Vladimir Oblast.

History

People lived here very early: the Sungir site has yielded traces of Homo sapiens some 30,000 years old. Murom appears in the chronicles in 862 and Suzdal in 1024, while Vladimir officially dates itself to 990 and Vladimir the Great, although Soviet authorities preferred 1108. Under Andrey Bogolyubsky (1157–1175) Vladimir became the capital of the principality, and the Golden Gate and Dormition Cathedral went up. The Mongols sacked the city on 8 February 1238, and the present oblast was formed on 14 August 1944.

Culture & traditions

Since 1992 the White Monuments of Vladimir and Suzdal have been a UNESCO World Heritage Site: the Golden Gate, the Dormition and St Demetrius cathedrals, the Church of the Intercession on the Nerl, Bogolyubovo, the Suzdal Kremlin and the Church of Boris and Gleb in Kideksha. The Dormition Cathedral keeps frescoes painted by Andrei Rublev in 1408. Suzdal has 305 listed monuments, among them 30 churches and five monasteries, and since 2002 it has hosted the Open Russian Festival of Animated Film each year. Murom is held to be the home of the epic hero Ilya Muromets, and its Trinity Convent holds the relics of Saints Peter and Fevronia.

Nature

The main rivers are the Klyazma, on which Vladimir stands, and the Oka, on whose bank Murom spreads. Meshchera National Park protects important wetlands. The Church of the Intercession on the Nerl near Bogolyubovo, built in 1165, has long been the emblem of this landscape. The climate is humid continental.

Sport

The region's best-known club is the football team Torpedo Vladimir.

Food & drink

Suzdal is known for medovukha, an old honey drink, and for cucumbers, honoured at the Cucumber Day festival held since 2001. Vladimir is famous for its cherries. Gus-Khrustalny is known for its glass and crystal, so local souvenirs often end up on the festive table.

Practical information

Vladimir is 200 km east of Moscow; the two have been linked by rail since 1861, and the M7 highway runs nearby. The region has Semyazino Airport, but most visitors fly into Moscow and continue by train or car. Suzdal, Bogolyubovo and Kideksha are close to Vladimir. The region keeps Moscow time (UTC+3); the best seasons are summer, with its festivals, and winter, when the white churches stand out against the snow.

What to see

• Church of the Intercession on the Nerl — a white-stone church of 1165 near Bogolyubovo
• Dormition Cathedral in Vladimir — frescoes by Andrei Rublev from 1408
• Golden Gate and St Demetrius Cathedral — emblems of Andrey Bogolyubsky's capital
• Suzdal — its kremlin, the Saviour Monastery of St Euthymius and the Museum of Wooden Architecture
• Murom — the city of Ilya Muromets and of Peter and Fevronia, on the Oka
• Kideksha — the UNESCO-listed Church of Boris and Gleb, dating from 1152

Cities on the map

• Vladimir 349,951