Yuryev Povolzhsk

Yuryev Povolzhsky, later called Yuryevets, stands on the Volga near the mouth of the Unzha. Its distinguishing name marked its place on the great river and separated it from other towns called Yuryev. The town’s steep riverbank and landing gave it a place in the trade of the middle Volga.

Around 1402 an agreement between Grand Prince Vasily I and Vladimir of Serpukhov listed Yuryevets among the districts of Gorodets, together with their tolls and revenues. During the Time of Troubles the town suffered raids and destruction. In 1609 local townspeople, peasants, musketeers and service nobles formed a militia that helped defend Balakhna and the Volga country. Cossack forces plundered Yuryevets again in 1614. Trade recovered in the seventeenth century. By its middle, the town had hundreds of households, dozens of shops and numerous churches and monasteries. The river brought merchants and workers to its markets, while the forests and flood meadows of the Volga and Unzha supported the surrounding settlements. The town remained a point where the traffic of the great river met the resources of its northern tributary.