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The history of the Konakovo district is
closely connected with the Moscow and Tver regions. Its administrative
division has been reorganized several times. The Korcheievo uyezd (an
old Russian term for an administrative division) of the Tver region was
established according to the administrative reform of 1781. Korcheievo,
the status of which was changed from a village to a town, was appointed
its center. The Zavidovo volost, the other part of the Korcheievo uyezd,
joined the Klin district. The most ancient settlement of the Konakovo
district is the village of Gorodnya, which is first mentioned in
chronicles in 1312. The village is 47 kilometers from Konakovo and 30
kilometers from Tver. It is located on the steep right bank of the Volga
river at the place where the Vomik stream flows into it. The site of the
ancient settlement called Gorodnya and the settlement and village of
Gorodnya 1 have been preserved since older times.
The town of Vertyazin was the site of many important historic events.
The most outstanding among them was the agreement signed in 1312, when
the Tver prince Mikhail Jaroslavovich won a victory over the Novgorod
prince. Another agreement was signed by Mikhail Jaroslavovich in 1317
when he defeated the Moscow prince Yuri Danilovich at the village of
Bortenevo. Since the 16th century the village of Gorodnya has been known
as a stop on the road from Moscow to Novgorod. Owing to this fact it was
often mentioned by the travelers who passed through it. One set of notes
was left by the Austrian ambassador Herberstein in 1517. At that time
Gorodnya was the center of the spiritual life of the entire Tver region.
According to the Moscow chronicles, there were six monasteries and one
stone church In the village. The church of the Nativity of Our Lady
still stands in the town. It is located on the steep bank of the Volga
on the site of an ancient settlement. The foundation of the church dates
back to the 14th century.
In the late 18th century, during the reign of Catherine the Great, the
Putevoi Dvorets, a travelling palace, was built especially for the
empress to rest in on her travels. The palace was built according to the
plans of the architect M. F. Kozakov and remains in the town to this day.
The village of Gorodnya played an important part in the history of the
Tver and Konakovo regions. Russian emperors and empresses, high ranking
officials, and foreign ambassadors visited it. Greatest Russian writers
such as A. S. Pushkin. A N. Gertsen, I. A. Krylov, A. N. Radischev, A. N.
Ostrovsky, and M.Ye. Saltykov-Schedrin were closely connected to the
village. For instance, in the book "Travelling from Petersburg to
Moscow" by A. N. Radischev, a chapter entitled «Gorodnya»
describes the place. Another article called "Gorodnya" was
written by A. N. Osfrovsky.
The village of Gorodnya is one of the most significant historical,
architectural, and archeological treasures of the Konakovo region.
Another village of the district, Karacharovo, was originally a family
estate of the Karachar brothers, who were associates of Moscow prince
Ivan III. Ivan III centralized the various Russian principalities in the
15th century. Starting in 1858, the family estate belonged to the
Russian artist and social worker G. G. Gagarin. The Karacharovo health
center is currently located in the former estate (the main house,
service buildings, and park remain in the complex). It is located on the
right bank of the Volga, 138 kilometers from Moscow. The Karacharovo
park was laid out in the 19th century by an English gardener according
to the principles used in the planning of London's Hyde park. The alleys
of the park radiate out from its center. There are eight of them: oak,
birch, linden, maple, ash, aspen, pine, and fir.
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