; photograph by
Sergey Prokudin-Gorsky Rzhev was founded in the Middle Ages and rivals
Toropets as the oldest town in the region. Rzhevians usually point out that their town is mentioned in the
Novgorod laws as early as 1019. Their neighbors from Toropets, on the other hand, give more credence to Rzhev's first mention in a major chronicle under 1216, when it was in possession of
Mstislav the Bold, Prince of Toropets. Whatever the truth may be, it is clear that medieval Rzhev was bitterly contested by three regional powers—the Novgorod Republic, the
Principality of Smolensk, and the Grand Principality of
Vladimir-Suzdal. Following the
Mongol invasion, Rzhev passed to a lateral branch of the Smolensk dynasty, which made the town its capital. Later the princes divided the town in two parts, which are still called the Prince-Dmitry's Side and Prince-Theodor's Side. In the mid-14th century, they had a hard time repelling attacks from
Algirdas of the
Grand Duchy of Lithuania and Grand Princes of Tver, who bought all the villages around the town. Finally, they left for Moscow, where their descendants (the
Rzhevsky family) have become comic characters of
many a joke. In the meantime, the town was occupied for a short space by Tver,
Poland-Lithuania, and finally by the
Grand Duchy of Moscow. In the course of the
administrative reform carried out in 1708 by
Peter the Great, Rzhev was included into
Ingermanlandia Governorate (since 1710 known as Saint Petersburg Governorate), and in 1727
Novgorod Governorate split off. In 1775,
Tver Viceroyalty was formed from the lands which previously belonged to
Moscow and Novgorod Governorates, and Rzhev was transferred to Tver Viceroyalty, which in 1796 was transformed to
Tver Governorate. In 1775,
Rzhevsky Uyezd was established, with the center in Rzhev. In the 18th century, local merchants, mainly of
Old Believer confession, brought a great measure of prosperity to the town. On 12 July 1929, governorates and uyezds were abolished, and Rzhevsky District with the administrative center in the town of Rzhev was established. It belonged to
Rzhev Okrug of
Western Oblast. On August 1, 1930, the okrugs were abolished, and the districts were subordinated directly to the oblast. On 29 January 1935
Kalinin Oblast was established, and Rzhev was transferred to Kalinin Oblast. In honour of the people lost in the war, a
statue was unveiled in Rzhev on June 30, 2020.
Vladimir Putin and
Alexander Lukashenko attended the unveiling, leaving roses at the base of the statue. ==Administrative and municipal status==