Velizh - the fortress of Ivan the Terrible

City in Smolensk region, Russia

Velizh

(Russian: Velizh, Belarusian: Velіж; Polish: Wieliż; Lithuanian: Veližas) is a city and the administrative center of Velizh District in Smolensk Oblast, Russia, located on the banks of the Western Dvina, 134 km (83 mi) from Smolensk, the administrative center of the region. Population: 7,620 (2010 census); [2] 8,343 (2002 Census) ; [8] 9,146 (1989 census). [9]

History[edit]

At the end of the 14th century it was a border fortress of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. Muscovy recaptured it in 1536, but was returned to Lithuania in the 1582 Truce of Yam-Zapolsky. The city was returned to Russia under the terms of the First Partition of Poland. The houses of Nikolai Przhevalsky and Alexander Rodzianko in the immediate vicinity of Velizh are open to the public as museums.

After the First Partition of Poland in 1772, the territory was included in the newly created Pskov Governorate, a gigantic administrative unit comprising the present-day Pskov Oblast and a large part of Belarus. After 1773, the territory belonged to the Velizh district of the Pskov province. In 1777 it was transferred to the Polotsk governorship. In 1796, the governorship was abolished and the territory was transferred to the Belarusian Governorate; from 1802 to the Vitebsk province. In the period from July to October 1812, Velizh was occupied by Napoleon's army advancing on Moscow. In 1924, the Vitebsk province was abolished, and the Velizh district was transferred to the Pskov province. [10]

In April 1823, Velizh was the site of a notorious blood libel incident, when local Jews were wrongly accused of murdering a Christian boy found dead in a field. Based on the testimony of a drunken prostitute, more than forty Jews were arrested, and in 1826 the synagogues were closed. Some of the accused were not released until 1835. [11] [12]

On August 1, 1927, the provinces were abolished and the Velizh region was formed with its center in Velizh. It belonged to Velikiye Luk Okrug in Leningrad Oblast. On June 17, 1929, the Velizh region was transferred to the Western Region. On July 23, 1930, the districts were also abolished, and the districts were directly subordinated to the region. On September 17, 1937, the Western Region was abolished and the district was transferred to the Smolensk Region. [13] During the Great Patriotic War, from July 1941 to September 1943, the Velizh region was occupied by German troops. [10]

Much of the city was destroyed during World War II. During the war, Velizh was occupied by the German army from July 14, 1941 to September 20, 1943. In September 1942, German occupation forces killed all but 17 of the city's 1,440 Jewish residents. [14] [15]

On February 1, 1963, during the failed Khrushchev administrative reform, the Velizh district was merged with Demidov, but on January 12, 1965 it was recreated. [13]

An ancient Russian city with architectural and historical monuments, located on the banks of the Western Dvina, traces left by a glacier, untouched, clean lakes not spoiled by human activity, swamps full of lingonberries, and other natural and historical attractions can be seen when visiting the Velizh region.

Velizh finds in the Hermitage

People settled on the banks of the Western Dvina within the borders of the modern Velizh region much earlier than writing appeared and states arose.

Since the late 60s of the 20th century, the North-Western archaeological expedition of the State Hermitage has been working in the Velizh region. Her work is related to the study of Stone-Iron Age monuments in the Dvina-Lovat interfluve. The excavation area is the bed of the Serteika River, which flows into the Western Dvina. As a result of underwater work, unique pile settlements were found. An international expedition also worked here, which proved the commonality of the found archaeological cultures of Western Europe and the Sertey archaeological complex.

The main exhibition telling about the life of ancient man on Velizh land can be seen in the State Hermitage Museum in St. Petersburg.

Velizh, so Velizh. As you wish...

It is still unknown where the name “Velizh” came from. There is a local legend: when, after the first partition of Poland at the end of the 18th century, Velizh finally became part of the Russian Empire, Catherine II passed through these places, and the villagers who met her loyally asked the empress:

- What do you order (in the sense of order) to call this place?

The Empress apparently did not hear the question from the carriage and graciously agreed:

- Well, Velizh, so Velizh.

Since then, the city began to be called Velizh.

Of course, this is nothing more than a legend, since by the time Catherine II passed through these places, Velizh had already been hundreds of years old, confirmed by Polish-Lithuanian and Russian historically authentic documents.

But where did the name “Velizh” come from? There is no clear answer to this question.

At the end of the 16th century, Polish diplomat and historian Reinhold Heidenstein wrote in his book “The Moscow War of 1578-1582” that local residents during the Livonian War, which also affected the Velizh Fortress, associated the name of the settlement with the vastness of its territory.

Another version of the origin of the city’s name is associated with the Velizhka River, which flows through the city and flows into the Western Dvina. But the opposite interpretation is also possible: the name of the river comes from the name of the city.

But the most plausible version of the origin of the name of the city is the one that says that Velizh is formed from two Slavic words: “vel” - great, large; “izh” (“hedgehog”) - denotes belonging to something (in this case, to the Western Dvina). Thus, Velizh is a large city on the river bank. This confirms Reinhold Heidenstein's version about the origin of the city's name from the vastness of its territory.

On the border of confrontation

Velizh is one of the few cities where not only the year, but also the birthday is known. This day is considered to be July 19, 1536, when the construction of the Velizh Fortress was completed. It would seem that by Smolensk standards Velizh is far from the most ancient city. But this “youth” is deceptive. Then, in 1536, the young Tsar Ivan Vasilyevich, later nicknamed the Terrible, together with his mother Elena Glinskaya, ordered “to build a city in the Toropetsky district on the Velizh settlement, the city of Velizh, and complete the month of July, in the third year of his state.”

Ivan IV, despite all his future formidability and, as historians note, tyranny, in this case did not just point his finger at the map and with royal grandeur said: “The city will be founded here!” The choice of location for the fortress was quite pragmatic.

The city already existed here and, being on the border of two warring Slavic states, was of strategic importance for both warring sides. It is no coincidence that two years after the fortress in Velizh was built, the ambassadors of the Polish king Sigismund, negotiating with the Russians, persistently demanded the liquidation of Velizh as a fortified point: “New towns... Zavolochye, Sebezh and Velizh and those towns would be destroyed so that there weren't any. So our ruler wants a truce with your sovereign.”

During the Livonian War of 1580, the Velizh fortress fought for a week. After being captured by the enemy, the city became part of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth and received its first coat of arms and privileges.

As a border town, Velizh constantly changed hands and only in 1772, after the first partition of Poland, did it finally become part of the Russian Empire. At that time, it was listed as a city of the Polotsk governorship of the Pskov province of the Vitebsk province.

Thunderstorm of the twelfth year

After Velizh became part of Russia, it lost its status as a border city and began to live a calm, peaceful, philistine life. But this peaceful idyll did not last long - only 40 years.

With the beginning of the Patriotic War of 1812, Velizh was chosen by Russian troops as a place for storing ammunition and food, as well as for rest and treatment of the sick and wounded.

However, on June 16, 1812, the French entered Vitebsk without a fight, and General Ermolov gave the order to evacuate food from Velizh to Smolensk.

Early in the morning of July 18, cavalry troops under the command of Napoleon's stepson, Viceroy of Italy Eugene Beauharnais, burst into Velizh, cutting down some of the recruits, capturing Velizh, settled in the best houses and celebrated the victory for two weeks in a row.

At the end of July, leaving their garrison in the city, French troops moved towards Smolensk. In the Velizh district, the time has come for terror and robbery.

To escape, the Velizhans fled to the north. The city and many villages were deserted. Velizh County began to serve as a food supply and recreation center for the French.

During the general battle for Moscow, large French forces had to march past Velizh without entering the city. Russian troops under the command of the future chief of political police A.Kh. Benkendorf, dressed in the colors of the French army, killed the French and took Velizh, for which A.Kh. Benckendorff was promoted to general, and Sergei Volkonsky, the future Decembrist, to lieutenant colonel.

Velizh was finally liberated from the French on October 29, 1812. When Russian troops entered the city, they found it almost completely burned and abandoned by its inhabitants: instead of 700 houses that were here before the war, only 99 remained, and out of 5,285 Velizhans, only 595 people met their liberators.

In Velizh, the memory of fellow countrymen who distinguished themselves in the war with Napoleon is carefully preserved. In the Church of Cyril and Methodius there is a memorial plaque in memory of the Velizhanian General Pyotr Demyanovich Kakhovsky.

Sacred memory of the great war

During the Great Patriotic War, the Velizh region became the scene of fierce battles.

Just three weeks after the treacherous attack, the Germans occupied the city on July 13 after suppressing the desperate resistance of the Velizhans. During the battles in the Velizh area from July 12 to 14, 1941, the Nazis lost a large number of soldiers and equipment, including 60 tanks.

The battles for the liberation of the city began on January 28, 1942, when units of the 4th Shock Army reached Velizh, which at that time and until February 1942, until he was wounded, was commanded by the future Marshal of the Soviet Union Andrei Ivanovich Eremenko.

By February 2, 1942, the small (right bank) side of the city was liberated; on the left - the enemy remained. Our troops and the enemy troops were separated by the Western Dvina.

For 18 months, until September 20, 1943, the enemy tried to push our troops back to the east, but these attempts ended in failure.

Units of the 4th Shock Army fought continuous intense battles on the occupied lines in conditions of wooded and swampy terrain, off-road conditions, snow drifts, and with an acute shortage of military equipment, ammunition, and food.

By the end of September 20, 1943, the troops of the 4th Army, in a fierce battle with the enemy that lasted three days, completely captured Velizh.

The occupation of Velizh lasted about 800 days, and the fighting for its liberation lasted continuously for 601 days. The Western Dvina River became the front line; more than 50 thousand soldiers of the 4th Shock Army, buried in 72 graves, died for the liberation of Velizh and the region from the Nazis.

Today, the residents of Velizh sacredly preserve the memory of the fallen soldiers of the 4th Army, of fellow countrymen who did not return from the fronts, of injured civilians. The feat of the victims is immortalized in 37 memorial places created in their honor, 10 streets of the city are named after the heroes. In honor of the heroes of Velizhan, the Alley of Heroes of the Soviet Union was created.

A sacred place in the city is the Lidova Gora memorial, where about 10 thousand soldiers and officers are buried who gave their lives for the liberation of Velizh land. Every year on May 9 and September 20, mass events are held here with the laying of wreaths at the graves of the fallen.

Search teams annually conduct interregional “Memory Watches”. Relatives of the dead, whose names have been identified by search engines, take part in the reburials of soldiers.

Six streets in the city of Velizh are named after the commanders of the 4th Army and the divisions that comprise it. Veterans of the 4th Shock Army named streets after Velizh in the cities of Ivanovo, Kaliningrad, Vitebsk, Smolensk. 14 army soldiers and local historian A.G. Bordyukov was awarded the title “Honorary Citizen of the City of Velizh”.

Trail of a melted glacier

But the Velizh region is unique not only for its history and countrymen. It is also unique for its natural attractions.

Of course, the main natural attraction for Velizh is the Western Dvina. “One of the main historical rivers of the Russian land,” as the local historian, honorary citizen of Velizh A. Sapunov described it.

The Western Dvina with its flow connects three states - Russia, Belarus and Latvia. In Russia itself, it flows through the Tver and Smolensk regions. Until 1985, the entire economic life of the Velizh region was connected with the Western Dvina: wood was floated along it, cargo and passengers were transported. Currently, the river is a favorite vacation spot for Velizha residents - there are two beaches within the city and two beaches are available in rural settlements, in the villages of Selezni and Belyaevo.

The largest lakes of the Cheplin group – Cheplinskoye, Ryabinskoye and Gatchinskoye – located in the Velizh region are classified as natural monuments.

Located 18 kilometers southeast of Velizh near the village of Chepli, where it gets its name, Lake Cheplinskoe is considered the largest among the lakes of the Cheplin group. The length of the reservoir, stretching from north to south, is about four kilometers, and its greatest width is about seven hundred meters.

The lake is distinguished by clean, transparent water. The reservoir is inhabited by roach, perch, pike, bream, silver bream, crucian carp, chub, ide, the number of which was very significant here, tench, ruffe, rudd, bleak, burbot, pike perch. The number of crayfish has increased noticeably. Otters are found in small numbers. There are a lot of ducks on the lake, sometimes you can see a gray heron and bittern.

Two other lakes included in the Cheplinsky group are Ryabikovskoye, connected to Lake Cheplinsky by a small channel, and Gatchinskoye, somewhat smaller than the first, but also very significant in area.

Lake Ryabikovskoe among the lakes of the Cheplin group has the lowest temperature, which indicates that here the most significant influx of groundwater compared to other lakes.

And Lake Gatchina, located on the high banks, has a particularly picturesque view.

Drozdovsky Moss and black storks

Another unique natural complex that the Velizh region is notable for is peat bogs or, more simply put, swamps: Logunovsky Moss, Matyushinsky Moss, Drozdovsky Moss and Borkovskoye.

Thus, located eleven kilometers west of Velizh, the Drozdovsky Mokh bog is well known among local residents as a cranberry bog. Migratory birds stop here, wood grouse and black storks are found.

Pyatinka and Kryzhik

Unique historical and cultural attractions include two springs with healing water: within the boundaries of Velizh - the Pyatinka spring and the Kryzhik spring located in the south of the region, one and a half kilometers from the village of Krutoye.

Only in the Velizh region on July 7 is the locally revered feast of the Holy Great Martyr Paraskeva-Friday celebrated. According to ancient legend, pious Velizh Christians saw the saint on the banks of the Western Dvina. And where she touched the ground with her feet, a source of holy healing water began to flow.

Since then, for many centuries, residents of Velizh and Pskov from all over the area have been healed by drinking pure spring water. And the source itself is called “Pyatinka”. Every year, on the tenth week after Easter, on Friday, a procession of the cross is held to the over-chapel named after Saint Praskeva-Friday, which was erected on the bank of the Western Dvina near the holy spring.

The water from the Kryzhik spring is especially revered among Velizhans: they keep it at home, it does not spoil for a long time, they wash their faces with it, take it as a shrine and add it to plain water. The source is neatly arranged and is a complex of a log source and a font.

Church of the Three Saints

Historically, Velizh was a multi-confessional land: at the beginning of the 20th century, 11 Orthodox churches, 1 Catholic church and 9 synagogues were active in the city alone. Unfortunately, during the Great Patriotic War, almost all of them were destroyed: of all the religious buildings, only one Orthodox Church remained - the Three Hierarchs.

It was founded in 1866 and remained operational even during the years of Soviet power and during the Great Patriotic War. Already in the post-war period, the Church of the Three Saints suffered the fate of most churches - it was first used as a cinema, then as a library and, finally, as a herbicide warehouse.

The Church of the Three Saints began to be used again for its intended purpose in 1989. In 2021, the church turns 150 years old.

There is another one in Velizh - the Church of Cyril and Methodius, built at the end of the last century with the direct support of then Metropolitan of Smolensk and Kaliningrad, and now Patriarch of All Rus' Kirill. On March 8, 2009, in the first week of Lent, the first service was held in the temple, and from that moment the temple began its educational activities in the city.

On October 27, 2012, bells donated to the temple by benefactors were raised and installed on the church belfry. In the summer of 2014, painting of the temple iconostasis was completed. On July 26, 2015, the iconostasis of the temple was consecrated by His Eminence Isidore, Metropolitan of Smolensk and Roslavl.

Museum antiquities

In the center of Velizh, in a building of the early 20th century, built in the Art Nouveau style with the money of the mayor of the city, merchant and local historian Onufriy Kiselyov, there is a local history museum.

The exhibition widely includes exhibits of peasant and urban life of the pre-revolutionary era and the Soviet period.

The archaeological section contains finds from the Sertey archaeological complex (late Paleolithic, Neolithic - culture of pile settlements).

The historical section is presented with materials about the entry of Velizh into the Principality of Lithuania, the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, the Vitebsk province and the Smolensk region.

The military section talks about Velizh residents - defenders of the Brest Fortress, Heroes of the Soviet Union, generals, as well as military events in Velizh and the region, the role of the 4th Shock Army of the Kalinin Front in its liberation from the Nazi invaders, as well as the partisan movement, participation Velizhan in the military events of the Great Patriotic War.

A special place in the museum is given to famous fellow countrymen who glorified the Velizh land, including an honorary citizen of the city of Velizh, military test pilot 1st class, Doctor of Technical Sciences, retired Air Force colonel engineer, lieutenant general of the Cossack troops, Honored Master of Sports of the USSR, Hero of the Socialist Labor Marina Popovich, sculptor, professor, People's Artist of the BSSR A.O. Bembel and many other Velizhans.

Guests are always welcome in Velizh

In addition to historical and natural attractions, the interregional festival “Velizh Wave” is especially popular, and not only among residents of Velizh and the region. Traditionally, it takes place in July and is dedicated to Velizh’s birthday. As a rule, creative groups from Belarus, Pskov, Tver and Smolensk regions take part in the festival.

Traditionally, folk festivals are also held in February-March. They begin with a farewell to the Russian winter. And in April, residents and guests of the city are pleased with the annual regional festival of children's creativity and the zonal stage of the regional choreographic competition “Rhythms of the Century,” in which amateur creative groups from the Smolensk region participate.

According to tradition, on Russia Day, June 12, a festival of Russian traditional cuisine “Pancakes – Velizh” is held in the city garden. Phoebus", which is aimed at preserving and developing folklore national traditions. In the same city garden, the traditional ritual holiday of Ivan Kupala is organized in July.

To get to Velizh, guests will have to take a bus as there is no railway line through the city.

If you get from Moscow, then from the Belorussky station you can take any train to Smolensk, and then from the bus station of the regional center by buses Smolensk-Velizh, Smolensk-St. Petersburg, Vitebsk-Velizh.

There is a direct bus from St. Petersburg to Velizh from St. Petersburg to Smolensk.

REFERENCE

Velizhsky district is located in the northwestern part of the Smolensk region and borders from the east and southeast with the Demidovsky district, from the south - with the Rudnyansky district, from the west - with the Vitebsk region of the Republic of Belarus, from the northwest and north - with the Pskov region, with north - with the Tver region.

The Velizh District municipality includes 8 rural settlements and one urban settlement. The administrative center is the city of Velizh.

The total area of ​​the district is 1,473 square kilometers, the population is 11,045 people. Velizh itself is home to 7,068 inhabitants.

The official founding date of Velizh is July 19, 1536. In 1772, Velizh was included in the Pskov and then Polotsk provinces of the Vitebsk province, and in 1804 the city became part of the Vitebsk province.

On September 21, 1781, Catherine II granted the city a coat of arms.

In March 1918, Velizh was proclaimed part of the Belarusian People's Republic, but already in January 1919 the city was included in the RSFSR.

The Velizh district was formed in 1927, initially as part of the Leningrad region, and in 1929 it was transferred to the Western region, the center of which was Smolensk. In 1963, the district was abolished and its territory was annexed to the Demidovsky district, and was finally restored to its modern borders in 1965.

The Western Dvina River flows through the region. In 1974, a bridge was built across it in Velizh; before that, there was a ferry crossing. In the Velizh region there is the lowest point of the Smolensk region (140 meters above sea level) - where the Western Dvina crosses the border of the region and flows into Belarus.

The Olsha-Nevel highway passes through Velizh, connecting two large federal highways: M-1 (Moscow - Minsk - Western Europe) and M-20 (stretching from St. Petersburg to the south).

In Velizh, the layout of the 19th – early 20th centuries has been partially preserved, and a number of stone buildings built in the classicist style have been restored. In the district center today there are 22 architectural monuments, and on the territory of the district there are more than 30 archaeological monuments.

A sacred place for Velizhdans is the Lidova Gora memorial complex, where the ashes of more than 10 thousand soldiers who gave their lives in the defense and liberation of the city and region rest.

There are two active Orthodox churches in the city: the Three Hierarchs and the temple-chapel of Cyril and Methodius.

Alexey GUSINSKY, “MK-Smolensk”

Economics [edit]

Industry[edit]

In 2013, 35% of the industrial output of the Velizh region was produced by textile industry enterprises, 17% by timber, 10% by food industry. Most of these enterprises are located in Velizh. [16]

Transport[edit]

Paved roads connect Velizh with Smolensk, Nevel via Usvyaty and Vitebsk. There are also local roads with bus traffic coming from Velizh.

The nearest railway station is in Rudna, on the railway connecting Smolensk with Vitebsk.

Links[edit]

Notes[edit]

1. ^ abcdefghi Resolution No. 261
2. ^ a b Federal State Statistics Service (2011). All-Russian Population Census 2010. Volume 1 [All-Russian Population Census 2010, vol. 1]. All-Russian Population Census 2010 [All-Russian Population Census 2010] (in Russian). Federal State Statistics Service.
3. "26. The size of the permanent population of the Russian Federation by municipalities as of January 1, 2021". Federal State Statistics Service. Retrieved January 23, 2021.
4. ^ abcd Law No. 88-z
5. Federal State Statistics Service. Federal Agency for Technological Regulation and Metrology. No. OK 033-2013 January 1, 2014 “All-Russian classifier of municipal territories. Code 66 603 101.” (Federal State Statistics Service. Federal Agency for Technological Regulation and Metrology. No. OK 033-2013 dated January 1, 2014. Russian classification of municipal territories. Code 66 603 101.
   ).
6. "On the Calculation of Time". Official Internet portal of legal information
   . June 3, 2011. Retrieved January 19, 2021.
7. Post office. Information and computing center of OASU RPO. ( Post office
   ).
   Search for postal service objects ( postal Search for objects
   ) (in Russian)
8. ↑
   Federal State Statistics Service of Russia (May 21, 2004). The population of the Russian Federation, cities of the Russian Federation as part of federal districts, urban settlements, settlements, settlements, settlements is 3 thousand or more people. [Population of Russia, its federal districts , subjects of the Federation, districts, urban settlements, rural settlements - administrative centers and rural settlements with a population of more than 3000 people] (XLS). All-Russian Population Census of 2002 [All-Russian Population Census of 2002] (in Russian).
9. All-Union Population Census of 1989 Population of Union and Autonomous Republics, Autonomous Regions and Districts, Territories, Regions, Urban Settlements and Village District Centers [All-Union Population Census of 1989: Current Population of Union and Autonomous Republics, Autonomous Regions and Districts, Territories, Regions , districts, urban settlements and villages performing the functions of district administrative centers]. All-Union Population Census of 1989 [All-Union Population Census of 1989] (in Russian). Institute of Demography of the National Research University: Higher School of Economics [Institute of Demography of the National Research University: Higher School of Economics]. 1989 - via Demoscope Weekly
   .
10. ^ a b Historical information (in Russian). Administration of Velizh region. Retrieved May 9, 2021.
11. Jewish Virtual Library. Entrance to Velizh
12. Avrutin, Evgeniy (2017). The Velizh case: blood libel in a Russian city
    . Oxford: Oxford University Press. ISBN 9780190640521.
13. ^ ab Parfenov, Boris; Olga Khorenzhenkova. On the history of the formation of the Smolensk region (in Russian). Smolensk. Retrieved May 9, 2021.
14. Jewish Telegraphic Agency. “Only seventeen Jews escaped the massacre carried out by the Nazis in the Russian city of Velizh.” September 9, 1942.
15. https://yahadmap.org/#village/velizh-smolensk-russia.545
16. Investment passport of the Velizh region (PDF) (in Russian). Administration of Velizh region. 2013. Retrieved April 28, 2016.
17. Municipal budgetary cultural institution "Velizh Regional History Museum" (in Russian). Velizh Historical Museum. Retrieved May 9, 2021.

Sources [edit]

• Administration of the Smolensk region. Resolution No. 261 of April 30, 2008 “On approval of the registration of administrative-territorial units and territorial units of the Smolensk region,” as amended. Resolution No. 464 of June 27, 2014 “On amendments to the register of administrative-territorial units and territorial units of the Smolensk region.” Published: Database “Consultant-plus”. (Administration of the Smolensk region. Resolution No. 261 of April 30, 2008 “ On approval of the Register of administrative-territorial units and territorial units of the Smolensk region”
  as amended by Resolution of June 27, 2014 No. 464 “
  On amendments to the Register of administrative-territorial units of the Smolensk region"). Administrative-territorial units and territorial units of the Smolensk region
  ).
• Smolensk Regional Duma. Law No. 88-z of December 2, 2004 “On granting the status of a municipal district to the municipal formation” Velizhsky district “of the Smolensk region, on establishing the boundaries of municipalities whose territories are part of it, and granting them temporary status,” as amended. Law No. 117-z of November 30, 2011 “On Amendments to the Regional Law” On granting the status of a municipal district to the municipal formation “Velizhsky District” of the Smolensk Region, on approving the boundaries of municipalities whose territories are part of it, and granting them the appropriate status "". Came into force on the date of official publication. Published: “Bulletin of the Smolensk Regional Duma and Administration of the Smolensk Region”, No. 12, part II, p. 359, December 5, 2004 (Smolensk Regional Duma. Law No. 88-z of December 2, 2004 “On assignment to a municipal entity” Velizhsky district "of the Smolensk region the status of a municipal district"
  , "
  On establishing the boundaries of municipalities that include the territory", "On assigning them the appropriate status"
  as amended by the Law of November 30, 2011 No. 117-z "
  On amendments to the regional law "On assigning the status of a municipal district to the municipal formation "Velizhsky district" of the Smolensk region "on the creation of a municipal formation. The boundaries of municipal formations, the territories of which are part of them, and on granting them the appropriate status
  . " In force from the date of official publication. ).

Symbolism

“The basis of the coat of arms of the Vyazemsky urban settlement is taken from the historical coat of arms of the district city of Vyazma, Smolensk province, Supremely approved on October 10, 1780, the true description of which reads: “He owns the coat of arms of Smolensk, as the inheritance of the eldest, the tribe of these Princes, that is: in the silver field, black cannon on a gold carriage. and on the cannon there is a bird of paradise, with a difference from the Smolensk coat of arms in its position on the top of the blue title.”

The cannons in the coat of arms symbolize the heroic past of the Smolensk land, which more than once fought back against foreign invaders.

Bird of paradise (depicted without legs) - symbolizes revival after wars, the desire for happiness and higher ideals. In addition, it is believed that it warns of danger.

A title (tournament collar) is a “sign of a junior” in heraldry (it is understood that a similar coat of arms without a title belongs to a subject senior in rank, position, relationship). The use of such signs in city heraldry is a distinctive feature of the Russian tradition. In this case, the title indicates the significance of Vyazma in the history of the formation of the region as one of the family inheritances of the ancient Smolensk reign and the role of Vyazma as the cradle of the famous princely family in the history of Russia.

Silver is a symbol of purity, openness, divine wisdom, and reconciliation.

Green color symbolizes nature, fertility, hope.

Gold is a symbol of the highest value, greatness, generosity, wealth, sunshine.

Azure symbolizes lofty aspirations, honor, devotion, truth, virtue.

Black color symbolizes prudence, wisdom, modesty, honesty."