Russian cities: Orel

Orel It is one of the oldest Russian cities located on the Oka River, with a long and dramatic history. It was founded in 1564 by Ivan IV as a defense post against Mongol invasions. During the Second World War it was badly damaged.

Orel is now a center of the capital of the province of Orel. It is known for being the home of a famous Russian writer Ivan Turgenev, who spent his childhood there. The house he lived in is now converted into a museum. Also Orel is an agricultural trade center. Manufactures include machinery, clothing, flour, and beer.

Orel was founded in 1564 by Ivan IV as a defense post against Mongol invasions. During the Second World War it was badly damaged. While there are no historical records, archaeological evidence shows that an agreement existed between the fortress and the Oka Orlik River as early as the 12th century, when the land was a part of the Great Principality of Chernigov. The name of the fortress is unknown, it cannot have been called Oriol at that time.

In the 13th century the fortress became a part of the Zvenigorod district of the Karachev Principality. In the early 15th century, the territory was conquered by the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. The city was soon abandoned by its population, after being sacked by either the Lithuanians or the Golden Horde. The territory became a part of Barbary in the 16th century.

Ivan the Terrible He decreed that a new fortress was built on the ground in 1566, in order to defend the southern borders of Muscovy. The fort was built very quickly, starting work in the summer of 1566 and ending in the spring of 1567.

The site chosen was less than strategically ideal, as the fort is located in a low seasonal floodplain easily specific to neighboring heights. Both the speed and the location, of course, due to the new fortress built on the ruins of the old one.

Oryol was rebuilt in 1636 until in the middle of the 18th century Orel became one of the main centers of grain production, with the Oka River being the important trade route until 1860, when it was replaced by a railway.