Kromy

Kromy lies on the Kroma River in the upper Oka region. A fortified settlement was built there in 1595 to defend the southern approaches against Tatar raids. Its position made it a contested stronghold during the Time of Troubles at the beginning of the seventeenth century.

In 1605 supporters of False Dmitry I, including Don Cossacks led by Ataman Korela, held Kromy against a government siege. The struggle for the fortress formed part of the conflict between rival claimants and their armies. In 1778 Kromy became the administrative centre of a district in the Oryol governorship, later Oryol province.