Arkhangelsk was founded in 1584 as the fortified monastery of Micheal, a Russian archangel, it was the first port of the Russian Empire to trade with England and later with other countries. The port of Arkhangelsk reached the height of its prosperity in the 17th century but subsequently declined with the foundation of Saint Petersburg in 1703 and the high customs dues introduced by Peter I the Great to trade to Arkhangelsk. Arkhangelsk later revived with the building of a railway from Moscow in 1898. At that time, Arkhangelsk is now the largest timber-exporting port of Russia. It has big timber-processing industries, including sawmilling, pulp making and papermaking. Shipbuilding and repair are important in Arkhangelsk. Arkhangelsk is home for a fishing fleet and the western terminus of the Russian Northern Sea Route. There are thousands of medicines, planting, managing, caring for forests, taigas, and a teachers college.
