Uglich: A Journey Through the Centuries

9 points6 km4 hours

Over its long life, Uglich has witnessed the whole of Russian history. It was the center of a small principality; the last heir of the Rurikid dynasty died here; merchants carried on a lively trade; and in Soviet times one of the country's first hydroelectric power plants was built in the town. Join us for a walk through the streets of ancient Uglich to learn its life story.

Route author

Susanin Team

Things to do

📜 Learn the city's history
🏛️🕰️ Compare the eras

Route points (9)

Chaika Watch Factory Museum in Uglich

Point on route “Uglich: A Journey Through the Centuries”

Point 9

Chaika Watch Factory Museum

🏛️ Museum

Historical Background

Uglich's history is inextricably linked with the era of industrialization. The Uglich watch factory was founded in 1942 and quickly became one of the town's key employers. Its most famous product was the Chaika (Seagull) watch line, launched in 1963 in honor of Valentina Tereshkova's space flight (her call sign was Chaika). Until the 1990s things only went up, as shown by the fact that the factory's design bureau created prototypes of new watch models that won competitions and prizes and were the best in their categories; in particular, in 1966, at the international fair in Leipzig, a watch with the tiniest movement took the gold.

After the Collapse of the USSR

Sadly, with the arrival of the market economy, the factory began to decline rapidly. Despite desperate efforts to stay afloat, its high-quality products could not compete with the cheap Chinese equivalents that flooded the market. In 2009 the factory was closed, and a museum opened in it where you can learn many details about watchmaking.