Yaroslavl is a beautiful city on the Volga coast, which only recently celebrated the 1000th anniversary of its history. It has preserved more than three dozen ancient churches, built mainly in the second half of the 17th century, during the heyday of the original Yaroslavl architecture. But not only ancient churches and monasteries attract travelers to Yaroslavl. Several unique large-scale festivals are held annually in the city and its suburbs - real festivals of music, theater and poetry.
History of the city of Yaroslavl
Yaroslavl is one of the oldest Russian cities. It appeared on the right bank of the Volga, near the confluence of its right tributary - r. Korotosl back in the XI century. The year 1010 is considered the foundation of Yaroslavl, and in the annals for the first time it is mentioned since 1071.
Russian Drama Theater named after F Volkov
From the beginning of the XIII century, Yaroslavl developed as an independent appanage principality. In terms of size and number of inhabitants, it was one of the largest urban settlements in Russia, which quickly grew rich due to active trade. During the period of the Tatar-Mongol yoke, the rulers of the Yaroslavl lands with the help of skillful diplomacy prevented almost all attempts of the Horde to plunder the city.
When the Moscow principality was gaining strength and united under itself the scattered Russian lands, Yaroslavl resisted for a long time and did not want to enter Moscow. However, changes were inevitable, and by the middle of the 16th century, Yaroslavl became part of Muscovy.
Monument to Yaroslav the Wise, the founder of the city
During the Time of Troubles, which was difficult for Russia, the city played a decisive role in the formation of the people's militia, which later liberated the capital of the state from foreigners. The militia originated in Nizhny Novgorod and continued to replenish with volunteers from Yaroslavl and adjacent villages and villages for several months from mid-spring to early summer of 1612.
After the conquest of Kazan by Ivan the Terrible, Yaroslavl began to flourish as a trading center on the Volga. In addition, industry began to emerge in it. By the end of the 18th century, Yaroslavl received the status of the capital of the Russian province. A railway was built here, and higher educational institutions appeared.
Sculptural composition - "Trinity"
Modern Yaroslavl has grown greatly and turned into a large city with developed industry and transport. More than 600 thousand people live here. It is a large railway and road junction with its own airport and river port, as well as a large tourist center included in the routes of the "Golden Ring" of Russia.
Churches, monasteries and other architectural monuments of the city of Yaroslavl
The main attractions are located in the Kirovsky district of the city. In the historical center you can see unique monuments of ancient Russian architecture - temples Epiphany and Elijah the Prophet... Here stands the majestic Assumption Cathedral, over which the best architects and icon painters worked. On the right bank of the river the famous Volzhskaya embankment with old merchant mansions.
Assumption Cathedral
The center of Yaroslavl is so compact that it is convenient to travel here on foot. Not only individual architectural monuments are included in the UNESCO World Heritage List. All buildings on the Spit of the Volga and Kotorosl are recognized as a world-class masterpiece. Near the confluence of two rivers, there are houses that were erected in the 18th-19th centuries and some more ancient buildings.
Monasteries of Yaroslavl
Article: Monasteries of Yaroslavl
There are three active monasteries in the city - one for men and two for women. It is better to start your first visit to Yaroslavl with an acquaintance with the Spaso-Preobrazhensky Monastery, which arose near the crossing of Kotorosl in the 12th century. The main expositions of the Yaroslavl Museum-Reserve are concentrated in the ancient monastery and there are old frescoes painted in the time of Ivan the Terrible.
Spaso-Preobrazhensky monastery
Female Tolgsky Svyato-Vvedensky monastery was founded in the XIII century. It stands on the left bank of the Volga, 6 km from the city. The third convent is small Cyril-Athanasievsky monastery appeared several centuries later - in the 17th century. Another monastery - Kazansky... In Soviet times, a political prison, barracks, warehouses and a planetarium were located outside its walls.
Churches, cathedrals of Yaroslavl
Article: Churches and cathedrals of Yaroslavl are the main decoration of the city
The city on the Volga is famous for its beautiful churches and cathedrals. On the right bank of Kotorosl, in the Krasnoperekopsky district, there is an old Peter and Paul park with Church of Peter and Paul, and the largest in Yaroslavl fifteen-headed John the Baptist Church... It was built after the famous fire of 1658, when the fire destroyed more than 30 churches in Yaroslavl, three monasteries and about one and a half thousand residential buildings.
Church of Elijah the Prophet
In the Frunzensky district there is an old temple complex, which is considered a real pearl of ancient Russian architecture. Vladimirsky temple, Church of St. John Chrysostom and a high bell tower - the Yaroslavl candle is attracted to the former Korovnitskaya Sloboda many pilgrims and tourists.
In addition to old churches, there are new ones in Yaroslavl. In 2010, the majestic Assumption Cathedral... According to chronicles, it is known that the first stone temple on this place appeared in 1215, even before the Tatar-Mongol invasion.
Zero kilometer
Article: Memorable sign "Zero kilometer of the Golden Ring" - the beginning of tourist routes
View of the memorial sign "Zero kilometer of the Golden Ring"
There are many interesting monuments in Yaroslavl, but one of them is most loved by tourists. An unusual sign in the city center was opened quite recently - in 2013. Kilometer zero near the house number 32 on Revolutionary Street marks the beginning of the "Golden Ring" of Russia.
Taxi and tourist bus routes are laid to the cast-iron column with pointers to ancient Russian cities. People come here to look at the coat of arms of Yaroslavl and the symbolic map of the Golden Ring. Kilometer Zero is a place where people like to make business meetings, dates and take memorable photos.
Vlasyevskaya tower and Znamenskaya church
Article: Vlasyevskaya Tower and Znamenskaya Church - a unique fortification monument of Yaroslavl
View of the Vlasyevskaya (Znamenskaya) tower with the Church of the Sign
In the middle of the 17th century, many wooden buildings and fortifications in the city began to be replaced with stone ones. It was then that 16 powerful towers were built, where the military garrison of Yaroslavl was located. Only two towers have survived from the old line of defense - Vlasyevskaya or Znamenskaya and Volzhskaya or Arsenalnaya.
The squat Vlasyevskaya tower stood near the road to Uglich. Historians consider this part of Yaroslavl to be the most ancient part of the city. In the 60s of the 17th century, a chapel was added to the tower from the east, and then it was converted into a church in honor of the Icon of the Mother of God "The Sign". Many tourists come to see the elegant arches and carved cornices of the snow-white temple.
Volzhskaya embankment
Article: Volzhskaya embankment - the main Yaroslavl promenade
View of the View of the arrow of the Volzhskaya embankment
One of the most beautiful places in Yaroslavl is a long picturesque embankment on the right bank of the Volga. A luxurious well-groomed promenade stretches almost through the entire city and consists of three tiers. The embankment offers a magnificent view of a birch grove on the opposite bank of the river and the Strelka between the Volga and Kotorosl.
There are many architectural monuments and museums on the Volzhskaya embankment, and in summer there are spectacular light and music fountains.There are neat walking paths and a cycling route. Tourists and newlyweds like to take pictures near a graceful round pavilion near Myakushinsky descent.
Ferris wheel
Article: Ferris wheel in Yaroslavl - a new look at the ancient city
Ferris wheel "Golden Ring"
In order to take a fresh look at the ancient city, guests of Yaroslavl come to the Kotorosl embankment and buy tickets for the high Ferris wheel. In 10 minutes, a huge attraction raises everyone 65 meters from the ground. Inside the booths there is an audio guide that introduces the main attractions of the capital of the Golden Ring of Russia.
From the height of the 22-storey building, you can clearly see the old city buildings, domes of famous temples and monasteries. Green parks and squares, the Kotorosl valley and the beautiful streets of Yaroslavl open up from the Ferris wheel. It is interesting to look at the circular panorama of the city both during the day and at night.
Yaroslavl museums
Article: Yaroslavl museums
Yaroslavl Art Museum
In museums, you can get acquainted with the most interesting pages of the history of the city. In total, there are more than a dozen museums in Yaroslavl. The largest collections - more than 350 thousand exhibits are collected in the historical and architectural museum-reserve, and the main expositions are located on the territory of the ancient Spaso-Preobrazhensky monastery.
To learn about the history of the city, tourists come to the beautiful mansion of the merchant V. Ya. Kuznetsov. Connoisseurs of the work of the famous Russian painter K. A. Korovin are regulars at the Yaroslavl Art Museum. It is curious with children to visit the unusual Museum "Music and Time", where ancient music boxes, gramophones, gramophones, collections of irons and clocks are exhibited.
Bear kingdom
Monument to the bear "Symbol of Russia, the legend of Yaroslavl"
Probably, in no other Russian city you will find so many bears as in Yaroslavl. The image of this beast adorns the city coat of arms and flag. Several monuments to the bear have been erected in the city. And on the last Sunday in March, when the spring school holidays take place, the townspeople celebrate the Day of the Bear. In Russia, it was believed that at this time the animals come out of the den, and spring comes.
"To blame" for such a "bear kingdom" is the legend about the founding of the city. According to her, the Grand Duke Yaroslav the Wise hacked to death a bear, which was set on him by the local Finno-Ugric inhabitants. They, like pagans, revered the bear as a sacred beast and were afraid to raise a hand against it. Seeing that the brave prince did not die, the local tribes became his subjects.
Tourist infrastructure
Tolgsky Svyato-Vvedensky monastery
Modern Yaroslavl is one of the largest centers of the Volga tourism, which has a developed infrastructure for receiving travelers. Those who come to Yaroslavl on a tour agency's voucher or on their own can always choose a hotel according to their taste and financial capabilities. There are also luxury hotels in the city, the prices in which are far from affordable for everyone, and budget neat guest houses. Some of them are stylized as old Russian estates or merchant mansions.
Expensive and representative restaurants are concentrated mainly on the main Yaroslavl promenade - Volzhskaya embankment, as well as on Svoboda street. In addition to them, the city has many simpler restaurants, cafes and refectories with a decent selection of Russian and international cuisine. Many nice cozy cafes welcome visitors on Kirov's pedestrian street.
Church of St. Michael the Archangel
Tourists try to bring a variety of souvenirs from the ancient city - figurines of bears, picturesque doused ceramics (majolica), warm felt boots, sonorous bells, delicious local "Poshekhonsky" cheese, the production history of which is more than 150 years old, as well as Yaroslavl beer and strong healing balm "Old Yaroslavl".
Yaroslavl festivals and holidays
If possible, it is better to plan a visit to Yaroslavl during one of the city's festive celebrations, for example, the City Day, which Yaroslavl residents celebrate on the last Saturday of May. Traditionally, on this day, a colorful parade of brass bands, concerts, street festivities and festive fireworks take place in the city.
Peter and Paul Church
In winter, the main Yaroslavl celebration is Maslenitsa. Shrovetide week attracts thousands of tourists to the city, who are expected to have a lot of fun - a bright carnival, the burning of an effigy of Shrovetide and folk games. Yaroslavl Maslenitsa is considered the main one in Russia and is held with rich fairs, children's parties, various competitions, theatrical performances and concerts. In addition, in winter, the Deminsky Ski Marathon is held in Yaroslavl and its suburbs - a major international competition that attracts many fans.
On the first Saturday of July, the village of Karabikha near Yaroslavl organizes the All-Russian Nekrasov Poetry Festival. Meetings with writers, performances by musicians and poetry evenings are held on the estate territory. In addition, on summer days, thousands of guests come to the suburbs of Yaroslavl for the annual Dobrofest rock festival.
View of the temple complex in Korovnitskaya Sloboda
Towards the end of summer, in August, the city receives participants of the Transfiguration Arts Festival every year. It was during his days that you can hear the best Russian choirs and enjoy amazingly beautiful bell music performed by the most talented bell ringers.
How to get to the city of Yaroslavl
Yaroslavl is located 267 km from Moscow, 48 km from Rostov, 195 km from Vologda and 365 km from Nizhny Novgorod.
By car. The federal highway M8 leads from Moscow to Yaroslavl. The road along it takes about 4 hours. In addition, motorways to Rybinsk and Kostroma pass through Yaroslavl.
Monument to the 1000th anniversary of Yaroslavl
By bus. From Moscow - from the Central Bus Station near the Shchelkovskaya metro station, or from the Yaroslavsky railway station to Yaroslavl, regular buses run every 1.5-2 hours. They reach the city in 5.5-6 hours. Many direct and transit buses run through the bus station in Yaroslavl, connecting the regional center with remote cities, as well as settlements within the Yaroslavl region.
By train. From Moscow to Yaroslavl, express train trains reach in 3 hours 16 minutes. The journey by regular train takes from 4 to 5.5 hours. There are two railway stations in Yaroslavl - Moskovsky and Glavny (the former Vpolye railway station), and more than two hundred trains of different directions pass through the city. For example, from St. Petersburg (from Moskovsky and Ladozhsky railway stations) several trains run daily to Yaroslavl, which can take you to the city in 12-17.5 hours.
Chapel of Our Lady of Kazan
By plane. Currently, regular flights from Yaroslavl are carried out only to Arkhangelsk (2.10 hours of flight) and St. Petersburg (1.25 hours of flight). Yaroslavl airport "Tunoshna" is located 40 minutes. drive from the city bus station.
