Uglich, Russia - Ancient Town on the Volga River

Uglich is a small town of about 37,000 residents on the Volga River 136 miles north of Moscow. The view of the two huge churches as the M/S Rossia sailed into Uglich was breathtaking. Uglich was the last port of call on our journey from St. Petersburg to Moscow. We had visited a small village (Svirstroy), a UNESCO Heritage Site (Kizhi Island), and a mid-sized city (Yaroslavl) on our Russian Waterways cruise on the Grand Circle M/S Rossia. So, along with the many miles of countryside, we saw a diverse section of Russia.

Uglich has a long storied history. It was a favorite of Ivan the Terrible in the 16th century. His son Dmitry was murdered in Uglich in 1591, and the brilliant red Church of St. Dmitry on the Blood was built to honor the slain young prince.

We did a walking tour of Uglich and had plenty of time for shopping at the numerous vendors' stands between the town and the ship. Uglich is a peaceful, quiet town, and most of us agreed we would liked to have stayed longer.