| Vyazma (English) Вязьма (Russian) |
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Hodegetria church is one of three major three-tented churches in the world, the other two being preserved in Uglich and Moscow |
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Location of Smolensk Oblast in Russia |
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Vyazma
Location of Vyazma in Smolensk Oblast
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| Administrative status | |
| Country | Russia |
| Federal subject | Smolensk Oblast |
| Administrative district | Vyazemsky District |
| Administrative center of | Vyazemsky District |
| Municipal status | |
| Mayor | Viktor Semeykin |
| Statistics | |
| Area | 44 km2 (17 sq mi) |
| Population (2010 Census, preliminary) |
57,103 inhabitants[1] |
| - Rank in 2010 | 288th |
| Population (2002 Census) | 57,545 inhabitants[2] |
| - Rank in 2002 | 289th |
| Density | 1,298 /km2 (3,360 /sq mi)[3] |
| Time zone | MSD (UTC+04:00)[4] |
| Founded | 1230[5] |
| Town status since | 1776 |
| Dialing code(s) | +7 48131 |
| Official website | |
Vyazma (Russian: Вя́зьма) is a town and the administrative center of Vyazemsky District of Smolensk Oblast, Russia, located on the Vyazma River, about halfway between Smolensk and Mozhaysk. Throughout its turbulent history, the city defended western approaches to the city of Moscow. Population: 57,103 (2010 Census preliminary results);[1] 57,545 (2002 Census);[2] 59,022 (1989 Census);[6] 44,000 (1970).
It is served by Vyazma Airport.
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Vyazma was first mentioned in a chronicle under the year of 1230, although it is believed that it is a much older settlement. The town was named after the river, whose name was from Russian vyaz' 'bog, swamp.'[7] At that time, the town belonged to a lateral branch of the Rurikid House of Smolensk. In 1403, the local princes were expelled by Lithuanians to Moscow, where they took the name of Princes Vyazemsky. The most notable among them were Pyotr Vyazemsky, an intimate friend of the poet Alexander Pushkin and a poet himself, and Sophie Viazemski, a French writer, for a time married to Jean-Luc Godard.
In 1494, Vyazma was captured by Muscovy and turned into a fortress, of which but a single tower remains. Two important abbeys were embellished with stone churches, including a rare three-tented church dedicated to Our Lady of Smolensk (Hodegetria) and consecrated in 1638 except Polish occupation between 1611–1634. A barbican church of the same abbey dates back to 1656, and the city's cathedral was completed by 1676. Other churches are designed mostly in baroque style.
During the Patriotic War of 1812, there was a battle between the retreating French army (up to 37,000 troops) and the Russian army (25,000 men) near Vyazma on October 22, 1812. The vanguard of the Russian army under the command of Lieutenant General Mikhail Miloradovich and a Cossack unit of General Matvey Platov attacked the rearguard corps of Marshal Louis Nicolas Davout east of Vyazma and cut off his retreat. Owing to the intervention of Eugène de Beauharnais and Józef Antoni Poniatowski, Davout managed to break through the Russian army's encirclement. The French army's attempts, however, to hold the heights near Vyazma and the city itself were unsuccessful. By the evening of October 22, the Russians seized Vyazma, which had been set on fire by the French. The French lost 6,000 men during the battle; 2,500 soldiers were taken prisoners. The Russians lost around 2,000 men.
During the Great Patriotic War of 1941–1945, Vyazma became a battlefield between the Red Army and the Wehrmacht during the Battle of Moscow. It became the centre of a Red Army pocket after it was encircled by the 3rd and 4th Panzer armies. Vyazma was occupied by the German army between October 7, 1941 and March 12, 1943. The city was mostly destroyed and then rebuilt after the war. American war correspondent Quentin Reynolds visited Vyazma shortly after the German retreat and gave an account of the destruction of the city in his book The Curtain Rises, in which he stated that its population was reduced from 60,000 to 716, with only three buildings remaining. The Nazis also established two concentration camps in the city, Dulag 184 and Dulag 230. About 80,000 people died there and were buried in mass graves. The victims included Jews, political officers, and POWs. ref
Vyazma is a major railway junction, with connecting trains from Moscow, St.Petersburg, Kaluga and Bryansk. It is also located near the main M1 highway between Moscow and Minsk.
The city's main industries are engineering, leather working, graphite products, and flax textiles.
In terms of education Vyazma has branches of the Moscow State Industrial University, the Smolensk Humanitarian University, the International Academy of Tourism (WF RMAT), and the Moscow State University of Technology and Management, as well as the Vyazemsky Polytechnic College.
The city football club, FK Vyazma, plays in the Amateur football league.
The city of Vyazma is known in Russia for the aviation-squadron Vyazma Russ which flies in Aero L-39 Albatros jet aircraft.[8]
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