Pochep

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Pochep (Russian: Почеп) is a town in Bryansk Oblast of Russia, 84 km south-west of Bryansk. Population: 17,064 (2002 Census).

The origin of Pochep is unknown but it is mentioned in the 15th century as an important town of the Great Duchy of Lithuania. It fell into the hands of Muscovy in 1503 and remained of little significance until the 1710s, when the hetman Ivan Skoropadsky made a grant of it to Prince Menshikov. The latter founded the fort of Alexandropolis in the vicinity and launched manufacture of sails for Russian ships in Pochep.

The industry declined following Menshikov's downfall and the town stagnated until 1750, when it passed to another hetman, Kirill Razumovsky, who planned to build his summer residence there. The only monument to these plans is the delightful Church of the Resurrection, built to a Baroque design by Antonio Rinaldi in the 1750s.

	Cities and towns in Bryansk Oblast
	Administrative center: Bryansk Dyatkovo \| Fokino \| Karachev \| Klintsy \| Mglin \| Novozybkov \| Pochep \| Seltso \| Sevsk \| Starodub \| Surazh \| Trubchevsk \| Unecha \| Zhukovka \| Zlynka