Puchezh

Puchezh (Russian: Пучеж) is a town in Ivanovo Oblast, Russia, located to the southeast of Myshkin. Population: 10,345 (2002 Census).

Puchezh is a port on the west side of the Volga River, situated 117 km southeast of Kineshma and 175 km east of Ivanovo.

It was first mentioned as Puchishche sloboda in 1594. In the 19th century it became a center for the grain industry and the flax trade. In 1862, a major thread-producing plant was founded. Nearby Ivanovo became known as the "fiancée's city": a large number of female workers would immigrate to the town to work in the weaving industry (which fed off of Puchezh's flax trade), and legend has it that single men would come here in search of wives.

In 1952, Gorkovsky Reservoir (named after the famous Russian author Maxim Gorky) flooded, putting the town in danger. For the next three years, the town slowly uprooted itself, was carried to a higher location, and was rebuilt.

Today, Puchezh still maintains a flax enterprise and a sewing factory. The town's industries now include a plant producing reinforced concrete works, a woodworking industry, and their cultural pride: Istoki factory. Istoki is an artistic trade that involves making works of traditional embroidery, both by hand and by machine, to make patterns influenced by the ancient art from the Volga region. The linens produced here are comparable to any others in the world. The area surrounding the town contains dairy farms, fishing industry, and forests that create a perfect atmosphere for ecological tourism and many kinds of outdoor recreation, such as fishing, hunting, and camping.