In 1778 the Vladimir Gubernia (region) was established. Its economy was favourable to the development of culture. The crafts of the Vladimir region such as glass production, icon-painting, chasing and embroidery are very famous.
The present Vladimir region is a land of vast tourist resources. Some of its outstanding architectural monuments are in the World Heritage List of UNESCO. There are some 12th century monuments in Vladimir (the Golden Gates, the Assumption Cathedral and the Cathedral of St.Demetrius, the Bogolubovo ensemble and the church of the Intercession on the Nerl River), the Cathedral of the Nativity, the ensembles of the monuments of the 15-17th centuries, the Archbishops' Chamber, the Monastery of Our Saviour and St.Euthimius and the Convent of the Intercession in Suzdal, the Church of Sts.Boris and Gleb in Kideksha.
In the regional museums of various types there are thousands of items of material and spiritual culture: the articles of Russian and foreign art, ancient arms, golden and silver utensils, jewellry, old russian books, archeological finds.
Vladimir welcomes everybody driven by good will and eager to see its beauties and creations of human genius.
Being part of the Central Economic Region of Russia, the Vladimir region has boundaries with the Moscow, Ryazan, Nizhniy Novgorod, Ivanovo and Yaroslavl regions. Its territory is crossed by three important railroad lines: Moscow-Nizhniy Novgorod, Moscow-Yaroslavl and Moscow-Kazan. There is a developed network of highways and railroads.
The region occupies an area of 29,000 sq. km with a population of 1.6 million people, 80% of which live in urban areas, 20% in rural areas.
The capital city of the region is Vladimir with 360,000 inhabitants. It is 180 km east of Moscowa.
Vladimir is a town with a thousand-year history, the foundation of which is connected with the name of Kiev Prince Vladimir Svyatoslavitch. In the 990’s on the high bank of the former fast-flowing River the Klyazma Vladimir the Baptizer founded a new fortress similar to Kiev. In the middle of the 12th century, during the government of Prince Andrei Bogolyubsky, Vladimir became the main city of north-eastern Russia, and during the Tatar invasion it became capital for the whole country. Prince Andrei and then his junior brother Vsevolod “The Big Nest” turned the fortress into the town of gold domes and white stone. The white-stone monuments of Vladimir have been preserved till today: the Golden Gates, the Assumption and the St. Demetrius Cathedrals.
Vladimir went through many remarkable heroic events. There were both victories glorified in folk legends and the hard times of the Tatar Yoke.
With Moscow’s rise in the 15th century Vladimir lost its former glory. The metropolitan left Vladimir for Moscow, and the citizens of Vladimir gave Muscovites the most sacred thing of the city — the miracle-working image of Our Lady of Vladimir. Like the Vladimir Assumption Cathedral, Aristotel Fioravanty built the church in the Moscow Kremlin.
Provincial Vladimir of bygone centuries touched the souls of contemporaries by the ringing of its bells, the smell of flowering cherry trees and the quiet, narrow streets, but at the same time it always kept the grandeur of old and the beauty of its historic landscape.
Although modern Vladimir is a large industrial centre the town attracts tourists from the whole world coming to admire the white-stone lace of ancient temples.
Sights
Monuments of architecture of Vladimir
• The Golden Gates
• The Assumption Cathedral
• The St. Demetrius Cathedral
• Town monasteries
The Golden Gates
The (Golden Gates) 12th century are a unique example of medieval military engineering art, the rarest monument of old Russian fortification. The gates were built of white stone in 1158-1164 by Vladimir Prince Andrei Bogolyubsky. They were used as the main military tower and a triumphal arch at the same time: at the Gates the princes’ armies were greeted after returning from victories, and allied princes, ambassadors force, coming back with victory was greeted, at the Golden Gates ally-princes, ambassadors and merchants from other countries were also met there.
The Golden Gates have been put on the UNESCO World Heritage List. In the church above the Gates the Military History Exhibition and the Gallery of Heroes of Vladimir land are situated.
The central part of the exhibition is occupied by the panorama “Vladimir taken by force by Khan Batu's hordes on February 7, 1238”. The panorama has a sound-track in four languages and a sound-and-light program. Material on famous military leaders Dmitri Pozharsky, Alexander Suvorov, Piotr Bagration, Nikolay Stoletov, whose names are connected with Vladimir is also displayed.
Around the central hall is the “Gallery of the Heroes of Vladimir land”, where there is different material on famous locals — one of the first Heroes of the Soviet Union Kamanin N.P., Marshal of the Soviet Union Meretskov K.A., pilot-cosmonaut Kubasov V.N. and others.
The St. Demetrius Cathedral
The St. Demetrius Cathedral 12th century — the royal church of the Great Vladimir Prince Vsevolod “The Big Nest” is famous for the richest carved decoration on its walls. Bas-reliefs on the cathedral walls, which told their contemporaries so much, are still a mystery after almost three centuries they have still not been fully interpreted.
In the interior of the church there are fragments of fresco paintings made by Greek masters of the 12th century. The St. Demetrius Cathedral is also on the UNESCO World Heritage List.
The Assumption Cathedral
The main functioning church is a unique monument of Vladimir and Suzdal white-stone architecture of pre-Mongolian times. It was commissioned and built by Vladimir Prince Andrei Bogolyubsky in 1158-1160. From 1299 the Assumption Cathedral was the main Russian Orthodox Church, where many Russian Princes were crowned: Alexander Nevsky, Dmitri Donskoy, Ivan III and others. At the end of the 15th century the Assumption Cathedral served as a model for the construction of the Cathedral of the same name in the Moscow Kremlin. From the 12th century till the end of the 14th the sacred icon of Russia — Our Lady of Vladimir, was kept in the Cathedral.
In the interior of the Cathedral there are fragments of frescoes of the 12th century and murals from the beginning of the 15th century made by genius artist of ancient Russia Andrei Rublyov. The Assumption Cathedral is on the UNESCO World Heritage List.
The Vladimir-Suzdal Museum-Reserve
The State Vladimir-Suzdal History, Architecture and Art Museum-Reserve, one of the oldest in Russia, is included in the state code of the most valuable objects of cultural heritage of the peoples of the Russian Federation. In 1998 it became laureate of “The European Museum of the Year” competition and was awarded European Museum Forum diploma “Special Commendation-98”. Nowadays, 55 architectural monuments, 10 of which are on the UNESCO World Heritage List, 37 museum expositions and 4 exhibition halls attract a great number of tourists from different countries.
The pride of the Museum-Reserve is the Cultural and Educational Complex “Palaty” in Vladimir. The Children’s Museum centre, which is unique in Russia, functions here.
The Museum-Reserve gives thematic excursions in five languages (English, German, French, Spanish and Italian) on monuments and expositions of Vladimir, Suzdal, Gus Khrustalny, Bogolyubovo and Kideksha.
Tourists can listen to the sounds of bells, buy souvenirs in the museum art shop “Vladimir chic”. It ise interesting for both children and adults to see dramatized performances prepared by museum specialists: “A walk around the old town”- a story about Vladimir of the last century with a demonstration of original costumes worn by the citizens; “Craftsmanship and inspiration” — the demonstration of exclusive costumes, made on the motifs of Russian crafts; “A Ball in the estate of a noble family” — acquaintance with ball traditions and old dances. The museum hotel “Merchant Likhonin's House” is open to tourists. It combines the charm of the 17th century interior with modern comforts. Museum-Reserve will give you a unique opportunity to have a pleasant and cognitive trip not only in space but in time as well.
HOTELS
| ¹
| Hotel
| Address
| Tel
|
| 1
| Vladimir
| Vladimir, Bolshaya Moskovskaya St., 74
| (0922)32-30-42
(0922>32-72-01
Fax: (0922)32-72-01
|
| 2
| Dobroie (**)
| Vladimir, Dobroselskaya St., 217
| (0922)21-35-50
|
| 3
| Zarya (**)
| Vladimir, Studenaya Gora, 36à
| (0922)32-79-60
(0922)32-14-41
Fax: (0922)32-79-60
|
| 4
| Zolotoie koltso
(Golden ring) (**)
| Vladimir, Tchaikovskiy St., 27
| (0922)24-8807
|
| 5
| Êliazma
| Vladimir, Soudogodskoie Rd., 15
| (0922)32-4237
|
TRAVEL AGENCIES
| ¹
| Agency
| Address
| Web site
| Info
|
| 1
| Forpost
| Gous-Hroustalniy, Kalinin St., 19, office 18
| http://gus-forpost.narod.ru
| Individual and group tours, family trips, different excursion programmes, business seminars and conferences, learning and special tours, cruises.
|
| 2
| Pelican-V
| Vladimir, 850 years of Vladimir St., 6
| www.pelican.wladimir.ru
| Excursions and holiday programmes, recreation in Russia, child recreation. Trips on the Golden Ring of Russia. Tour reservations.
|
COMMITTEE FOR PHYSICAL CULTURE,
SPORTS AND TOURISM OF THE VLADIMIR
REGION ADMINISTRATION
Tel.: (0922)23-48-81, 23-74-12
|
Vladimir region
