Yelets

 

(yĭlyĕts') , city (1989 pop. 120,000), E central Russia, on the Sosna River, a tributary of the Don. A rail junction in a black-earth agricultural district, the city exports livestock and grain. Yelets has been famed for its lace since the 19th cent. Other industries include grain milling, leather tanning, and the manufacture of machinery and hydroelectric equipment. First mentioned in 1146, Yelets was a frontier fortress protecting the duchy of Ryazan from Polovtsian (Cuman) attacks. It was taken by Timur in 1395 and the Mongols in 1414. Virtually abandoned in the 15th cent., the city revived in the 17th cent. and became an important commercial center.

Yelets (Russian: Еле́ц) is a city in Lipetsk Oblast, Russia, situated on the Sosna River, which is a tributary of the Don River. Its population was 116,726 as of the 2002 Census.

Yelets is the oldest centre of the Black Earth Region. It is mentioned in historical documents as far back as 1146, when it belonged to the Princes of Ryazan. The town's position at the very south of Russian lands made it an easy prey for Turkic conquerors. The Mongols burnt it in 1239, Uzbeg Khan ravaged it in 1316, Timur sacked it in 1395, and the Tatars devastated it in 1414.

In 1483, the Principality of Yelets was absorbed by Muscovy, while the local Rurikid rulers (last heard of in the 19th century) entered the service of Ivan III. In 1591, Boris Godunov revived the largely deserted town by establishing a fortress there. In 1618, the fortress was captured "by subterfuge" by 20,000 Cossacks under Petro Konashevych, allied with Wladyslaw IV of Poland. They dismantled a large part of town fortifications.

In the 19th century, Yelets became the largest trade centre of the region. Handmade lace has been a notable product of the city since then; other important industries are grain milling and the manufacture of machinery. The town's chief landmark is the vast Ascension Cathedral, built over the years 1845–1889 to a Neo-Muscovite design by Konstantin Thon. It is the only church by Thon to survive the Soviet years more or less intact.

External links

• Yelets in old and modern photos

	Cities and towns in Lipetsk Oblast
	Administrative center: Lipetsk Chaplygin | Dankov | Gryazi | Lebedyan | Usman | Yelets | Zadonsk

Coordinates: 52°37′N, 38°28′E

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