Kaluga is known for its most famous resident, Konstantin Tsiolkovsky, a rocket scientist who pioneered astronautic theory.
The Tsiolkovsky State Museum of the History of Cosmonautics in Kaluga is dedicated to his work and its practical applications for space research. The city's coat of arms and motto gives a respectful nod to work — the Cradle of Space Exploration.
Kaluga, founded in the mid-14th century as a border fortress on the southwestern borders of the Grand Duchy of Moscow. The city's name has changed over time. If you poke through historical records and chronicles from the 14th century, you'll see it written as Koluga — derived from the Old Russian word for bog or quagmire.
Historically, Kolunga has sat on the sidelines of history. It is the sort of place you might have a country home away from the hubbub of the bustling city. Indeed, the area has served as such for many of Russia's Royals. In the Middle Ages Kaluga was a smallish settlement owned by the Princes Vorotynsky whose relationship with the townsfolk looked more akin to how you and I might picture slaver versus a liege lord.
Over time, the village grew more prosperous and opened its first drama theatre in 1777. As in many parts of the world, the first geologic exploration and mapping were done to locate natural resources that would be used to fund monarchies, wars and infrastructure.
General Kutuzov repelled Napoleon's advances in this direction and forced the retreating French army onto the old Smolensk road, previously devastated by the French during their invasion of Russia — an event that may be attributed to poor planning and tin buttons, but that is for another post.
On several occasions during the Russian Empire Kaluga was the residence of political exiles and prisoners such as the last Crimean khan Şahin Giray (1786), the Kyrgyz sultan Arigazi-Abdul-Aziz (1828), the Georgian princess Thecla (1834–1835), and the Avar leader Imam Shamil (1859–1868).
The German army briefly occupied Kaluga during the climactic Battle of Moscow, as part of Operation Barbarossa. The city was under full or partial German occupation from October 12th to December 30, 1941. In 1944, the Soviet Government used its local military buildings to intern hundreds of Polish prisoners of war — soldiers of the Polish underground Home Army — whom the advancing Soviet front had arrested in the area around Vilnius. This specimen is in the collection of the deeply awesome Emil Black. Maximum diameter of 58mm.
