Description of the attraction
The heart of Plyos is the Cathedral Mountain, which got its second name - the Freedom Mountain. It is from here that the town on the Volga originates.
Historians note the first mention of Plyos in 1141. The settlement existed until the Mongol invasion in 1238, when all houses were burned down by fire. The city was revived only in 1410 through the efforts of the great Moscow prince Vasily Donskoy, the son of Dmitry Donskoy. Therefore, residents of Plyos consider Muscovites to be almost relatives. By order of the Moscow prince, a large wooden fortress with an earthen rampart was laid on a mountain 70 meters above the water level, designed to protect not only the city itself, but the approaches to the Rostov-Suzdal principality. All the surroundings are clearly visible from the Cathedral Mountain, so it is difficult for the enemy to be unnoticed here. In addition, the rampart turned out to be quite steep and impregnable, so it was rather difficult to get close to the walls of the fortress. The walls of Plyos could even protect against firearms, which was rare for buildings of that time.
Unfortunately, the fortress has not survived to our times. Only the rampart remained, and the old century-old birches mark the old walls. However, the mountain itself has historically changed little. There are no modern buildings here. Rather, it is a vacation spot for locals and tourists. Around the mountain there is a winding alley, proudly called "boulevard" by the Plesovites. The oldest church in the city, the Assumption Cathedral, a building of the former Public Places of the late 18th century, has been standing on the mountain since 1699.
In 1910, a tribute was paid to the memory of the founder of the city - Vasily Donskoy. In the year of the celebration of the 500th anniversary of Plyos, a monument in his honor was opened on Mount Svoboda. The sculptor S. Alyoshin depicted the prince, like illustrations in paintings and icons. Wearing a fur hat and a rich fur collar, the bust of Vasily I stands on a high dark pedestal and is surrounded by a patterned fence.
Now Cathedral Mountain is being actively restored. Public places have been updated, which have not lost their historical value. The alley is being improved, viewing platforms and gazebos are being created. The inhabitants of the city like to walk here. Every tourist will definitely go up here to understand why the Plyos neighborhoods of famous artists have mesmerized them. It is on a high mountain that the name of the Volga town becomes clear. The river in this part of it flows smoothly, as if in a narrow corridor. But "ples" is translated from ancient Russian as a straight section of the river.
Cathedral Mountain is not only a historical part of the city, but also a cultural one. Holidays and festivals are held here, weddings are held in Russian traditions. Before the revolution, the mountain was also the administrative center of the city.
