Yaroslavl: 1000 Glorious Years
Yaroslavl is an ancient Russian city founded by prince Yaroslav the Wise, a son of prince Vladimir the Baptizer. The Yaroslavl millenary history begun in 1010 when a small wooden fortress was built at the confluence of the Volga and the Kotorosl rivers to protect the water path to Rostov, one of the largest cities of that time. Yaroslav became the first Christian town on Volga. It quickly turned into an important political, administrative, cultural, trade, and later – into industrial center.
Yaroslavl plays an important role in Russia’s history. It acted as a Moscow ally in the task of consolidation of Russian lands around the capital. It was one of the nationhood, national identity and civil society formation cornerstones. In 1380 Yaroslavl troops took part in the historical Kulikov battle. During the time of struggle with the Polish-Swedish intervention in 1612 Yaroslavl was a temporary capital of Russia. Here was created the All-Russian government body “Council of All Land”. Volunteer army led by Minin and Pozharsky moved toward Moscow to expel the Poles from the Kremlin from the walls of Spaso-Preobrazhensky Monastery.
Historic mission of Yaroslavl is commemorated in its coat of arms, which depicts a bear standing on its hind feet against a silver background. The bear, a symbol of foresight and strength, holds a golden axe. The coat of arms is crowned with a hat of Monomakh the image of which is a hallmark of a city once being a residence for the royal grand princes.
Yaroslavl is a city with a reach cultural heritage. Outstanding monuments of history, architecture and painting amid which are churches of St. Nicholas Nadein, Christ’s Birth, St. Elijah the Prophet, St. John the Forerunner, St. John the Chrysostom and other were created in the XVII century. In the XVIII century the first public national theater was opened in Yaroslavl. Famous Russian actors Polina Stepanova, Mikhail Schepkin, Ivan Moskvin, Maria Ermolova, Konstantin Stanislavsky, Vasily Kachalov played on its stage. First Russian provincial magazine came out in Yaroslavl. Here was found a manuscript of the greatest monument of Russian medieval literature – “The Word about Igor’s Regiment” – and were preserved 3 out of 20 oldest icons.
Lives of many prominent people are connected with Yaroslavl. Here was born a renowned opera tenor Leonid Sobinov. Great Russian poet and writer Nikolai Nekrasov spent in Yaroslavl his childhood and youth. Yaroslavl keeps a memory of the founder of Russian pedagogic science Konstantin Ushinsky and of an artist Alexei Savrasov. In the XX century Yaroslavl gave the world the first woman astronaut Valentina Tereshkova. Cartoonist Alexander Petrov, best animated film Oscar winner’2000, graduated from the Yaroslavl Art College.
Modern Yaroslavl is a large industrial and cultural center on the Volga with the population over 630, 000 people. Local enterprises provide motor vehicles and tractor engines, petrochemicals, electric motors, asbestic technical products, engineering fabrics, paint and coatings products. In Yaroslavl operate 18 research and development organizations owing to which the city gave Russia its first native truck, trolleybus, diesel engine and first artificial rubber in the world.
Yaroslavl has many institutions for higher education, including Yaroslavl Demidov State University, Polytechnical University, Ushinskiy Pedagogical University, Medical Academy. Military institutions include the High Military Financial School and the High Anti-Aircraft Missile School. Yaroslavl has 86 schools of general education and 24 sport schools.
Yaroslavl is one of the 8 cities to form the Golden Ring of Russia, a well-known tourist route. Historical part of Yaroslavl belongs to UNESCO World Heritage Site. Over 140 monuments of architecture have been preserved on its territory.
