Kozel’sk, Russia
Козельск
Kozel’sk is a town of 19,500 people in Kaluga Oblast, Russia, founded in 1200.
Why visit Kozel’sk
Townapedia lists 14 museums and landmarks, 3 parks and trails, 11 places to eat, 4 places to stay and 2 attractions in and around town.
Highlights include Optina Pustyn, Козельский краеведческий музей and Дом природы.
Weather in Kozel’sk
Forecast from MET Norway (CC BY 4.0). Full forecast
About Kozel’sk
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 census); 19,907 (2002 census); 19,735 (1989 Soviet census).
From the Wikipedia article Kozelsk (this version), under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Things to do2
Optina Pustyn
Monument and historic site · 4.4 km
Eastern Orthodox monastery for men near Kozelsk in Russia
Museums and landmarks14
Дом природы
Museum · 1.4 km
71 Большая Советская улица
Mo-Fr 08:00-12:00, 12:30-16:00; Sa 08:00-12:00, 12:30-15:00
Культурно-досуговый центр Козельского района
Museum · 1.6 km
66 Большая Советская улица, Козельск
Mo-Su 08:00-20:00
2 more on the map.
Parks, trails and playgrounds3
Restaurants and cafes11
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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.
From the History section of Kozelsk on Wikipedia, under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Where to stay4
Churches and places of worship5
Собор Успения Пресвятой Богородицы
Place of worship · 1.8 km
6 Большая Советская улица
Shopping16
Gas and EV charging4
Schools, colleges and libraries10
Козельская городская библиотека-филиал № 2
Library · 0.8 km
40 Садовая улица, 249720 Калужская обл., Козельский р-он, г. Козельск, ул. Садовая, д. 40
Козельская городская библиотека-филиал № 3
Library
д.24 кв.2 улица Дзержинского, Козельск
Центральная детская библиотека
Library · 1.5 km
66 Большая Советская улица, Козельск
Healthcare7
Map of Kozel’sk
76 places. The map loads OpenStreetMap tiles when you open it.
Getting there and nearby towns
Kaluga International Airport (KLF) is the nearest airport with scheduled flights listed in OpenStreetMap, 69 km away.
- Deshovki 4 km south, about 4 min by car
- Sosenskiy 13 km east, about 13 min by car
- Podborki 19 km northeast, about 19 min by car
- Polyana village 25 km southwest, about 25 min by car
- Pesochenskiy 27 km northeast, about 27 min by car
- Sukhinichi 29 km west, about 29 min by car
- Chekalin 32 km east, about 32 min by car
- Belëv 34 km southeast, about 34 min by car
- Peremyshl’ 36 km northeast, about 36 min by car
- Kaluga 64 km northeast, about 1 h by car
Drive times are estimates from straight-line distance, not routes.
Local news
Headlines from INDB.
Reviews, tips and questions
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Sources and licences
- GeoNames (CC BY 4.0): population, coordinates, regions and time zone
- OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL 1.0): places, airports, map data
- Wikidata (CC0 1.0): elevation, founding date, time zone, website, landmarks and historic places
- Wikimedia Commons (see each image): photos
- Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0): overview and history text
Photo credits
- Вокзал станции Козельск, Алексей Задонский, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Святые врата 2018, Svklimkin, CC BY-SA 4.0
- 28-я гвардейская ракетная дивизия, LEhAN, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Козельск. Успенский собор (1824)., Сержант Пеппер, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Собор Благовещения Пресвятой Богородицы, XPEH13, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Меч-кладенец, LEhAN, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Другуска, LEhAN, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Винни-Пух в Козельске, LEhAN, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Мышиный король, LEhAN, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Козельск290, Andre Percon, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Козельск289, Andre Percon, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Карлсон, LEhAN, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Три богатыря, LEhAN, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Почтальон Печкин, LEhAN, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Церковь Николая Чудотворца, г. Казельск, XPEH13, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Никольская церковь, г. Казельск, XPEH13, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Храм Николая Чудотворца, г. Казельск, XPEH13, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Церковь Сошествия Святого Духа,, XPEH13, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Kozelsk museum2, Alaexis, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Kozelsk cathedral, Alaexis, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Собор Успения Пресвятой Богородицы г. Козельск, XPEH13, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Национальный парк Угра, Жиздринский участок. Козельский район. Калужская область. 5, Алексей Задонский, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Национальный парк Угра, Жиздринский участок. Козельский район. Калужская область. 3, Алексей Задонский, CC BY-SA 4.0
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