Golden Ring 1

GOLDEN RING – ЗОЛОТОЕ КОЛЬЦО

The Golden Ring is a traditional tourist route which comprises several old Russian towns located within 200 km from Moscow. All of them played an important role in shaping early Russian history. Each town is easily accessible by road and has a well developed tourist infrastructure. There is no clearly defined list of towns which comprise the Golden Ring. Big cities like Kostroma, Yaroslavl and Vladimir have dedicated pages in this website. Here I intend to post images of smaller towns, namely Pereslavl-Zalessky and Rostov Veliky. All Gold Ring towns are very photogenic due to high concentration of old churches and monasteries.

pereslavl-zalessky – переславль-залесский

Pereslavl-Zalessky is a provincial town located on the shore of Lake Pleshcheevo in Yaroslavl Oblast. It was founded in 1152 by Prince Yuri Dolgoruky. The same guy who is considered to be the founder of Moscow. Sights of interest include the 1152 Transfiguration Cathedral which is one of the oldest buildings in Russia. In front of the cathedral stands a bust of Alexander Nevsky (1220-1263), the most popular prince of ancient Rus. He was born in May 1220 in a house standing next to the cathedral. Nevsky has been canonized by the Russian Orthodox Church. His busts and statues as well as churches and monasteries named after him can be encountered all over Russia.

The 1585 Church of Peter the Metropolitan stands nearby.

The mid-18th century Saint Vladimir and Alexander Nevsky churches.

The St. Nicholas Convent founded in 1350 has undergone a major renovation.

The Goritsky Monastery was founded in the 14th century. Now it is a museum.

The Danilov Monastery sits on the hill overlooking the town. Its Trinity Cathedral dates back to 1530. The construction was ordered by the then Russian tsar Vasily III to mark the birth of his son and heir to the throne named Ivan who later would be known as Terrible.

The Nikitsky Monastery was founded in 1010. To punish himself for his sins the martyr Saint Nikita chained his limbs and spent the end of his days in an underground cell on the monastery grounds. The handcuffs which are now on display are said to help cure various vicious addictions. Nothing is said if one needs just to touch the handcuffs or to clasp one's limbs as Nikita did. The monastery looks especially good over a distance, from the opposite shore of Lake Pleshcheevo.

cradle of russian navy

Pereslavl-Zalessky claims to be the birthplace of the Russian Navy. Here Peter the Great built his first toy flotilla of 100 little ships in 1690s. One of Peter`s boats "The Fortuna" that survived centuries of neglect is now on display in a small Botik Museum. ("Botik" means "small boat" in Russian).

Places to stay: The Troyka Hotel.

The Albitsky Sad Hotel.

rostov veliky – ростов великий

Rostov Veliky or Rostov the Great (not to be confused with Rostov-on-Don) is one of the oldest towns first mentioned in chronicles in 862 although nowadays it is a small sleepy town. Rostov`s main attraction is its kremlin built on the shore of Lake Nero in the 12th century and packed with churches, cathedrals and belfries. Nearly all the buildings seen today were built in late 17th century.