!!!Golden Ring of Russia, City of Suzdal

by Stas Sedov and Dmitry Chistoprudov,
members of the [AirPano Team|Geography/About/Consortium/AirPano,_Team] that is a member of the [global-geography Consortium|Geography/About/Consortium]. \\

5 November 2014

with kind permission of [AirPano|http://www.AirPano.com]

Suzdal is one of the most striking and unique cities in Russia that has
preserved its ancient monuments. Suzdal was first mentioned in the year
1024 AD: it was the time when the local population rebelled after losing
their crops to drought. Kniaz (Prince) Yaroslav the Wise successfully
suppressed the rebellion, after which the city, located on the
picturesque banks of Kamenka River, began to actively grow and develop.

The city of Suzdal has been a capital of several "principalities for
three centuries. At that time, even Moscow was a secondary settlement.
Moreover, the first confirmed mentioning of Moscow is dated back to 1147
AD, when Yuri Dolgorukiy (literally Yuri the Long-Armed), the Kniaz of
Rostov and Suzdal, invited his allies to a town called Moscov.

[{Image src='01_Elias Church.jpg' caption='Elias Church' alt='' width='900' popup='false' height='465'}]

It is no wonder that such an important city has always been raided:
Tatar-Mongols, Crimean Tatars, Lithuanians, Poles, and even other
Russian rulers battled for the right to control Suzdal. On top of that,
the plague claimed nearly half of the population in the middle of the
17th century.

[{Image src='02_The Museum of Wooden Masterpieces.jpg' caption='The Museum of Wooden Masterpieces' alt='' width='900' popup='false' height='839'}]

Only when Russian history entered its peaceful period did the city of
Suzdal know peace as well. In the middle of the 19th century, a new
railroad bypassed Suzdal, which caused the decline of the industrial
development of the city, but on the other hand, it helped preserve its
original historical image.

[{Image src='03_The City of Suzdal.jpg' caption='The City of Suzdal' alt='' width='900' popup='false' height='601'}]

The construction of Christian monasteries started in Suzdal in the 16th
century with the building of the Kremlin fortress. Due to destructive
wars, only 5 of 11 originally built monasteries survived till the
beginning of the 19th century. However, even that was enough to make
Suzdal one of the largest religious centers of Russia.

[{Image src='04_Intercession (Pokrovsky) Monastery.jpg' caption='Intercession (Pokrovsky) Monastery' alt='' width='900' popup='false' height='586'}]

Now, the city of Suzdal is on the list of World Heritage Sites and is a
part of «Zolotoye Koltso» (The Golden Ring), a tourist route going along
the ring of ancient Russian cities that preserved their unique
historical and cultural monuments. It is prohibited to erect tall
buildings in Suzdal. The distinctive features of the museum-city are its
quiet, narrow streets, old wooden houses, and large number of churches.

[{Image src='05_Cathedral of the Nativity, Suzdal Kremlin.jpg' caption='Cathedral of the Nativity, Suzdal Kremlin' alt='' width='900' popup='false' height='637'}]

The Kremlin is the most famous landmark of Suzdal. Located on the
territory of the Kremlin, the Cathedral of the Nativity was built in
1222 — 1225 AD; it is the oldest building in the city. The female
Monastery of Deposition of the Robe is easy to spot near Kremlin, as its
72-meter-high bell tower is the tallest structure in Suzdal. By the way,
during the Tatar raid in 1238 when the city was almost completely burned
down and its residents were taken captive, the walls of the Monastery of
Deposition of the Robe withstood the overall destruction and harbored
few surviving local people.

[{Image src='06_The Museum of Wooden Masterpieces.jpg' caption='The Museum of Wooden Masterpieces' alt='' width='900' popup='false' height='692'}]

Built in 1240 AD by Alexadner Nevsky, the St. Alexander Convent is one
of the oldest structures; and the church of the Transfiguration is one
of the most important sites of the Suzdal Museum of Wooden
Masterpieces...

To be honest, the list of Sizdal's landmarks may fill up several pages:
there are dozens of churches and unique masterpieces of local
craftsmanship, and each and every one of them has its own story.

[{Image src='07_Elias Church.jpg' caption='Elias Church' alt='' width='900' popup='false' height='601'}]

However, first of all, this open-air museum must be admired for its
beauty, and the best way to do it is certainly from a bird's eye view.

\\ \\
[18 Panoramas of Suzdal_City|Geography/Asia/Russia/Pictures/Panoramas_of_Golden_Ring_of_Russia_(City_of_Suzdal)]










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