TORZHOK  , a

town of Russia, in the government of Tver, on the river Tvertsa, 21 M. by rail S.W. of the Likhoslavl, station of the St Petersburg & Moscow railway . Pop . (Igloo), 15,119 . It dates from the 11th century, and the name (market-place) shows that this dependency of Novgorod was a commercial centre . It was fortified with a stone wall, which only partially protected it from the attacks of Mongols, Lithuanians and Poles . Torzhok is celebrated in Russia for its embroidered velvet and embroidered leather-work, for the manufacture of travelling bags, and for its trade in corn and flour .