Borovsk

Borovsk (Russian: Бо́ровск) is a town and the administrative center of Borovsky District of Kaluga Oblast, Russia, located on the Protva River just south from the oblast's border with Moscow Oblast. Population: 12,598 (2021 census); 12,283 (2010 census); 11,917 (2002 census); 13,405 (1989 Soviet census). 12,000 (1969).

It is known to have existed since 1356 as a part of the Principality of Ryazan. In the 14th century, it was owned by Vladimir the Bold, but passed to the Grand Duchy of Moscow when his granddaughter Maria of Borovsk married Vasily II.

In 1444, the St. Paphnutius Monastery was founded near Borovsk. Its strong walls, towers, and a massive cathedral survive from the reign of Boris Godunov. Two famous Old Believers—archpriest Avvakum Petrovich and boyarynya Feodosiya Morozova—were incarcerated at this monastery in the second half of the 17th century. The town was liberated by the Red Army on January 4, 1942.

Within the framework of administrative divisions, Borovsk serves as the administrative center of Borovsky District, to which it is directly subordinated. As a municipal division, the town of Borovsk is incorporated within Borovsky Municipal District as Borovsk Urban Settlement.

Among the monuments of Borovsk are the oldest wooden church in the region (the 17th century) and a museum of Konstantin Tsiolkovsky, who lived and worked there as a teacher in 1880–1891. Borovsk has recently been known for painted façades of its down-town buildings, resulting from a work of one local painter.