Torzhok is a
town in
Tver Oblast,
Russia, located on the
Tvertsa River along the federal highway
M10 and a branch of the
Oktyabrskaya Railway division of the
Russian Railways. The town is famous for its folk craft of
goldwork embroidery. Population:
History
Torzhok was first mentioned in a
chronicle in 1139 as
Novy Torg. The
Mongols burned it in 1238, but did not proceed northward to
Novgorod. At that time, the town commanded the only route whereby grain was delivered to Novgorod. Once Torzhok blocked the route, a great shortage of grain and famine in Novgorod would follow. Consequently, Torzhok was known as a key to the
Novgorod Republic and frequently changed hands during feudal internecine wars.