Irbit

Irbit grew where the Irbit River enters the Nitsa, on a route linking European Russia with Siberia. Ivan Spitsyn established a sloboda here in 1631. Trade soon became its defining activity, and the fair received official recognition in 1643. Merchants arriving in winter brought goods to a settlement whose commercial reach far exceeded its size. A trading courtyard was built in 1686, and customs duties began to be collected two years later, making the fair a source of state revenue as well as private profit. During Pugachev's rebellion the merchants organized the settlement's defence and resisted the insurgents. Catherine II rewarded this loyalty by granting Irbit town status in 1775, along with privileges supporting local trade. Residents could sell from their houses and establish inns with shops providing food and horse supplies. In 1781 Irbit became a district centre within Perm's provincial administration. Its early urban institutions grew around the practical demands of seasonal commerce, lodging, taxation and defence.