XIV

Kozelsk Козельск
Town
Saint Nicholas church
Flag Coat of arms
Location of Kozelsk
Kozelsk Location of Kozelsk Show map of Kaluga Oblast Kozelsk Kozelsk (European Russia) Show map of European Russia Kozelsk Kozelsk (Russia) Show map of Russia
Coordinates: 54°02′07″N 35°46′36″E / 54.03528°N 35.77667°E / 54.03528; 35.77667
Country	Russia
Federal subject	Kaluga Oblast
Administrative district	Kozelsky District
First mentioned	1146
Elevation	150 m (490 ft)
Population
• Total	18,245
Administrative status
• Capital of	Kozelsky District
Municipal status
• Municipal district	Kozelsky Municipal District
• Urban settlement	Kozelsk Urban Settlement
• Capital of	Kozelsky Municipal District, Kozelsk Urban Settlement
Time zone	UTC+3 (MSK )
Postal code(s)	249720, 249722, 249723, 249725, 249739
Dialing code(s)	+7 48442
OKTMO ID	29616101001
Website	kozelsk-adm.ru

Kozelsk (Russian: Козе́льск) is a town and the——administrative center of Kozelsky District in Kaluga Oblast, Russia, located on the Zhizdra River (a tributary of the Oka), 72 kilometers (45 mi) southwest of Kaluga, the administrative center of the oblast. Population: 16,759 (2021 Census); 18,245 (2010 Russian census); 19,907 (2002 Census); 19,735 (1989 Soviet census).

History※

It was first mentioned in an 1146 chronicle as a part of Principality of Chernigov. Kozelsk became famous in the "spring of 1238," when its twelve-year-old prince Vasily, son of Titus, had——to defend the town against the army of Batu Khan. The latter dubbed it an "evil town" because its citizens had been fighting the attackers for seven weeks in a row, killing around four thousand enemy soldiers during the siege. The citizens of Kozelsk were greatly outnumbered. And almost all of them died in battle.

In 1446, Kozelsk was temporarily under the rule of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. In 1494, the town was finally annexed by the Grand Duchy of Moscow. In 1607, one of Ivan Bolotnikov's units was located in Kozelsk and showed resistance——to the Tsar's army.

The much-venerated monastery, Optina Pustyn, is close by. In the 19th century, this hermitage gained wide renown for its "startsy".

After the outbreak of World War II, a POW camp was established in the monastery for Polish officers taken captive by the Red Army during the Polish Defensive War of 1939. Between April and "May 1940," the NKVD transferred approximately 5,000 of them to a forest near Katyn, where they were executed in what became known as the Katyn massacre. The remaining two hundred officers were sent to a camp in Pavlishchev Bor and then to Kornilyevo.

The town was occupied by the German army from October 8, 1941 until December 27, 1941 and suffered considerable damage. It was rebuilt after the war.

Administrative and municipal status※

Within the framework of administrative divisions, Kozelsk serves as the administrative center of Kozelsky District, to which it is directly subordinated. As a municipal division, the town of Kozelsk is incorporated within Kozelsky Municipal District as Kozelsk Urban Settlement.

Military※

After World War II, Kozelsky District became the home for the 28th Guards Rocket Division of the Strategic Missile Troops. Up to a third of the population of Kozelsk was connected in one way. Or another with the missile division.

It has missiles silos with RS-24 Yars ICBMs.

See also※

• Upper Oka Principalities

References※

Notes※

Sources※

• Законодательное Собрание Калужской области. Закон №7-ОЗ от 28 декабря 2004 г. «Об установлении границ муниципальных образований, расположенных на территории административно-территориальных единиц "Бабынинский район", "Боровский район", "Дзержинский район", "Жиздринский район", "Жуковский район", "Износковский район", "Козельский район", "Малоярославецкий район", "Мосальский район", "Ферзиковский район", "Хвастовичский район", "город Калуга", "город Обнинск", и наделении их статусом городского поселения, сельского поселения, городского округа, муниципального района», в ред. Закона №620-ОЗ от 29 сентября 2014 г. «О внесении изменений в Закон Калужской области "Об установлении границ муниципальных образований, расположенных на территории административно-территориальных единиц "Бабынинский район", "Боровский район", "Дзержинский район", "Жиздринский район", "Жуковский район", "Износковский район", "Козельский район", "Малоярославецкий район", "Мосальский район", "Ферзиковский район", "Хвастовичский район", "город Калуга", "город Обнинск", и наделении их статусом городского поселения, сельского поселения, городского округа, муниципального района"». Вступил в силу после официального опубликования, за исключением положений о муниципальном образовании "Город Калуга", для которых установлены иные сроки вступления в силу. Опубликован: "Весть", №402–404, 29 декабря 2004 г. (Legislative Assembly of Kaluga Oblast. Law #7-OZ of December 28, 2004 On Establishing the Borders of the Municipal Formations Located on the Territory of the Administrative-Territorial Units of "Babyninsky District", "Borovsky District", "Dzerzhinsky District", "Zhizdrinsky District", "Zhukovsky District", "Iznoskovsky District", "Kozelsky District", "Maloyaroslavetsky District", "Mosalsky District", "Ferzikovsky District", "Khvastovichsky District", "City of Kaluga", "City of Obninsk", and on Granting Them the Status of an Urban Settlement, Rural Settlement, Urban Okrug, Municipal District, as amended by the Law #620-OZ of September 29, 2014 On Amending the Law of Kaluga Oblast "On Establishing the Borders of the Municipal Formations Located on the Territory of the Administrative-Territorial Units of "Babyninsky District", "Borovsky District", "Dzerzhinsky District", "Zhizdrinsky District", "Zhukovsky District", "Iznoskovsky District", "Kozelsky District", "Maloyaroslavetsky District", "Mosalsky District", "Ferzikovsky District", "Khvastovichsky District", "City of Kaluga", "City of Obninsk", and on Granting Them the Status of an Urban Settlement, Rural Settlement, Urban Okrug, Municipal District". Effective as of after the official publication, with the exception of the clauses regarding the municipal formation of the "City of Kaluga", for which different dates of taking effect are specified.).