The Uglich Kremlin is the main attraction of this ancient city. Its layout and dimensions were formed during the reign of Andrey the Big in Uglich, who was the youngest son of Prince Vasily II the Dark of Moscow. Under him, the Uglich Principality reached its heyday, and Uglich became one of the influential cities of Central Russia.
The territory of the Uglich Kremlin was expanded from the bed of the Stone Stream to the bed of the Shelkovka River. The Kremlin was surrounded by powerful wooden walls, and a large wooden palace was built inside. The rise of Uglich caused fears of Andrey the Big`s elder brother, Prince Ivan III of Moscow, and he arrested Prince Andrew. After that, the Uglich Kremlin began to decline.
The wooden walls of the Uglich Kremlin have not been preserved. In the 16th and 17th centuries they were dismantled due to dilapidation and fires. However, the layout of the Kremlin has been preserved and there are now several churches and secular buildings on its territory, which house museums. Also on the territory of the Uglich Kremlin there is a beautiful park, bounded by earthen ramparts, former fortifications.
The oldest building on the territory of the Uglich Kremlin is the stone Chamber of the Uglich Princes. It was built by Prince Andrey the Big in 1482, as part of his wooden palace. There is an interesting museum inside it. The Chambers of the Uglich Dukes is one of the oldest stone secular buildings in Russia.
There are many stone chambers of the 17th century preserved in Russia, there are samples of the 16th century, but there are few secular buildings of the 15th century in Russia. In the Novgorod Kremlin, the Episcopal Chamber (1433) has been preserved, in the Moscow Kremlin there is a Faceted Chamber (1487). In Moscow Zaryadye Park, an English courtyard built at the end of the 15th century has been preserved. Together with the Chamber of Uglich Princes, there are 4 secular buildings of the 15th century in Russia.
Next to the Chamber is the Church of Prince Dmitry on Blood. On this spot, on May 15, 1591, the murder of Prince Dmitry, the son of Ivan the Terrible, took place. He had the right to the succession to the throne, however, Boris Godunov also wanted to become a Russian tsar. A wooden church was built at the murder site in 1630, and a stone tent church was erected in 1692, which has survived to this day. Very interesting frescoes dedicated to the events of the murder of Prince Dmitry have been preserved in the church.
In the center of the Uglich Kremlin is the Transfiguration Cathedral. The stone temple on this site was built by Prince Andrey the Big in the 15th century. The murdered Prince Dmitry was buried in it, but in 1606 it was decided to canonize him and rebury in the Archangel Cathedral of the Moscow Kremlin. In 1609, a Polish detachment captured Uglich and set fire to the Transfiguration Cathedral. The new cathedral in the Uglich Kremlin was built in 1712. In 1730, a bell tower was built next to the cathedral.
There is also a classical-style building on the territory of the Kremlin. It used to be the Epiphany Cathedral. In Soviet times, the cathedral was rebuilt as a cinema. Now this building looks more like a secular building and houses the Uglich Art Gallery.
