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I would like to tell you about my home town,about Kolomna.Kolomna is a very picturesque town.It is situated on the banks of three rivers:the Moscow,the Oka and the Kolomenka.It dates back to the times of Northeastern Old Rus.Kolomna was first mentioned in old written documents in 1177,which is considered to be the date of its origin.At that time the town was in possesion of the Great Ryazan Prince and was an important fortress on the principality's northen border.At that time the land was often attacked by the troops of the Vladimiro-Suzdalsky Principality and later Tatar and Mongol hordes invaded Rus.In 1237 a battle was fought at the town walls and Khan Batyi ordered that Kolomna be razed to the ground.Many years had passed before Kolomna was built anew.In 1306 it joined forever the Moscow Principality.In 1359 Kolomna came to be in possesion of Moscow Prince Dmitry Ivanovich.On August 20,1380,the Kolomna troops and residents gave a heartly welcome to Prince Dmitry.A review of the 150000 strong Russian Army was held on the day that followed.From here the army marched on to meet Mamai Khan's troops and routed them.To commemorate it the Church of the Assumption was built.The cathedral has been preserved to our days.The cornestone of the Bobrenev Monastery was laid in 1381 in honour of Bobrok,a hero of the Kulikovskaya Battle.The belt of stone fortifications of the Kolomna Kremlin was built during six years.It included seventeen towers,the high walls stretched for almost 2 kilometers.7 towers have survived in our times:the Pyatnitskaya.the Yamskaya,the Spasskaya and others.
There are several scores of architectural monuments of the 17th-19th centuries in Kolomna,some of them were built according to the projects of the well-known Russian architect Kazakov,such as the Church of the Assension,archbishop's house,the walls of the Staro-Golutvin and Novo-Golutvin monasteries.In the middle of the 17th century the Church of Nickola Posadsky,one of the town's most beautiful churches,was built.The belfry of the Church of John the Theologian, built to commemorate the victory over Napoleon in the Patriotic War of 1812,and the belfry of the Novo-Golutvin Monastery are of great interest.
As time went by Kolomna turned into a merchant and artisan town.In the second half of the 19th century Kolomna ranked first in Moscow Gubernia for the number of industrial enterprises.
Now Kolomna is clearly divided into 2 parts:the old one and the new one,situated in the town's south west.There are many cinema houses, houses of culture,clubs and libraries in the town.Also there are 4 stadiums,an artificial ice-track,40 gyms and 6 sports schools for younger children and teenagers.
Kolomna is a major industrial center of Moscow region.It produces locomotives, tools,textile industry,cement.There are many educational institutions.
What I've just told you is only some glimpses of Kolomna,because it is very difficult to speak about this old and beautiful town being limited of time.
