Once upon the time, we spent our Christmas break traveling along the famous Golden Ring. The popular route included a dozen or so medieval towns east from Moscow; we visited a few of them. Let's start our journey in Suzdal.
A special charm of Suzdal, one of the most ancient towns in Russia, comes from its numerous architectural and historical monuments created in the span of many centuries. This enchanting wooden town situated on the bank of the Kamenka River was built by several generations of Russian artisans.
Suzdal is one of the oldest towns in Russia, first appearing in the chronicles in 1024. Suzdal emerged as a trade and artisans' center at the beginning of the 11th century. Prince Yuri Dolgoruky made it the capital of Rostov - Suzdal principality. In the middle of the 12th century it became an integral part of Vladimir principality and its second capital; from the end of the 14th century it was under the rule of Moscow princes. Later on Suzdal lost its prestige and became an ordinary provincial town of the Russian Empire. Landmarks include an ancient Kremlin with a cathedral and a monastery, a 17th-century bell tower, and bishops’ palaces from the 15th to 18th cent.
The ancient architectural ensemble of Suzdal is extremely picturesque (three monasteries, more than 30 churches). UNESCO included it in the World Heritage List in 1992.
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