Bolkhov

Bolkhov stands on the Nugr in the upper Oka country, on the southern approaches to Moscow. A wooden fortress was built here in 1556 to strengthen the frontier against raids from the steppe. Its high ground and river made it a defensive point among the towns guarding this exposed border, where the wooded river country gave way toward the southern steppe.

During the Time of Troubles Bolkhov gave its name to a major battle fought nearby in 1608. The forces of False Dmitry II defeated Tsar Vasily Shuisky’s army, commanded by his brother Dmitry, and opened the road toward Moscow. The struggle brought the dynastic crisis to the upper Oka, where fortresses built for frontier defence became involved in a contest for the Russian throne.