Kaluga (Калу́га), Russia

Kaluga (Russian: Калу́га) is a city to the southwest of Moscow in Russia. Located on the Oka River, it is the administrative center of Kaluga Oblast. The city has a population of 325,000 people (2012 estimate).

Railway Station, Kaluga, Russia
Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Kaluga-1_station_01.JPG
Author: AndyVolykhov


Kaluga was founded in the mid-14th century as a border fortress for the then Grand Duchy of Moscow, and was known by its present name since 1371. For much of the Middle Ages, it was owned by the Vorotynsky princes whose ancestral home is found to the southwest of the modern city.

The ancient route connecting Kaluga and Moscow was used by the Moscovites to escape Napoleon's advancing army in 1812. Later General Kutuzov used the same route to repel Napoleon's troops, forcing them to retreat to the old Smolensk road which the French had earlier devastated.

During the Second World War, Kaluga briefly fell to the Nazis. In 1944, it was used by the Soviet Government to intern hundreds of Polish prisoners of war who were soldiers of the Polish Underground Home Army.

Today Kaluga is known for its automotive industry. After the fall of the Soviet Union, a number of car companies have established assembly plants here, among them Volkswagen, Volvo and Peugeot.

Church of the Transfiguration, Kaluga
Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Kaluga_Smolenskaya_8_Spas-za-Verhom_20.jpg
Author: NVO

Visiting Kaluga

You can reach Kaluga by train from Moscow. The journey takes about two and a half hours.

Places of Interest in Kaluga

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