All of the Archangel flax is dew-retted.      Arkhangelsk was Russia's first northern seaport and between 1668 and 1684 a large fortified trading centre, the Gostiny Dvor, was constructed on its riverbank.  The winter weather gave a very short time slot for trading as the port iced over and many ships were lost or abandoned to the crushing ice.   The founding of St Petersburg in 1702 in the warmer waters of the Baltic,  along with the ports Konigsberg, Kronstadt, Libnau, Memel, Narva, Pernau, Reval, Riga, Tilsit Windau and others pushed Arkhangelsk out of the limelight.

 Archangel used flax from Kama, Kostroma, Kostrogna, Novgord, Tot'ma, Ustyug, Vologda, Vyatka, Yaroslavl where it was all dew-retted in the fields. Archangel had a reputation for honest bracking whereas the Baltic Ports standards were not as good .. so the English merchants still preferred to buy Archangel flax whenever possible. This resulted in a lack of seals from the Baltic ports being found after the late 1840's, but Archangel seals still being found in abundance into the 1900's .. The seal says Archangel Bracked by Inspector Andrew Plotnik. Archangel and St Petersburg Tow are both classed as No1 & No2.  Codilla was classed as Archangel, St Petersburg & Riga No. 2 & No. 3.      The Archangel flaxes are known as 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and 4th crown ; and 1st and 2nd Zabrack.   Below is a summer view of the port.