Vologda

Vologda, a town of Russia, capital of the government of the same name, situated in its south-western corner on the river Vologda, above its confluence with the navigable Sukhona, 127 m. by rail N. of Yaroslavl. Pop. (1881) 17,025; (1897) 27,822. It is an old town, having many ancient churches, including one which dates from the 12th century, and the cathedral, founded in 1568. Vologda is a considerable commercial centre - flax, linseed, oats, hemp, butter and eggs being exported to both St Petersburg and Archangel. It has distilleries, tanneries, and oil, soap, tobacco, candle and furdressing works.

Vologda existed as a trading town as early as the 12th century. It was a colony of Novgorod, and was founded in 1147, and carried on a brisk trade in flax, tallow, furs, corn, leather and manufactured goods. In 1273 it was plundered by the prince of Tver in alliance with the Tatars, but soon recovered. Moscow disputed its possession with Novgorod until the 15th century; the Moscow princes intrigued to find support amidst the poorer inhabitants against the richer Novgorod merchants, and four successive times Vologda had to fight against its metropolis. It was definitely annexed to Moscow in. 1447. When Archangel was founded, and opened for foreign trade in 1553, Vologda became the chief depot for goods exported through that channel. Polish bands plundered it in 1613, and the plague of 1648 devastated it; but it maintained its commercial importance until the foundation of St Petersburg, when Russian foreign trade took another channel.