FIRE TOWER IN UGLICH: HISTORY, DESCRIPTION, PHOTOS

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In the very center of Uglich, next to Uspenskaya Square, there is a brick tower. One and a half hundred years ago, such buildings were built in almost all Russian cities. From the high tower, firefighters examined the streets, watched if any house or shed was on fire, and in case of fire they rushed to help. The fire brigade at the old tower still works today, so the architectural monument is popular with tourists.

The history of the watchtower

At the beginning of the 19th century, it was decided in Uglich that the city needed a stone Furman house (from the German word Fuhrmann - a driver, a cabman). The City Duma chose a conspicuous, elevated place for him and made an estimate of 23,645 rubles.

View of the fire tower from the side of the Obelisk of Glory

As always in Russia, the bureaucratic procedure was complex and confusing. First, the project was sent for approval to the provincial architect P. Ya. Pankov. He corrected the paperwork and cut the estimate for the tower to 20.5 thousand rubles. The building was founded in 1828, but it was built with wires. The finishing was completed only by the autumn of 1831.

On the first floor there were a vestibule, 8 rooms for firemen, chimney, stables and ammunition warehouses. At the top was the City Council, which was abolished in the 1870s. Then a district and parish school was opened here, where F.Kh. Kissel is a local historian and researcher who wrote the first book about the history of Uglich.

View of the fire tower from Olga Berggolts street

After the revolution, the fire department was left in place, because the city needed a service to fight the fire. In 1921, a strong fire broke out in Uglich. The flames flared up with such force that the city almost burned down. The Uglich firefighters could not bring down the fire, and the fire-fighting ship "Lev Tolstoy" was sent to their aid. He came to Uglich from Rybinsk along the Volga, and by common efforts the fire was extinguished.

Architectural features

The neat red and white building is one of the unusual landmarks of the Golden Ring of Russia. The entire historical building of the city, the wide floodplain of the Volga and the green Victory Park with the obelisk of glory can be seen from the tower at a glance.

View of the fire tower from Yaroslavskaya street

Streets and lanes, old merchant mansions, the five-domed church of the Holy Martyrs Florus and Laurus, a luxurious Church of the Nativity of John the Baptist, Uchlich Kremlin, Voskresensky and Alekseevsky monasteries. There are no tall buildings around, so nothing interferes with the circular view.

A solid building, built in the first half of the 19th century, has not undergone any changes and is maintained in good condition. The three-storey mezzanine has a height of 11.5 m. At the top there is an octahedral tower with a covered bypass gallery, two-storey wings.

Side view of the fire tower

The austere facades are decorated in a classic style. The pediment is decorated with four white columns with capitals. On the ground floor there is a wide gate for fire trucks. Earlier, horse-drawn carts left here.

Useful information for tourists

You can look at the fire station in Uglich at any convenient time - the territory is not closed. There are no tours for tourists, so you cannot get inside the building. Firefighters carry out their duty as before, only now they are not wearing shiny helmets, but helmets. No one is on duty at the watchtower, because fires have long been warned by phone.

How to get there

The tower stands on Yaroslavskaya street, 10 building 2, in the center of the city. From the bus station to the historic building, you need to walk one block towards the Volga along Olga Berggolts Street. If you arrived in Uglich by train, from the railway station take any bus or minibus that goes to the center and reach the intersection of Rostovskaya and Yaroslavskaya streets. From here to the red brick house is only 200 m.