Shopping malls

Uglich, located on the Volga River, has always been a trading city. And, of course, its central square was a shopping mall. And what a four−part one! According to the churches that stood on them, they were called Voznesenskaya, Filippovskaya, Uspenskaya and Kazanskaya. The first two were across the stream. They served for small-scale trade, so they did not have special buildings. The second two, on the western side, were the main and ancient center of trade. Along the entire perimeter (except for the north and east), they were surrounded by the buildings of shopping malls with a continuous arched gallery stretching from the Volga River to the Kamenny Brook, for almost half a mile. There were hotels and offices above the shops, and warehouses behind them. In the middle part (on Kazanskaya Square) there were single-storey buildings of the Small Gostiny Ryad. All these buildings were distinguished by strict geometricism and were designed in the classical style. Four temples towered above the rows, which were the main dominants of the square. At the end of the 19th century, the house of the Evreinov merchants was successfully integrated into the ensemble, which took the place of several one-story shops in Bolshoy Muchny Ryad.

Unfortunately, there are now only two shopping mall buildings left from the huge shopping mall complex − just between them, Rostovskaya Street opens onto the square.

The earliest surviving building stands to the left of Rostovskaya Street. This is a two-story, rather shabby building in the style of provincial classicism, with arched openings visible on the lower floor. At the end of the 19th century, the shops belonged to the merchant Skornyakov, who kept a flour warehouse here.

The neighboring building, which now houses the Uspenskaya Hotel and shops, was also part of the shopping malls. Previously, at the turn of the XVIII-XIX centuries, there was a long building with shops here. In 1860, it was rebuilt and turned into a two-story building: the facade was greatly changed, to which an arched gallery was added, and tall windows were made on the second floor. In general, many shopping malls in the 19th century were framed in the form of an arched gallery. There were shops on the lower floors of the shopping malls, and hotels, furnished rooms, and offices on the upper floors. There were warehouses and utility yards behind the shopping malls.

In April 1921, a devastating fire raged for several days. The whole square burned out. Miraculously, only the house of Evreinov and the eastern buildings were defended. All the other new authorities were dismantled in a hurry, neglecting the possibility of restoration. Later, the established churches at the auction − Voznesenskaya, Filippovskaya, and Uspenskaya - were demolished. Only the Kazan Church has been preserved. Therefore, unfortunately, now we cannot see the ensemble of the central city square, which was here at the beginning of the twentieth century.