Yaroslavl
Encyclopedia
Yaroslavl is a city and the administrative center of Yaroslavl Oblast
, Russia
, located 250 kilometres (155.3 mi) northeast of Moscow
. The historical part of the city, a World Heritage Site
, is located at the confluence
of the Volga
and the Kotorosl Rivers. It is one of the Golden Ring cities, a group of historic cities northeast of Moscow that has played an important role in Russian history. Population:
, one of the 83 federal subjects of Russia
, and of which Yaroslavl is the administrative centre; this is around 283 kilometers (175 miles) to the north-east of Moscow
. The nearest large towns are Tutayev
(34 km as the bird flies to the north-west), Gavrilov-Yam
(37 km to the south) and Nerekhta
(47 km to the south-east). The historic centre of Yaroslavl lies to the north of the mouth of the Kotorosl river on the right bank of the larger River Volga. The city's entire urban area covers around 205 km² and includes a number of territories south of the Kotorosl and on the left bank of the Volga. With over 600,00 residents, Yaroslavl is, by population, the largest town on the Volga until it reaches Nizhny Novgorod
, it is a large transport node and a great number of important national and regional roads, railways and waterways pass through the city. In fact many of the roads that connect Yaroslavl to Moscow and beyond are two-lane highways.
Yaroslavl and its respective oblast are located in the central area of the East European Plain
, which in areas to the north-east of Moscow is characterised by rolling hills and a generally uneven landscape; however, most of these hills are no larger than 200 meters in height. Typical for this region, the area in and around Yaroslavl is rich in mixed and coniferous forests, in addition to these, there are also large areas of swampland
.
, in comparison to central and western Europe, this makes for a climate with more snowy, colder, but dry winters, and typically temperate, warm summers.
The Winter in Yaroslavl begins in about November and usually goes on for around five months. The coldest month of the year is typically January with an average daily temperature of just −8,2 °C; however at this time it is not uncommon for temperatures to drop below −20 °C, in some special cases (for example, most recently in January 2006) temperatures of −35 to −40 °C can be experienced. On the other hand, Yaroslavl can also experience positive temperatures during this time of the year (for example, in 1932, when thaw lasted for 17 days of January). Typically the Volga freezes over during the winter. Snow cover is usually between 35 to 50 cm thick, but can in some cases be up to 70 cm in depth. The Springtime months are best characterised by a typical lack of precipitation. From the end of March to beginning of April there is often a thaw and much of the ice and snow of the winter months melts to reveal foliage underneath. It is not uncommon for temperatures in April to reach 20 °C. Summers in Yaroslavl are typically wet and heavy rainstorms are by no means rare; the summer often reaches its hottest point during the month of July. June however is also one of hottest months and is typically the hottest by average, with a mean daily temperature of 23,3 °C und often days which see over 30 °C. From September begins the circa two month long Autumn which is characterised by relatively high air humidity, a smaller number of sunny days and unpredictable temperatures (it is possible to first see ground frost in September). The average amount of precipitation seen in the city during a year is 591 mm, of which 84 mm (the most precipitation in one month) falls in July; on the other hand, the very least precipitation occurs in Winter and Spring (particularly in February and March).
The following figures for precipitation and temperature values in Yaroslavl have been collated on the basis of data from the years 1961–1990.
sites such as Timerevo
from the 8th or 9th centuries, the city of Yaroslavl is said to have been founded in 1010 as an outpost of the Principality
of Rostov Veliky
, and was first mentioned in 1071. Capital of an independent Principality of Yaroslavl
from 1218, it was incorporated into Muscovy in 1463. In the 17th century it was Russia's second largest city, and for a time (during the Polish
occupation of Moscow
in 1612), the country's de facto
capital. Today, Yaroslavl is an important industrial center (petrochemical plant, tire manufacturing plant, diesel engines plant and many others] and lies at the intersection of several major highway
s, railways
, and waterway
s.
By the XII century the Petropavlovsky and Spasso-Preobrazhensky monasteries of Yaroslavl had already come into existence, however at that time they were located well beyond the city limits. During the first two centuries of its existence Yaroslavl remained a minor fortified city of the Rostov-Suzdal lands.
From the beginning of the thirteenth century, Yaroslavl found itself under the lordship of Konstantin
and became one of his primary residences. As, just before his death in 1218, Konstantin broke up his land between his various sons, his second son Vsevolod came into possession of the Yaroslavl land, which he from thence onwards ruled as the Principality of Yaroslavl
. This principality, of which Yaroslavl became the capital included a number of territories ro the north and existed up until its eventual absorption into the Principality of Moscow in 1463.
During the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries, Yaroslavl was a city largely built from wood, as a result of which it often found itself plagued by disastrous fires, which in some cases almost destroyed the entire city, a good example of which would be that which took place just before the transfer of power in the city to Vsevolod on 1221. Another constant source of danger for the city and for the many Russian princes of the time came from the East and the many foreign invaders, (usually from the Mongol Horde. A particularly successful attack took place in 1257, when troops from the Golden Horde
under Möngke Khan
overran the Principality of Yaroslavl and murdered both the larger population of the area and the prince's close family. On the site of that unfortunate event, on the right bank of the Kotorosl, there is now a memorial church and cross.
In 1293 and 1322 there were further disastrous attacks on Yaroslavl launched by the Golden Horde, and in 1278 and 1364 the Plague
struck. On many an occasion Yaroslavl had to be completely rebuilt, both in terms of residential buildings which no longer exist, to those larger more permanent structures which remain to this day, such as the Spasso-Preobrazhensky Monastery and 1314 Monastery of Maria of Tolga, which is located on the left bank of the Volga. In 1463 the Principality of Yaroslavl was finally absorbed into the Grand-duchy of Moscow, with the area it once covered becoming an oblast within the new structure of the Muscovite state. From this point onwards the history of the city and its lands became completely inseparable from that of Moscow
and eventually Russia
.
Even in the sixteenth century Yaroslavl continued to suffer from large scale fires and the damage they did to the city's developing economy and infrastructure. As a result the age old tradition of building in wood was abandoned and a new city built of stone began to appear; unfortunately this meant that very little of the Yaroslavl of the Middle Ages remained unchanged. The most prominent example of this is the Spasso-Preobrazhensky monastery which was destroyed in 1501 and rebuilt in just under a few years. Resultantly the monastery's cathedral was built up in the years 1506-16, a building which remains, to this day, the oldest unchanged building in the city. By the middle of the sixteenth century a number of other building works had been completed in the monastery, also, other than this, for the first time in its history, Yaroslavl gained a stone-built wall with a number of large watch towers which were intended to be used to spot attackers from miles away. During the reign of Ivan the Terrible, when all the Russian principalities gave up their traditional rights and submitted to the Tsardom of Russia
, the two large monasteries of Yaroslavl profited very much from rich gifts from the court of the Tsar, largely because Ivan IV made a number of pilgrimages to Yaroslavl over the course of his life.
New building works were also made affordable by a large upswing in Yaroslavl's economic fortunes which the city experienced in the middle part of the 16th century. The main reason for this largely unexpected improvement in Yaroslavl's fortunes came largely from the city's position on the Volga which allowed trade to be brought from and to Moscow
via the river, linking the new Russian capital with the port of Archangelsk darstellte. Resultantly Yaroslavl became an important place for the conduct of international trade and a number of shipping berths and warehouses grew up around the city for the use of merchants, especially those from England
and Germany
.
The economic prosperity of Yaroslavl during the late 16th century was put to an end by the unsteady years of troubles which lasted from around 1598 until 1613. Like most Russian cities of the time, Yaroslavl was devastated by famine and became a potential target city for Polish-Lithuanian troops acting in their capacity as 'interventionists' in the troubled Russian state. The Polish-Lithuanian-supported pretender to the Russian throne
captured Karachev
, Bryansk
, and other towns, was reinforced by the Poles, and in the spring of 1608 advanced upon Moscow
, routing the army of Tsar Vasily Shuisky at Bolkhov
. Promises of the wholesale confiscation of the estates of the boyars drew many common people to his side. The village of Tushino
, twelve verst
s from the capital, was converted into an armed camp where Dmitry gathered his army. Resultantly this pretender won the appreciation of the powers in Yaroslavl and thus their loyalty. However, despite having promised to pay a higher rate of taxes and dues to the Polish occupiers, Yaroslavl was on numerous occasions plundered by the forces of the pretender Dmitry. This led to a number of popular uprisings. Thus in early 1609 a Russian peasant army was formed to free as many of the Volga's cities as possible, including, amongst others, Vologda
and Yaroslavl.
In May 1609 another Polish army under the command of Aleksander Józef Lisowski
tried to bring the strategically important city of Yaroslavl under the power of the invaders. However, the majority of the city's citizens had withdrawn into the tradition centre of the city and found refuge behind the protective earthen wall, thus denying the Poles entry without a fight. Yet even when Litowski successfully (through deceit) managed to get behind this wall, he found that the citizens of Yaroslavl had retreated into their ancient wooden Kremlin and the two stone-built monasteries. The ensuing siege of Yaroslavl lasted until 22 May, but despite constant attempts to take the city, the Poles had to return to Moscow having not fulfilled their duty to bring Yaroslavl under direct control of their command.
Despite their failure at Yaroslavl, Polish forces remained in control of Moscow, and despite an attempt in 1610 by the Russian peasants' army to unseat the Poles from the Moscow Kremlin
, little was accomplished and their seemed no end in sight for the occupation of the Russian tsardom. One year later however Kuzma Minin and Prince Dmitry Pozharsky
founded yet another peasants' army in Nizhny Novgorod
, that on the way to Moscow, found itself stationed in Yaroslavl for many months. In this time from April to June 1612 Yaroslavl became the de-facto capital of the Russian state, since in this place the most important matters of state were settled until the eventual lieration of Moscow came. After its time in Yaroslavl the peasants' army moved on towards Moscow, and with thanks to the rest and help they had received voluntarily from the people of Yaroslavl, the army was able to liberate Moscow and finally put an end to the Polish-Lithuanian 'intervention' in the affairs of the Russian state.
, and it was not unheard of to see ships from India
and China
bringing goods to Europe by way of Yaroslavl. The northern trade route through the city ran to the port of Archangelsk in Russia's far north, whilst other Eastern trade lines ran East over the Urals to Siberia
. The town benefited very much from its geographical location over the years and the wealth which business produced for the town helped ensure its prosperous future. In fact, in the 17th century a number of early industrial concerns were set up in the city, including a number of leather-working shops, in which around 700 people eventually came to work. Other trades for which Yaroslavl became a centre over the years were in the production of textiles, cosmetics (fragrances) and silver work.
As a result of the prosperity enjoyed by the city, Yaroslavl saw a huge expansion in the size of its population over the course of the 17th century, and by the end of this century, the town had a population of around 15,000 people, making it the second largest city of the Russian tsardom after Moscow. This period was also particularly important for the urban development of the city, because during the 17th century a multitude of stone-walled churches were built in the city; today these churches still form a major part of the old town's city centre. Work on most of these churches was begun with funds gifted to the city by rich local merchants, and thus they had a large say in what form the buildings would eventually take.
In 1658 Yaroslavl endured a disastrous fire which destroyed most of the city's few remaining wooden buildings, including the ancient Kremlin. From this point onwards the city began to develop in the same way as it has done up to this very day, as a city built almost exclusively out of brick and mortar.
At the beginning of the 18th century Yaroslavl finally began to transform itself from a trading post into a major industrial town; this largely came about because with the foundation by Peter the Great of Saint Petersburg
in 1703, the importance of Archangelsk as a port on the Northern Ocean was drastically decreased, and the amount of trade being channeled through the city for export fell accordingly. Luckily, the wealth which Yaroslavl had amassed over its many years as an important trading post allowed it to invest great amounts of money into the development of the city's new industrial base, and thus make the city very attractive to new investors. In 1772 the textiles factory of Ivan Tames opened on the right bank of the Kotorosl. This plant was not only Yaroslavl's first major industrial enterprise, but also one of Russia's largest textiles producers. Amazingly this famous establishment still exists today under the name 'Textile factory 'Krasny Perekop' (russ. ). In addition to the rise in textile manufacturing, Yaroslavl's traditional position as a centre for skilled leatherwork remained unchanged.
In the 1770s, as a result of the city's economic development and ever rising population, the city became a major provincial centre, thus in the course of the Russian Empire
's administrative reforms under Catherine the Great Yaroslavl, in 1777, became the centre of its own oblast, and in 1778 received its own grant of arms. In 1796 the city finally became the administrative centre from one of the empire's new governorate. As an administrative centre of the highest order, Yaroslavl, in 1778, received its own specially drawn out plan for urban development. This led to another wave of building works in the city, the results of which are still visible in the city today. With the Ilyanskaya Square and Church of Elijah the Prophet at its centre, the new plan called for the development of a network of long boulevards and streets which would be bordered by large classical style buildings and numerous city parks. A prominent example of this later development is the former House of Charity (built in 1786), which is now one of the buildings of the city's 'Demidov' State University.
For Yaroslavl the 19th meant a period of intensive building work, infrastructural development and industrialisation. In 1803 the 'School of Higher Sciences' was opened, this was the city's first educational institute and is recognised as the forerunner to the city's current state university. In 1812 the first permanent bridge (built near the Transfiguration Monastery) over the Kotorosl was finished, and by 1820 the city's Volga embankment was stabilised and turned into a large shaded promenade. Also, other major classicist building works were started, amongst which was the Governor's House (1821–1823) (today location of the city's gallery). In 1860 Yaroslavl was finally connected, through Moscow, via telegraph to the other major cities of Russia, and this was then soon followed, in 1870, by the building of Yaroslavl's first railway station and inauguration of Yaroslavl-Moscow railway. In 1873 the city gained a municipal waterworks and by 1900 an electrified tramway. Just before the end fo the 19th century in 1897, Yaroslavl had a recorded population of around 71,600 people.
were wide-reaching, and after the Russian Civil War
of 1917-1920 the city's economy suffered rather drastically; this led to a significant contraction on the city's population. The Yaroslavl Rebellion, which lasted from 6 to 21 July 1918 had particularly grave consequences. In this event a group of conservative activists tried to remove the newly-installed Bolshevik municipal authorities through an armed intervention. The rebels managed to secure a number of large parts of the city, however this led only to an assault by the Red Army which saw the city surrounded, cut off from supplies and bombarded day and night with artillery and air forces. The rebellion was eventually put down, and ended with official figues putting the number of deaths amongst the city's residents at about 600, in addition to which around 2,000 of the city's buildings were either destroyed or badly damaged.
The economy of Yaroslavl took part in the early Soviet Union's rash program of accelerated industrialisation. Milestones for this period include the opening of the city's first municipal power plant in 1926, the beginning of Synthetic rubber
mass production in factory SK-1, the reestablishment of domestic production facilities for the production of automobile and aircraft tyres in the 1928-founded Yaroslavl Tyre Factory, and the opening of the rubber
-asbestos
combined works in 1933. In addition to all this the Yaroslavl Automobile Works (founded 1916) continued to produce vehicles, including a number for the municipal trasport administration of Moscow, well into the 1930s.
During the years of the Second World War Yaroslavl managed to escape the prospect of a German occupation of the city, since the Wehrmacht
did not manage to break through the Soviet defence lines surrounding Moscow
. However, due to its location as a large transportation hub, and since the 1913-built railway bridge over the Volga in Yaroslavl was the only point at which to cross the river, the city became a major target for air raid
s during 1942-1943. During the one of the heaviest of all these raids on 11 June 1943 over 120of the city's inhabitants were killed, whilst another 150 or so were badly injured. In addition to this around 200 buildings (including one of the tyre factory's main workshops) were completely destroyed. Most of the city's industry, including the automobile, tyre and textile plants, were converted, during the war, to produce armament and equipment for the Soviet Red Army. Overall about 200,000 people from the Yaroslavl area died on the fronts during World War II. This sacrifice is today memorialised through a monument and eternal flame which was opened near the mouth of the Kotorosl River in 1968.
During the Blockade of Leningrad a great number of children, who were brought over the frozen Lake Ladoga
(the so-called Road of life
) were evacuated to a safer new life in Yaroslavl. Yaroslavl was at the time also home to a camp for military prisoners of war 'Camp No. 276' for German soldiers imprisoned for taking part in hostilities against the Soviet Union.
In the second half of the century the industrialisation and development of the city took the foremost position in Yaroslavl's history. In 1961 an oil refinery was opened and from the 1960s a large number of residential districts began to spring up all over the city, including, for the first time in the city's history, on the left bank of the Volga, where development had traditionally not taken place. This left-bank development was further encouraged by the construction, in 1965, of a new Volga crossing for automobiles. In 1968 the city's population finally rose, for the first time, to over half a million inhabitants; it has been growing, almost constantly, ever since.
In July 2005 Yaroslavl's historic city centre was inscribed onto the list of UNESCO World Heritage Site
s. The support for this was in line with the list's second (a unique example of the combining of cultural and architectural styles between Western Europe and the Russian Empire) and fourth (a unique example of urban development influenced by the Municipal Planning Reform in Russia of Empress Catherine the Great 1763-1830). In the same year the preparations for the celebration of the millennium of Yaroslavl's foundation began; this was finally celebrated on the second weekend in September 2010. Under the conditions of the preparations for the city's 1000th year anniversary the municipal authorities invested a great deal of money into the development of the city's road and rail infrastructure, much of the funds for which were granted by the federal government in Moscow. Included in these preparations was the opening of a new bridge (in 2006) over the Volga; this is now known as the Jubilee Bridge. Also in August 2008 the newly built Yaroslavl Zoo was opened; this was then expanded further in 2010.
In 2009, Yaroslavl became a meeting place for global policy debates within the International Conference 'The Modern State and Global Security'. AKA Yaroslavl Global Policy Forum
. The conference in Yaroslavl gathered the most authoritative representatives of political science, business community as well as the representatives of the governments of a number of different states. Dmitry Medvedev, President of the Russian Federation, José Luis Zapatero, Prime Minister of Spain, Francois Fillon, Prime Minister of France were all participants at the Conference.
In 2010 Russian officials gathered together international authorities in Yaroslavl to discuss the challenges facing the modern state at the Global Policy Forum
for 'The Modern State: Standards of Democracy and Criteria of Efficiency'. In 2011 Yaroslavl will bring together participants from all over the world to discuss the 2011 agenda: 'The modern state in the age of social diversity'.
On 7 September 2011, most of the members of the city's KHL (ice hockey) team, Lokomotiv Yaroslavl
, perished in an air crash
on takeoff from Yaroslavl's Tunoshna Airport
.
and flag
which are both made up of two heraldic symbols. Both of these items are intrinsically linked with the legend surrounding the foundation of the city; the bear
and halberd
.
The first coat of arms of Yaroslavl was officially granted on 31 August 1778. At that time it was made up of a silver field upon which the form of a bear was placed, and which, with its left forepaw held a golden halberd. In 1856 the coat of arms was modified slightly, which left the traditional image of the halberd-carrying bear as it was, but added an imperial crown surmounted on top of the shield. In addition to his a sprig of golden oak leaves was aded to surround the shield, intertwined with the blue ribbon of the Order of Saint Andrew
. This form of the coat of arms was then left unaltered until 1918, just after the Bolsheviks came to power as a result of the October Revolution
. After the abolition of the tsarist municipal and provincial symbols by the newly installed Soviet
administration in Yaroslavl, the city received no new official symbols, and thus the situation remained until the end of the twentieth century. The third and current version of the city's coat of arms was adopted on 23 August 1995 by the municipal council. The colouring and form of the arms are taken from those of 1856, however the sprig of oak and ribbon of St Andrew were removed and have, as of yet, not been reintroduced to the symbols of the city. In addition to this, the imperial crown which previously surmounted the whole design has been replaced, in the current version by the Cap of Monomakh – a symbol of the Russian autocracy and an otherwise powerful symbol of the Russian state.
The municipal flag or banner of Yaroslavl was adopted on 22 May 1996. It is a simple design which simply depicts the coat of arms of the city (1995 version), which must take up at least one third of the flag's entire size, upon a light blue background. The whole flag is rectangular in shape.
, and the Municipal Council , the members of which may cast votes at council meetings.
The mayoralty plays the role of the executive in the city's municipal administration. Above all comes the mayor, who is elected, by the city's electorate, for four years in a direct election. Sine December 1991 this office has been held by Viktor Volontshunas, a member of the United Russia
party. Volonchunas was first elected under Yeltsin
and since then has been reelected to the position of mayor on four separate occasions. There are eight deputy mayors, each of which is responsible for a certain particular part of the city's public policy. Within each policy area there are about five or six operations' departments which are all subordinated to their policy area's deputy. For example, under the deputy's office for social policy and culture there are six departments: Social Insurance and Employment, Physical fitness and Sport,Youth policy, Education, Health policy, and Culture policy.
The Municipal Council of the city makes up the administration's legislative branch, thus effectively making it a city 'parliament' or duma
. The municipal council is made up of 36 elected members, who are each elected to represent a certain district of the city for a four year term. In the regular meetings of the municipal council, problems facing the city are discussed, and annually the city's budget is drawn up. The council also has a court of audit
and four standing commissions which play an important role in controlling the finances and trading practices of the city and its merchants.
Each of the city's six districts has its own district administration, all of which are ultimately part of the city's mayoralty. In addition to the city's own authorities, the authorities and legislature of the Yaroslavl Oblast
can also be found in the city.
and a number of air-raids during the Second World War, the city of Yaroslavl has managed to retain a great deal of its 17th, 18th and 19th century urban substance. This has helped make the city recognisable as a monument to the architectural development and style of the Russian tsardom. The centre of the city, which covers an area of around 600 hectares has around 140 individual federally-protected architectural monuments. Since 2005, this ensamble, along with the Spaso-Preobrazhensky Monastery has been included on the list of UNESCO World Heritage Sites. Despite all this, there are a number of buildings of architectural merit which are located outside of the city centre.
and Volga rivers, and on the land side by the geometric pattern of the street plan, which dates from the 18th and 19th centuries.
Constructed in 1506–1516 on the foundations of the original edifice dating back to 1216–1224. In the 16th century, the first stone wall is built around the monastery. It is from this monastery that an army of volunteers led by Minin and Prince Pozharsky set out to liberate Moscow from Polish invaders. In 1787, the monastery was closed and converted into a residence of the Yaroslavl and Rostov bishops. At that time, monastery buildings began to be reconstructed. New cells and the prior's chambers were built.
The most well-known building in the city is the 'Spaso-Preobrazhensky' ('Transfiguration of the Saviour') Cathedral of the Spassky (St Saviour) Monastery (russ. ). This monastery was originally founded in the 12th century and thus it, and its cathedral, are the oldest buildings in the city. The Transfiguration Cathedral itself, built in the year 1516, is the oldest detached building standing in the city, . Typical for a Russian monastery of the Middle Ages, the Spaso-Preobrazhensky Monastery in Yaroslavl was not built to be no more than a place of worship, but also to be a citadel
and kremlin
in case, in times of war, there was a need for such a facility. This is still visible today as the monastery is surrounded by a thick 16th century, white-painted wall, complete with watchtowers and embattlements. Within these walls stand the magisterial churches, which, with their asymmetrically-ordered towers and beautifully decorated interiors, make for wonderful examples of traditional Russian sacral architecture. In addition to this there is a gatehouse church, with which the monastery's dungeons and treasury were connected. The monastery has long had a place in the history of Yaroslavl and continues, albeit nowadays as a museum, to play a significant role in the life of the city. It was largely thanks to the impregnability of the monastery that, during the time of the Troubles, the Russian peasants' army was able to defend the city and then go on to liberate Moscow from its Polish-Lithuanian occupiers. At the end of the 18th century, the oldest known text of the Tale of Igor's Campaign
, the most renknowned work of Russian-language literature from the Middle Ages, was found in the library of the SPaso-Preobrazhensky Monastery. This masterpiece is now on display as a permanent exhibition within the monastery, along with other works of the age and an exhibition showing the conditions an author of the era would have lived in.
The often hectic square which is to be found just beyond the north gate of the monastery (main gate), is called Bogolavyenskaya Square (Epiphany Square) . This name comes from the nearby Epiphany Church which is seated at the south end of the square, near the bank of the Kotorosl. This church, with its five domes, and traditional Russian sacral architecture, is a classic example of a medieval Russian church. However, interestingly, the church has a separate clock-tower which was built in accordance with the sacral-architectural style of Muscovy in the years 1684–1693; this all goes to make the church one of the most noticeable examples of 17th century architecture in the city. In addition to this, the beautiful fresco-work inside the church was carried out by local artists during the building of the church, and has remained, almost unchanged, to this day.
The two streets which lead off Bogolavyenskaya Square to the north-west are very good examples of the type of urban planning which was formulated for Yaroslavl in the 18th and 19th centuries. They were laid out in 1820–1821 as new boulevards to run around the historical city centre and were built on terrain previously occupied by a numer of earthen and wooden fortifications which dated from the 16th century. There was also a small defensive moat in this area, and after the infilling of the moat and removal of all other fortifications, the Spaso-Preobrazhensky monastery's defensive uses largely disappeared. This was, in general, not considered to be a great loss, as the requirement for such earth-works in order to maintain defensive readiness had long since been surpassed by other methods of securing a city by the point of their removal. The two municipal watchtowers which have been retained (the Vassily tower and Volga tower) were both positioned on the city's outer defensive walls which afforded them clear views of oncoming enemy forces.
Within the old defensive limits of the city one can find many other examples of classicism
, one important example of which would be the municipal trade rows 'Gostiny Dvor' – these were built in 1813–1818, not long after the clearing of the land upon which they now stand. The style of the building, made noticeable by its many ionic columns, is similar to that of many Russian trade rows and market halls built in the early to mid 19th century all over the country. This style is also very complimentary to the 1911-built neoclassical Volkov Theatre. At the end of Komsomolskaya Boulevard, upon which the trade rows are located, one finds themselves at 'Volkov Square' ; where the ring-boulevard makes a slight deviation to the north-eat and carries on towards 'Red Square' and the city's Volga embankment. Yaroslavl's Red Square does not have the same etymology as the likewise-named Red Square in Moscow
(the name of which stems from the old-Russian for 'beautiful square'), rather in Yaroslavl's case, its Red Square was first so-called in the 1920s, and was officially named in honour of the Soviet Red Guards
. There are a number of buildings of historical interest on Red Square, one of which is the three-story building on the square's north side which once housed Yaroslavl's 'aristocrat's meeting house' , and is now the main building for the city's 'Demidov' State University. Furthermore, the square is also the location where the city's main fire department can be found; this is contained within a jugendstil building, built in 1911, and which has a large look-out tower, which even until the 1970s was actively used by the city's fire brigade.
To the east of the boulevard, within the borders of the former defensive earthworks, the architecturally-rich 'nucleus' of the old city is to be found; an area criss-crossed by many narrow, small streets, in the middle of which one of Yaroslavl's most well-recognised architectural monuments is to be found. This is the Church of Elijah the Prophet , which, in the same way as the Epiphany Church, is a very prominent example of the way in which the city developed in the 17th century. Before the completion of the church which currently stands in 1650, a number of other predecessor-churches stood on this spot. From these, the oldest dated back to the foundation of Yaroslavl and the reign of Yaroslav the Wise. The church, with its five onion domes, is a cross and dome style church, the architecture of which is typical of Muscovite designs, is particularly well known for its interior fresco paintings, which, despite a history which has seen great fires and disasters, have been kept in good condition. The frescos on the walls and ceilings were painted by around fifteen experienced artists from Yaroslavl and Kostroma
around the year 1680. It is now clear to see that this complex collection of beautiful fresco-work is festooned with many references to the Old Testament
. The square, upon which the church, with its clock tower and neighbouring chapel are situated, was in the early 19th century, according to the city's urban plan, to be the central square of Yaroslavl and the place upon which markets and national holidays would take place. Nowadays it is an area largely reserved for official events, with the other buildings surrounding the square all belonging to the municipal administration.
In general the streets of the city centre are characterised by the noticeable mix of classical and sacral architecture. There are a number of major public and commercial buildings of architectural merit in the centre of the city, amongst which are the 1785 'Governmental offices' building' and the Vakromeev House, which today houses the Yaroslavl Seminary for young priests. The Volga embankment is a good example of urban planning in the classicist style; built in the 1840s, this promenade walk has remained a favourite place for residents to take a stroll and relax ever since.
The southern part of the city centre, around the area where the Kotorosl and Volga intersect, is an area abundant in green park-like spaces. Until the 17th century this area was occupied by the wooden Yaroslavl Kremlin and is thus referred to nowadays as 'Wooden Town' . The Kremlin burnt down in 1658 and was never rebuilt. Close by the 1642 Church of Maria stood until its demolition in 1937, however, since 2004 the church was under reconstruction and was finally opened on 12 September 2010 by Patriarch Kirill.
Yaroslavl is the site of the Volkov Theatre (built 1750), the oldest theater in Russia, and the Demidovsky Pillar
.
The city has many Russian Orthodox churches, one Russian Old Believers
church, one Baptist church, one Lutheran church, one mosque
and one synagogue
.
s, the most famous of which is the 'Volkov Theatre', an institution which since 1911 has been housed in a large neoclassical building in the city's old town. Named after its founder, Fyodor Volkov
, the theatre was first opened to the public in 1750, this making it Russia's first (by official figures) theatre. The Volkov Theatre still has a reputation for being one of Russia's most pioneering dramatic institutes and is considered, amongst the Russian acting community, to be one of the most prestigious playhouses in which to perform. Even though Volkov's original theatre troop only performed in Yaroslavl for a few months before then moving to Saint Petersburg
(there was no reglar theatre company in Yaroslavl again until the beginning of the 19th century), the town is still recognised as the spiritual home of the Russian theatre and dramatics. Nowadays the Volkov Theatre has two stages and a combined amount of around 1000 seats for spectators. It is considered to be the most famous of the Russian provincial theatres.
Apart from the Volkov Theatre there are a number of other theatres in Yaroslavl, including the State Puppet Theatre (founded in 1927), a children's and youth theatre (Yaroslavl State Theatre for Young Spectators, founded 1984) and the Yaroslavl Chamber Theatre (founded 1999). In addition to these theatre the city also has a philharmonic (founded 1937) and a permanent circus
(founded 1963).
There are around ten cinema
s in the city, the oldest of which 'Rodina' was built during the Soviet era in 1959. This particular theatre, despite maintaining its Soviet-era exterior, has been comprehensively modernised and is now even able to show 3D films. The city also has a number of large, modern multiplex cinemas, chief amongst which are those of the Russian cinema chains Cinema-Star and Kinomax.
Uncommon for a provincial Russian city, Yaroslavl has a large municipal Planetarium
. This was founded in 1948 and was situated, for a long time, in an old church. However, in April 2011, after two years of building works, the city's new 'Valentina Tereshkova
' planetarium was opened to the public.
, has been running since 2009 and represents one of the highest level political-diplomatic forums in the world today. It is the largest political science event organised in Russia, and is held on an annual basis, with a number of foreign officials appearing as participants each year. In the past for example, the French and Italian prime ministers Francois Fillon
and Silvio Berlusconi
have been guests, as well as Spanish prime minister Jose Zapatero
.
In 2011 Turkish president Abdullah Gül
was received as a guest participant by the Russian authorities.
Yaroslavl was chosen to host the event due to its thousand year history of being a meeting point for people of all cultures, a significant trading post, and its former status as Russia's second largest city, within which a great number of foreign embassies were situated. The award of this forum to the city coincided with the city's millennium celebrations and thus it is commonly viewed by residents to have been a gift from the Russian president to the city which has helped raise the city's global profile.
In 2011 this event became headline news in a number of countries due to the unfortunate events which led to the deaths of around forty people (players, suppor staff, and air crew) from Yaroslavl's 'Lokomotiv' Ice Hockey team
. President Medvedev was, at the time of the crash, attending the conference at Lokomotiv's home stadium 'Arena 2000', and specially postponed a number of important meetings to make sure he could travel to the crash site and meet with crash victims' relatives. Later Russian prime minister Vladimir Putin
also arrived in the city to pay his condolences.
Yaroslavl is currently home to the following state higher educational institutions: Yaroslavl 'Demidov' State University, Yaroslavl Technical University, Ushinskiy Pedagogical University, Yaroslavl State Medical Academy
, Yaroslavl State Agricultural Academy, Yaroslavl State Institute for Theatrical Studies, Military School of Finance and Economics, and the Yaroslavl Higher School for Anti-Aircraft and Missile Defence. Amongst the non-state funded institutions for further education in the city is the International Academy for Business and New Technologies (MUBiNT), and also a number of branches from Moscow-based universities. In addition to these establishments, there is also the Yaroslavl Seminary, a large establishment for the training of new Russian Orthodox priests.
By the end of 2008 Yaroslavl had around 187 pre-school teaching and care groups registered within the city, within these there were around 22,700 places which were oversubscribed and thus filled by around 26,000 pre-school aged children. The number of registered children was around 78.7%, or around 0.4 % more than in 2007. At the beginning of the 2008-9 academic year the city had around 100 daytime general educational groups for children within which around 48,100 infants were registered. This figure was around 200 people less than in the previous year. According to the situation in 2010 around 16,000 people are to be found working in Yaroslavl's educational sector.
and riverboat routes. The M8
(Moscow — Yaroslavl — Vologda
— Archangelsk) links the city to Moscow
and also onwards to the north in the direction of Archangelsk. The city's two banks are connected by one major railway bridge and two bridges designed to carry automotive traffic (The Oktyabrskyj Bridge and Yubilejnyj Bridge). The smaller Kostrol river, on the other hand, is crossed by as many as four bridges for automobiles and one for railway traffic (built in 1896).
There is one railway bridge
across the Volga and two road bridges; the second road bridge across the Volga was ready for use in October 2006.
Interurban and regional bus services depart from and arrive at the city's main bus terminal. The services run from this station serve a number of highly-populated areas as well as other villages and smaller towns located within Yaroslavl Oblast
such as Pereslavl-Zalesskij, Rybinsk
and Uglich
. Larger cities served include Moscow
, Saint Petersburg
, Ufa
, Kostroma
, Kazan
, and Cherepovets
.
s go to Danilov
, Rostov
, Alexandrov
, Nerekhta
, and Kostroma
. Diesel shuttle trains go to Rybinsk
and Ivanovo
. Also, many long-distance passenger train
s go through Yaroslavl. The city is connected to Moscow by a fast electric train service (sitting places only) called 'Express'.
The directorate of the Northern Railway is located in Yaroslavl on the city's Volga Embankment..
airbase, the Yaroslavl Levtsovo
air base, and the smaller Karachika aerodrome (all of these airfields are located outside of the city limits). Tunoshna airport, which holds the status of an international airport is able to cater for a number of varied aircraft types, including the An-124 «Ruslan» and the Il-96-300. From 1 April 2011 regular air traffic between Moscow, Saint Petersburg and Yaroslavl has been restored thanks to the establishment of the Dexter air company., иные регулярные рейсы отсутствуют. Levtsovo airport is primarily used to cater for aircraft like the An-2, Mi-2
, or Mi-8
and is in general rarely used for passenger flights. The Yaroslavl Air Club (one of Russia's oldest air clubs and the place from which Valentina Tereshkova
first began to attend flight training) is based at Karachika aerodrome.
ation, including bus
es, trolley-buses
and tram
lines. Bellow there is a table showing how many people used different types of transport in a number of given years (millions of people):
Bus transport is by far the most popular means of urban transportation used by the residents of Yaroslavl. In fact every day, over 600 different routes are run by a large consortium of both small and large buses and private taxis.
The Yaroslavl tram system is one of the oldest in Russia and has been in existence since 1900. In 2011, this system is currently made up of four routes which run through various parts of the city. Starting in 2004 the number of routes run by trams throughout the city has been steadily reduced, and whilst in 2006 trams could be found in both the historic city centre and the Krasnoperekopskij District, the routes serving these areas have now disappeared altogether. Whilst at the beginning of the 21st century the number of tram cars used by the Yaroslavl tram system stood at around 100, this has now fallen (by 2011) to just 43.
The city's urban transport network also runs a fleet of trolleybuses which run along nine different routes, and have done since the year 1949. Every day 88 trolleybuses are to be found in use around Yaroslavl, along together with around 227 normal municipal buses.
is an association football club based in Yaroslavl. It plays in the Russian First Division. The city also hosts the Lokomotiv Yaroslavl
ice hockey team, which became the champion of Russia in 1996–1997, 2001–2002, and 2002–2003. All players on the team were killed on 7 September 2011, when the plane in which they were travelling for their first match of the season crashed
on take off from Yaroslavl airport.
A new football stadium is to be built in Yaroslavl in readiness for the 2018 FIFA World Cup
which Russia will host.
Across the Kotorosl lie Frunzensky and Krasnoperekopsky City Districts, which are divided by Moskovsky Avenue. Frunzensky is a relatively new district, constructed in the post-war era. Most of the buildings are of typical grey Soviet construction. Frunzensky City District is divided into three microdistrict
s: Suzdalka, Dyadkovo, and Lipovaya Gora.
Krasnoperekopsky City District is one of the oldest parts in Yaroslavl. Before the 1917 Revolution, it was home to the bulk of Yaroslavl's industry, and a good deal of industry remains today. Krasnoperekopsky City District is divided into two microdistricts, one of which is Neftestroy, an up-and-coming region, named for its proximity to Yaroslavl's oil refinery. Neftestroy is home to the newly built hockey arena, and there were plans to build an indoor football stadium there by the millennial anniversary of Yaroslavl's founding in 2010. On the other side of the railway tracks that run through Krasnopereposky City District lies the Perekop proper. Today, Perekop is known as one of the most dangerous areas of Yaroslavl. It consists largely of run-down, pre-Soviet izba
s and decaying factory buildings. There are plans to pump life into this depressed district, but at the time of writing, it remains extremely impoverished and dangerous. Much of Yaroslavl's mafia grew out of Perekop. However, Perekop offers some of Yaroslavl's most beautiful parks and churches, most notably the Church of Saint John the Baptist
, which is located next to a paint factory on the Kotorosl embankment; and Peter and Paul's Cathedral, a Protestant-style Orthodox church.
North of the centre there is a small industrial region, which is home to the tire factory, the engine plant, as well as many other smaller factories. Further north on the Western bank lies Dzerzhinsky City District, named after "Iron" Felix Dzerzhinsky
, founder of the Cheka, the Soviet secret police. Dzerzhinsky City District's core microdistrict is Bragino, named after a small village that was eventually consumed by Yaroslavl's post-war expansion. Bragino is the largest area in Yaroslavl in terms of population, but like Frunzensky City District, it is largely a residential area, mostly consisting of middle- to lower-middle income families.
On the other bank of the Volga lies Zavolzhsky City District. This city district was Yaroslavl's quietest and most rural area, but now it is one of the most dynamic parts or the city with expansive new buildings with big hypermarkets, such as "Globus" and "Real." Beautiful birch and evergreen forests separate apartment blocks.
ties with:
Yaroslavl Oblast
Yaroslavl Oblast is a federal subject of Russia , which is located in the Central Federal District, surrounded by Tver, Moscow, Ivanovo, Vladimir, Kostroma, and Vologda Oblasts. This geographic location affords the oblast the advantages of proximity to Moscow and St. Petersburg...
, Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
, located 250 kilometres (155.3 mi) northeast of Moscow
Moscow
Moscow is the capital, the most populous city, and the most populous federal subject of Russia. The city is a major political, economic, cultural, scientific, religious, financial, educational, and transportation centre of Russia and the continent...
. The historical part of the city, a World Heritage Site
World Heritage Site
A UNESCO World Heritage Site is a place that is listed by the UNESCO as of special cultural or physical significance...
, is located at the confluence
Confluence
Confluence, in geography, describes the meeting of two or more bodies of water.Confluence may also refer to:* Confluence , a property of term rewriting systems...
of the Volga
Volga River
The Volga is the largest river in Europe in terms of length, discharge, and watershed. It flows through central Russia, and is widely viewed as the national river of Russia. Out of the twenty largest cities of Russia, eleven, including the capital Moscow, are situated in the Volga's drainage...
and the Kotorosl Rivers. It is one of the Golden Ring cities, a group of historic cities northeast of Moscow that has played an important role in Russian history. Population:
Location
The city lies in the eastern portion of Yaroslavl OblastYaroslavl Oblast
Yaroslavl Oblast is a federal subject of Russia , which is located in the Central Federal District, surrounded by Tver, Moscow, Ivanovo, Vladimir, Kostroma, and Vologda Oblasts. This geographic location affords the oblast the advantages of proximity to Moscow and St. Petersburg...
, one of the 83 federal subjects of Russia
Federal subjects of Russia
Russia is a federation which, since March 1, 2008, consists of 83 federal subjects . In 1993, when the Constitution was adopted, there were 89 federal subjects listed...
, and of which Yaroslavl is the administrative centre; this is around 283 kilometers (175 miles) to the north-east of Moscow
Moscow
Moscow is the capital, the most populous city, and the most populous federal subject of Russia. The city is a major political, economic, cultural, scientific, religious, financial, educational, and transportation centre of Russia and the continent...
. The nearest large towns are Tutayev
Tutayev
Tutayev is a town in Yaroslavl Oblast, Russia. Population: Before 1918, the settlement was called Romanov-Borisoglebsk , and before 1822, when an order of the Tsar united them, there were two separate towns: Romanov and Borisoglebsk . Romanov has existed since the 14th century and...
(34 km as the bird flies to the north-west), Gavrilov-Yam
Gavrilov-Yam
Gavrilov-Yam is a town and the administrative center of Gavrilov-Yamsky District of Yaroslavl Oblast, Russia, located on the Kotorosl River. Population: Founded in 1545. The town status was granted in 1938....
(37 km to the south) and Nerekhta
Nerekhta
Nerekhta is a town in Kostroma Oblast, Russia. Population: It has been known since the early 13th century. The town does not retain many marks of antiquity, apart from several 17th-century churches. It has been known for its textiles since the 19th century...
(47 km to the south-east). The historic centre of Yaroslavl lies to the north of the mouth of the Kotorosl river on the right bank of the larger River Volga. The city's entire urban area covers around 205 km² and includes a number of territories south of the Kotorosl and on the left bank of the Volga. With over 600,00 residents, Yaroslavl is, by population, the largest town on the Volga until it reaches Nizhny Novgorod
Nizhny Novgorod
Nizhny Novgorod , colloquially shortened to Nizhny, is, with the population of 1,250,615, the fifth largest city in Russia, ranking after Moscow, St. Petersburg, Novosibirsk, and Yekaterinburg...
, it is a large transport node and a great number of important national and regional roads, railways and waterways pass through the city. In fact many of the roads that connect Yaroslavl to Moscow and beyond are two-lane highways.
Yaroslavl and its respective oblast are located in the central area of the East European Plain
East European Plain
The East European Plain is a plain comprising a series of river basins in Eastern Europe. Together with the Northern European Plain it constitutes the European Plain. It is the largest mountain-free part of the European landscape.The plain spans approximately and averages about in elevation...
, which in areas to the north-east of Moscow is characterised by rolling hills and a generally uneven landscape; however, most of these hills are no larger than 200 meters in height. Typical for this region, the area in and around Yaroslavl is rich in mixed and coniferous forests, in addition to these, there are also large areas of swampland
Swampland
In physics, the term swampland is used in contrast to the term "landscape," to indicate physical theories or aspects of such theories which could be true if gravity wasn't an issue, but which are not compatible with string theory...
.
Climate
Yaroslavl and its local area has a typical temperate continental climateContinental climate
Continental climate is a climate characterized by important annual variation in temperature due to the lack of significant bodies of water nearby...
, in comparison to central and western Europe, this makes for a climate with more snowy, colder, but dry winters, and typically temperate, warm summers.
The Winter in Yaroslavl begins in about November and usually goes on for around five months. The coldest month of the year is typically January with an average daily temperature of just −8,2 °C; however at this time it is not uncommon for temperatures to drop below −20 °C, in some special cases (for example, most recently in January 2006) temperatures of −35 to −40 °C can be experienced. On the other hand, Yaroslavl can also experience positive temperatures during this time of the year (for example, in 1932, when thaw lasted for 17 days of January). Typically the Volga freezes over during the winter. Snow cover is usually between 35 to 50 cm thick, but can in some cases be up to 70 cm in depth. The Springtime months are best characterised by a typical lack of precipitation. From the end of March to beginning of April there is often a thaw and much of the ice and snow of the winter months melts to reveal foliage underneath. It is not uncommon for temperatures in April to reach 20 °C. Summers in Yaroslavl are typically wet and heavy rainstorms are by no means rare; the summer often reaches its hottest point during the month of July. June however is also one of hottest months and is typically the hottest by average, with a mean daily temperature of 23,3 °C und often days which see over 30 °C. From September begins the circa two month long Autumn which is characterised by relatively high air humidity, a smaller number of sunny days and unpredictable temperatures (it is possible to first see ground frost in September). The average amount of precipitation seen in the city during a year is 591 mm, of which 84 mm (the most precipitation in one month) falls in July; on the other hand, the very least precipitation occurs in Winter and Spring (particularly in February and March).
The following figures for precipitation and temperature values in Yaroslavl have been collated on the basis of data from the years 1961–1990.
History
Preceded by VikingViking
The term Viking is customarily used to refer to the Norse explorers, warriors, merchants, and pirates who raided, traded, explored and settled in wide areas of Europe, Asia and the North Atlantic islands from the late 8th to the mid-11th century.These Norsemen used their famed longships to...
sites such as Timerevo
Timerevo
Timerevo is an archaeological site near the village of Bolshoe Timeryovo, seven kilometers southwest of Yaroslavl, Russia, which yielded the largest deposits of early medieval Arabic coins in Northern Europe.- Description and history :...
from the 8th or 9th centuries, the city of Yaroslavl is said to have been founded in 1010 as an outpost of the Principality
Principality
A principality is a monarchical feudatory or sovereign state, ruled or reigned over by a monarch with the title of prince or princess, or by a monarch with another title within the generic use of the term prince....
of Rostov Veliky
Rostov
Rostov is a town in Yaroslavl Oblast, Russia, one of the oldest in the country and a tourist center of the Golden Ring. It is located on the shores of Lake Nero, northeast of Moscow. Population:...
, and was first mentioned in 1071. Capital of an independent Principality of Yaroslavl
Principality of Yaroslavl
The Principality of Yaroslavl was an eastern Slavic principality, which existed in 1218—1463.Its first independent prince was Vsyevolod Konstantinovich, who died fighting the Mongols on the Siti river, March 4th 1238. Yaroslavl had been sacked in February...
from 1218, it was incorporated into Muscovy in 1463. In the 17th century it was Russia's second largest city, and for a time (during the Polish
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
occupation of Moscow
Moscow
Moscow is the capital, the most populous city, and the most populous federal subject of Russia. The city is a major political, economic, cultural, scientific, religious, financial, educational, and transportation centre of Russia and the continent...
in 1612), the country's de facto
De facto
De facto is a Latin expression that means "concerning fact." In law, it often means "in practice but not necessarily ordained by law" or "in practice or actuality, but not officially established." It is commonly used in contrast to de jure when referring to matters of law, governance, or...
capital. Today, Yaroslavl is an important industrial center (petrochemical plant, tire manufacturing plant, diesel engines plant and many others] and lies at the intersection of several major highway
Highway
A highway is any public road. In American English, the term is common and almost always designates major roads. In British English, the term designates any road open to the public. Any interconnected set of highways can be variously referred to as a "highway system", a "highway network", or a...
s, railways
Rail transport
Rail transport is a means of conveyance of passengers and goods by way of wheeled vehicles running on rail tracks. In contrast to road transport, where vehicles merely run on a prepared surface, rail vehicles are also directionally guided by the tracks they run on...
, and waterway
Waterway
A waterway is any navigable body of water. Waterways can include rivers, lakes, seas, oceans, and canals. In order for a waterway to be navigable, it must meet several criteria:...
s.
Early Yaroslavl
The oldest settlement in the city is to be found on the left bank of the Volga River in front of the Strelka (a small cape at the confluence of the Volga and Kotorosl) and belongs to the V-III millennium BC. (Neolithic). In the IX century (the so-called Russian Khanate) formed, near Yaroslavl, a large Scandinavian-Slavic settlement, known nowadays for a range of burial mounds, in Timereve. When excavations were carried out a large number of artifacts including Scandinavian weapons with runic inscriptions, chess pieces and the largest collection of Arabian coins (treasure) in northern Europe, (the earliest were struck in the first Idrisid) were found. In Timereva the fourth set of Scandinavian brooches ever found in Russia was discovered. Apparently, this "proto-Yaroslavl" was a major center for the Volga trade route. Soon after the founding of Yaroslavl, the settlement went into decline, probably in connection with the termination of the operation of the Volga trade route. Upstream of the Volga River, just outside the boundaries of the modern city, archaeologists have studied a large necropolis with a predominance of ordinary graves of the Finno-Ugric-type. Upstream of the Volga River, just outside the boundaries of the modern city, archaeologists have studied a large necropolis with a predominance of ordinary graves of the Finno-Ugric-type.Foundation of the city
If taken by its date of first foundation, Yaroslavl is the oldest of all the currently existing towns on the Volga. Yaroslavl was founded by a prince of Kievan Rus Yaroslav the Wise during the period of his ruling the Principality of Rostov (988—1010) when he stepped ashore for the first time near the area now known as 'Strelka', a favourite contemporary park. On this spot which was well protected from attack by the high, steep banks of the Volga, Kotorosl and Medveditsa rivers, Yaroslavl and his men began to set about building the first Yaroslavl Kremlin. The first recorded event of Yaroslavl occurred as a result of famine, it was recorded as the Rostov Uprising of 1071. The name of the city is traditionally linked to that of its founder: Yaroslav.By the XII century the Petropavlovsky and Spasso-Preobrazhensky monasteries of Yaroslavl had already come into existence, however at that time they were located well beyond the city limits. During the first two centuries of its existence Yaroslavl remained a minor fortified city of the Rostov-Suzdal lands.
From the beginning of the thirteenth century, Yaroslavl found itself under the lordship of Konstantin
Konstantin of Rostov
Konstantin Vsevolodovich was the eldest son of Vsevolod the Big Nest and Maria Shvarnovna.In 1206 and 1207, he was the prince of Novgorod. In 1207, his father sent him to rule the towns of Rostov and Yaroslavl...
and became one of his primary residences. As, just before his death in 1218, Konstantin broke up his land between his various sons, his second son Vsevolod came into possession of the Yaroslavl land, which he from thence onwards ruled as the Principality of Yaroslavl
Principality of Yaroslavl
The Principality of Yaroslavl was an eastern Slavic principality, which existed in 1218—1463.Its first independent prince was Vsyevolod Konstantinovich, who died fighting the Mongols on the Siti river, March 4th 1238. Yaroslavl had been sacked in February...
. This principality, of which Yaroslavl became the capital included a number of territories ro the north and existed up until its eventual absorption into the Principality of Moscow in 1463.
During the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries, Yaroslavl was a city largely built from wood, as a result of which it often found itself plagued by disastrous fires, which in some cases almost destroyed the entire city, a good example of which would be that which took place just before the transfer of power in the city to Vsevolod on 1221. Another constant source of danger for the city and for the many Russian princes of the time came from the East and the many foreign invaders, (usually from the Mongol Horde. A particularly successful attack took place in 1257, when troops from the Golden Horde
Golden Horde
The Golden Horde was a Mongol and later Turkicized khanate that formed the north-western sector of the Mongol Empire...
under Möngke Khan
Möngke Khan
Möngke Khan , born Möngke, , was the fourth Great Khan of the Mongol Empire from July 1, 1251 – August 11, 1259. He was the first Great Khan from the Toluid line, and made significant reforms to improve the administration of the Empire during his reign...
overran the Principality of Yaroslavl and murdered both the larger population of the area and the prince's close family. On the site of that unfortunate event, on the right bank of the Kotorosl, there is now a memorial church and cross.
In 1293 and 1322 there were further disastrous attacks on Yaroslavl launched by the Golden Horde, and in 1278 and 1364 the Plague
Black Death
The Black Death was one of the most devastating pandemics in human history, peaking in Europe between 1348 and 1350. Of several competing theories, the dominant explanation for the Black Death is the plague theory, which attributes the outbreak to the bacterium Yersinia pestis. Thought to have...
struck. On many an occasion Yaroslavl had to be completely rebuilt, both in terms of residential buildings which no longer exist, to those larger more permanent structures which remain to this day, such as the Spasso-Preobrazhensky Monastery and 1314 Monastery of Maria of Tolga, which is located on the left bank of the Volga. In 1463 the Principality of Yaroslavl was finally absorbed into the Grand-duchy of Moscow, with the area it once covered becoming an oblast within the new structure of the Muscovite state. From this point onwards the history of the city and its lands became completely inseparable from that of Moscow
Moscow
Moscow is the capital, the most populous city, and the most populous federal subject of Russia. The city is a major political, economic, cultural, scientific, religious, financial, educational, and transportation centre of Russia and the continent...
and eventually Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
.
Sixteenth century and the Troubles
Tsardom of Russia
The Tsardom of Russia was the name of the centralized Russian state from Ivan IV's assumption of the title of Tsar in 1547 till Peter the Great's foundation of the Russian Empire in 1721.From 1550 to 1700, Russia grew 35,000 km2 a year...
, the two large monasteries of Yaroslavl profited very much from rich gifts from the court of the Tsar, largely because Ivan IV made a number of pilgrimages to Yaroslavl over the course of his life.
New building works were also made affordable by a large upswing in Yaroslavl's economic fortunes which the city experienced in the middle part of the 16th century. The main reason for this largely unexpected improvement in Yaroslavl's fortunes came largely from the city's position on the Volga which allowed trade to be brought from and to Moscow
Moscow
Moscow is the capital, the most populous city, and the most populous federal subject of Russia. The city is a major political, economic, cultural, scientific, religious, financial, educational, and transportation centre of Russia and the continent...
via the river, linking the new Russian capital with the port of Archangelsk darstellte. Resultantly Yaroslavl became an important place for the conduct of international trade and a number of shipping berths and warehouses grew up around the city for the use of merchants, especially those from England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
and Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
.
The economic prosperity of Yaroslavl during the late 16th century was put to an end by the unsteady years of troubles which lasted from around 1598 until 1613. Like most Russian cities of the time, Yaroslavl was devastated by famine and became a potential target city for Polish-Lithuanian troops acting in their capacity as 'interventionists' in the troubled Russian state. The Polish-Lithuanian-supported pretender to the Russian throne
False Dmitry II
False Dmitry II , also called the rebel of Tushino, was the second of three pretenders to the Russian throne who claimed to be Tsarevich Dmitry Ivanovich of Russia, the youngest son of Ivan the Terrible...
captured Karachev
Karachev
Karachev is an old town in Karachevsky District of Bryansk Oblast, Russia. In the Middle Ages, it was the capital of one of the Upper Principalities, until its rulers moved their seat to Peremyshl. Its old architecture was heavily damaged during the World War II...
, Bryansk
Bryansk
Bryansk is a city and the administrative center of Bryansk Oblast, Russia, located southwest of Moscow. Population: -History:The first written mention of Bryansk was in 1146, in the Hypatian Codex, as Debryansk...
, and other towns, was reinforced by the Poles, and in the spring of 1608 advanced upon Moscow
Moscow
Moscow is the capital, the most populous city, and the most populous federal subject of Russia. The city is a major political, economic, cultural, scientific, religious, financial, educational, and transportation centre of Russia and the continent...
, routing the army of Tsar Vasily Shuisky at Bolkhov
Bolkhov
Bolkhov is a town and the administrative center of Bolkhovsky District of Oryol Oblast, Russia, located on the Nugr River , away from Oryol. Population: 12,800 ; 20,703 ....
. Promises of the wholesale confiscation of the estates of the boyars drew many common people to his side. The village of Tushino
Tushino
Tushino is a former village and town to the north of Moscow, which has been part of the city's area since 1960. Between 1939 and 1960, Tushino was classed as a separate town. The Skhodnya River flows across the southern part of Tushino....
, twelve verst
Verst
A verst or werst is an obsolete Russian unit of length. It is defined as being 500 sazhen long, which makes a verst equal to 1.0668 kilometres ....
s from the capital, was converted into an armed camp where Dmitry gathered his army. Resultantly this pretender won the appreciation of the powers in Yaroslavl and thus their loyalty. However, despite having promised to pay a higher rate of taxes and dues to the Polish occupiers, Yaroslavl was on numerous occasions plundered by the forces of the pretender Dmitry. This led to a number of popular uprisings. Thus in early 1609 a Russian peasant army was formed to free as many of the Volga's cities as possible, including, amongst others, Vologda
Vologda
Vologda is a city and the administrative, cultural, and scientific center of Vologda Oblast, Russia, located on the Vologda River. The city is a major transport knot of the Northwest of Russia. Vologda is among the Russian cities possessing an especially valuable historical heritage...
and Yaroslavl.
Aleksander Józef Lisowski
Aleksander Józef Lisowski was a Polish-Lithuanian noble , commander of a mercenary group that after his death adopted the name "Lisowczycy." His coat of arms was Jeż ....
tried to bring the strategically important city of Yaroslavl under the power of the invaders. However, the majority of the city's citizens had withdrawn into the tradition centre of the city and found refuge behind the protective earthen wall, thus denying the Poles entry without a fight. Yet even when Litowski successfully (through deceit) managed to get behind this wall, he found that the citizens of Yaroslavl had retreated into their ancient wooden Kremlin and the two stone-built monasteries. The ensuing siege of Yaroslavl lasted until 22 May, but despite constant attempts to take the city, the Poles had to return to Moscow having not fulfilled their duty to bring Yaroslavl under direct control of their command.
Despite their failure at Yaroslavl, Polish forces remained in control of Moscow, and despite an attempt in 1610 by the Russian peasants' army to unseat the Poles from the Moscow Kremlin
Moscow Kremlin
The Moscow Kremlin , sometimes referred to as simply The Kremlin, is a historic fortified complex at the heart of Moscow, overlooking the Moskva River , Saint Basil's Cathedral and Red Square and the Alexander Garden...
, little was accomplished and their seemed no end in sight for the occupation of the Russian tsardom. One year later however Kuzma Minin and Prince Dmitry Pozharsky
Dmitry Pozharsky
For the ship of the same name, see Sverdlov class cruiserDmitry Mikhaylovich Pozharsky was a Rurikid prince, who led Russia's struggle for independence against Polish-Lithuanian invasion known as the Time of Troubles...
founded yet another peasants' army in Nizhny Novgorod
Nizhny Novgorod
Nizhny Novgorod , colloquially shortened to Nizhny, is, with the population of 1,250,615, the fifth largest city in Russia, ranking after Moscow, St. Petersburg, Novosibirsk, and Yekaterinburg...
, that on the way to Moscow, found itself stationed in Yaroslavl for many months. In this time from April to June 1612 Yaroslavl became the de-facto capital of the Russian state, since in this place the most important matters of state were settled until the eventual lieration of Moscow came. After its time in Yaroslavl the peasants' army moved on towards Moscow, and with thanks to the rest and help they had received voluntarily from the people of Yaroslavl, the army was able to liberate Moscow and finally put an end to the Polish-Lithuanian 'intervention' in the affairs of the Russian state.
Yaroslavl as a trading post and government centre
With the general economic revival of the Russian state's economy after the end of the Troubles, Yaroslavl continued to be an important trading post and retained its place on the route of numerous traditional trading routes from the West to East and vice versa. By way of the Volga trade was carried out with the lands of the OrientOrient
The Orient means "the East." It is a traditional designation for anything that belongs to the Eastern world or the Far East, in relation to Europe. In English it is a metonym that means various parts of Asia.- Derivation :...
, and it was not unheard of to see ships from India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
and China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
bringing goods to Europe by way of Yaroslavl. The northern trade route through the city ran to the port of Archangelsk in Russia's far north, whilst other Eastern trade lines ran East over the Urals to Siberia
Siberia
Siberia is an extensive region constituting almost all of Northern Asia. Comprising the central and eastern portion of the Russian Federation, it was part of the Soviet Union from its beginning, as its predecessor states, the Tsardom of Russia and the Russian Empire, conquered it during the 16th...
. The town benefited very much from its geographical location over the years and the wealth which business produced for the town helped ensure its prosperous future. In fact, in the 17th century a number of early industrial concerns were set up in the city, including a number of leather-working shops, in which around 700 people eventually came to work. Other trades for which Yaroslavl became a centre over the years were in the production of textiles, cosmetics (fragrances) and silver work.
As a result of the prosperity enjoyed by the city, Yaroslavl saw a huge expansion in the size of its population over the course of the 17th century, and by the end of this century, the town had a population of around 15,000 people, making it the second largest city of the Russian tsardom after Moscow. This period was also particularly important for the urban development of the city, because during the 17th century a multitude of stone-walled churches were built in the city; today these churches still form a major part of the old town's city centre. Work on most of these churches was begun with funds gifted to the city by rich local merchants, and thus they had a large say in what form the buildings would eventually take.
In 1658 Yaroslavl endured a disastrous fire which destroyed most of the city's few remaining wooden buildings, including the ancient Kremlin. From this point onwards the city began to develop in the same way as it has done up to this very day, as a city built almost exclusively out of brick and mortar.
At the beginning of the 18th century Yaroslavl finally began to transform itself from a trading post into a major industrial town; this largely came about because with the foundation by Peter the Great of Saint Petersburg
Saint Petersburg
Saint Petersburg is a city and a federal subject of Russia located on the Neva River at the head of the Gulf of Finland on the Baltic Sea...
in 1703, the importance of Archangelsk as a port on the Northern Ocean was drastically decreased, and the amount of trade being channeled through the city for export fell accordingly. Luckily, the wealth which Yaroslavl had amassed over its many years as an important trading post allowed it to invest great amounts of money into the development of the city's new industrial base, and thus make the city very attractive to new investors. In 1772 the textiles factory of Ivan Tames opened on the right bank of the Kotorosl. This plant was not only Yaroslavl's first major industrial enterprise, but also one of Russia's largest textiles producers. Amazingly this famous establishment still exists today under the name 'Textile factory 'Krasny Perekop' (russ. ). In addition to the rise in textile manufacturing, Yaroslavl's traditional position as a centre for skilled leatherwork remained unchanged.
In the 1770s, as a result of the city's economic development and ever rising population, the city became a major provincial centre, thus in the course of the Russian Empire
Russian Empire
The Russian Empire was a state that existed from 1721 until the Russian Revolution of 1917. It was the successor to the Tsardom of Russia and the predecessor of the Soviet Union...
's administrative reforms under Catherine the Great Yaroslavl, in 1777, became the centre of its own oblast, and in 1778 received its own grant of arms. In 1796 the city finally became the administrative centre from one of the empire's new governorate. As an administrative centre of the highest order, Yaroslavl, in 1778, received its own specially drawn out plan for urban development. This led to another wave of building works in the city, the results of which are still visible in the city today. With the Ilyanskaya Square and Church of Elijah the Prophet at its centre, the new plan called for the development of a network of long boulevards and streets which would be bordered by large classical style buildings and numerous city parks. A prominent example of this later development is the former House of Charity (built in 1786), which is now one of the buildings of the city's 'Demidov' State University.
For Yaroslavl the 19th meant a period of intensive building work, infrastructural development and industrialisation. In 1803 the 'School of Higher Sciences' was opened, this was the city's first educational institute and is recognised as the forerunner to the city's current state university. In 1812 the first permanent bridge (built near the Transfiguration Monastery) over the Kotorosl was finished, and by 1820 the city's Volga embankment was stabilised and turned into a large shaded promenade. Also, other major classicist building works were started, amongst which was the Governor's House (1821–1823) (today location of the city's gallery). In 1860 Yaroslavl was finally connected, through Moscow, via telegraph to the other major cities of Russia, and this was then soon followed, in 1870, by the building of Yaroslavl's first railway station and inauguration of Yaroslavl-Moscow railway. In 1873 the city gained a municipal waterworks and by 1900 an electrified tramway. Just before the end fo the 19th century in 1897, Yaroslavl had a recorded population of around 71,600 people.
The 20th century and Yaroslavl's millenium
Right up until the beginning of the First World War Yaroslavl remained a large industrial town with a well-developed municipal infrastructure. However, the effects of the 1917 October RevolutionOctober Revolution
The October Revolution , also known as the Great October Socialist Revolution , Red October, the October Uprising or the Bolshevik Revolution, was a political revolution and a part of the Russian Revolution of 1917...
were wide-reaching, and after the Russian Civil War
Russian Civil War
The Russian Civil War was a multi-party war that occurred within the former Russian Empire after the Russian provisional government collapsed to the Soviets, under the domination of the Bolshevik party. Soviet forces first assumed power in Petrograd The Russian Civil War (1917–1923) was a...
of 1917-1920 the city's economy suffered rather drastically; this led to a significant contraction on the city's population. The Yaroslavl Rebellion, which lasted from 6 to 21 July 1918 had particularly grave consequences. In this event a group of conservative activists tried to remove the newly-installed Bolshevik municipal authorities through an armed intervention. The rebels managed to secure a number of large parts of the city, however this led only to an assault by the Red Army which saw the city surrounded, cut off from supplies and bombarded day and night with artillery and air forces. The rebellion was eventually put down, and ended with official figues putting the number of deaths amongst the city's residents at about 600, in addition to which around 2,000 of the city's buildings were either destroyed or badly damaged.
The economy of Yaroslavl took part in the early Soviet Union's rash program of accelerated industrialisation. Milestones for this period include the opening of the city's first municipal power plant in 1926, the beginning of Synthetic rubber
Synthetic rubber
Synthetic rubber is is any type of artificial elastomer, invariably a polymer. An elastomer is a material with the mechanical property that it can undergo much more elastic deformation under stress than most materials and still return to its previous size without permanent deformation...
mass production in factory SK-1, the reestablishment of domestic production facilities for the production of automobile and aircraft tyres in the 1928-founded Yaroslavl Tyre Factory, and the opening of the rubber
Rubber
Natural rubber, also called India rubber or caoutchouc, is an elastomer that was originally derived from latex, a milky colloid produced by some plants. The plants would be ‘tapped’, that is, an incision made into the bark of the tree and the sticky, milk colored latex sap collected and refined...
-asbestos
Asbestos
Asbestos is a set of six naturally occurring silicate minerals used commercially for their desirable physical properties. They all have in common their eponymous, asbestiform habit: long, thin fibrous crystals...
combined works in 1933. In addition to all this the Yaroslavl Automobile Works (founded 1916) continued to produce vehicles, including a number for the municipal trasport administration of Moscow, well into the 1930s.
During the years of the Second World War Yaroslavl managed to escape the prospect of a German occupation of the city, since the Wehrmacht
Wehrmacht
The Wehrmacht – from , to defend and , the might/power) were the unified armed forces of Nazi Germany from 1935 to 1945. It consisted of the Heer , the Kriegsmarine and the Luftwaffe .-Origin and use of the term:...
did not manage to break through the Soviet defence lines surrounding Moscow
Moscow
Moscow is the capital, the most populous city, and the most populous federal subject of Russia. The city is a major political, economic, cultural, scientific, religious, financial, educational, and transportation centre of Russia and the continent...
. However, due to its location as a large transportation hub, and since the 1913-built railway bridge over the Volga in Yaroslavl was the only point at which to cross the river, the city became a major target for air raid
Air raid
Air raid refers to an attack by aircraft. See strategic bombing or the smaller-scale airstrike.Air raid may also refer to:*Air Raid , by the improvisational collective Air...
s during 1942-1943. During the one of the heaviest of all these raids on 11 June 1943 over 120of the city's inhabitants were killed, whilst another 150 or so were badly injured. In addition to this around 200 buildings (including one of the tyre factory's main workshops) were completely destroyed. Most of the city's industry, including the automobile, tyre and textile plants, were converted, during the war, to produce armament and equipment for the Soviet Red Army. Overall about 200,000 people from the Yaroslavl area died on the fronts during World War II. This sacrifice is today memorialised through a monument and eternal flame which was opened near the mouth of the Kotorosl River in 1968.
During the Blockade of Leningrad a great number of children, who were brought over the frozen Lake Ladoga
Lake Ladoga
Lake Ladoga is a freshwater lake located in the Republic of Karelia and Leningrad Oblast in northwestern Russia, not far from Saint Petersburg. It is the largest lake in Europe, and the 14th largest lake by area in the world.-Geography:...
(the so-called Road of life
Road of Life
The Road of Life was the ice road transport route across the frozen Lake Ladoga, which provided the only access to the besieged city of Leningrad in the winter months during 1941–1944 while the perimeter in the siege was maintained by the German Army Group North and the Finnish Defence Forces. ...
) were evacuated to a safer new life in Yaroslavl. Yaroslavl was at the time also home to a camp for military prisoners of war 'Camp No. 276' for German soldiers imprisoned for taking part in hostilities against the Soviet Union.
In the second half of the century the industrialisation and development of the city took the foremost position in Yaroslavl's history. In 1961 an oil refinery was opened and from the 1960s a large number of residential districts began to spring up all over the city, including, for the first time in the city's history, on the left bank of the Volga, where development had traditionally not taken place. This left-bank development was further encouraged by the construction, in 1965, of a new Volga crossing for automobiles. In 1968 the city's population finally rose, for the first time, to over half a million inhabitants; it has been growing, almost constantly, ever since.
In July 2005 Yaroslavl's historic city centre was inscribed onto the list of UNESCO World Heritage Site
World Heritage Site
A UNESCO World Heritage Site is a place that is listed by the UNESCO as of special cultural or physical significance...
s. The support for this was in line with the list's second (a unique example of the combining of cultural and architectural styles between Western Europe and the Russian Empire) and fourth (a unique example of urban development influenced by the Municipal Planning Reform in Russia of Empress Catherine the Great 1763-1830). In the same year the preparations for the celebration of the millennium of Yaroslavl's foundation began; this was finally celebrated on the second weekend in September 2010. Under the conditions of the preparations for the city's 1000th year anniversary the municipal authorities invested a great deal of money into the development of the city's road and rail infrastructure, much of the funds for which were granted by the federal government in Moscow. Included in these preparations was the opening of a new bridge (in 2006) over the Volga; this is now known as the Jubilee Bridge. Also in August 2008 the newly built Yaroslavl Zoo was opened; this was then expanded further in 2010.
In 2009, Yaroslavl became a meeting place for global policy debates within the International Conference 'The Modern State and Global Security'. AKA Yaroslavl Global Policy Forum
Yaroslavl Global Policy Forum
Yaroslavl Global Policy Forum is a permanent international platform for on-going intellectual discussions and practical definition of directions of development of the modern state and its role in ensuring security and stability of the modern world....
. The conference in Yaroslavl gathered the most authoritative representatives of political science, business community as well as the representatives of the governments of a number of different states. Dmitry Medvedev, President of the Russian Federation, José Luis Zapatero, Prime Minister of Spain, Francois Fillon, Prime Minister of France were all participants at the Conference.
In 2010 Russian officials gathered together international authorities in Yaroslavl to discuss the challenges facing the modern state at the Global Policy Forum
Yaroslavl Global Policy Forum
Yaroslavl Global Policy Forum is a permanent international platform for on-going intellectual discussions and practical definition of directions of development of the modern state and its role in ensuring security and stability of the modern world....
for 'The Modern State: Standards of Democracy and Criteria of Efficiency'. In 2011 Yaroslavl will bring together participants from all over the world to discuss the 2011 agenda: 'The modern state in the age of social diversity'.
On 7 September 2011, most of the members of the city's KHL (ice hockey) team, Lokomotiv Yaroslavl
Lokomotiv Yaroslavl
Hockey Club Lokomotiv , also known as Lokomotiv Yaroslavl, is a Russian professional ice hockey team based in Yaroslavl. The name of the team is derived from its owner, Russian Railways, the national railroad operator....
, perished in an air crash
Lokomotiv Yaroslavl plane crash
The Lokomotiv Yaroslavl plane crash occurred at 16:05 MT on Wednesday, 7 September 2011, when a Yak-Service Yakovlev Yak-42, carrying the players and coaching staff of the Lokomotiv Yaroslavl professional ice hockey team, crashed near the Russian city of Yaroslavl...
on takeoff from Yaroslavl's Tunoshna Airport
Tunoshna Airport
Tunoshna is an airport in Yaroslavl Oblast, Russia located 18 km southeast of Yaroslavl. It services medium-sized airliners. It does not serve any scheduled airlines....
.
Symbols
Yaroslavl currently has a municipal coat of armsCoat of arms
A coat of arms is a unique heraldic design on a shield or escutcheon or on a surcoat or tabard used to cover and protect armour and to identify the wearer. Thus the term is often stated as "coat-armour", because it was anciently displayed on the front of a coat of cloth...
and flag
Flag
A flag is a piece of fabric with a distinctive design that is usually rectangular and used as a symbol, as a signaling device, or decoration. The term flag is also used to refer to the graphic design employed by a flag, or to its depiction in another medium.The first flags were used to assist...
which are both made up of two heraldic symbols. Both of these items are intrinsically linked with the legend surrounding the foundation of the city; the bear
Brown Bear
The brown bear is a large bear distributed across much of northern Eurasia and North America. It can weigh from and its largest subspecies, the Kodiak Bear, rivals the polar bear as the largest member of the bear family and as the largest land-based predator.There are several recognized...
and halberd
Halberd
A halberd is a two-handed pole weapon that came to prominent use during the 14th and 15th centuries. Possibly the word halberd comes from the German words Halm , and Barte - in modern-day German, the weapon is called Hellebarde. The halberd consists of an axe blade topped with a spike mounted on...
.
The first coat of arms of Yaroslavl was officially granted on 31 August 1778. At that time it was made up of a silver field upon which the form of a bear was placed, and which, with its left forepaw held a golden halberd. In 1856 the coat of arms was modified slightly, which left the traditional image of the halberd-carrying bear as it was, but added an imperial crown surmounted on top of the shield. In addition to his a sprig of golden oak leaves was aded to surround the shield, intertwined with the blue ribbon of the Order of Saint Andrew
Order of St. Andrew
The Order of St. Andrew the First-Called is the first and the highest order of chivalry of the Russian Empire.- Russian Empire :The Order was established in 1698 by Tsar Peter the Great, in honour of Saint Andrew, the first apostle of Jesus and patron saint of Russia...
. This form of the coat of arms was then left unaltered until 1918, just after the Bolsheviks came to power as a result of the October Revolution
October Revolution
The October Revolution , also known as the Great October Socialist Revolution , Red October, the October Uprising or the Bolshevik Revolution, was a political revolution and a part of the Russian Revolution of 1917...
. After the abolition of the tsarist municipal and provincial symbols by the newly installed Soviet
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
administration in Yaroslavl, the city received no new official symbols, and thus the situation remained until the end of the twentieth century. The third and current version of the city's coat of arms was adopted on 23 August 1995 by the municipal council. The colouring and form of the arms are taken from those of 1856, however the sprig of oak and ribbon of St Andrew were removed and have, as of yet, not been reintroduced to the symbols of the city. In addition to this, the imperial crown which previously surmounted the whole design has been replaced, in the current version by the Cap of Monomakh – a symbol of the Russian autocracy and an otherwise powerful symbol of the Russian state.
The municipal flag or banner of Yaroslavl was adopted on 22 May 1996. It is a simple design which simply depicts the coat of arms of the city (1995 version), which must take up at least one third of the flag's entire size, upon a light blue background. The whole flag is rectangular in shape.
Administration
The local government of Yaroslavl consists of the Mayoralty (russ. ), the head of which is the mayorMayor
In many countries, a Mayor is the highest ranking officer in the municipal government of a town or a large urban city....
, and the Municipal Council , the members of which may cast votes at council meetings.
United Russia
United Russia is a centrist political party in Russia and the largest party in the country, currently holding 315 of the 450 seats in the State Duma. The party was founded in December 2001, through a merger of the Unity and Fatherland-All Russia parties...
party. Volonchunas was first elected under Yeltsin
Boris Yeltsin
Boris Nikolayevich Yeltsin was the first President of the Russian Federation, serving from 1991 to 1999.Originally a supporter of Mikhail Gorbachev, Yeltsin emerged under the perestroika reforms as one of Gorbachev's most powerful political opponents. On 29 May 1990 he was elected the chairman of...
and since then has been reelected to the position of mayor on four separate occasions. There are eight deputy mayors, each of which is responsible for a certain particular part of the city's public policy. Within each policy area there are about five or six operations' departments which are all subordinated to their policy area's deputy. For example, under the deputy's office for social policy and culture there are six departments: Social Insurance and Employment, Physical fitness and Sport,Youth policy, Education, Health policy, and Culture policy.
The Municipal Council of the city makes up the administration's legislative branch, thus effectively making it a city 'parliament' or duma
Duma
A Duma is any of various representative assemblies in modern Russia and Russian history. The State Duma in the Russian Empire and Russian Federation corresponds to the lower house of the parliament. Simply it is a form of Russian governmental institution, that was formed during the reign of the...
. The municipal council is made up of 36 elected members, who are each elected to represent a certain district of the city for a four year term. In the regular meetings of the municipal council, problems facing the city are discussed, and annually the city's budget is drawn up. The council also has a court of audit
Court of Audit
A Court of Audit or Court of Accounts is a Supreme audit institution, i.e. a government institution performing financial and/or legal audit A Court of Audit or Court of Accounts is a Supreme audit institution, i.e. a government institution performing financial and/or legal audit A Court of Audit or...
and four standing commissions which play an important role in controlling the finances and trading practices of the city and its merchants.
Each of the city's six districts has its own district administration, all of which are ultimately part of the city's mayoralty. In addition to the city's own authorities, the authorities and legislature of the Yaroslavl Oblast
Yaroslavl Oblast
Yaroslavl Oblast is a federal subject of Russia , which is located in the Central Federal District, surrounded by Tver, Moscow, Ivanovo, Vladimir, Kostroma, and Vologda Oblasts. This geographic location affords the oblast the advantages of proximity to Moscow and St. Petersburg...
can also be found in the city.
Sightseeing and culture
Yaroslavl is one of the eight city's of Russia's Golden Ring, a group of touristic, historic towns around Moscow. Yaroslavl is situated on the north-eastern side of this 'ring' and is the largest city in its chain. Whilst the city is best known for its architectural merits, it also has a relatively large repertoire of cultural attractions.Architecture
Despite the effects of the Russian civil warRussian Civil War
The Russian Civil War was a multi-party war that occurred within the former Russian Empire after the Russian provisional government collapsed to the Soviets, under the domination of the Bolshevik party. Soviet forces first assumed power in Petrograd The Russian Civil War (1917–1923) was a...
and a number of air-raids during the Second World War, the city of Yaroslavl has managed to retain a great deal of its 17th, 18th and 19th century urban substance. This has helped make the city recognisable as a monument to the architectural development and style of the Russian tsardom. The centre of the city, which covers an area of around 600 hectares has around 140 individual federally-protected architectural monuments. Since 2005, this ensamble, along with the Spaso-Preobrazhensky Monastery has been included on the list of UNESCO World Heritage Sites. Despite all this, there are a number of buildings of architectural merit which are located outside of the city centre.
Old town
The old town is effectively triangular in shape; this triangle is formed by the natural border provided to the south and east by the KotoroslKotorosl
The Kotorosl River is a right tributary of the Volga in the Yaroslavl Oblast of Russia. The river flows from Lake Nero near Rostov past Karabikha and enters the Volga in Yaroslavl. In the medieval ages, the river was highly important strategically, for it connected Rostov with major waterways of...
and Volga rivers, and on the land side by the geometric pattern of the street plan, which dates from the 18th and 19th centuries.
Constructed in 1506–1516 on the foundations of the original edifice dating back to 1216–1224. In the 16th century, the first stone wall is built around the monastery. It is from this monastery that an army of volunteers led by Minin and Prince Pozharsky set out to liberate Moscow from Polish invaders. In 1787, the monastery was closed and converted into a residence of the Yaroslavl and Rostov bishops. At that time, monastery buildings began to be reconstructed. New cells and the prior's chambers were built.
The most well-known building in the city is the 'Spaso-Preobrazhensky' ('Transfiguration of the Saviour') Cathedral of the Spassky (St Saviour) Monastery (russ. ). This monastery was originally founded in the 12th century and thus it, and its cathedral, are the oldest buildings in the city. The Transfiguration Cathedral itself, built in the year 1516, is the oldest detached building standing in the city, . Typical for a Russian monastery of the Middle Ages, the Spaso-Preobrazhensky Monastery in Yaroslavl was not built to be no more than a place of worship, but also to be a citadel
Citadel
A citadel is a fortress for protecting a town, sometimes incorporating a castle. The term derives from the same Latin root as the word "city", civis, meaning citizen....
and kremlin
Kremlin
A kremlin , same root as in kremen is a major fortified central complex found in historic Russian cities. This word is often used to refer to the best-known one, the Moscow Kremlin, or metonymically to the government that is based there...
in case, in times of war, there was a need for such a facility. This is still visible today as the monastery is surrounded by a thick 16th century, white-painted wall, complete with watchtowers and embattlements. Within these walls stand the magisterial churches, which, with their asymmetrically-ordered towers and beautifully decorated interiors, make for wonderful examples of traditional Russian sacral architecture. In addition to this there is a gatehouse church, with which the monastery's dungeons and treasury were connected. The monastery has long had a place in the history of Yaroslavl and continues, albeit nowadays as a museum, to play a significant role in the life of the city. It was largely thanks to the impregnability of the monastery that, during the time of the Troubles, the Russian peasants' army was able to defend the city and then go on to liberate Moscow from its Polish-Lithuanian occupiers. At the end of the 18th century, the oldest known text of the Tale of Igor's Campaign
The Tale of Igor's Campaign
The Tale of Igor's Campaign is an anonymous epic poem written in the Old East Slavic language.The title is occasionally translated as The Song of Igor's Campaign, The Lay of Igor's Campaign, and The Lay of...
, the most renknowned work of Russian-language literature from the Middle Ages, was found in the library of the SPaso-Preobrazhensky Monastery. This masterpiece is now on display as a permanent exhibition within the monastery, along with other works of the age and an exhibition showing the conditions an author of the era would have lived in.
The often hectic square which is to be found just beyond the north gate of the monastery (main gate), is called Bogolavyenskaya Square (Epiphany Square) . This name comes from the nearby Epiphany Church which is seated at the south end of the square, near the bank of the Kotorosl. This church, with its five domes, and traditional Russian sacral architecture, is a classic example of a medieval Russian church. However, interestingly, the church has a separate clock-tower which was built in accordance with the sacral-architectural style of Muscovy in the years 1684–1693; this all goes to make the church one of the most noticeable examples of 17th century architecture in the city. In addition to this, the beautiful fresco-work inside the church was carried out by local artists during the building of the church, and has remained, almost unchanged, to this day.
The two streets which lead off Bogolavyenskaya Square to the north-west are very good examples of the type of urban planning which was formulated for Yaroslavl in the 18th and 19th centuries. They were laid out in 1820–1821 as new boulevards to run around the historical city centre and were built on terrain previously occupied by a numer of earthen and wooden fortifications which dated from the 16th century. There was also a small defensive moat in this area, and after the infilling of the moat and removal of all other fortifications, the Spaso-Preobrazhensky monastery's defensive uses largely disappeared. This was, in general, not considered to be a great loss, as the requirement for such earth-works in order to maintain defensive readiness had long since been surpassed by other methods of securing a city by the point of their removal. The two municipal watchtowers which have been retained (the Vassily tower and Volga tower) were both positioned on the city's outer defensive walls which afforded them clear views of oncoming enemy forces.
Within the old defensive limits of the city one can find many other examples of classicism
Classical architecture
Classical architecture is a mode of architecture employing vocabulary derived in part from the Greek and Roman architecture of classical antiquity, enriched by classicizing architectural practice in Europe since the Renaissance...
, one important example of which would be the municipal trade rows 'Gostiny Dvor' – these were built in 1813–1818, not long after the clearing of the land upon which they now stand. The style of the building, made noticeable by its many ionic columns, is similar to that of many Russian trade rows and market halls built in the early to mid 19th century all over the country. This style is also very complimentary to the 1911-built neoclassical Volkov Theatre. At the end of Komsomolskaya Boulevard, upon which the trade rows are located, one finds themselves at 'Volkov Square' ; where the ring-boulevard makes a slight deviation to the north-eat and carries on towards 'Red Square' and the city's Volga embankment. Yaroslavl's Red Square does not have the same etymology as the likewise-named Red Square in Moscow
Red Square
Red Square is a city square in Moscow, Russia. The square separates the Kremlin, the former royal citadel and currently the official residence of the President of Russia, from a historic merchant quarter known as Kitai-gorod...
(the name of which stems from the old-Russian for 'beautiful square'), rather in Yaroslavl's case, its Red Square was first so-called in the 1920s, and was officially named in honour of the Soviet Red Guards
Red Army
The Workers' and Peasants' Red Army started out as the Soviet Union's revolutionary communist combat groups during the Russian Civil War of 1918-1922. It grew into the national army of the Soviet Union. By the 1930s the Red Army was among the largest armies in history.The "Red Army" name refers to...
. There are a number of buildings of historical interest on Red Square, one of which is the three-story building on the square's north side which once housed Yaroslavl's 'aristocrat's meeting house' , and is now the main building for the city's 'Demidov' State University. Furthermore, the square is also the location where the city's main fire department can be found; this is contained within a jugendstil building, built in 1911, and which has a large look-out tower, which even until the 1970s was actively used by the city's fire brigade.
To the east of the boulevard, within the borders of the former defensive earthworks, the architecturally-rich 'nucleus' of the old city is to be found; an area criss-crossed by many narrow, small streets, in the middle of which one of Yaroslavl's most well-recognised architectural monuments is to be found. This is the Church of Elijah the Prophet , which, in the same way as the Epiphany Church, is a very prominent example of the way in which the city developed in the 17th century. Before the completion of the church which currently stands in 1650, a number of other predecessor-churches stood on this spot. From these, the oldest dated back to the foundation of Yaroslavl and the reign of Yaroslav the Wise. The church, with its five onion domes, is a cross and dome style church, the architecture of which is typical of Muscovite designs, is particularly well known for its interior fresco paintings, which, despite a history which has seen great fires and disasters, have been kept in good condition. The frescos on the walls and ceilings were painted by around fifteen experienced artists from Yaroslavl and Kostroma
Kostroma
Kostroma is a historic city and the administrative center of Kostroma Oblast, Russia. A part of the Golden Ring of Russian towns, it is located at the confluence of the Volga and Kostroma Rivers...
around the year 1680. It is now clear to see that this complex collection of beautiful fresco-work is festooned with many references to the Old Testament
Old Testament
The Old Testament, of which Christians hold different views, is a Christian term for the religious writings of ancient Israel held sacred and inspired by Christians which overlaps with the 24-book canon of the Masoretic Text of Judaism...
. The square, upon which the church, with its clock tower and neighbouring chapel are situated, was in the early 19th century, according to the city's urban plan, to be the central square of Yaroslavl and the place upon which markets and national holidays would take place. Nowadays it is an area largely reserved for official events, with the other buildings surrounding the square all belonging to the municipal administration.
In general the streets of the city centre are characterised by the noticeable mix of classical and sacral architecture. There are a number of major public and commercial buildings of architectural merit in the centre of the city, amongst which are the 1785 'Governmental offices' building' and the Vakromeev House, which today houses the Yaroslavl Seminary for young priests. The Volga embankment is a good example of urban planning in the classicist style; built in the 1840s, this promenade walk has remained a favourite place for residents to take a stroll and relax ever since.
The southern part of the city centre, around the area where the Kotorosl and Volga intersect, is an area abundant in green park-like spaces. Until the 17th century this area was occupied by the wooden Yaroslavl Kremlin and is thus referred to nowadays as 'Wooden Town' . The Kremlin burnt down in 1658 and was never rebuilt. Close by the 1642 Church of Maria stood until its demolition in 1937, however, since 2004 the church was under reconstruction and was finally opened on 12 September 2010 by Patriarch Kirill.
Yaroslavl is the site of the Volkov Theatre (built 1750), the oldest theater in Russia, and the Demidovsky Pillar
Demidovsky Pillar, Yaroslavl
The Demidovsky Pillar in Yaroslavl is a bronze Doric column set up as a memorial to Pavel Grigoryevich Demidov - founder of the Yaroslavl Demidov School of Higher Sciences. It was set up on 6 March 1829 in Ilyinsky Square in Yaroslavl from funds given the town's inhabitants and other voluntary...
.
The city has many Russian Orthodox churches, one Russian Old Believers
Old Believers
In the context of Russian Orthodox church history, the Old Believers separated after 1666 from the official Russian Orthodox Church as a protest against church reforms introduced by Patriarch Nikon between 1652–66...
church, one Baptist church, one Lutheran church, one mosque
Mosque
A mosque is a place of worship for followers of Islam. The word is likely to have entered the English language through French , from Portuguese , from Spanish , and from Berber , ultimately originating in — . The Arabic word masjid literally means a place of prostration...
and one synagogue
Synagogue
A synagogue is a Jewish house of prayer. This use of the Greek term synagogue originates in the Septuagint where it sometimes translates the Hebrew word for assembly, kahal...
.
Theatre and cinema
Yaroslavl has three theatreTheatre
Theatre is a collaborative form of fine art that uses live performers to present the experience of a real or imagined event before a live audience in a specific place. The performers may communicate this experience to the audience through combinations of gesture, speech, song, music or dance...
s, the most famous of which is the 'Volkov Theatre', an institution which since 1911 has been housed in a large neoclassical building in the city's old town. Named after its founder, Fyodor Volkov
Fyodor Volkov
Fyodor Grigorievich Volkov was a Russian actor and founder of the first permanent Russian theater.The stepson of merchant Polushkin from Kostroma, Fyodor Volkov received a versatile education. He established the very first public theater in Yaroslavl in 1750, which would later bring fame to the...
, the theatre was first opened to the public in 1750, this making it Russia's first (by official figures) theatre. The Volkov Theatre still has a reputation for being one of Russia's most pioneering dramatic institutes and is considered, amongst the Russian acting community, to be one of the most prestigious playhouses in which to perform. Even though Volkov's original theatre troop only performed in Yaroslavl for a few months before then moving to Saint Petersburg
Saint Petersburg
Saint Petersburg is a city and a federal subject of Russia located on the Neva River at the head of the Gulf of Finland on the Baltic Sea...
(there was no reglar theatre company in Yaroslavl again until the beginning of the 19th century), the town is still recognised as the spiritual home of the Russian theatre and dramatics. Nowadays the Volkov Theatre has two stages and a combined amount of around 1000 seats for spectators. It is considered to be the most famous of the Russian provincial theatres.
Apart from the Volkov Theatre there are a number of other theatres in Yaroslavl, including the State Puppet Theatre (founded in 1927), a children's and youth theatre (Yaroslavl State Theatre for Young Spectators, founded 1984) and the Yaroslavl Chamber Theatre (founded 1999). In addition to these theatre the city also has a philharmonic (founded 1937) and a permanent circus
Circus
A circus is commonly a travelling company of performers that may include clowns, acrobats, trained animals, trapeze acts, musicians, hoopers, tightrope walkers, jugglers, unicyclists and other stunt-oriented artists...
(founded 1963).
There are around ten cinema
Cinema
Cinema may refer to:* Film, motion pictures or movies* Filmmaking, the process of making a film* Movie theater, a building in which films are shown* Cinema or Bommalattam, a Tamil film...
s in the city, the oldest of which 'Rodina' was built during the Soviet era in 1959. This particular theatre, despite maintaining its Soviet-era exterior, has been comprehensively modernised and is now even able to show 3D films. The city also has a number of large, modern multiplex cinemas, chief amongst which are those of the Russian cinema chains Cinema-Star and Kinomax.
Uncommon for a provincial Russian city, Yaroslavl has a large municipal Planetarium
Planetarium
A planetarium is a theatre built primarily for presenting educational and entertaining shows about astronomy and the night sky, or for training in celestial navigation...
. This was founded in 1948 and was situated, for a long time, in an old church. However, in April 2011, after two years of building works, the city's new 'Valentina Tereshkova
Valentina Tereshkova
Valentina Vladimirovna Tereshkova is a retired Soviet cosmonaut, and was the first woman in space. She was selected out of more than four hundred applicants, and then out of five finalists, to pilot Vostok 6 on the 16 June, 1963, becoming both the first woman and the first civilian to fly in...
' planetarium was opened to the public.
Global Policy Forum
In recent years Yaroslavl have become well known for the high-level political discourse it has hosted under the auspices of the Yaroslavl Global Policy Forum. This event, organised by the Russian government, and with the backing of President Dmitry MedvedevDmitry Medvedev
Dmitry Anatolyevich Medvedev is the third President of the Russian Federation.Born to a family of academics, Medvedev graduated from the Law Department of Leningrad State University in 1987. He defended his dissertation in 1990 and worked as a docent at his alma mater, now renamed to Saint...
, has been running since 2009 and represents one of the highest level political-diplomatic forums in the world today. It is the largest political science event organised in Russia, and is held on an annual basis, with a number of foreign officials appearing as participants each year. In the past for example, the French and Italian prime ministers Francois Fillon
François Fillon
François Charles Armand Fillon is the Prime Minister of France. He was appointed to that office by President Nicolas Sarkozy on 17 May 2007. He served initially until 13 November 2010 when he resigned from being prime minister before a planned cabinet reshuffle.On 14 November 2010, Sarkozy...
and Silvio Berlusconi
Silvio Berlusconi
Silvio Berlusconi , also known as Il Cavaliere – from knighthood to the Order of Merit for Labour which he received in 1977 – is an Italian politician and businessman who served three terms as Prime Minister of Italy, from 1994 to 1995, 2001 to 2006, and 2008 to 2011. Berlusconi is also the...
have been guests, as well as Spanish prime minister Jose Zapatero
José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero
José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero is a member of the Spanish Socialist Workers' Party . He was elected for two terms as Prime Minister of Spain, in the 2004 and 2008 general elections. On 2 April 2011 he announced he will not stand for re-election in 2012...
.
In 2011 Turkish president Abdullah Gül
Abdullah Gül
Dr. Abdullah Gül, GCB is the 11th and current President of the Republic of Turkey, serving in that office since 28 August 2007. He previously served for four months as Prime Minister from 2002-03, and as Minister of Foreign Affairs from 2003-07....
was received as a guest participant by the Russian authorities.
Yaroslavl was chosen to host the event due to its thousand year history of being a meeting point for people of all cultures, a significant trading post, and its former status as Russia's second largest city, within which a great number of foreign embassies were situated. The award of this forum to the city coincided with the city's millennium celebrations and thus it is commonly viewed by residents to have been a gift from the Russian president to the city which has helped raise the city's global profile.
In 2011 this event became headline news in a number of countries due to the unfortunate events which led to the deaths of around forty people (players, suppor staff, and air crew) from Yaroslavl's 'Lokomotiv' Ice Hockey team
Lokomotiv Yaroslavl
Hockey Club Lokomotiv , also known as Lokomotiv Yaroslavl, is a Russian professional ice hockey team based in Yaroslavl. The name of the team is derived from its owner, Russian Railways, the national railroad operator....
. President Medvedev was, at the time of the crash, attending the conference at Lokomotiv's home stadium 'Arena 2000', and specially postponed a number of important meetings to make sure he could travel to the crash site and meet with crash victims' relatives. Later Russian prime minister Vladimir Putin
Vladimir Putin
Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin served as the second President of the Russian Federation and is the current Prime Minister of Russia, as well as chairman of United Russia and Chairman of the Council of Ministers of the Union of Russia and Belarus. He became acting President on 31 December 1999, when...
also arrived in the city to pay his condolences.
Education
Yaroslavl has a large number of educational establishments which enclose all three levels of the Russian educational system: primary (ca. 20 establishments), middle (ca. 20 colleges and other secondary schools), and higher (8 state and 2 non-state funded higher educational institutions). In Yaroslavl one can study for both masters' and bachelors' level courses.Yaroslavl is currently home to the following state higher educational institutions: Yaroslavl 'Demidov' State University, Yaroslavl Technical University, Ushinskiy Pedagogical University, Yaroslavl State Medical Academy
Yaroslavl State Medical Academy
Yaroslavl State Medical Academy has been founded in 1944.At present, YSMA is the big regional center of excellent quality medical education and bio-medical research...
, Yaroslavl State Agricultural Academy, Yaroslavl State Institute for Theatrical Studies, Military School of Finance and Economics, and the Yaroslavl Higher School for Anti-Aircraft and Missile Defence. Amongst the non-state funded institutions for further education in the city is the International Academy for Business and New Technologies (MUBiNT), and also a number of branches from Moscow-based universities. In addition to these establishments, there is also the Yaroslavl Seminary, a large establishment for the training of new Russian Orthodox priests.
By the end of 2008 Yaroslavl had around 187 pre-school teaching and care groups registered within the city, within these there were around 22,700 places which were oversubscribed and thus filled by around 26,000 pre-school aged children. The number of registered children was around 78.7%, or around 0.4 % more than in 2007. At the beginning of the 2008-9 academic year the city had around 100 daytime general educational groups for children within which around 48,100 infants were registered. This figure was around 200 people less than in the previous year. According to the situation in 2010 around 16,000 people are to be found working in Yaroslavl's educational sector.
Transportation
Yaroslavl is situated at the crossing point of a number of major automotive, railRail transport in Russia
The Russian railways are one of the economic wonders of the 19th, 20th, and 21st century world. In length of track they are second globally to the railways of the United States. In volume of freight hauled, they are third behind the United States and China, using the standard measure of...
and riverboat routes. The M8
M8 highway (Russia)
The Russian route M8, also known as the Kholmogory Highway or Yaroslavl highway, is a major trunk road that links Moscow to the Russian North in general and the sea harbour of Arkhangelsk in particular...
(Moscow — Yaroslavl — Vologda
Vologda
Vologda is a city and the administrative, cultural, and scientific center of Vologda Oblast, Russia, located on the Vologda River. The city is a major transport knot of the Northwest of Russia. Vologda is among the Russian cities possessing an especially valuable historical heritage...
— Archangelsk) links the city to Moscow
Moscow
Moscow is the capital, the most populous city, and the most populous federal subject of Russia. The city is a major political, economic, cultural, scientific, religious, financial, educational, and transportation centre of Russia and the continent...
and also onwards to the north in the direction of Archangelsk. The city's two banks are connected by one major railway bridge and two bridges designed to carry automotive traffic (The Oktyabrskyj Bridge and Yubilejnyj Bridge). The smaller Kostrol river, on the other hand, is crossed by as many as four bridges for automobiles and one for railway traffic (built in 1896).
Automotive transport
In the last few years the authorities of Yaroslavl have been acting on the initiative to build a bypass around the city, for this reason the centre of the city is now largely free of freight transporters and other larger vehicles transiting through the city. In August 2010 the first piece of this new bypass was opened, it included an interchange, which connects the Yubilejnyj Bridge with the South-West Yaroslavl relief road.There is one railway bridge
Bridge
A bridge is a structure built to span physical obstacles such as a body of water, valley, or road, for the purpose of providing passage over the obstacle...
across the Volga and two road bridges; the second road bridge across the Volga was ready for use in October 2006.
Interurban and regional bus services depart from and arrive at the city's main bus terminal. The services run from this station serve a number of highly-populated areas as well as other villages and smaller towns located within Yaroslavl Oblast
Yaroslavl Oblast
Yaroslavl Oblast is a federal subject of Russia , which is located in the Central Federal District, surrounded by Tver, Moscow, Ivanovo, Vladimir, Kostroma, and Vologda Oblasts. This geographic location affords the oblast the advantages of proximity to Moscow and St. Petersburg...
such as Pereslavl-Zalesskij, Rybinsk
Rybinsk
Rybinsk is the second largest city of Yaroslavl Oblast, Russia, which lies at the confluence of the Volga and Sheksna Rivers. Population: It is served by Rybinsk Staroselye airport.-Early history:...
and Uglich
Uglich
Uglich is a historic town in Yaroslavl Oblast, Russia, which stands on the Volga River. Population: A local tradition dates the town's origins to 937. It was first documented in 1148 as Ugliche Pole...
. Larger cities served include Moscow
Moscow
Moscow is the capital, the most populous city, and the most populous federal subject of Russia. The city is a major political, economic, cultural, scientific, religious, financial, educational, and transportation centre of Russia and the continent...
, Saint Petersburg
Saint Petersburg
Saint Petersburg is a city and a federal subject of Russia located on the Neva River at the head of the Gulf of Finland on the Baltic Sea...
, Ufa
Ufa
-Demographics:Nationally, dominated by Russian , Bashkirs and Tatars . In addition, numerous are Ukrainians , Chuvash , Mari , Belarusians , Mordovians , Armenian , Germans , Jews , Azeris .-Government and administration:Local...
, Kostroma
Kostroma
Kostroma is a historic city and the administrative center of Kostroma Oblast, Russia. A part of the Golden Ring of Russian towns, it is located at the confluence of the Volga and Kostroma Rivers...
, Kazan
Kazan
Kazan is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Tatarstan, Russia. With a population of 1,143,546 , it is the eighth most populous city in Russia. Kazan lies at the confluence of the Volga and Kazanka Rivers in European Russia. In April 2009, the Russian Patent Office granted Kazan the...
, and Cherepovets
Cherepovets
Cherepovets is the largest city in Vologda Oblast, Russia, located on the bank of the Rybinsk Reservoir of the Sheksna River, a tributary of the Volga River. Population: 311,869 ; It is served by Cherepovets Airport.-Location:...
.
Rail transport
There are two major passenger railway stations: Yaroslavl-Glavny and Yaroslavl-Moskovsky. Electric shuttle trainTrain
A train is a connected series of vehicles for rail transport that move along a track to transport cargo or passengers from one place to another place. The track usually consists of two rails, but might also be a monorail or maglev guideway.Propulsion for the train is provided by a separate...
s go to Danilov
Danilov
Danilov , or Danilova is a common Russian last name and may refer to:-People:*Alexander Danilov , an Israeli pistol shooter...
, Rostov
Rostov
Rostov is a town in Yaroslavl Oblast, Russia, one of the oldest in the country and a tourist center of the Golden Ring. It is located on the shores of Lake Nero, northeast of Moscow. Population:...
, Alexandrov
Alexandrov
Alexandrov or Aleksandrov is a town in Vladimir Oblast, Russia, north-east of Moscow. Population: Alexandrov Sloboda served as the capital of Russia for three months under Tsar Ivan the Terrible until he agreed to return his court and the relics of Moscow which he had taken with him...
, Nerekhta
Nerekhta
Nerekhta is a town in Kostroma Oblast, Russia. Population: It has been known since the early 13th century. The town does not retain many marks of antiquity, apart from several 17th-century churches. It has been known for its textiles since the 19th century...
, and Kostroma
Kostroma
Kostroma is a historic city and the administrative center of Kostroma Oblast, Russia. A part of the Golden Ring of Russian towns, it is located at the confluence of the Volga and Kostroma Rivers...
. Diesel shuttle trains go to Rybinsk
Rybinsk
Rybinsk is the second largest city of Yaroslavl Oblast, Russia, which lies at the confluence of the Volga and Sheksna Rivers. Population: It is served by Rybinsk Staroselye airport.-Early history:...
and Ivanovo
Ivanovo
Ivanovo is a city and the administrative center of Ivanovo Oblast, Russia. Population: Ivanovo has traditionally been called the textile capital of Russia. Since most textile workers are women, it has also been known as the "City of Brides"...
. Also, many long-distance passenger train
Train
A train is a connected series of vehicles for rail transport that move along a track to transport cargo or passengers from one place to another place. The track usually consists of two rails, but might also be a monorail or maglev guideway.Propulsion for the train is provided by a separate...
s go through Yaroslavl. The city is connected to Moscow by a fast electric train service (sitting places only) called 'Express'.
The directorate of the Northern Railway is located in Yaroslavl on the city's Volga Embankment..
Air transport
Yaroslavl is home to the Tunoshna airport, which was a former Cold WarCold War
The Cold War was the continuing state from roughly 1946 to 1991 of political conflict, military tension, proxy wars, and economic competition between the Communist World—primarily the Soviet Union and its satellite states and allies—and the powers of the Western world, primarily the United States...
airbase, the Yaroslavl Levtsovo
Yaroslavl Levtsovo
Yaroslavl/Levtsovo is an air base in Yaroslavl Oblast, Russia located 5 km north of Yaroslavl. It services An-2 small transport aircraft and Mi-8 helicopters....
air base, and the smaller Karachika aerodrome (all of these airfields are located outside of the city limits). Tunoshna airport, which holds the status of an international airport is able to cater for a number of varied aircraft types, including the An-124 «Ruslan» and the Il-96-300. From 1 April 2011 regular air traffic between Moscow, Saint Petersburg and Yaroslavl has been restored thanks to the establishment of the Dexter air company., иные регулярные рейсы отсутствуют. Levtsovo airport is primarily used to cater for aircraft like the An-2, Mi-2
MI-2
MI-2 or Mi-2 can refer to:* Michigan's 2nd congressional district* Mil Mi-2, an armored helicopter* Mission: Impossible II* Anti-Mi-2 antibodies...
, or Mi-8
MI-8
MI-8 may refer to:* MI8, the WWII British signals intelligence agency* Mil Mi-8, the Soviet-designed helicopter* Mitten im 8en, an Austrian TV soap/comedy series* Black Chamber, the United States' first peacetime cryptanalytic organization...
and is in general rarely used for passenger flights. The Yaroslavl Air Club (one of Russia's oldest air clubs and the place from which Valentina Tereshkova
Valentina Tereshkova
Valentina Vladimirovna Tereshkova is a retired Soviet cosmonaut, and was the first woman in space. She was selected out of more than four hundred applicants, and then out of five finalists, to pilot Vostok 6 on the 16 June, 1963, becoming both the first woman and the first civilian to fly in...
first began to attend flight training) is based at Karachika aerodrome.
Maritime transport
Yaroslavl's river port has an annual import average of around 3.5 million tonnes of freight a year. Climatic conditions allow the port to be used for six months of the year, from May to later October. The river port caters not only for larger river cruise ships which stop off in the city as part of their journey up/down the Volga, but also to a number of regular services which link Yaroslavl with Brejtovo, Tolga, Konstantinovo, Bakarevo, and Novye Chentsy.Urban transport
The city has a well-developed network of public transportPublic transport
Public transport is a shared passenger transportation service which is available for use by the general public, as distinct from modes such as taxicab, car pooling or hired buses which are not shared by strangers without private arrangement.Public transport modes include buses, trolleybuses, trams...
ation, including bus
Bus
A bus is a road vehicle designed to carry passengers. Buses can have a capacity as high as 300 passengers. The most common type of bus is the single-decker bus, with larger loads carried by double-decker buses and articulated buses, and smaller loads carried by midibuses and minibuses; coaches are...
es, trolley-buses
Trolleybus
A trolleybus is an electric bus that draws its electricity from overhead wires using spring-loaded trolley poles. Two wires and poles are required to complete the electrical circuit...
and tram
Tram
A tram is a passenger rail vehicle which runs on tracks along public urban streets and also sometimes on separate rights of way. It may also run between cities and/or towns , and/or partially grade separated even in the cities...
lines. Bellow there is a table showing how many people used different types of transport in a number of given years (millions of people):
| 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Municipal and private bus services | 65.4 | 64.9 | 74.5 |
| Trams | 24.6 | 19.7 | 16.3 |
| Trolleybuses | 43.5 | 35.7 | 30.4 |
Bus transport is by far the most popular means of urban transportation used by the residents of Yaroslavl. In fact every day, over 600 different routes are run by a large consortium of both small and large buses and private taxis.
The Yaroslavl tram system is one of the oldest in Russia and has been in existence since 1900. In 2011, this system is currently made up of four routes which run through various parts of the city. Starting in 2004 the number of routes run by trams throughout the city has been steadily reduced, and whilst in 2006 trams could be found in both the historic city centre and the Krasnoperekopskij District, the routes serving these areas have now disappeared altogether. Whilst at the beginning of the 21st century the number of tram cars used by the Yaroslavl tram system stood at around 100, this has now fallen (by 2011) to just 43.
The city's urban transport network also runs a fleet of trolleybuses which run along nine different routes, and have done since the year 1949. Every day 88 trolleybuses are to be found in use around Yaroslavl, along together with around 227 normal municipal buses.
Sports
FC Shinnik YaroslavlFC Shinnik Yaroslavl
FC Shinnik Yaroslavl is a Russian football club, based in Yaroslavl.From 1957 to 1960 the team was called Khimik.- Russia:- Current squad :, according to the .-Out on loan:- Notable players :...
is an association football club based in Yaroslavl. It plays in the Russian First Division. The city also hosts the Lokomotiv Yaroslavl
Lokomotiv Yaroslavl
Hockey Club Lokomotiv , also known as Lokomotiv Yaroslavl, is a Russian professional ice hockey team based in Yaroslavl. The name of the team is derived from its owner, Russian Railways, the national railroad operator....
ice hockey team, which became the champion of Russia in 1996–1997, 2001–2002, and 2002–2003. All players on the team were killed on 7 September 2011, when the plane in which they were travelling for their first match of the season crashed
Lokomotiv Yaroslavl plane crash
The Lokomotiv Yaroslavl plane crash occurred at 16:05 MT on Wednesday, 7 September 2011, when a Yak-Service Yakovlev Yak-42, carrying the players and coaching staff of the Lokomotiv Yaroslavl professional ice hockey team, crashed near the Russian city of Yaroslavl...
on take off from Yaroslavl airport.
A new football stadium is to be built in Yaroslavl in readiness for the 2018 FIFA World Cup
2018 FIFA World Cup
The bidding process for the 2018 and 2022 FIFA World Cups was the process by which the locations for the 2018 and 2022 FIFA World Cups were selected. The process began officially in March 2009; eleven bids from thirteen countries were received, including one which was withdrawn and one that was...
which Russia will host.
City divisions
Yaroslavl is divided into six city districts. The centre is located on the northern bank of the Kotorosl River, where it converges with the Volga on the Volga's western bank. The centre is the economic and political hub of the city. It is also the oldest district in the city and where it was first settled. The centre contains the majority of landmarks and attractions in the city, including the Volkov Theatre, the Church of Elijah the Prophet, the football stadium,and the Volga embankment and the monastery, which is often mistakenly called the kremlin. Pyatyorka is located north of the centre but is still under its administrative jurisdiction. Pyatyorka is largely a residential region with very few notable sites, aside from a few houses of culture.Across the Kotorosl lie Frunzensky and Krasnoperekopsky City Districts, which are divided by Moskovsky Avenue. Frunzensky is a relatively new district, constructed in the post-war era. Most of the buildings are of typical grey Soviet construction. Frunzensky City District is divided into three microdistrict
Microdistrict
Microdistrict, or microraion , is a residential complex—a primary structural element of the residential area construction in the Soviet Union and in some post-Soviet and former Communist states...
s: Suzdalka, Dyadkovo, and Lipovaya Gora.
Krasnoperekopsky City District is one of the oldest parts in Yaroslavl. Before the 1917 Revolution, it was home to the bulk of Yaroslavl's industry, and a good deal of industry remains today. Krasnoperekopsky City District is divided into two microdistricts, one of which is Neftestroy, an up-and-coming region, named for its proximity to Yaroslavl's oil refinery. Neftestroy is home to the newly built hockey arena, and there were plans to build an indoor football stadium there by the millennial anniversary of Yaroslavl's founding in 2010. On the other side of the railway tracks that run through Krasnopereposky City District lies the Perekop proper. Today, Perekop is known as one of the most dangerous areas of Yaroslavl. It consists largely of run-down, pre-Soviet izba
Izba
An izba is a traditional Russian countryside dwelling. A type of log house, it forms the living quarters of a conventional Russian farmstead. It is generally built close to the road and inside a yard, which also encloses a kitchen garden, hayshed, and barn within a simple woven stick fence...
s and decaying factory buildings. There are plans to pump life into this depressed district, but at the time of writing, it remains extremely impoverished and dangerous. Much of Yaroslavl's mafia grew out of Perekop. However, Perekop offers some of Yaroslavl's most beautiful parks and churches, most notably the Church of Saint John the Baptist
St. John the Baptist Church, Yaroslavl
St. John the Baptist Church in Yaroslavl is considered to be the acme of the Yaroslavl school of architecture. It was built in 1671-1687 on the bank of Kotorosl river in the Tolchkovo sloboda which at that time was the largest and wealthiest part of the town.Its walls and dome drums are covered...
, which is located next to a paint factory on the Kotorosl embankment; and Peter and Paul's Cathedral, a Protestant-style Orthodox church.
Felix Edmundovich Dzerzhinsky
Felix Edmundovich Dzerzhinsky was a Communist revolutionary, famous as the first director of the Bolshevik secret police, the Cheka, known later by many names during the history of the Soviet Union...
, founder of the Cheka, the Soviet secret police. Dzerzhinsky City District's core microdistrict is Bragino, named after a small village that was eventually consumed by Yaroslavl's post-war expansion. Bragino is the largest area in Yaroslavl in terms of population, but like Frunzensky City District, it is largely a residential area, mostly consisting of middle- to lower-middle income families.
On the other bank of the Volga lies Zavolzhsky City District. This city district was Yaroslavl's quietest and most rural area, but now it is one of the most dynamic parts or the city with expansive new buildings with big hypermarkets, such as "Globus" and "Real." Beautiful birch and evergreen forests separate apartment blocks.
Notable residents
- Aleksandr LyapunovAleksandr LyapunovAleksandr Mikhailovich Lyapunov was a Russian mathematician, mechanician and physicist. His surname is sometimes romanized as Ljapunov, Liapunov or Ljapunow....
, Russian mathematician and physicist, made great contributions to the theory of differential equations. - Maksim TarasovMaksim TarasovMaksim Vladimirovich Tarasov is a retired pole vaulter who represented the USSR, the Unified Team, and later Russia. His personal best jump is 6.05 metres, which puts him third in the all-time performers list .- Achievements :-References: - IAAF...
, a pole vaulter, Olympic Champion. - Valentina TereshkovaValentina TereshkovaValentina Vladimirovna Tereshkova is a retired Soviet cosmonaut, and was the first woman in space. She was selected out of more than four hundred applicants, and then out of five finalists, to pilot Vostok 6 on the 16 June, 1963, becoming both the first woman and the first civilian to fly in...
, the first woman in space, was born in a nearby village and went to school in Yaroslavl. - Andrei KhomutovAndrei KhomutovAndrei Valentinovich Khomutov was a Soviet ice hockey right winger and is currently the head coach of Barys Astana of the Kontinental Hockey League and Kazakhstan national team. He played for CSKA Moscow from 1979–1990, then in Switzerland for HC Fribourg-Gottéron from 1990-1998...
, member of the Soviet national hockey team that won countless World Championships and the 1981 Canada Cup1981 Canada CupThe 1981 Canada Cup was the second best-on-best ice hockey world championship and involved the world's top six hockey nations. Tournament games were held in Edmonton, Winnipeg, Montreal and Ottawa. The Soviet Union defeated Canada in a single game final to win its first title, while Soviet...
. - Fyodor VolkovFyodor VolkovFyodor Grigorievich Volkov was a Russian actor and founder of the first permanent Russian theater.The stepson of merchant Polushkin from Kostroma, Fyodor Volkov received a versatile education. He established the very first public theater in Yaroslavl in 1750, which would later bring fame to the...
, founder of the first Russian theatre. - Nikolai Nekrasov and Leonid Trefolev, poets.
- Leonid SobinovLeonid SobinovLeonid Vitalyevich Sobinov , was an acclaimed Imperial Russian operatic tenor. His fame continued unabated into the Soviet era, and he was made a People's Artist of the RSFSR in 1923...
, opera singer. - Konstantin UshinskyKonstantin UshinskyKonstantin Dmitrievich Ushinsky was a Russian teacher and writer, credited as the founder of scientific pedagogy in Russia .Konstantin Ushinsky was born in Tula to a family of a retired officer. Soon the family moved to Novhorod-Siverskyi where Konstantin's father was appointed an uyezd judge...
, founder of Russian pedagogics. - Boris Vinogradsky, MD, FACS, surgeon, now working in Cleveland, Ohio, USA, Chairman of the Board of the Russian American Medical AssociationRussian American Medical AssociationThe Russian American Medical Association is a non-profit organization of Russian American physicians founded in 2002 with a mission to facilitate and enable Russian American physicians and health care professionals to excel in patient care, teaching and research, and to pursue their aspirations in...
. - Elena GroshevaElena GroshevaYelena Nikolayevna Grosheva is a Russian gymnast.At the age of 5 she took up gymnastics and showed a natural talent for the sport. Then in 1992, she was sent to Round Lake to train as part of the National Team...
, Olympic Gymnast (Silver Medalist, Atlanta 1996). - Denis GrebeshkovDenis GrebeshkovDenis Sergeyevich Grebeshkov is a Russian professional ice hockey defenceman who is currently playing in the Kontinental Hockey League . He last played for the Nashville Predators of the National Hockey League .-Playing career:...
, hockey player for the Nashville PredatorsNashville PredatorsThe Nashville Predators are a professional ice hockey team based in Nashville, Tennessee. They are members of the Central Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League...
. - Lyubov IvanovskayaLyubov IvanovskayaLyubov Andreyevna Ivanovksaya , born 20 June 1989, is a professional Russian triathlete from Yaroslavl and a permanent member of the Russian National Elite Team.- Sports career :Lyubov Ivanovskaya attended a high performance sports school in Yaroslavl, the Специализированная...
Russian triathlete. - Artemy TroitskyArtemy TroitskyArt, Artem, Artemiy or Artemy Troitsky is a Russian journalist, music critic, concert promoter, broadcaster, and an academic who has taught classes on music journalism at Moscow State University. He was born in Yaroslavl, then in the Soviet Union...
, rock critic. - Alexander VasyunovAlexander VasyunovAlexander Sergeevich Vasyunov was a Russian ice hockey player who played for Lokomotiv Yaroslavl in the Kontinental Hockey League.Alexander Vasyunov was a prospect for the New Jersey Devils in the NHL. Vasyunov died on September 7, 2011 in a plane crash, along with his entire Lokomotiv team, just...
, former hockey player for the New Jersey DevilsNew Jersey DevilsThe New Jersey Devils are a professional ice hockey team based in Newark, New Jersey, United States. They are members of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League...
, victim of the Lokomotiv Yaroslavl plane crashLokomotiv Yaroslavl plane crashThe Lokomotiv Yaroslavl plane crash occurred at 16:05 MT on Wednesday, 7 September 2011, when a Yak-Service Yakovlev Yak-42, carrying the players and coaching staff of the Lokomotiv Yaroslavl professional ice hockey team, crashed near the Russian city of Yaroslavl...
. - Artem AnisimovArtem AnisimovArtem Alekseevich Anisimov is a Russian professional ice hockey center currently playing for the New York Rangers of the National Hockey League .-Playing career:The young forward is a product of the Lokomotiv Yaroslavl hockey school...
, hockey player New York RangersNew York RangersThe New York Rangers are a professional ice hockey team based in the borough of Manhattan in New York, New York, USA. They are members of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League . Playing their home games at Madison Square Garden, the Rangers are one of the...
. - Aleksandr Petrov (animator), world famous animator, Oscar winner.
Twin towns/sister cities
Yaroslavl has twin townTown twinning
Twin towns and sister cities are two of many terms used to describe the cooperative agreements between towns, cities, and even counties in geographically and politically distinct areas to promote cultural and commercial ties.- Terminology :...
ties with:
| Burlington, United States United States The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district... Coimbra Coimbra Coimbra is a city in the municipality of Coimbra in Portugal. Although it served as the nation's capital during the High Middle Ages, it is better-known for its university, the University of Coimbra, which is one of the oldest in Europe and the oldest academic institution in the... , Portugal Portugal Portugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the... Da Nang Da Nang Đà Nẵng , occasionally Danang, is a major port city in the South Central Coast of Vietnam, on the coast of the South China Sea at the mouth of the Han River. It is the commercial and educational center of Central Vietnam; its well-sheltered, easily accessible port and its location on the path of... , Vietnam Vietnam Vietnam – sometimes spelled Viet Nam , officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam – is the easternmost country on the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia. It is bordered by China to the north, Laos to the northwest, Cambodia to the southwest, and the South China Sea –... Kazan Kazan Kazan is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Tatarstan, Russia. With a population of 1,143,546 , it is the eighth most populous city in Russia. Kazan lies at the confluence of the Volga and Kazanka Rivers in European Russia. In April 2009, the Russian Patent Office granted Kazan the... , Russia Russia Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects... (Since 2003) |
Exeter Exeter Exeter is a historic city in Devon, England. It lies within the ceremonial county of Devon, of which it is the county town as well as the home of Devon County Council. Currently the administrative area has the status of a non-metropolitan district, and is therefore under the administration of the... , United Kingdom United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages... Hanau Hanau Hanau is a town in the Main-Kinzig-Kreis, in Hesse, Germany. It is located 25 km east of Frankfurt am Main. Its station is a major railway junction.- Geography :... , Germany Germany Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate... Jyväskylä Jyväskylä Jyväskylä is the capital of Central Finland and the largest city on the Finnish Lakeland, north-east of Tampere and north of Helsinki, on northern coast of lake Päijänne. The city has been continuously one of the most rapidly growing cities in Finland since World War II. The city is surrounded... , Finland Finland Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside... |
Kassel Kassel Kassel is a town located on the Fulda River in northern Hesse, Germany. It is the administrative seat of the Kassel Regierungsbezirk and the Kreis of the same name and has approximately 195,000 inhabitants.- History :... , Germany Germany Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate... Poitiers Poitiers Poitiers is a city on the Clain river in west central France. It is a commune and the capital of the Vienne department and of the Poitou-Charentes region. The centre is picturesque and its streets are interesting for predominant remains of historical architecture, especially from the Romanesque... , France France The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France... Palermo Palermo Palermo is a city in Southern Italy, the capital of both the autonomous region of Sicily and the Province of Palermo. The city is noted for its history, culture, architecture and gastronomy, playing an important role throughout much of its existence; it is over 2,700 years old... , Italy Italy Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and... |
External links
- Virtual Panoramas
- Yaroslavl Internet magazine about real life in Yaroslavl (in English)
- Panoramas of Yaroslavl
- Contemporary architecture of Yaroslavl
- Photos
- Volkov theater
- Yaroslavl Millennium project 2010
- Yarslavl - 1000 Glorious years (in English)
- Yaroslavl-Online - An English Language site about Yaroslavl (in English)
- Photo Gallery and Guide on Yaroslavl (in German)