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{{Distinguish|Verkhnyaya Tura}}
{{Coord|58|52|N|60|48|E|display=title}}
[[File:Coat of Arms of Verkhoturie (Sverdlovsk oblast) coat ot arms.png|thumb|Coat of arms of Verkhoturye]]

'''Verkhoturye''' ({{lang-ru|Верхоту́рье}}) is a [[historical city of Russia|historical]] [[types of inhabited localities in Russia|town]] and the [[administrative center]] of [[Verkhotursky District]] of [[Sverdlovsk Oblast]], [[Russia]], located in the middle [[Ural Mountains]] on the left bank of the [[Tura River]] {{convert|306|km|sp=us}} north of [[Yekaterinburg]]. Population: {{ru-census2010|8,820|;}} 7,815 ([[Russian Census (2002)|2002 Census]];<ref name="2002Census">{{ru-pop-ref|2002Census}}</ref> {{su-census1989|8,973|;}} 10,900 (1967).

==History==
Verkhoturye was founded in 1598 by Vasily Golovin and Ivan Voyeykov on the site of the [[Mansi people|Vogul]] settlement of Neromkar. There were major fires in 1674 and 1738. The railroad arrived in 1906. It lost town status in 1926 and regained it in 1947. Two oil pipelines pass through the area and there are plans to build an oil refinery.

In contrast to the surrounding mining towns, Verkhoturye has been relatively untouched by industrialization and much of its historic appearance has been preserved. Being one of the oldest Russian settlements east of the Urals, and with forty churches in the area, Verkhoturye is considered one of the centers of Russian Christianity. Famous churches include the Trinity Church (1703—1712), Nikolay Monastery (established in 1604) with the Cathedral of Exaltation of the Holy Cross (1905—1913), and Transfiguration Church (1821). In addition, the town houses the oldest female monastery beyond Urals (established in 1621).

===The Gateway to Siberia===
[[File:Trinity Cathedral Verkhoturie.jpg|thumb|The Trinity Cathedral was built in 1703-12]]
The relatively low middle Ural Mountains at the latitude of Verkhoturye form a natural gateway into Siberia from the west. With the [[Russian conquest of Siberia]] and the foundation of the trans-Ural Russian towns of [[Tyumen]] in 1586 and [[Tobolsk]] in 1587 the problem arose of finding the best route to them from European Russia. Around 1580, [[Yermak Timofeyevich]] had ascended the [[Chusovaya River]] south of Verkhoturye and crossed to the Barancha, a tributary of the [[Tagil River]]. This route was abandoned because the upper Tagil was too shallow. Around 1590 a [[Cherdyn Route|more northerly route]] was opened from [[Cherdyn]] north of [[Solikamsk]] up to the [[Vishera River (Perm Krai)|Vishera River]] and down the [[Lozva River]]. In 1597 [[Artemy Babinov]] pioneered what became the standard route. This [[Babinsky Road]] ran overland from [[Solikamsk]] on the western slope of the Urals to Verkhoturye. An ''[[Ostrog (fortress)|ostrog]]'' (fort) was built at Verkhoturye in 1598 and a customs house in 1600 or 1601. Until about 1763, Babinov's route was the main road into Siberia. All winter sledges would haul goods from Solikamsk to Verkhoturye where they were stockpiled until the spring thaw. Siberian furs collected as ''[[yasak]]'' (tribute) passed through Verkhoturye ''en route'' to the Sable Treasury in Moscow. Privately owned furs leaving Siberia paid a 10% tax unless the merchant could prove that the tax had been paid in Siberia. Goods entering Siberia paid a 4% tax (in addition to the 10% paid when the goods were sold). Goods coming and going were inspected and inventoried to prevent contraband. Guard posts were set up in the region to prevent people from slipping around the custom house.
[[File:Verkhoturye 1910 LOC prok 02108.jpg|thumb|right|Verkhoturye in 1910]]

Around 1600, [[Turinsk]] was built downriver and a winter [[ice road | ice-road]] was built to connect the two settlements. At some point the [[Irbit Fair]] downriver became a major trading place. In 1695, all routes from the Kama basin except Verkhoturye were legally closed. Verkhoturye declined from about 1763 when the [[Siberian Route]] was built through [[Yekaterinburg]] to the south. In the 1770s the toll for crossing into Siberia was abolished or reduced.

===Other Ural crossings===
To the north the three crossing points were the [[Arctic Ocean]], the [[Usa River (Komi Republic)|Usa River]], and the [[Northern Sosva River]]. These all connected the lower [[Ob River]] to the [[Pechora River]] and the export port of [[Arkhangelsk]]. The routes around Verkhoturye connected [[Tobolsk]] to the [[Kama River]] tributary of the Volga and on to the Sable Treasury at Moscow. Below Verkhoturye there was an old caravan route which led to the [[Ufa]] steppe and the Volga River. This became more important as the Volga population increased, but remained minor because it did not lead to either Moscow or Arkhangelsk.

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
{{Commonscat|Verkhoturie}}

*[http://uralring.eunnet.net/verh/ History and culture of the town and the region] {{ru icon}}

{{Cities and towns in Sverdlovsk Oblast}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=December 2012}}

[[Category:Cities and towns in Sverdlovsk Oblast]]
[[Category:Verkhotursky Uyezd]]
[[Category:Ural Mountains]]
[[Category:Populated places established in 1598]]

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