Uglich is an ancient Volga town. Local manuscripts inform us that the town was founded in 937 by Yan Pleskovich, a relative of princess Olga. Archeological digs confirm that the land was inhabited thousands of years ago – as far back as the Paleothic period.
Uglich followed the political trajectory of many Ring towns, growing and declining in significance according to the machinations of various princes, being occupied by the invading Tartars, and finally becoming part of Moscow territory in the twelfth century. In the fifteenth century Uglich was one of the most significant political, economic and cultural centers of Russia.
Under Prince Andre Bolshoi (1462-1491) stone construction took place in the Kremlin and surrounding monasteries. Uglich was also the site of one of the most scandalous events in Russia’s history. On May 15, 1592, in the north-eastern corner of the Kremlin, Tsarevich Dmitry, the last member of the Rurikovich dynasty, died. This event had far-reaching and tragic implications for Russia, starting the period named ‘the time of troubles’, a bloody period of civil war and pretenders. In 1610-1611 Uglich was routed, from which it only recovered from the second half of the seventeenth century.
In the Soviet period the construction of hydroelectric stations and factories irrevocably altered the town’s image. Many valuable churches, along with artistic and religious relics, were destroyed. Only during restorations between 1950 and 1980 were the town’s many restored.