Everything about Vyazma totally explained
Vyazma is a town in
Smolensk Oblast,
Russia, located on the
Vyazma River, about halfway between
Smolensk and
Mozhaysk. Throughout its turbulent history, the city defended western approaches to the city of
Moscow. Population: 57,545 (
2002 Census); 44,000 (1970). It is served by
Vyazma Airport.
Medieval history and monuments
Vyazma was first mentioned in a
chronicle under the year of 1239, although it's believed that it's a much older settlement. At that time, the town belonged to a lateral branch of the
Rurikid House of Smolensk. In 1403, the local princes were expelled by
Lithuanians to Moscow, where they took the name of Princes Vyazemsky. The most notable among them were
Pyotr Vyazemsky, an intimate friend of the poet
Alexander Pushkin and a poet himself, and
Sophie Viazemski, a French writer, for a time married to
Jean-Luc Godard.
In 1494, Vyazma was captured by
Muscovy and turned into a fortress, of which but a single tower remains. Two important abbeys were embellished with stone churches, including a rare three-
tented church dedicated to Our Lady of Smolensk (
Hodegetria) and consecrated in 1638. A barbican church of the same abbey dates back to 1656, and the city's cathedral was completed by 1676. Other churches are designed mostly in
baroque style.
Battles of Vyazma
During the
Patriotic War of 1812, there was a battle between the retreating
French army (up to 37,000 troops) and the Russian army (25,000 men) near Vyazma on
October 22,
1812. The vanguard of the Russian army under the command of
Lieutenant General Mikhail Miloradovich and a
Cossack unit of
General Matvey Platov attacked the rearguard corps of
Marshal Louis Nicolas Davout east of Vyazma and cut off his retreat route. Owing to the intervention of
Eugène de Beauharnais and
Józef Antoni Poniatowski, Davout managed to break through the Russian army's encirclement. The French army's attempts, however, to hold the heights near Vyazma and the city itself were unsuccessful. By the evening of
October 22, the Russians seized Vyazma, which had been set on fire by the French. The French lost 6,000 men during the battle; 2,500 soldiers were taken
prisoners. The Russians lost around 2,000 men.
During the
Great Patriotic War of 1941-1945, Vyazma once again became the battlefield between the
Red Army and the
Wehrmacht during the
Battle of Moscow. Vyazma was occupied by the German army between
October 7, 1941 and
March 12,
1943. The city was mostly destroyed and then rebuilt after the war. Nowadays it's a major
railroad junction, connecting trains from
Moscow,
St.Petersburg,
Kaluga and
Bryansk.
Further Information
Get more info on 'Vyazma'.
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