version, the name came along with the settlers of Pedena, located at the mouth of the South.

the Epithet" Великий" the city has received for its role in the history and commercial importance. In the XVI century the commercial importance of Ustyug increased so much that Ivan IV included it in the number of oprichnina cities, giving money" на sovereign use". In this period, it is approved the name of the Great.

Story
Great Ustyug — one of the oldest Russian cities. The beginning of the city of Rostov put-суздальские princes.
the First settlement they founded in the XIII century on a high hill four kilometers from the modern city in the North-Двинском waterway at the confluence of the Sukhona with the Yug, as well as from this mountain it was possible to see far neighborhood, the settlement has received the name" Гледен" ("Глядень").

However, this settlement has existed not for long. Chud tribes, and then the citizens and the inhabitants of the region were often besieged and burned it, and the waters of the rivers, pidmyvayuchy and flooding of the coast, brought people a lot of disasters, and after the destruction by the inhabitants of the region in the XV century the city was revived.
therefore, already in the XIII century the townspeople began to move to the left Bank of the Sukhona and founded there a new settlement, named by the mouth of the river South of Ust-Югом or Ustyug.

XIII—XIV century
for the First time in the city of Ustiug, perhaps, it is mentioned in 1207. Prince of Vladimir, Vsevolod the Big nest gives to his son Constantine in the inheritance of Rostov with five cities, it is assumed that among them Ustyug (although the enumeration is not specified).

most Likely, it was a guard of the settlement (near the assumption Cathedral), the Outpost Rostovtsev against Novgorod. The Burg, or fortress capital strengthening for a long time had.

the First indisputable written record: in 1212 by the monk Kiprian of Ustiug founded the first in the Russian North — Mikhaylo-Архангельский monastery. In fact, it laid the Foundation and development of the present town on the left side of the river Sukhona.In 1218 Ustyug was attacked Kama Bulgars, who led the struggle with the Russian princes in the Volga-камский waterway that gave access to the rich hunting grounds.

the City was sacked, but managed to recover quickly. Two years later the princes Yury and Svyatoslav Vsevolodovich led the Russian squad against the Bulgars" из Rostov regiment of the Ambassador and the other from Ustyug on top Камы".

Wedging in the North-востоке into the possession of the Republic of Novgorod, Ustyug from its inception served as a stronghold of the Rostov-суздальских princes, blocking the road in ancient Zavolochye (see Ustiug chronicle). With 1364 in the year 1474 there was Smolensk Principality with the center in Velikij Ustyug.
the End of the XIV century — XVII century
XIV—XV centuries of struggle that erupted in the North, not left on the sidelines and Ustyug. Novgorod six times attacked him. Velikiy Ustyug inhabitants were on the side of Moscow princes.

At the end of the XIV century, when Grand Prince Basil I Ustyug finally fixed for the Grand Duchy of Moscow. In 1446 Ustyug repelled a RAID of the Tatars. In the middle of the XVI century, Kostroma ceased to be a marginal strengthening and lost its military significance.

However, due to its position (in connection with the opening of the trade route along the Sukhona and the Northern Dvina to the White sea), he continued to develop as a shopping center. The growth of trade stimulated the development of handicraft industries and crafts.

In the XVI century the commercial importance of Ustyug increased so much that Ivan IV included it in the number of oprichnina cities, giving money" на sovereign use". In this period, it is approved the name of the Great.

the XVII century was the heyday of the Great Ustyug, as in other cities, stood on the North-Двинском waterways. Almost the whole foreign trade of the Russian state, due to lack of access to the Baltic sea was carried out in the Dvina river in Arkhangelsk.

Until the end of the XVII century the city was the center of huge territory of Veliko-Устюгской region.
the example of St. Stephen of Perm the master Velikiy Ustyug inhabitants of the new earth: move to Siberia, to the far East and Russian America. A reminder of this in the modern city are streets named with the names of Velikiy Ustyug inhabitants Dezhnev, Atlasova, Mikhail Matveevich Buldakov, Nevodchikova, Salaurova, Bachova.

XVIII — beginning of XX century
In the XVIII century in connection with moving of trading ways of Veliky Ustyug, like many other Northern cities, lost shopping-транспортное value. With the loss of former glory and has varied administrative position Ustyug.

In 1708, when Peter the great divided the country into eight provinces, Veliky Ustyug became a part of Arkhangelsk province, became the center of Veliky County and received the status of a provincial town, (from 1719 the centre of Veliky Ustyug in the province), and from 1780 in the part of the Vologda province. In the nineteenth century he came as the County town of the Vologda province.

At the end of XVIII century in the city of-за" прекрайней tightness" have been several major fires, which burned almost the whole town. It was proposed several plans for the restructuring of the city. Finally approved the plan of the surveyor Golubev, who is considered a model of preservation of old buildings.
In April 1920, the Chairman of the local Executive Committee E. E. Gorovoy proposed the establishment of the city state University.

In 1918—1929 years of the Great Ustyug was the center of the North-Двинской province of the RSFSR. Then in 1929—1930 years the city was the center of the North-Двинского district of the Northern region (Arkhangelsk). After the abolition of the County from 1930 to 1936, together with the Veliky Ustyug area was part of the Northern region (Arkhangelsk). In 1936—1937 years — the district of the Northern region (Arkhangelsk). After the abolition of the Northern region 23 September 1937 as a district centre with the district of Veliky Ustyug became a part of Vologda region.

In 1921—1922 the years, the city was founded North-Двинский University, the first in the Russian North. Acted in pedagogical Institute. 30-е years of the XX century caused great damage to the original architectural appearance of the city was destroyed and disfigured many cathedrals, churches and chapels. In particular, the demolished Church of St. John the Baptist, Trinity Alexander Nevsky barbarians of the great Martyr, Barlaam of Khutyn, the Resurrection, of the Nativity of St. John the Evangelist, Peter and Paul, and Ficowski Filippovskiy monastery.