- Sergiev Posad
- Pereslavl-Zalessky
- Rostov the Great
- Yaroslavl
- Kostroma
- Ivanovo
- Suzdal
- Vladimir
The tourist route Golden Ring of Russia appeared only a little over 50 years ago, but has gained such great popularity that it is now one of the visiting cards of Russia. The author of this route is art critic and journalist Yuri Bychkov, who in 1967 provided the newspaper "Soviet Culture" with a series of reports on his trips to the ancient Russian cities close to Moscow.
The list of cities of the Golden Ring initially included only 8 ancient settlements that were previously located on the territory of the Vladimir principality. The route was developed very competently: tourists who left Moscow could consistently visit all eight settlements located in a circle. Over time, numerous travel agencies, trying to interest their clients, began to include neighboring small towns and villages, famous for their attractions or unique ancient Russian crafts, in the classic route of the Golden Ring.
Several years ago, the country's authorities announced that the Golden Ring route could be officially expanded. A large number of cities have applied for the title of a settlement included in the Golden Ring. Even curious situations arose when the claimant cities were far outside the existing Golden Ring. From 2015 to the present, only three cities were included in the Golden Ring by one organization or another - Kaluga, Kasimov and Uglich. However, our story concerns precisely the traditional cities of the famous route.
Sergiev Posad
The city of the Golden Ring closest to Moscow is Sergiev Posad. You can get here from the capital in an hour and a half, which makes this city a very popular destination for one-day excursions.
Sergiev Posad will appeal to lovers of calm, historical settlements, where everything is permeated with goodness and holiness. The main attraction of the city is the Trinity-Sergius Lavra - a popular pilgrimage site, where a number of shrines are kept, for example, the relics of St. Sergius of Radonezh and the icon of Andrei Rublev. Around this monastery, founded in the XIV century, the city began to form.
Most tourists arriving in Sergiev Posad immediately go to the Lavra, on the territory of which you can walk for hours, because more than 50 buildings have been built here, including the Trinity and Assumption Cathedrals and the Spiritual Church. There is also plenty to do outside the monastery. There are several other monastic complexes and very unusual museums in Sergiev Posad. Especially noteworthy is the Museum of Peasant Life, founded by a local resident, creative person Viktor Bagrov. Children should be shown the Toy Museum.
After walking around the city, you should have a rest in one of the local restaurants, savoring uzvars and kvass, tasting fragrant honey. If time remains, you can go out of town to the old Abramtsevo estate, which belonged to the writer Sergei Aksakov.
Pereslavl-Zalessky
Pereslavl-Zalessky is located 65 km from Sergiev Posad, which was founded by Yuri Dolgoruky in the 12th century and for a long time was considered the largest and richest city of ancient Russia. It was built among swamps and surrounded by a fortress wall 2.5 km long, which was unthinkable for those times.
The history of Pereslavl-Zalessky is rich in events. This city is the birthplace of Alexander Nevsky, now recognized as a saint. A thematic museum is dedicated to his life. You can learn about other historical figures associated with Pereslavl-Zalessky at exhibitions in the buildings of the Goritsky Monastery. The other four monasteries of Pereslavl are active. Tourists are shown the Transfiguration Cathedral, which is considered one of the most ancient in Russia.
You can make a whole list of what must be done in Pereslavl:
- take pictures of the surroundings from the observation deck on the ancient rampart near the main city cathedral;
- make a wish at the Blue Stone - a former pagan shrine located at Lake Pleshcheyevo;
- count irons in the Iron Museum, try to guess what folk inventions are for in the Museum of Cunning and Savvy;
- see how snails are bred on an agricultural farm;
- take children to the cultural complex Berendey's House, where they often teach something new and interesting in a playful way.
Rostov the Great
Rostov Veliky is 66 km away from Pereslavl-Zalessky. The city, founded more than 11 centuries ago, was almost completely erased from the face of the Earth several times. Mainly buildings of the 17th-19th centuries have survived to this day. The local Kremlin seems familiar even to those who come to Rostov the Great for the first time. It was he who was shown to us in the film "Ivan Vasilyevich Changes His Profession". In fact, this is not the Kremlin, but the Bishops' Court, which includes a belfry, museums, various outbuildings and five churches, among which the Assumption Cathedral stands out.
The best gift from Rostov the Great will be some beautiful trinket with enamel. It can be silver watches, bracelets, earrings, rings with enamel inserts with beautiful delicate designs. To decide on a gift and learn about the technique of painting jewelry, you should first go to the Enamel Museum, which is open in the Rostov Kremlin.
You can admire the sights of Rostov from the water by going on a boat trip on Lake Nero. Kids will love the master classes at the House of Crafts. Also for children are the Museum of the Frog Princess, which is believed to have been born in a local lake, and the entertainment complex "Onion Sloboda".
Yaroslavl
From Rostov the Great in just an hour you can get to Yaroslavl - the center of the region of the same name. This brainchild of Yaroslav the Great, named after this prince, is famous for a huge number of historical buildings. Yaroslavl is included in the list of cities to which UNESCO specialists paid attention. You should definitely see the Yaroslavl Museum-Reserve, which occupied the buildings of the former Spaso-Preobrazhensky Monastery. There are several interesting museums dedicated to ancient icons, ancient jewelry and the famous ancient Russian literary masterpiece - "The Tale of Bygone Years". She was found right on the territory of the monastery. In addition, many monastery buildings have survived here - a cathedral, a refectory, a residential building, a fence with a gate.
Among the sights of the city, it should be especially noted:
- the Church of Elijah the Prophet with provocative frescoes on the gallery;
- an observation deck, arranged where there used to be a wooden fortress, from which Yaroslavl began;
- two churches in the Korovnitskaya Sloboda, built in the 17th century;
- Memorial "Trinity", erected with the consent of Patriarch Alexy II on the site of the ancient temple destroyed in the 30s of the last century.
Kostroma
Kostroma is the farthest from Moscow, but if you visit the cities according to the established Golden Ring route, the road from Yaroslavl to the main settlement of the Kostroma region will be very fast and easy. Kostroma, located on the Volga, is a popular tourist destination. This city was founded by Yuri Dolgoruky - and this is not the only big name with which the history of the city is inextricably linked. Ivan Susanin lived here, providing "excursion services" to the Poles, Mikhail Fedorovich Romanov in the Ipatiev monastery became the new autocrat of Russia, Catherine II controlled the layout of the Old City.
The heart of the city of Kostroma is Susaninskaya Square, founded in the time of Alexander I. It is surrounded by buildings in the style of classicism - austere, majestic, even ascetic. Here is the mansion of S. Borshchov, where Tsar Nicholas I was met with pomp, the building of firefighters, the guardhouse and the palace, where the offices of city officials are now located. Not far from the city center there is a park with a gazebo for Alexander Ostrovsky. Modern tourists gaze with pleasure at the Volga from the place, which was chosen by the famous playwright.
In Kostroma there is a museum dedicated to the granddaughter of Santa Claus, the Snow Maiden. Her official residence is located on Simanovskogo Street, here she meets kids who piously believe in a fairy tale, and wise adults who are also not averse to returning to it. Children will also like the Forest Wizard Museum.
Ivanovo
If you make a small detour from Kostroma and turn towards Moscow, you can find yourself in Ivanovo, which is popularly called the city of brides because of the abundance of weaving factories here, in which women are mainly employed.
Ivanovo became a city not so long ago - in the second half of the 19th century. Before that, it was a large village, to which a neighboring village called Voznesensky Posad was annexed. In the 18th century, Ivanovo began to turn into an industrial city, built up with manufactories, where chintz was produced. Some 19th century factory buildings have survived to this day. You can learn about the development of industry in Ivanovo from the exposition of the Museum of Calico, connected by an underground corridor with another interesting historical museum named after Dmitry Burylin.
Ivanovo is built up with beautiful Art Nouveau mansions that belonged to wealthy manufacturers and merchants. One of these houses is the Dühringer estate, which resembles an ancient medieval castle. Local legends say that there is a cache of treasures in the Dühringer's house, and someone has yet to find it.
From Ivanovo you can go to the villages of Palekh and Kholui, where there are shops and workshops where you can find various painted things for gifts and souvenirs.
Suzdal
In relation to Suzdal, the expression is true as never before - small and daring. The small town is home to only 11 thousand people. And for these 11 thousand people there are about 300 monasteries, temples, bell towers and other historical buildings. Here you can spend a day photographing and looking at interesting architectural details. Several local monuments are protected by UNESCO.
Suzdal is always crowded and noisy, but if you go from the central streets to the Kamenka River, you can find several amazingly picturesque corners where time seems to have stopped. Near the river is the Kremlin, founded, according to written sources, in 1024, and, according to archaeologists, a century earlier. Its heart is the Nativity Cathedral with a 13th-century foundation and 16th-century walls. It is famous for its magnificent Golden Gate, wonderful wall paintings and a rich iconostasis. A bell tower rises near the cathedral - not the tallest building in the city. The tallest building in Suzdal is the belfry of the Robe Monastery. Its height is 72 meters. The bell tower in the Spaso-Evfimiev Monastery is also noteworthy. It was built over the burial place of Dmitry Pozharsky.
There are also two skansens in Suzdal - the Museum of Wooden Architecture and the Shchurovo Settlement.
Vladimir
Vladimir appeared on the left bank of the Klyazma River in the 10th century. Two centuries later, a fort was built here, the city became safe, which made it possible after a while to turn it into the capital of the Vladimir-Suzdal principality. Since that time, several significant sights have survived, for example, the Golden Arched Gate of white stone dating from the middle of the 12th century, over which a temple was built, reconstructed in 1810. Near the city gates, an element of the defensive wall survived - a rampart, poured out of the earth. The Crystal Museum is located in the adjacent Trinity Church.
The period of the Vladimir-Suzdal principality also includes two most beautiful city cathedrals - the Assumption and Dmitrievsky. Uspensky is crowned with five chapters and decorated with frescoes by Andrei Rublev, Dmitrievsky is famous for beautiful carved patterns on the facades. Both cathedrals are included in the UNESCO World Heritage List.
In Vladimir, there are many churches dating from a later period - XVI-XVIII centuries. These are the Church of the Assumption of the Virgin, Nikitskaya Church, Nikolaevskaya Church and some others.
With children it is worth going to the Babusya-Yagusya Museum, whose name speaks for itself, the planetarium and the Madagascar water park.
