Yukhnov is a city in the Kaluga region of Russia. Administrative center of the Yukhnovsky district. The urban settlement is formed by the city of Yukhnov.
The name is from the personal name Yukhno (derived from Yuri). Since 1777 - the city of Yukhnov.
Located on the right bank of the Ugra at the confluence of the
Kunova, on the A130 Moscow-Roslavl-border with Belarus highway, 35 km
from the Myatlevskaya railway station on the Kaluga-Vyazma line, 85 km
northwest of Kaluga.
The climate is moderately cold. The average
air temperature is 4.9 ° C. The average annual precipitation is 620 mm.
The least precipitation falls in February, with an average of about
26 mm, and the most in July, with an average of about 84 mm.
The
warmest month is July, with an average temperature of 18.1 °C. January
is the coldest month of the year, with an average temperature of about
−8.9 °C.
Yukhnov has been known since the 15th century, from the founding of
the Yukhnovsky Kazan Monastery (Yukhnovskaya Pustyn) on the banks of the
Ugra. It was destroyed by the Poles in 1611 and restored in 1633.
In 1777, by decree of Catherine II, it received city status; since
1796 - a district town in the Yukhnovsky district of the Smolensk
province. The development of the city in the 19th century was associated
with the construction of the Moscow-Warsaw highway. Local merchants were
engaged in buying bread, flaxseed, raw hides and rafting timber along
the Ugra to the Oka. Before the revolution, two timber mills operated in
the city.
In 1921, the city was almost destroyed by fire, but was
soon rebuilt. A starch factory, a musical and toy factory, a flax mill,
and a printing house appeared.
Since 1929, Yukhnov has become the
regional center of the Yukhnovsky district of the Sukhinichi district of
the Western region (since 1944 in the Kaluga region).
During the
Great Patriotic War there were heavy battles in the Yukhnov area. From
October 5 to 7, 1941, on the Warsaw Highway, a combined detachment of
paratroopers (430 people) under the command of Major I. G. Starchak
heroically held the defense at the bridge over the Ugra River, and 20 km
away. to the east, on the Izver River, fighting bloody battles with the
superior forces of the 57th Motorized Corps of the Wehrmacht. On October
6, reinforcements arrived to help the paratroopers - a company of
Podolsk cadets (370 people) and a battery of 76-mm cannons. On October
9, 1941, Starchak’s detachment, which almost completely died during the
battles (29 paratroopers and 30 cadets remained alive), was replaced by
units of the 17th Tank Brigade under the command of Major N. Ya. Klypin.
With their heroic actions, the “Starchakites” thwarted the plan for
the rapid capture of Maloyaroslavets, and thereby helped to gain the
necessary time to organize defense on the approaches to Moscow.
At the beginning of 1942, encircled units of the strike group of the
33rd Army of Lieutenant General Mikhail Efremov, cavalrymen of the
legendary 1st Guards Cavalry Corps under the command of Belov P.A.,
fought in these places.
To protect Yukhnov, the Germans brought
two additional army corps to the city - the 13th and 26th. Both warring
sides attached paramount importance to Yukhnov. For the Wehrmacht this
was the road to Moscow. The troops of the Western Front are on their way
to Vyazma and Smolensk.
The German command turned the city and
its approaches into a fortified area with long-term firing points and
shelters. The city was liberated on March 5, 1942 during the
Rzhev-Vyazemsk offensive operation.
On the western outskirts of
the city, on the site of battles between paratroopers and cadets of
Podolsk military schools, the Mound of Glory was erected. One of the
streets of the city of Yukhnova was named “Landing”, and I. G. Starchak
was awarded the title of honorary citizen of the city of Yukhnova.
During the Great Patriotic War, the occupiers set up camps for
Soviet prisoners of war and civilians in Yukhnov. The 2nd army assembly
and forwarding point, the 6th army assembly and forwarding point, and
the 142nd dulag were located here.
Timber processing enterprises (OJSC Orion, State Institution
Yukhnovselles)
branch of Novaya Zvezda LLC (garment factory)
JSC
Avtomobilist (passenger transportation)
small enterprises for the
assembly and installation of plastic windows (Matvey and Egor LLC, Lang
Ros LLC)
Yukhnov is the center of an agricultural region: rye, wheat,
oats, barley, and flax are grown. They raise cattle, pigs, and sheep.