Yaroslavl

Yaroslavl.

Yaroslavl is considered to be a pearl in the "Golden Ring" of ancient Russian cities situated to the north and east of Moscow.

In winter and summer, in spring and autumn thousands of tourists visit the city to see unique architectural ensembles and monuments, masterpieces of painting, to walk along the Volga Embankment in the shadow of age-old lindens and along broad Yaroslavl avenues. They come to here many interesting facts about the events of ancient time and our days.

High right bank of the Volga river at the confluence of the broad majestic river and the small Kotorosl river is the place of beginning ages long history of Yaroslavl. About a thousand years ago in 1010 Rostov Prince Yaroslav (later Yaroslav the Wise) founded a fortress here in order to strengthen his territory around the greatest centres of the north-east Rus - Rostov Veliky and to secure safety of the water ways. He named his fortress after himself. In the X-th century before the foundation of the fortress a settlement of pagans was located in this place called Medvezhy Ugol (Bears Corner). Its inhabitants were descendants of Ugro-Finnish tribes mixed with Slav people. They were engaged in hunting and fishing. According to the legend Prince Yaroslav killed their sacred animal a Bear and subjugated the pagans. The legend about this event found its representing inn the symbol of the city "On a silver shield a Bear is represented standing and holding a gold pole-axe in the left paw".

Yaroslavl was thought to be the stronghold of Prince's power, the centre of Christianity and later feodalization of the Upper Volga land. At those times this land was a part of Ancient Russian State with Kiev as a capital.

Yaroslavl has an extremely advantageous strategical location. High steep banks of Volga and Kotorosl and deep Bear Ravine provided a natural safety of this cape (the territory of today's Strelka). Prince Yaroslavl ordered to build wooden walls and towers here. This geographical position made it possible to keep in view caravans of merchant vessels and enemies approaching the fortress.

In the period of disintegration of the ancient Russian State (XII century) Yaroslavl was a small watch-post on the dangerous outskirts of independent Rostov-Syzdal Principality, Volga watch-tower of the elder brother Rostov Veliky. However in 1218 Yaroslavl became the capital of independent self-governing principality.

In Rubleny Gorod (timber buildings made up with the help of axes) the residence of the Prince dwelling houses and churches began to be built. The first stone buildings and majestic churches were erected on the territory of Kremlin and in Spasso-Preobrazhensky monastery which was located out of the town at that time.

The splendid development of the rich city on the Volga river was interrupted by the Tatar-Mongol invasion for many years. Like many other Russian cities Yaroslavl was burnt to ashes but did not surrendered to the enemy. Numerous uprisings took place everywhere. One of these uprisings on July 3 1257 left a sad memory behind, it is the "Tugovaya Gora", a hill near the Kotorosl river. In the old slavonic language this meant "The Hill of Sorrow". Actually this is the place where our forefathers found their graves in the struggle for freedom of the motherland.

Uprisings in the individual cities and principalities against the Tatar-Mongol invasion failed because of disintegration of ancient Rus. At the end of the XIVth century Prince of the Moscow Principality Dmitri succeeded in organizing a great host and won the battle with conqueror. In the battle ofKulikovo Yaroslavl "druzhina" (host) stood to the last man at the left flank of unified Russian army.

In 1463 Yaroslavl principality became a part of the Moscow principality. The beginning of the XVIth century was marked by large-scale construction in Yaroslavl. In the Kremlin a new Dormition Cathedral was erected instead of the ruined Prince's Church of the XIIIth century. It was the time of beginning the construction majestic ensemble of stone structures decorated with frescoes in the rich Spasso-Preobrazhensky monastery. The most part of "posads" round the Rubleny Gorod was surrounded by a rampart (later strengthened by towers).

A number of commerce and handicraft "slobodas" and "posads" came into being beyond the "Zemlyanoi Gorod" ("earthen town"). The names of these settlements depended upon the kind of activity of the inhabitants, they were Korovniki, Tolchkovo, Streletsky, Yamsky...

In the XVI-XVIIth centuries Yaroslavl turned to be an important centre of commercial relations of centralised Russian state with the East (along the Volga river) and the Europe (through Archangel, the only Russian sea-port at that time). Foreign merchants had their own trade houses in Yaroslavl ("podvorja") used for transporting goods to Moscow, Kostroma, Nizhny Novgorod and to Persia (Iran).

Handicraft industry was highly developed at that time and its production was much in demand throughout the country. The Volga river teemed with fish, sturgeon and beluga caviare brought a great income to the State treasury. In 1634 Yaroslavl held the third place in receiving commercial tax and the second place (after Moscow) in the population.

It is difficult to overstress the role of Yaroslavl in the defence of the country in liberating wars. During the Poland-Lithuania-Sweden intervention in the early XVIIIth century the city was a stronghold of Russian people's volunteer corps that threw the enemy away. The people's volunteer army of Minin and Pozharsky was disposed in Yaroslavl. The city was a temporary capital of the country. In the XVIIth century Yaroslavl was the second largest city in Russia (after Moscow). The famous church of the Prophet Elijah, the church of St.John the Baptist in Tolchkovo, the ensemble in Korovniki with unique frescoes were erected at that time.

The XVIIth century was really a "Golden Age" in the art of Yaroslavl and wrote one of the most brilliant and prominent pages in the history of ancient Russian culture. Numerous stone churches beautifully decorated with brickwork ornaments and colourful tiling were built at the expense of rich merchants and craftsmen who lived and worked in posads. The unique school of architecture and painting came into being and reached a high level of development at that time in Yaroslavl. Teams of Yaroslavl stonemasons and architects worked not only in their native town but also in Moscow, Vologda and further from Novgorod to Archangel.

In 1722 according to the decree of Peter the I one of the largest textile manufactory was established in the city. Since 1777 Yaroslavl became the centre of Yaroslavl vicegerency andsince 1796 - the centre of Yaroslavl province. In the rich personal library of the Spasso-Preobrazhensky monastery the unique manuscript of ancient Russian epic "The Lay of Igor's Host" was discovered in 1788.

There is no any other Russian city which possesses so many beautiful masterpieces of medieval wall painting. The Yaroslavl masters enriched the traditional Chistian themes with the elements of folk art and features derived from the life around them thus reflecting a new understanding of ideals close to craftsmen and merchants. They were closely connected with the life of their people they came from and painted in frescoes the scenes of everyday life : harvest time, ploughing, hunting, construction of a church, feasting, made illustrations of the popular literature subjects and thus depicted a varied life of Russia.

In the second half of the XVIII-th century many Russian cities became provinces and changed their image. Rearranging of architectural plan was carried out. Yaroslavl also acquired its master plan. The main architectural structures were taken into consideration while working out the entire composition , but the medieval plan of the city was changed. A new centre was created, three communicating squares became of major importance Elinskaya Square, Platsparade square (Demidov's park), Soborny square (near Strelka). New dwelling houses and official buildings were erected in classical style, the embauvment was also well built (1825-1835).

Since the foundation of St. Petersburg and a new Sea port Yaroslavl lost its former importance on the main commercial way of Russia to the West, and began to develop its industry. Textile manufacturing developed on the base of handicraft industry. By the beginning of the XIX century there were 12 manufactories and 69 pants in the city. In 1870-1898 the cultural traditions of Yaroslavl were rich. In 1750 F.Volkov established the first Russian professional theatre in Yaroslavl. The first Russian provincial magazine "Ujedineny Poshehonets" (1786) was published. One of the first important provincial newspapers "Severny Krai" (the end of the XIXth century) was issued and became popular far beyond the Yaroslavl province.

In XVIII-XIX centuries a number of educational establishments were apened in the city : primary school (1737), Slavonic-Latin seminary (1747), public school for all classes of population (1786), Demidov high School (1803) later Demidov Lyceum of Law, classic school (1803).
The churches of Yaroslavl in 1886.