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Mozhaisk is closely connected with the
military history of Russia. It is mentioned first in the chronicles for the
siege that the troops of Novgorod laid on the city and then for its resistance
during the Mongol Invasion of 1237-40. Since that time Mozhaisk was called the
Shield of Moscow, as for some time it was the only fortress on the Muscovite
principality on its western defense line. During the war of 1812 Mozhaisk came
to the center of military operations, despite the fact that before then the
city had almost lost its strategic significance because of the expansion of the
Moscow state's boundaries. It was near Mozhaisk that in 1812 the first Russian
guerilla detachment under Denis Davydov began operating. During World War II
Mozhaisk became the strong point of one of the most important strategic lines
of the Western Front. In the city itself as well as in its surroundings bitter
fighting took place. "I've come here to defend the Borodino
battlefield!" declared Colonel Polosukhin, the commander of the Far
Eastern infantry division. For six days and nights his soldiers held the line
near Borodino without sleeping a wink. Today the fortifications erected in the
area during the two wars are completely restored to their original design. This
majestic memorial embraces about 200 monuments and relics of fortification
architecture. Mozhaisk is 12 km from Borodino, the most sacred place in Russia.
The city is dominated by the Cathedral of St Nicholas built during the reign of
Ivan IV.
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