See with us the pearls of ancient Russia. You will visit hundred years old towns with sites listed by UNESCO. Among them there are ancient churches and monasteries such as the Russian Orthodox spiritual center, St Sergius Trinity Lavra. You will feel peace and quiet in little old and very cozy town of Suzdal.
The Golden Ring is one of the main tourist routs of Russia. It is a vast area of ancient Russian cities located to the east and the nort-east from Moscow. The main of them are Vladimir, Suzdal, Ivanovo, Kostroma, Yaroslavl, Rostov, Pereslavl-Zalessky and Sergiev Posad. The above cities are the most popular for tourists visiting Russia. Here, around Moscow, after disintegration of the Kievan Rus, at the crossroads of ancient water and land trade routes, in the Middle Ages the modern Russian state and its economic basis was formed. Here the Russian past comes back to you at every turn.
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Located to the east from Moscow (182 km) Vladimir was founded in the end of the X c. by Kievan Prince Vladimir the Great who introduced Christianity in the Kievan Rus (988). After disintegration of the Kievan Rus the city of Vladimir was one of the largest centers of Vladimir-Suzdal Principality and in 1157 its prince Andrei Bogolyubsky moved his capital to Vladimir. In 1299 Vladimir became a residence of Russian Metropolitan. By the mid-XIV c. Moscow became the main political center of Russia and Vladimir had lost its political importance. The ancient monuments of the XII c. still remain in the city and its suburbs. There three great XII c. buildings in Vladimir: the Cathedral of the Dormition with wall-paintings by Andrei Rublev and Daniil Chyorny (XV c.), the Church of St. Demetrius staying close to the Cathedral with facades ornamented with fine white-stone carving and many times rebuilt white-stone the Golden Gates included to the UNESCO World Heritage List, unique for the medieval Europe construction where fortification, the Front City Gates (Arc of Triumph) with half-encompassed ceiling and the Church over the Gates were combined.
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The Maslenitsa (the Pancake Festival) is celebrated in March in the last week before Lent. During this period special performances are held. Tourists have a chance to taste blini (Russian pancakes), to take part in traditional national winter games, to go sledding. By the end of the festivities a big doll made of hay is burnt. The doll symbolizes winter. The Maslenitsa is very good time to visit Golden Ring cities (Kostroma, Yaroslavl, Vladimir, Suzdal) and also Veliky Novgorod, Tver where great festivities are traditionally held.
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The most popular Russian souvenir is well-known Matryoshka (Little Matron) – wooden doll decorated with paintings with the same figures of a smaller size inside of it. The Matryoshka Doll was designed in 1890 by Sergei Malyutin, Russian painter of the Abramtsevo circle, and made by Vassily Zvyozdochkin, the best doll master from Sergiev Posad. The idea of the Matryoshka was suggested by similar Japanese Fukurokuju doll brought by wife of Savva Mamontov from the Hokkaido Island. Matryoshka made an impression at the Exposition Universelle of 1900 in Paris and soon became one of the main symbols of Russia in the world. That’s why we are not sure that you would be understood quite well by you familiars if you return from Russia without Matryoshkas. At the Museum of the Toy Factory in Sergiev Posad you have a chance to see and purchase different kinds of this fascinating Russian souvenir and even to take part in painting of Matryoshka or in making of traditional Russian rag doll.
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historical cities and towns
over 100
ancient churches
over 100
museums
