Yelets

Yelets (English) Елец (Russian)
—  Inhabited locality  —
A street of Yelets, with the Ascension Cathedral in the background
Location of Lipetsk Oblast on the map of Russia
Location of Yelets on the map of Lipetsk Oblast
Coordinates: 52°37′00″N 38°28′00″E / 52.616667°N 38.466667°E / 52.616667; 38.466667Coordinates: 52°37′00″N 38°28′00″E / 52.616667°N 38.466667°E / 52.616667; 38.466667
Coat of arms	Flag
Administrative status
Country	Russia
Federal subject	Lipetsk Oblast
In administrative jurisdiction of	Lipetsk Oblast[citation needed]
Municipal status
Municipal Status	Urban okrug
Head[citation needed]	Viktor Sokovukh[citation needed]
Representative body	Council of Deputies[citation needed]
Statistics
Area	65 km2 (25.1 sq mi)[citation needed]
Population (2002 Census)	112,118 inhabitants[1]
- Rank	138th
- Density	1,725 /km2 (4,500/sq mi)[2]
Time zone	MSK/MSD (UTC+3)
Founded	1146[citation needed]
Postal code(s)	399770—399788[citation needed]
Dialing code(s)	+7 +7 47467[citation needed]

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.

History

Yelets is the oldest centre of the Black Earth Region. It is mentioned in historical documents as far back as 1146 AD, when it belonged to the Princes of Ryazan.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.

The town was occupied and damaged by the Nazis in 1941

Modern Yelets

The city is connected to Moscow, Lipets, Orel and Rostov by rail and the M4 highway runs past the city.

The main industries are limestone quarriyng, engineering, food processing, textiles and clothing (Yelts Lace), tobacco processing and vodka distilling.

The city has a theatre, cimenas and several sports venues.

The Yelets State University was upgraded from an institute in 2000 and the city has 8 secondary schools

References

External links

• Yelets in old and modern photos

v • d • e Cities and towns in Lipetsk Oblast Administrative center: Lipetsk Chaplygin · Dankov · Gryazi · Lebedyan · Usman · Yelets · Zadonsk