Vladimir — the ancient capital of Russia

The first people appeared on the site of modern Vladimir 30 thousand years ago. In 1956 a Cro-Magnon site — Sungir was discovered under Vladimir. Its symbol was a found tiny amulet made of the mammoth tusk — «Sungir horse». Since the 9th century the Slavs have been living on this land. The settlement on the banks of the Klyazma River grew thanks to the trade with the Volga Bulgaria, Novgorod and Ladoga. The city was laid here in 990 by Prince Vladimir, who brought Christianity to Russia. In 1108 the city was surrounded by a wooden fortress and an earthen rampart. The founder of Moscow Prince Yuri Dolgoruky built the first white-stone houses in Vladimir. And his son Andrey Bogolyubsky, having conquered Kiev, came back to reign in Vladimir.

The main architectural creation of Prince Andrey Bogolyubsky is the Assumption Cathedral, which became the prototype of the eponymous cathedral of the Moscow Kremlin. Till the middle of the 15th century the Vladimir and Moscow princes were crowned here. The Golden Gate, the only remaining part of the defensive wall of the city, was also built at Prince Andrey’s tenure in 1164. Kozlov Val, a fragment of the fortress wall of the 12th century, has also survived since that time. In 1191 they started building the Theotokos-Christmas Monastery here, which is often called Vladimir Kremlin. In 1197 the Cathedral of Saint Demetrius was consecrated. Thanks to the rich carved decoration of the facade, it has become one of the most beautiful cathedrals in Russia!

In 1299 the status of the residence of the Metropolitan of the Orthodox Church moved from Kiev to Vladimir, and the Theotokos-Christmas Monastery became the main monastery in Rus. In 1328 Moscow became the capital city, where the icon of Our Lady of Vladimir, the main shrine of the Assumption Cathedral of Vladimir, was taken to. Now in the cathedral one can see its copy, which is revered as miraculous. At the beginning of the 15th century the walls of the Assumption Cathedral were decorated with frescoes by the most famous Russian icon painter Andrei Rublyov.

One can learn about the life of the city in the XIX — XX centuries at the exposition Old Vladimir Exhibition, which is arranged in the Vodonapornaya Bashnya Museum. The interiors of the era have been reconstructed here, starting from the room of a wealthy philistine to a tavern and police station. The top floor of the tower is one of the best viewing platforms of Vladimir. A unique collection of spoons of different shapes and purposes is presented in the museum of the spoon. Here are stored the spoons, which were used at the court of the Romanovs, at the coronation of the Windsors and flatware from the White House of the USA.

Spoon is a very necessary item for the famous Vladimir cherry jam. Cherry in Vladimir is its «brand». There is a legend that Prince Andrey Bogolyubsky brought cherry trees from Kiev. Another version of the legend says that the cherry came to Vladimir from the monks from Mount Athos. Anyway, the local tradition of growing a cherry tree is at least 400 years! The time for collection of cherries at the end of July was always celebrated here with the holiday Cherry Feast. And now on the second Sunday of July at the fair in the Patriarchal Garden one can try cherry pies, cherry juice, jam, ice cream, tea with cherry leaves and tell fortunes on cherry bones. In 2015 a monument to cherry was erected on the Spassky Hill.

Another delicious brand of Vladimir is a local gingerbread. The city has a Gingerbread Museum, where one can see printed, cut and stucco cakes of various shapes. It organizes tasting and master classes on gingerbread painting. This «honey bread» from rye flour appeared in Russia in the IX century. Over time, recipes varied in different regions: dough and oriental spices were added to the dough. The Pokrovsky printed gingerbread cookies, which are cooked without eggs and with a lot of cloves, cinnamon and cardamom, were very popular. Its classic filling is milk jam with a walnut.

And among the dishes of the Russian cuisine in Vladimir it is worth to taste ukha with salmon and pike perch, stuffed pike, the Russian lard, herring with potatoes, liver of rabbit with red currant, soup of forest mushrooms and, of course, traditional Russian pancakes with caviar, salmon or sour cream.

Despite the fact that Vladimir is a provincial town, every two years in April it hosts the All-Russian Taneyev Music Festival. It is named in memory of a native of Vladimir, a composer of the late XIX century Sergei Taneyev. These days the stars of the world classical scene give concerts on local venues. Since 2010 at the end of August the city has been hosting the All-Russian Historical Festival of Medieval Culture «Vladimir Blade». For three days they reconstruct the life of the XII-XVI centuries, organize combat tournaments and a costume contest in the Zagorodny Park of Culture and Leisure. Guests can learn archery, medieval dances, wood carvings, making a folk doll and can also taste dishes cooked according to old recipes.

Small and cozy Vladimir, that has preserved masterpieces of ancient times, attracts visitors with modern museums, spring blossoming cherry orchards and numerous observation platforms with stunning views of eldest temples and Russian great spaces.

Get directions

Vladimir is at a distance of 210 km far from Moscow. It will take 1 hour and 40 minutes by train from Moscow to Vladimir. One of the branches of the Trans-Siberian Railway passes through the city and connects Vladimir with other cities of the country.