Historical and cultural significance of Yaroslavl
Yaroslavl in 1731 - a forest of temples
Back in the 11th century, here, at the confluence of the Volga and Kotrosli, a fortress was built to protect the approaches to Rostov the Great. The ancient walls of the Spassky Monastery witnessed the selfless and cruel battles of the Russian people with the Horde invaders. The militia of Minin and Pozharsky flocked to this city to liberate Moscow. In Yaroslavl, one of the lists of pearls of ancient Russian literature was found - “The Tale of Igor’s Campaign”. The name of this city on the great Russian Volga River is associated with many biographical facts and works of outstanding figures of Russian culture: the founder of Russia’s first publicly accessible national theater - actor, director and playwright F. G. Volkov, folk poet N. A. Nekrasov, dear to the Russian heart, poet-democrat L.N. Trefolev, sculptor A.M. Opekushin, singer L.V. Sobinov, artist A.I. Savrasov. The role of the city in the life of Russia is also great. To tell about the history of the city, the origin of its name, we need to look into the distant past of the country, open its pages, where chronicle evidence coexists with a large number of folk tales and legends.
Embankments of the Volga and Kotorosl
A three-kilometer embankment stretches from Strelka along the Volga. It is two-tiered and very cozy: numerous benches, spreading old trees and at every step wonderful views of the Volga and the opposite bank. This is the main promenade of the city.
Perpendicular to it is the Kotorosl River Embankment, which is located between the Volzhskaya Embankment and the Tolbukhinsky Bridge. This walking area is less equipped than the first. But it is very cozy and calm here.
On the Embankments you will find many other attractions of Yaroslavl.
Volga embankment in Yaroslavl
The history of Yaroslavl
Yaroslavl. View of Korovniki, the confluence of the Volga and Kotorostli rivers. Old postcard
Ancient Yaroslavl begins from that place. Which is still called Strelka to this day. The common noun arrow is often found in Russian toponymy. This is the customary name for a cape, a long spit at the confluence of two rivers (see Murzaev E. and V. Dictionary of local geographical terms. M., 1959, p. 211). It was on the spit formed by the confluence of the Kotorosl River into the Volga, as well as by the Kotorosl branch, which passed along the bottom of the Medveditsky ravine (remember this name, we still have to return to it), the oldest human settlement arose. During archaeological excavations on Strelka, traces of an ancient Meryan settlement were discovered. One of the legends about the emergence of the city of Yaroslavl echoes these long ones. It came to us in the notes of Rostov Archbishop Samuil Mislavsky - the so-called “The Legend of the Construction of the City of Yaroslavl.” Here's what it says: “In the region of Rostov, near the river Volga and Kotorosl, there lies a certain place, and after that the glorious city of Yaroslavl was created... And this was the settlement, the recommended Bear Corner, in which the inhabitants were people of filthy faith - pagans, evil existing" (see Lebedev A.N. Temples of the Vlasevsky parish of Yaroslavl. Yaroslavl, 1877, p. 6).
Background
Based on archaeological excavations, it can be argued that on the territory of modern Yaroslavl there was an ancient settlement dating back to the 1st millennium BC - the era of the beginning of the Iron Age. But there were earlier settlements at this place, which date back to the 3rd-5th centuries. The founding of the city of Yaroslavl dates back to the 10th-11th centuries; until this point, the Volga region was inhabited by Finno-Ugric peoples. The gradual resettlement of the Slavs to this territory begins in the 8th-9th centuries. At the same time, many archaeologists emphasize that colonization took place without violence. The Slavs coexisted peacefully with the Merya people, and for some time the tribes practically united. In the year of Yaroslavl's founding, the banks of the Volga were quite densely populated; there is information about several villages whose residents were engaged in fishing and crafts.
The legend about the emergence of the city of Yaroslavl
Bear's corner... Medveditsa ravine (or Medviditsky ravine)... The bear on the coat of arms of Yaroslavl... Yes, the “master of the forests” is one of the main characters in the legend about the emergence of the city. Let us turn again to the text of “Tales...”. When Yaroslav the Wise, after establishing the tribute levied on the residents of the Bear Corner, again came from Rostov to these places, the residents “let loose a certain fierce beast and dogs from the cage, so that they may spoil the prince and those with him.” However, Yaroslav “defeated the beast with his axe,” and the inhabitants “were horrified and fell on their faces to the prince.” Who is this mysterious fierce beast? Obviously, it really is a bear, and for the residents of the village it is not just a forest animal, but a cult, sacred, especially revered animal. It is curious that the legend does not name the beast. It is known that among many peoples (in Siberia, in particular), among whom the cult of the bear was widespread, there was a taboo - a ban on calling the animal, so to speak, by name). They spoke about the bear as “master”, “beast”, “old man” (in some places echoes of this phenomenon are found to this day, of course, only in the form of folk traditions). By the way, you and I, without suspecting it, call the owner of the forest very evasively - a bear, i.e. "honey eater, honey badger." This euphemistic word common to all Slavs (a substitute word, softer, used for a number of reasons instead of the main one) replaced the original Indo-European name for the bear, which was preserved in Sanskrit, Greek, and Latin. The common Slavic bear is formed by adding two stems without a connecting vowel: namely medu- and verbal -is, where the final vowel of the stem before e has changed into in (see Shansky N.M., Ivanov V.V., Shanskaya T.V. Brief etymological dictionary , p. 260). In addition to those mentioned, other euphemistic names for bears among Russians such as kosmach, forester, chiropractor, Mishka, Potapych, Mikhaila Ivanovich, Toptygin are not accidental.
Church of the Savior on the City
The Church of the Savior on the City was closed in 1929. And only in 2003 was the temple transferred to the jurisdiction of the Russian Orthodox Church. In the same year, on the eve of the patronal feast of the Origin of the Honest Trees of the Life-Giving Cross of the Lord, Archbishop Kirill of Yaroslavl and Rostov celebrated the first liturgy in the summer church.
You can look at the stone beauty, changing views on each side (the architecture of the church is asymmetrical), built in a complex but strikingly harmonious way, on the Kotorosl embankment.
Bear's corner in Yaroslavl
Yaroslavl. Bank of the Volga River. Arrow. Old postcard
We also have information about the cult of the bear in the Yaroslavl region in archaeological and ethnographic material (See, for example: Voronin N.N. Bear cult in the Upper Volga region in the 11th century - Materials and research in archeology, No. 6. M.-L., 1941). Let us remember the Medveditsa River (the left tributary of the Volga) and the ancient settlement on it, bearing the name “City of the Bear”. All this helps to understand the horror that gripped the inhabitants of Bear's Corner when the sacred beast died. The legend about the feat of Yaroslav the Wise apparently existed in one form or another in ancient times. That is why the legend was reflected in the ancient coat of arms of Yaroslavl, despite the fact that its earliest image dates back to the 17th century: “In a silver shield, a bear, standing, holds in his left paw a golden ax on the same handle.” Of course, Prince Yaroslav was not content with just a victory over the symbol of local independence. In an effort to gain a foothold on the waterway from Rostov to the Volga, he founded a city “on an island, it was founded by the Volga and Kotorosl rivers and the water flow,” i.e. on the modern Strelka, which in plan resembled an equilateral triangle.
Events of 1024 in the history of the city of Yaroslavl
When exactly did this happen? Perhaps this is one of the most complex and controversial issues concerning the ancient history of Yaroslavl. The construction of Yaroslavl is most often associated with the turbulent events of 1024 (See M. Morozova, S. Reipolsky. Yaroslavl. Yaroslavl, 1950; Yaroslavl. Essays on the history of the city. Yaroslavl, 1954). Yaroslav the Wise, drawn into an internecine struggle in the south with his brother Mstislav, was forced to deal with the affairs of the Suzdal land: “In the same summer, standing up to the left in Suzhdali, the old child beat the old child, saying that they hold gobinos (i.e. wealth, property , harvest - M.G., V.D.)… Yaroslav came to Suzdal, confiscating the Magi, and other shows” (See Complete collection of Russian chronicles. Laurentian Chronicle, vol. 1. L., 1926, stb. 175).
Date of foundation of the city of Yaroslavl
There is another point of view, which also has arguments. According to a number of researchers, Yaroslavl could have been founded no later than 1010 (See Meirovich M.G. When Yaroslavl was founded. Yaroslavl, 1959). The legend directly dates the events in the village of Medvezhiy Ugol to the time when Yaroslav was the prince of Rostov. It was the strengthening of princely power in the distant Rostov land that could have dictated the founding of a fortress at the mouth of the navigable Kotorosl. Here is what academician M.N. Tikhomirov wrote in this regard: “According to the chronicle, Yaroslav initially reigned in Rostov, and only after the death of his elder brother Vysheslav moved to Novgorod. This happened no later than 1015. Meanwhile, the connection between Yaroslavl and Rostov is completely clear, since Kotorosl is connected with Lake Rostov. The construction of Yaroslavl had the task of protecting the route from the Volga to Rostov. Therefore, we can rightfully assume that Yaroslavl was founded before 1015” (See M.N. Tikhomirov, Old Russian Cities, pp. 415-416).
The first mention in the chronicle of the city of Yaroslavl
The first mention of the city in the chronicle dates back to a slightly later time - in 1071. At this time, in the north-east of Rus', on the banks of the Volga, an uprising of the Smerds broke out, led by the Magi. The chronicle has preserved a detailed account of the uprising of the Smerd peasants, led by “two wise men from Yaroslavl.” The uprising was brutally suppressed by the princely squad. These are the lines from the chronicle where we first find a mention of Yaroslavl: “When there was a single poverty in the Rostov region, two wise men rose from Yaroslavl... and killed many wives, their property was taken away for themselves” (See Complete collection of Russian chronicles, vol. 1, p. 75).
Museum-Theater "Aleshino Compound"
The museum is unique due to two factors - in the center of the tourist complex there is a good-quality Russian hut “Alyosha Popovich Dvor”, and an excursion to the museum gives a feeling of magic and fairy tales. Adults and children find themselves in Old Russian times, where the owners will tell you about how they lived in Ancient Rus'.
The small space has absorbed folklore, Russian traditions and modern technologies, museum and theater elements. Guests will meet long-familiar fairy-tale characters. Cheerful Alyosha Popovich amuses guests with jokes and fascinating stories. And the beautiful Lyubava takes care of visitors and gives them gifts.
Toponymy and structure of the name of the city of Yaroslavl
So, there is a connection between the toponym Yaroslavl and the name of the founder of the city, Yaroslav the Wise, who later became the great prince of Kyiv. The structure of the name is quite simple. The toponym is formed from the anthroponym Yaroslav using the formant suffix –j-. This is the most ancient type, characteristic of the names of Slavic cities; The formant –j- was inherited from the Proto-Indo-European era and appears in the most ancient records. Among the Slavs, this formant formed possessive adjectives. In toponymy, with its help, names were formed primarily with a possessive meaning from personal names, i.e. "Whose city?" - the city of Yaroslav, the city of Vladimir, the city of Izyaslav, etc. In other words, Yaroslavl is Yaroslav’s city. This word-formation model in Russian toponymy has long become unproductive. Where did the letter (sound) l come from in the toponym? Linguists call it "l epenthetic". Its appearance is caused by phonetic changes that occurred in the composition of the name at the time the formant –j- was added to the base of the word, since it was preceded by a labial consonant sound. The names of settlements in -Slavl from princely names in -Slav are especially characteristic of the period of construction of fortified cities by appanage princes.
Arrow of Yaroslavl - Fortress aka Chopped City
A new page in the biography of the city was opened with the advent of the 13th century. In 1215, Prince Konstantin Vsevolodovich founded the “chambers” on Strelka - the princely courtyard and the first stone church of the Assumption of the Virgin. One of the oldest monasteries in North-Eastern Rus', Spaso-Preobrazhensky (or simply Spassky), arose in Yaroslavl. Initially, Yaroslavl was, like most ancient Russian cities, a chopped wooden fortress. Therefore, the oldest part of the city, located on the Strelka, was called the Chopped City for a long time. Today we are reminded of this ancient and poetic name by the name of the church built in 1695 - St. Nicholas the Rubleny City, or simply the Church of St. Nicholas the Rubeny. Some researchers suggest that the name Chopped City could have stuck relatively late due to the opposition in the 16th century. Zemlyanoy city. In 1463, Yaroslavl became part of the unified Russian state. After this, further growth of the city's territory and its economic development began. Already in the 16th century. it surrounds its settlement with a high earthen rampart and a deep outer moat, hence the name Zemlyanoy Gorod (an interesting parallel with ancient Moscow, where, as we know, there was also a Zemlyanoy Gorod; there is also a Red Square in present-day Yaroslav). It is noteworthy that the administrative center of Yaroslavl was located on the territory of Rubleny Gorod until the end of the 18th century, when a “regular plan” of the city arose, according to which the center was moved to Ilyinskaya Square (later Sovetskaya).
Planetarium named after V. Tereshkova
The center's primary function is educational, but at the same time it is a favorite place for family recreation. The previous planetarium in Yaroslavl was opened in 1948 in the building of the Intercession of the Virgin Mary of the Kazan Convent.
It includes: a modern planetarium with three-dimensional computer visualization, an exposition and exhibition hall “History of Cosmonautics”, an observatory, and an educational and entertainment complex.
Street names of Yaroslavl and intracity toponymy
Yaroslavl is a noble street. Old postcard.
When talking about Yaroslavl, the history of the name of the city, city toponyms and geographical names in its vicinity, one cannot help but pay attention to one fact. Yaroslavl is one of the oldest Russian cities with a rich, centuries-old history, with characteristic natural features. However, looking at a modern map of Yaroslavl, you will not find on it a sufficient number of old and figurative ancient names that arose in previous centuries or given in memory of the past (as, for example, in Moscow). The intracity toponymy of Yaroslavl is mainly modern in nature: Narodny Lane, Sovetsky Lane, Revolyutsionnaya, Pervomaiskaya, Deputatskaya, Bolshaya Oktyabrskaya, Shkolnaya, Kooperativnaya Streets, Svoboda Street, Respublikanskaya Street, Truda Square, Malaya Proletarskaya and Malaya Khimicheskaya Streets. In Yaroslavl there are also names that carry linguo-historical information directly related to the earlier history of the city: Nekrasov Street, Gorodskoy Val Street, Melnichny Lane, Yamskaya Street, Matrossky Spusk Street, Suzdal Street and others. Standardization of intracity toponymy is a widespread phenomenon; this especially attracts attention in ancient Russian cities. In our opinion, the question of naming and renaming streets, squares, etc. in such cities and towns requires serious analysis. Perhaps it is necessary to speed up work on an official document regulating the assignment of new names to intra-city objects (existing instructions relate only to the names of settlements themselves and other geographical objects). Linguists, historians, and geographers could also participate more productively in the work on such a document (and its appendix).
Modern city
Currently, Yaroslavl is considered the third largest city in central Russia. According to the latest data, its population exceeds 600,000 people. In parallel with the most profitable activities (tourism and trade), the city has a developed industry, transport network and housing and communal services. Given the wide possibilities of modern logistics (developed railway network, air routes), the Volga remains a popular transport artery; freight and passenger transportation is carried out on the basis of the river port of the city of Yaroslavl. Science is at the proper level; the results of research from several design institutes are being implemented in industrial production. Thanks to the developed industrial sector, new enterprises are being founded with the attraction of foreign investment. Yaroslavl continues to grow and improve, not forgetting about its great past and carefully preserving it.
Poet Trefolev and the street named after him in Yaroslavl
There is Trefoleva Street on the map of Yaroslavl. In its name, the residents of Yaroslavl perpetuated the memory of their fellow countryman, the poet-democrat L.N. Trefoleve (1843-1905); the poet lived on this street. Trefolev was also a good translator, editor, and historian of his native land. The poet firmly believed in the wonderful tomorrow of his homeland. This is evidenced by the following lines from his pen: A cruel century, a cursed century, I will hardly survive, I will not see the wonderful twentieth century in reality. Thanks to their melodiousness and simple and figurative language, many of L. N. Trefolev’s poems turned into folk songs. These are, for example, “Dubinushka”, “Song about the Kamarinsky peasant” and “When I served as a coachman at the post office” (this was Trefolev’s poetic adaptation of the poem “Coachman” by the Polish poet Vladislav Syrokomli).
Yaroslavl is the birthplace of Nekrasov
Yaroslavl. Nekrasovsky Boulevard. Old postcard
And first of all, literary Yaroslavl, poetic Yaroslavl - this is Nekrasov. The Yaroslavl region essentially became the birthplace of the great Russian poet. As a three-year-old child, he was brought to his father’s family estate - the village of Greshnevo (now Nekrasovo), not far from Yaroslavl. At the age of eleven, Nekrasov entered the Yaroslavl gymnasium. And in his mature years, the poet did not break ties with the Yaroslavl region. He often came to Greshnevo for the summer, and in 1861 he purchased an estate in the village of Karabikha. We should tell you more about Karabikh... This simple Russian name has firmly entered the history of Russian literature. Here Nikolai Alekseevich Nekrasov lived for several months every year for almost fourteen years, creating his best works. Here the poet wrote the poems “Frost, Red Nose”, “Russian Women”, “Grandfather”, poems “Return”, “Kalistrat” and others. On Yaroslavl soil, Nekrasov drew inspiration and collected material for many of his works. It is no coincidence that Nekrasov’s excited lines are addressed to this very region: Again, my native side, With its green, fertile summer, And again my soul is full of poetry... Yes, only here can I be a poet! People coming to Karabikha visit the House-Museum of N.A. Nekrasov, getting acquainted with his biography and history of creativity, the question often arises: “What is the history of this place in Russia? Where does the name of the village and estate come from?” This question can and should be answered. The area in which Karabikha is located is associated with a number of historical events. So, during the period of internecine war in the second quarter of the 15th century. here battles took place between the troops of the Moscow prince Vasily the Dark and his rival, the Galician prince Dmitry Shemyaka, in the struggle for the great reign. Shemyaka's troops suffered a crushing defeat in 1435 in the battle near Karabitovaya Mountain. This is the name of the hill near Karabikha. Folk legend has preserved the memory of the battle, interpreting the meaning of the name of the mountain as the phrase “kara be there.” The name of the settlement and the mountain was apparently based on the dialectal Russian word karabit, meaning “to harrow arable land” (See V.I. Dal, Explanatory Dictionary..., vol. 2, p. 89).
Historical events and the Spaso-Preobrazhensky Monastery of Yaroslavl
Spaso-Preobrazhensky Monastery at the beginning of the 17th century (drawing by a modern artist)
For historians of Russian literature, as for any Russian person, the name of the city of Yaroslavl is associated with another important fact. At the beginning of the chapter, we mentioned that the Spaso-Preobrazhensky Monastery in this city on the Volga is one of the oldest Russian monasteries. Many people know the Spassky Monastery in Russian history. At least because the first theological school in the north-east of Rus' was created here, which had a large library for that time of thousands of handwritten books. Or the fact that Ivan the Terrible found shelter behind its walls when in 1571 the troops of the Crimean Khan Devlet-Girey approached Moscow. Or the fact that the walls of the monastery withstood a 23-day siege in the spring of 1609, during the struggle against Polish invaders. And on July 27, 1612, the people’s militia of Kuzma Minin and Dmitry Pozharsky left the walls of the Spassky Monastery for the decisive battle with the enemies entrenched in Moscow. But still, one fact from the history of the Spassky Monastery is especially dear to us. The only copy of the remarkable monument of ancient Russian literature, “The Tale of Igor’s Campaign,” was kept in the sacristy of the monastery. In 1795, Count A.I. Musin-Pushkin bought a number of valuable manuscripts from the former Archimandrite Joel Bykovsky. Among them, a famous collector discovered a list of “Words”... We have already mentioned the library of the theological school in the Spassky Monastery. In 1214, the school and library were transferred to Rostov. Unfortunately, the library's treasures burned down during one of the Rostov fires. It is possible that it was in the library of the theological school that the ancient manuscript “The Tale of Igor’s Campaign” was kept, from which in the 16th century. a list was made, subsequently acquired by Musin-Pushkin.
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all posts by the author One of the oldest cities, Yaroslavl, is included in the eight main cities of the Golden Ring of Russia. The city was founded by Yaroslav the Wise, presumably in 998-1010. At that time, Prince Yaroslav the Wise owned the Rostov throne and made a lot of efforts for the prosperity and peace of his possessions.
Monument to Yaroslav the Wise, Yaroslavl, photo: 2do2go.ru
The places where the current city, Yaroslavl, is located belonged to pagan Finno-Ugric tribes who did not want to submit to Yaroslav and pay tribute to Rostov. There is a legend that the pagans, who considered the bear their patron, set the bear against the Prince. Yaroslav was able to cope with the beast and the pagans had no choice but to submit. An interesting fact is that the coat of arms of the city of Yaroslavl, approved in 1778, depicts this very animal - a bear holding a golden ax in its left paw. The ancient coat of arms reminds that the city of Yaroslav the Wise was founded on the site of the ancient pagan settlement “Bear Corner”.
For the first time in the chronicles of that time, Yaroslavl was mentioned in 1071. Due to a poor harvest, the Magi rebelled. Many Orthodox Christians were killed. These tragic events became the first record about the city.
In 1210, the first stone buildings appeared in Yaroslavl, and by 1218 it became one of the largest cities of the then Rus' and an independent principality, independent of anyone. By this time, the city of Yaroslavl was already famous as a cultural center. There were about two dozen Orthodox churches in the city (burned down in a fire in 1221).
In the Spassky Monastery, the only school opened so far for the entire Volga region. A library is being created at the Spassky Monastery, which includes 14 parchment manuscripts and a list, the only one of its kind, “The Tale of Igor’s Campaign.” The creator of the library is considered to be Konstantin Vsevolodovich (1205-1207 - Prince of Novgorod, 1207-1216 - Prince of Rostov, 1216-1218 Grand Duke of Vladimir), a lover and connoisseur of ancient books. The city has developed crafts and trade, which is important for the prosperity of Yaroslavl.
During the Tatar-Mongol invasion, the Yaroslavl princes tried as best they could to save the city. They resorted to diplomacy, paid tribute and, of course, accepted the fight. The battle on the banks of the City River in 1238, on Tugovaya Mountain in 1257, the Battle of Kulikovo in 1380 - this is a small part where the squads of Yaroslavl took part during the almost 300-year yoke.
Kulikovo field. Standing on bones. Artist P. Ryzhenko, Yaroslavl
In 1463, after the collapse due to civil strife between local princes who were unable to share power, the city was annexed to Moscow.
In 1555, the Moscow Company was founded (existed until 1917), which organized English-Russian trade through Arkhangelsk. And Yaroslavl becomes the largest center of transit trade along the Volga River.
Yaroslavl also played an important role in the Time of Troubles (1598-1613). False Dmitrys replace one another, the boyars cannot share power, and the Polish interventionists ruled the Moscow Kremlin. Yaroslavl residents join the first militia. But the attempt to liberate Moscow in 1611 did not lead to success. The second militia in 1612 reaches its goal - the Moscow Kremlin is liberated.
After the Time of Troubles, Yaroslavl retreated quite quickly. The city ranks second in size and third in terms of trade turnover in Russia. The lands between the Kotorosl and Volga rivers are being reclaimed and built up. In the 16th-17th centuries - the lands beyond Kotorosl.
The 17th century is considered the century of temple construction for Yaroslavl. By this time, the city became the second largest population in Russia, especially artisans. In the 17th century 3 monasteries and about 60 temples were built.
Spaso-Preobrazhensky Monastery, Yaroslavl, photo: september-t.ru
Under Peter I, Yaroslavl ceased to be the second city in the state.
Merchants go bankrupt, but trade is replaced by industrial development. In 1722, the country's first linen manufactory was built. By 1771, the number of large industrial enterprises reached 11.
In 1718, a digital school was opened, and 30 years later - the Yaroslavl Theological Seminary at the Spassky Monastery. And in 1750 F.G. Volkov founded a public theater in Yaroslavl, the first in Russia! True, two years later he moved to St. Petersburg.
Not a single tragic event in Russia has spared the city. But Yaroslavl, despite the difficulties, continued to grow and develop. In the 19th century, water supply, the first power station, electric lighting, and telephone communication with Moscow appeared. A railway was built that directly connected Yaroslavl with Moscow, St. Petersburg and Kostroma.
Yaroslavl, 19th century
In the 20th century, the Pushkin Library, the Yaroslavl Teachers' Institute, and the city's first cinematograph opened.
By this time, industry was quite well developed - 50 enterprises: sawmills, carpentry, match-making, vodka, bell-making, etc. But industrial development did not prevent Yaroslavl from becoming the most beautiful of the cities of the Volga region, as it remains today.
Many Museums, Temples, Monasteries, Historical and Cultural Monuments leave an unforgettable impression of visiting Yaroslavl.
Interesting facts about Yaroslavl
№1. Yaroslavl is considered the first Christian city on the Volga.
No. 2. During the years of Soviet power, the world's first synthetic rubber was produced in Yaroslavl.
No. 3. Yaroslavl gained worldwide fame with the flight into space on June 16, 1963 of the first female cosmonaut Valentina Vladimirovna Tereshkova. The mention of Yaroslavl is firmly established among the people, although this is not entirely true. Valentina Vladimirovna was born in the village of Bolshoye Maslennikovo, Tutaevsky district, Yaroslavl region. But the laurels went to the city, not the village.
On a charity trip around the Yaroslavl region, 1999
№4. The historical center of Yaroslavl is under UNESCO protection.
No. 5. Fun fact. The Yaroslavl regional newspaper “Severny Krai” first appeared in 1898, and in 1905 it was closed for opposition publications and criticism of the authorities. However, the newspaper staff continued to publish it, constantly changing its names, in which the word “Northern” almost always remained: “Northern Newspaper”, “Northern Rumor”, “Northern News”, etc. — in just 4 years, 42 names were changed.
No. 6. For Yaroslavl, one of the most important historical architectural monuments is the Transfiguration Cathedral. Its meaning is approximately the same as for Moscow - the Kremlin.
No. 7. At the end of the 16th century, Rurik family, the holy noble Tsarevich Dimitry of Uglich, the youngest son of Ivan the Terrible from Maria Feodorovna Nagaya, his sixth or seventh wife (illegitimate), suffered martyrdom on Yaroslavl land... The Tsarevich lived only 8 years. Today he is one of the most revered Russian saints. The cause of death was more than mysterious. According to one version, he was stabbed to death by rebels, according to another version, he died in an accident while playing “knives” with his peers...
Another curious fact is connected with his tragic death: the excited crowd, who raised the alarm, allegedly tore to pieces the alleged killers of the prince. Subsequently, by order of Vasily Shuisky, the bell, which served as an alarm, had its tongue cut off (as a person), and he, along with the Uglich rebels, became the first exiles to the newly founded Pelymsky prison. Only at the end of the 19th century was the disgraced bell returned to Uglich. Currently it hangs in the Church of Tsarevich Demetrius “On the Blood”.
No. 8. In 1918, a major uprising against Soviet rule . The uprising was suppressed, but within two weeks a large part of Yaroslavl literally turned into ruins. According to some reports, during the suppression of the rebellion, half of the population of Yaroslavl was killed, more than 2,000 residential buildings and several large enterprises were destroyed.
No. 9. Poshekhonsky cheese. The name of the small town of Poshekhonye in the northern part of the region is forever immortalized in the name of the cheese of the same name. Once upon a time there was a cheese production here, where a unique recipe for a dairy product from Poshekhonye was born.
No. 10. Many saints were natives of the Yaroslavl land . Among them are the blessed prince Alexander Nevsky, the venerable Sergius of Radonezh and Seraphim Vyritsky, the righteous warrior Theodore Ushakov.
No. 11. Rybinsk Reservoir , which in the late 30s of the 20th century was planned as the world's largest artificial lake, was formed by the water pumping structures of a hydroelectric complex located in the northern part of the city of Rybinsk, Yaroslavl region.
Rybinsk Reservoir, photo: vodabereg.ru, Yaroslavl
Once upon a time there was already a glacial lake on the site of the Rybinsk Reservoir. With climate change, one gradually became shallow, forming tens of thousands of hectares of water meadows. The loss of rich pastures is still blamed on the authors of the reservoir plan, as well as the destruction of about 700 villages, 250 thousand hectares of forests and the ancient city of Mologa . But then electricity for the capital and the development of trade routes within the framework of the Big Volga project were more important.
Filling of the reservoir began in 1941. The launch of the Rybinsk hydroelectric power station could not have come at a better time: during the war years, the power plant with a capacity of 330 MW provided a significant part of Moscow’s needs. Because of this, the reservoir was completely filled only in 1947.
As a result, the reservoir area was 4580 square meters. km. For comparison, the area of the largest artificial reservoir in Russia is 6500 square meters. km (Kuibyshevskoe). The average depth of the reservoir is 5.6 m, the maximum is about 30, which makes it an attractive water area for yacht trips. Rybinskoe stretches 172 km in length, with a maximum width of 56 km.
№12. Take a closer look at the 1000 ruble bill. There are so many interesting things here.
Yaroslavl on the 1000th banknote
Here is the founder of the city - Yaroslav the Wise, and the bear - the coat of arms of the city, and the Holy Gates of the Spaso-Preobrazhensky Monastery (In 1517, at the same time when the Spaso-Preobrazhensky Cathedral was being built, the first of the towers of the stone wall of the monastery of the same name was created - the Holy Gates facing to the embankment of the Kotorosl River and being the most powerful monastery bastion). The banknote also features the famous snow-white chapel of the Transfiguration Cathedral. Even the birch tree near the chapel found its place on the banknote.
Chapel of the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God. Yaroslavl, Kotorosl embankment, photo: russian-church.ru
The Chapel of Our Lady of Kazan has a very controversial rocket shape. Maybe the appearance is connected with V. Tereshkova? Or maybe with the former mayor of Moscow, Yu. Luzhkov, on whose initiative the Chapel appeared in Yaroslavl? If this is so, then in the form of a “monument” you can clearly see the letter “L” extended upward... Although, the first version is more plausible.
This is a monument to the events of the past. As mentioned above, back in the 17th century, during the Time of Troubles, the militia of Minin and Pozharsky came to Yaroslavl. Here in the city, the “Council of the Whole Earth” was created, and Yaroslavl served as the capital of the Russian state for several months. The headquarters of the militia was located in the Spaso-Preobrazhensky Monastery. On July 27, 1612, from the walls of the monastery through its Holy Gate, the militia moved towards Moscow. On November 4, 1612, Moscow was liberated from the invaders. The Chapel of the Kazan Mother of God was built in honor of the 385th anniversary of the militia's entry into Moscow.
The chapel is located on the embankment of the Kotorosl River in front of the Holy Gate of the Transfiguration Monastery. This is a rocket-shaped structure with a stained glass partition. In the chapel there is a stained glass image of the icon of the Kazan Mother of God, the patroness of the Russian army. The words are inscribed on the slab: “To the people's militia of 1612 from grateful descendants.” Architect G. L. Dainov.
On November 4, National Unity Day in Yaroslavl, a large religious procession is held from the walls of the Kazan Monastery to the chapel. Flowers are laid at the walls of the chapel in memory of the heroes of 1612 who liberated Moscow from foreigners.
On the back of the banknote you can see the Church of John the Baptist. This is what it looked like at the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries:
Yaroslavl. Church of John the Baptist in Tolchkovo.
Her appearance distinguishes her from the rest almost immediately. Firstly, it is not white stone. Secondly, the number of domes is 15 in total. Thirdly, in terms of the number of subject paintings, of which there are more than 500 in the temple, the temple has no equal in the world.
The church was built from 1671 to 1687 in Tolchkovskaya Sloboda, on the right bank of the Kotorosl. It is interesting that the temple took 16 years to build, but was painted in just one year - from June 5, 1694 to July 6, 1695.
Often in the description of this outstanding historical architectural monument, one can find the following epithets: “an outstanding architectural monument”, “the pinnacle of the Yaroslavl school of architecture of the 17th century”, “the most elaborate Yaroslavl church”, “a monument of world significance”, “a classic creation of Russian architectural genius”... The most beautiful, the most artistic, the tallest, the most - and at the same time almost forgotten by modern Yaroslavl residents, and Russians in general. Ask someone if he knows which temple is depicted on the most popular banknote of the 21st century, only rare scholars and even rarer people who know and love this temple will answer!
This is interesting: this church was included in all pre-revolutionary manuals on Russian architecture, was reproduced in drawings in foreign literature, its models were presented at foreign exhibitions. Having heard a lot of enthusiastic reviews about the temple, Tsarevich Nikolai Alexandrovich specially visited it, and Tsarevich Alexander Alexandrovich, the future Emperor Alexander III, having seen the temple only from the outside, asked to send a description of it. The decoration of the church was admired by the Grand Dukes Alexei Alexandrovich, Sergei Maximilianovich, Konstantin Konstantinovich, who visited it twice. Grand Duke Sergei Alexandrovich came here with his wife Elizaveta Fedorovna, now glorified by the Russian Orthodox Church. And how many bishops and statesmen there are! And how she was loved by the people! The remarkable Russian artist Vereshchagin preserved her image in the painting “Porch of the Church of John the Baptist in Tolchkovo” (1888).
It is amazing how reverently the rulers in Tsarist Russia treated church life, and how reckless and anarchic the Bolsheviks were in the first decades of Soviet Russia. Funding, repairs and care for this temple (like all churches in Russia) ceased since the overthrow of the tsarist government. Until this moment, life was in full swing here and godly deeds were happening. Here are some examples:
From the very beginning of the existence of the temple, an almshouse was organized near it, which was accepted almost everywhere in those days. 40 poor and wretched people found refuge in it.
V.V. Vereshchagin. The porch of the Church of John the Baptist in Tolchkovo. 1888 Yaroslavl.
In 1879, at the request of the parishioners, a parish guardianship was opened, the activities of which included the provision of cash benefits to poor parishioners, mainly widows and orphans. Through his efforts, a one-class parochial school was established in 1885.
In 1896 the school building was expanded and the school was converted into a two-form girls' school. She opened a shelter for girls, a women's workshop - a seamstress and a laundry. Later, a new two-story house was built, which housed a shelter for 35 girls and a school for 200 students.
In 1891, a women's charitable circle was formed at the church, through whose efforts a literacy school was opened at the Yaroslavl Big Manufactory factory, where 400 girls studied.
On May 17, 1892, a temperance society was formed at the temple, for which a special house was allocated with a reading room, a library and a tea room.
In 1898, under Rector Theodore Uspensky, the publication of the unique monthly magazine “Parish Life” began, perhaps the only magazine of its kind published in the province.
It is interesting that a magazine with the same name, and probably with the same tasks, continued its life in distant America, in Washington, under the parish of John the Baptist, founded in 1949 by St. John, Archbishop of Shanghai and San Francisco. Later, in 1958, a temple was built in honor of this holiday, made in the Yaroslavl style of the 17th century, probably the only one of its kind on the American continent.
Such intense and fruitful work was carried out at this wonderful church. What happened to the temple after the revolution?
After the revolution in November 1929, the winter Church of the Ascension was transferred to the factory canteen, and in the early 1950s it was demolished. In January 1933, the Church of the Baptist was transferred to the jurisdiction of the Yaroslavl Museum. The community of the Baptist Church was abolished in May 1935. In 1936 he included the temple building in his territory. It was used as a warehouse for grain, and the gallery was used for storing bulk dyes, acids, and carbide. The first tier of the bell tower housed a workshop and a forge. True, thanks to the intervention of the Main Science Department, it was possible to stop the barbaric use of the temple as a warehouse...
That's it - just one bill, but so many interesting things.
No. 13. The last fact is no less interesting. Did you know that the capital of the Golden Ring is Yaroslavl?
In December 2021, Yaroslavl was granted a patent from the Federal Service for Intellectual Property for exclusive rights to the trademark “Yaroslavl - the capital of the Golden Ring”.
According to the government of the Yaroslavl region, several of the oldest cities in the country competed for the title of capital of the famous tourist route, but it was Yaroslavl that received the high status. The city is one of the five most visited territories by tourists and ranks 3rd - 4th in terms of receiving guests after Moscow, St. Petersburg, as well as the Moscow and Vladimir regions. In total, on the territory of the Yaroslavl region there are three cities that are part of the classic “Golden Ring”: Yaroslavl, Pereslavl-Zalessky and Rostov.
https://moiarussia.ru
A.K. Savrasov and Yaroslavl
Many remarkable facts from the biography and creativity of many outstanding figures of Russian culture are associated with Yaroslavl. Probably not many people know that in Yaroslavl, on the Volga, the great artist Alexey Kondratyevich Savrasov worked on the painting “The Rooks Have Arrived” (and on many other canvases). It would seem that A.K. Savrasov spent little time in Yaroslavl - only a few winter and spring months of 1870-1871. But for the artist this period in his work was very fruitful. Here he painted the famous paintings “Volga”, “Flood of the Volga near Yaroslavl”, “Grave on the Volga”. Here he created several studies of “Rooks”. Analysis of the sketches shows that A.K. Savrasov spent a long time looking for the most correct composition and color solution for the painting. One of the first sketches was written on the then outskirts of Yaroslavl, called Vspolye. The Vladimir Church served as the backdrop for the tree with nesting rooks. It meant “edge of a field” and “an open place in front of the walls of a city or settlement.” In the second meaning, the word vpolye is repeatedly found in written monuments. For example: “And those people of Saltykov or Lukvitsa... with all the people who will be sent with them, having gone out of town, stood in the open, where it is more convenient” (1517) (Quoted from: Dictionary of the Russian Language of the 11th-17th centuries, vol. Z. M., 1976, pp. 144-145). The word “vspolye” is also mentioned in V.I. Dahl’s dictionary: “Vspolye - edge, outskirts, beginning; pasture, a place around the outskirts" (See V.I. Dal. Explanatory Dictionary..., vol. 1, p. 269)
The battle of Yaroslavl with the Tatars on Tugovaya Mountain
Yaroslavl. Tugova mountain. Old postcard
Let us open a few more pages of the historical and toponymic past of Yaroslavl. The threat of the Horde invasion did not bypass the northern Yaroslavl principality. The city was burned, and the first Yaroslavl prince Vsevolod died in an unsuccessful battle for the Russians on the City River. However, Yaroslavl did not resign itself. In 1257, the townspeople rebelled. According to legend, the Yaroslavl people, led by Prince Konstantin, met the Tatar detachment beyond Kotorosl, on a small hill, which later received the name Tugovaya Mountain. Although the Yaroslavl people fought bravely, this time the forces were unequal. The fallen Russian soldiers were buried here, on Tugovaya Mountain. Subsequently, popular rumor began to associate the name of the mountain with this event. According to legend, women continued to come to the hill for a long time to “grieve” for the fallen and mourn them. “There-Sadness” supposedly became the main title. It still seems that this legend is a later speculation. The chronicles are silent about the battle of the Yaroslavl people with the Tatars, and the reign of Constantine in Yaroslavl itself is established only indirectly. More likely something else. You can try to explain the name of Tugovaya Mountain through data on the funeral rite of the Volga Finnish tribes. It is known that among a number of these tribes, those who died in winter were not buried, but hung on trees. We know about this, in particular, from folklore mtaeril. In a Mordovian song, a dying girl asks her relatives: Don’t bury me, mother, in the cemetery, Bury me, mother, near the high road, Near the high road, on an old oak tree... (See A. Shakhmatov. Mardovsky ethnographic collection. St. Petersburg, 1910, p. 193, 436, 448) There is other evidence. In the spring, the dead were removed and buried right there, under the trees. Relatives had to cry over the grave for three days. The place where this ritual was performed was called the “mountain of crying.” It is known that there was a cemetery on Tugovaya Mountain for a long time. A natural question arises: is the name of the mountain connected with this ancient funeral rite? However, for now this is nothing more than a guess.
Yaroslavl and Emelyan Mikhailovich Yaroslavsky
The toponym Yaroslavl itself served as the basis for the emergence of some proper names. These include, for example, the pseudonym Yaroslavsky. Emelyan Mikhailovich Yaroslavsky (M.I. Gubelman) (1878-1943) - Soviet statesman and party leader, academician of the USSR Academy of Sciences, one of the leaders of the October armed uprising in Moscow. In modern Yaroslavl, the former Fedorovskaya Street, one of the main thoroughfares of the current Krasnoperekopsky district of the city, is named after Emelyan Yaroslavsky. The district was named after one of the largest enterprises in Yaroslavl - the Krasny Perekop industrial textile plant. It traces its history back to the former Great Manufactory, which arose back in the 18th century. On the site of a drained area of a once impassable swamp on the right bank of the Kotrosli, one of the largest linen manufactories of the Peter the Great era arose, which later became known as the Yaroslavl Great Manufactory. The factory received a new name - "Red Perekop" - in 1920 in honor of the victory of the Red Army in the south. In the Krasnoperekopsky district of Yaroslavl, a few old street names, such as Zelentsovskaya (along Zelentsovsky Stream), are adjacent to a large number of new ones: Stachek, Solnechnaya, Rabochaya, Trudovaya streets, etc.
Center city of Yaroslavl. General view on an old postcard
Our time in the ancient city of Yaroslavl has come to an end. The time has come to leave this ancient and picturesque corner of Russia.
Source: M. V. Gorbanevsky, V. Yu. Dukelsky - Through the cities and towns of the “Golden Ring”.
Architecture
The unique urban structure of Yaroslavl has received recognition from the world cultural community. By the decision of the 29th session of the UNESCO World Heritage Committee in 2005, the historical center of the city was included in the UNESCO World Heritage List as an urban monument. Yaroslavl became the third Russian city after St. Petersburg and Veliky Novgorod to be included in the honorary list of world architectural monuments. In the UNESCO zone of our city there are 140 architectural monuments, including unique temple buildings of the 16th-18th centuries.
Northern Railway Administration. Former school for girls of clergy. Photo: szd.rzd.ru
The architectural heritage of the city is distinguished by a high degree of preservation of monuments and the historical environment as a whole, reflecting the successive process of development from the ancient city to the present day. Objects of architectural heritage are original buildings that have been preserved without significant alterations. The uniqueness of Yaroslavl is that on its territory there are buildings of almost all styles of Russian architecture of several centuries.
