|
|
| PLACES |
|
 Moscow
White-stoned, gold-domed, ancient but forever young: these dramatic epithets instantly evoke images of Moscow, the magnificent Russian capital.
|
|
St. Petersburg
St. Petersburg formerly Leningrad (1924-91), is one of the most beautiful cities of Europe. Founded by Peter I the Great in 1703, it was for two centuries the capital of the Russian Empire (1712-1918).
|
|
Vladimir
The final town of the Golden Ring located, 190 km (113 miles) northeast of Moscow.
|
|
Bogolyubovo
Bogolyubovo is located 10 km (6 miles) east of Vladimir near the convergence of the Nerl and Klyazma rivers. Town was founded by and named after Andrei Bogolyubsky, grandson of the prince Vladimir Monomakh.
|
|
Suzdal
One of the earliest settlements in central Russia, Suzdal has been inhabited since the 9th century.
|
|
Kostroma
Kostroma is one of the loveliest cities in our itinerary. It is often called a jewel among the Golden Ring Cities.
|
|
Yaroslavl
Founded in 1010 by Grand Prince Yaroslav the Wise, the city stretches for miles along the confluence of Volga and Kotorosl rivers.
|
|
Kizhi
Explore the northern reaches of Lake Onega and the Island of Kizhi, a unique museum of wooden architecture.
|
|
Petrozavodsk
The port of Petrozavodsk on the banks of Onezhskoye Ozero (Lake Onega) was founded in 1703 to serve a cannon foundry that was located nearby.
|
|
Valaam Archipelago
One of Russia's most tranquil and beautiful settings - a cluster of island jewels in the northwestern part of Lake Ladoga.
|
|
N. Novgorod
Although the word Novgorod means "a new city", it is one of the oldest Russian cities. In a sense, Russian history began here. It was the first permanent settlement of the Varangian Norsemen who established the embryonic Russian State.
|
|
Pskov
The town is dominated by its fortresses and churches. Pskov's Kremlin has a fairy tale appearance and has heavy, round, squat towers and wooden roofs.
|
|
Klin
Town of Klin is located 90km north-west of central Moscow. Famous Russian composer Peter Tchaikovsky lived and worked there from 1885 until 1893, the year of his death.
|
|
Cheboksary
The capital of the Chuvash Republic has a rich historical past. Founded in 1781, it served as fortress outpost for Moscow Principality.
|
|
Kazan
The capital of Tatar Republic was founded in the 13th century by Mongols who had occupied Russia. In the 15th and 16th centuries Kazan became one of the principal cities of the mighty Golden Horde (Tatar) Empire.
|
|
Perm
For centuries this large industrial city was a gateway to Siberia and Asia.
|
|
Khokhlovka
Located about 45 km north of Perm, is an open-air museum of ethnographic architecture Khokhlovka.
|
|
Solovki
The Solovetsky Archipelago is situated in the Onega gulf of the White Sea. It consists of six large and a several tiny islands, the total area of which comes to about 300 square km.
|
|
Archangelsk
The expansion of the northern trade routs in 16th and 17th centuries created a need for the port near the mouth of the North Dvina River and White Sea. In 1584 the town of Novie Kholmogory was founded; later it became known as Archangelsk (Archangel).
|
|
Uglich
Founded in 1148, Uglich is one of the most beloved towns in old Russia. The view of the town as it is approached from the Volga River is especially lovely with the Cathedral of the Resurrection and St. John's Church looming on the horizon.
|
|
Kiev
Kiev is the capital of Ukraine and known as "the mother of all cities of Russ". Its history goes back to the last decades of the 5th century when, according to legend, three brothers Kiev, Shchek, Khoriv and their beautiful sister Lybid, leader of the Polyane Slavic tribe, builder fortified settlement and named it in honor of the oldest brother.
|
|
St. Sophia's Cathedral (Sofiysky Sobor)
Dedicated in 1037, St. Sophia's Cathedral was build by the Prince Yaroslav the Wise in recognition and celebration of victorious battle against invading nomadic tribes of Pechenegs.
|
|
The Kiev-Pechersk Lavra
The Kiev-Pechersk Lavra (Monastery of the Caves) located about 3 km (2 miles) southeast of the town centre. This spellbinding functioning monastery was founded in 1051.
|
|
The Golden Gates (Zolotie Vorota)
Built in 1037 by the prince Yaroslav the Wise, the original Golden Gates served as the main entrance into the ancient Kiev, which was surrounded by the defense walls.
|
|
Dnipropetrovsk
City of Dnipropetrovsk is immersed in greenery and spreads along both banks of the Dnieper River. One of the youngest Ukrainian cities, it was founded in 1776 and named Yekaterinoslavl, it was intended to be the southern gates of Russian Empire.
|
|
New Kakhovka
For many hundreds of years people were dreaming of bringing water and therefore life to arid Taurian steppes. Many failed in this endeavor, including hydro engineer John Perry, whom Peter the Great had invited from England, and Prince Potemkin who gathered hundreds of soldiers and serfs to build a canal.
|
|
Odessa
Thanks to old romantic traditions, Odessa is considered to be one of the world's most fascinating cities. The inimitable coloring of the city is sustained not only by the sea, the aroma of the acacia flowers, and velvety summer nights; it is also enhanced by marvelous monuments of 19th-century architecture.
|
|
Sevastopol
The city of Sevastopol was closed to foreigners until 1996. It is a home base of the Russian Black Sea Fleet, which leases bays and infrastructure from the Ukraine.
|
|
Yalta
City of Yalta, the loveliest among Black Sea resorts, lies in a natural amphitheatre framed by the Crimean Mountains and the sea. It was once the retreat of the czars and Russian nobility; later it became the playground of Soviet leaders. Yalta has magical reputation for its sunshine, fine wines and relaxed living.
|
|
Kherson
The city of Kherson was founded in 1778 and rapidly became the administrative, economic and cultural centre of the region. Originally it was laid out as a fortress for the defense of the Black and Azov Seas regions.
|
|
Zaporizhzhia
Zaporizhzhia means "the city beyond the rapids." Its history is closely connected with the Zaporozhian Cossack Warriors, who defended country's southern borders from foreign invaders. In 1770, the Alexandrovskaya Fortress was laid in the place of a Cossack settlement.
|
|
Kanev
Kanev is one of the oldest towns in the Ukraine. According to the chronicles, it was founded in the 11th century during the reign of prince Yaroslav the Wise. Twelfth-century chronicles mention Kanev as a reliable stronghold on the southern borders of Kievan Russ.
|
|
Kremenchug
The city of Kremenchug was founded in 15th century. Designed to be a fortress it has lived through many turbulent events in Ukrainian and Russian history.
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
|
