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| Artist | | Nicla Rossini |
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Winter |
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| Myth of faraway winds |
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General Information
Zaraysk.
Some historians relate the name of the town to the tragedy which took place here in the distant year 1237. At that time, the town was known as Krasny and was ruled by prince Feodor - a son of Yury, prince of Ryazan'. When the town was being taken by Tartars, Evpraksia, the wife of Feodor, to avoid being captured, grabbed her baby son, jumped out of the window of her tall palace, and fell to her death. In Old Russian, to fall to death is zarazit'sya. Since then, presumably, the place got the name of Zarazsk, which eventually transformed into more euphonic Zaraysk.
The same root, zaraza, was also used in Old Russian to denote a rough, ravine lanscape, as stated in the influential Dal' Dictionary of Russian Language. This is where the second hypothesis on the origin of the town's name comes from. Indeed, it is hard to deny that the entire right bank of river Osyotr is essentially a huge zaraza. If one jumps down from it, it is quite easy to zarazit'sya (to fall to death) even without a tall princess' palace.
A traveller with some experience in Soviet History could make an analogy with another district center of Moscow Region - Sergiev Posad. This town for almost 70 years was called Zagorsk, which sounds like a genuine ancient Russian name, but originates in fact from the bolshevik comrade Zagorsky. One could assume, analogously, that Zaraysk owes its name to an important Communist party leader comrade Zaraysky. Though, indeed, very likely looking, this version is really beneath all criticism.
Thus, during 800 years of its history Zaraysk changed the name many times. As we already mentioned previously, the first chronicles call it Krasny. In 14th and 15th centuries it is mentioned as Novogorodok-na-Osetre. In 1528, a stone cathedral devoted to St. Nicholas the Wonderworker was built in the town; since this moment, the latter obtains the name of Nikola-Zarazsky. The next more than two centuries enriched its Curriculum Vitae by some more variations on the theme of zaraza - Zarazsk, Zarazsky Gorod, Zaraskoy. Finally, about 18th century the local population finally broke their tongues and produced a decisive interpretation of the original name.
It is interesting that, despite certain ideological weakness of its name - Zaraysk sounds like "behind the Paradise", which was clearly not appreciated at the time - the town had a luck to be never renamed during Soviet times. However, it had to change the "affiliation". Even though since 1778 Zaraysk was an uezd (district) center of Ryazan' guberniya (province), in 1937 it becomes the center of Zaraysk district of (now) Moscow region. This shift of the province boundary can not be really regarded as logically justified - Ryazan' is approximately twice as close to Zaraysk as Moscow.
Instead of looking for logical in the internal policy of 1937, let us have a walk along local streets. Their names evoke nostalgic feelings even from not the oldest generation of Muscovites - Dzerzhinsky, Karl Marx, Revolution Square, Pervomayskaya. You really want to transfer to a connecting subway line or at least to mind the gap. But why are we talking about Moscow all the time? In Zaraysk there is something which is long gone in Moscow - this is Osyotr, which means "sturgeon" in Russian.
Great Osyotr is powerful and dreadful! It flows freely between boundless Zaraysk fields, but it feels tight between high steep hills. In a blind fury it undermines the banks, blows off road bridges, abuses the district treasury and the patience of the locals. The only good thing about it is that it produces these outrages exclusively during the spring high water, but if this happens, you may be sure to think it is more than enough. In April 2003, River Osyotr has risen 6 meters, destroyed two road bridges, and flooded one more. If you travel to Zaraysk in Spring, be sure to check the current situation.
We must say that recent history contributed considerably to the conservation of the appearance of this pretty provincial town. Highways and principal railroads lie far from the town, and residential and industrial areas built in 20th century hardly invade the historical town center. Besides, due to the large distance from Moscow, vicinities of Zaraysk are not yet as actively taken over by dacha owners as many others places around Moscow.
Thus, the area of modern Zaraysk is fairly well split into parts differing by their purposes: historical center, administrative center, flat buildings from Soviet times, and industrial area. The two latter make about three kilometer long strip along the railroad in the direction Lukhovitsy. This is why the entrance to the town from the direction of Moscow is not really attractive
The road continues along concrete fences until it comes to the old part of the town and ends at the central square. It is now a mixture of old trading arcades, new trading stalls, the bus station, and, of course, the flea market. A bit further one finds the main attraction of the town - Kremlin, and at the opposite corner of the square - the Regional Museum (Phone 2-27-34; 11 - 17 daily except Monday and the last day of the month). After walking around the square, the most sharp-sighted can glimpse a sight of all churches and many other attractions of the town; the most hungry can procure food at anyone's taste; and the most impatient can afterwards get into a bus or a car and immediately drive away. The most inquiring minds, however, can walk in any direction from the bus station: Whatever direction you take, you certainly encounter something interesting.
Despite certain negligence and, to say it mildly, an inattentive attitude of the town authority to the historical monuments (see below), Zaraysk managed to preserve the striking individuality. Its historical and geometrical center is Kremlin with its cathedrals, situated at the confluence of River Osyotr and River Monastyrka. Kremlin naturally connects the two parts of the old town - "regular" Zaraysk and "zaraza" Zaraysk.
Whereas "regular" Zaraysk was built on a relatively flat land and for this reason could not avoid an application in 1778 of a rectangular grid, "zaraza" Zaraysk, built on zarazas, had a much greater luck. "Zaraza" Zaraysk is an entirely different world, which hardly resembles the "correct", "regular" Zaraysk. Labyrinths of streets getting lost in the weeds, lop-sided wooden houses and fences, narrow beaten paths, making together a fantastic network ?
Surely, here you can find only a few of rich merchant mansions, which are so abundant in the "regular" part of the town. However, it is precisely these one-floor wooden buildings which determine the spirit of the old Zaraysk.
The very same zaraza landscape helps to appreciate fully the beauty of Zaraysk. Zaraysk owes many nice panoramic views to this relief. Distant meadows behind River Osyotr, reaching the horizon; small wooden houses, shaped on the slope of the hill; tops of towers and churches - everything is a delight to an eye.
History
From the foundation to 1237 Zaraysk, situated at the border between the Great Steppe and the woodlands, regularly became a victim of raids and plunders. In 1237, it happened to be on the way of Batu Khan army during its offensive to Vladimir and got burned.
Considerable changes in the towns's life occurred in the first quarter of 16th century, when it was appended to Moscow, together with other Ryazan' lands. As well as of other
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