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Serpukhov (Се́рпухов) (population 130,000) is an old Russian town in Moscow region, which is situated at the confluence of the Oka river and the Nara river. It is located 99 km south from Moscow on the Moscow-Simferopol' highway. The Moscow-Tula railway passes through the town.
The town of Serpukhov has existed since 1339. During 1341-1456 it was the center of the princedom of Serpukhov. In 1462 it became a part of Muscovy.
Serpukhov had a citadel (called the Kremlin, like the Moscow one), which was built in 1556 and turned the town into one of the most important fortresses on the southern border of the Russian state. The citadel was constructed on a hill at a junction of the Nara river and the small Serpeyka river. However during the 19th century, the citadel was ruined and destroyed by town's inhabitants, who used its limestone for building. Even now the vast majority of basements in nearby houses are built from this material. In present time only two small fragments of a wall remain on a hill; in several places limestone tower bases can be seen.
Serpuknov has 2 cloisters: the Vysotskiy cloister (from Russian vysota=height) and Vladychniy cloister (from Russian vladyko=lord), several churches and cathedrals.
In modern times Serpukhov has become a local industrial center with textile, mechanical engineering, furniture and paper-producing industries. However its current economic situation is a little worse than the average economic situation for towns in the Moscow region. The architectural sights are in a very bad shape and need serious restoration.
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