Rzhavets

Rzhavets lies in the wooded upper Oka country between Kozelsk and Odoyev. These lands once belonged to small principalities descended from the Chernigov rulers. In the sixteenth century the forest itself became part of Moscow’s southern defences: felled trees and guarded passages formed barriers against raids, while garrisons occupied nearby fortresses. The valleys and woods around Rzhavets lay within this wider frontier landscape.