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Shenkursk (Russian: Шенку́рск) is a town in Arkhangelsk Oblast, Russia, situated on the right bank of the Vaga River. Geographic coordinates: 62°6′N, 42°55′E. The town is the administrative center of Shenkursky District. Population: 6,151 (2002 Census); 7,424 (1989 Census).
Shenkursk was first mentioned in documents of Novgorod merchants in 1315. Ivan the Terrible referred to this location as the town of Vaga and included it into his oprichnina. At that time, there was a timber fort and a residence of local bishops.
Fyodor I of Russia made a grant of Shenkursk to his brother-in-law, Boris Godunov, who bequeathed it to his own son-in-law, Johan of Schleswig-Holstein. The Romanovs presented the district to Prince Dmitry Troubetskoy as his votchina. Upon his death, the town reverted to the crown. In 1640–1643, the tsar ordered a new fortress to be built in Shenkursk. Catherine the Great chartered Shenkursk in 1780.
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