Solvychegodsk

Description

This subcollection from the William C. Brumfield Collection -- Photographs of Russian Architecture contains views of Solvychegodsk, a small town located near abundant salt springs in the southeast corner of Arkhangelsk Oblast. Founded in the 16th century, the town derived its name from the Russian word for ‘salt’ and the nearby Vychegda River. It is considered the original center of the Stroganov merchant dynasty, which built two magnificent cathedrals in the town. (Most of the smaller parish churches were demolished in the Soviet period.) The area became well known as a center of the salt trade and for its handicrafts, especially its enamel production. Solvychegodsk was also known as a place of political exile. Notably, Joseph Stalin was exiled there in both 1909 and 1911.