Vladimir: Capital of Kievan Rus
Ancient Vladimir, part of Russia's Golden Ring around Moscow, is a frequent stop for tourists. The city (pop. 315,000) will be celebrating the 900th anniversary in 2008 (though perhaps somewhat older than even this). Vladimir is best known for being the capital of Kievan Rus (12th-14th c.), and the seat of the Russian metropolitan then as well - explaining why so many stone churches were built. In the 12th century, it was "one of Europe's largest and most beautiful cities, enjoying immense growth and prosperity" (Wikipedia).
An interesting article on what happened to this great city (pop 315,000) - still industrial, part tourist -aside from the Mongols destructive pillage in 1238 (putting Vladimir in permanent decline). My favorite line: There are more monuments of pre-Mongolian architecture per a square kilometre than McDonald's restaurants in Moscow. Incidentally, I couldn't find a single McDonald's in Vladimir.
Vladimir is also known for the Ikon of the Theotokos.
Photo Gallery: here (historic sights) and here (life).
posted by jpotter at 11:24 AM
2 Comments:
well, while it's true that there isn't a McDonald's, we do have a MacKing (which is essentially a rip-off fake McDonald's/Burger King that doesn't have to pay any franchise fees...)
You can visit Jane's blog at
http://fromrussiawithblog.blogspot.com/
She currently resides in Vladimir
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