Ples

Historical information
Museums
Accommodation    The foundation of Ples dates from the second half of the 12th century. The small fortress was founded in the northeast suburb of the Vladimir-Suzdal princedom as a fort of Russian colonization of the Volga bank occupied by the Finnish tribe. Together with other towns, Ples fortress served as a strong point of Northeast Russia in the struggle against the state of Great Bulgar for the Volga trading way.
    Originally, the fortress occupied, apparently, only a ledge of the Sobornoj Mountain. From here both banks of the Volga, upwards and downstream, were looked through n many kilometers. Here, the Ples suburb began to form, that was gradually extended on the Volga bank to the West. The one street of this ancient suburb, received the name Jurovaya, has been kept, at present, it is Gorky street. In 1238 the town was captured and burnt by the army of Baty.
    The new stage of the Ples history began in 1410, when the new fortress was constructed here. The moving of the center of the tender determined the further development of the Ples suburb. From the Sobornoj Mountain the village of Strogevo is well seen in a distance, on the left bank of the Volga. During long-term struggle with Hazan State, there obviously was an observant post of the Ples fortress. The small Volga town, surprising tourists with silence and rest, knew rough times, when above the river the alarm hooted, shoots battling, a crash of fire and crying on killed were heard.
    After the conquest of Kazan in 1552 the Ples fortress lost its strategic value and soon stopped its existence. Then Ples developed as a trading quay, specializing on cultivation of flax and manufacture of yarn. Through Ples products of the linen industry from Shuya, Ivanovo, Vichuga, Velikoe are imported. To the beginning of the 19th century 3 linen factories operated in Ples. On the trading area of the town 2 large fairs are annually held.
    In 1778 Ples became District City but not for a long time. Regular planning of the town began. Its main problem was the creation of a new line of buildings on the Volga bank, which would connect the territory of the former suburb with a large village tsar's "fish hunters" in a single whole.
    1800 built up the Volga bank with the stone two-storied merchant private buildings. Low, left represents this period to the ground buildings. Later buildings were of severity of the architectural decision.
    In 1817 above the Market Square, on the place of wooden Voskresenskaya Church was built a stone one. In 1821 in the east of the town, Varvara's Church was constructed, in 1840 the western part was marked by the construction of a stone Preobrazenskaya Church.
    In 1808 in the central part of the town the Troitskaya Church was built. It was the first stone temple of Ples for people. The eighth stone temple of Ples was constructed on the departure of the town.
    In 1860 wooden constructions of a courtyard on the market square were replaced by the extended stone lines of trading: together with the buildings of Chastuhina's stores the one architectural ensemble was formed, that connected the central area of the town with the quay.
    With the opening of a railway in 1871 between Kineshma and Ivanovo and between Nerechta and Kostroma, Ples lost the value of "river gate" of the textile region. Stone construction in the town was reduced.
    Prevailing type of construction of this period became two-storied half stone buildings with a wooden groove.
    The town-planning history of Ples is characterized by rare organic unity. Even the regular re-planning changing the shape of Russian cities, here had to obey unique landscape of Ples. Ples is kept as a small, cozy trading town which suddenly as though has dropped out of the history.
    Nowadays in the town and in its district the set of bases of rest, tourist bases, boarding houses are located.