Museums and galleries in Vladimir

Museums and galleries in Vladimir

1. See

   Cathedral of St. Demetrius

   Дмитриевский собор

   This is the other ancient cathedral of Vladimir. The building was constructed in 1194-97 as an in-house church of the Prince's court. Galleries linked the cathedral to the palace, but they were removed during the reconstruction in the 19th century. St. Demetrius' Cathedral is now a detached church, a unique monument of ancient Russian architecture. The bottom part of the walls is flat (here the galleries were attached), while the upper part is covered by fine stone carvings. These carvings depict stories from the life of King David and praise the harmony of the world. Yet the meaning of some carvings remains unknown. The cathedral hosts a small museum that presents enlarged images and detailed explanations for a number of carvings as well as a small piece of original frescos from the late 12th century. The museum is open W-M from 11:00 till 17:00 or 18:00. Don't forget to have a look from the nearby viewpoint!

2. See

   Cathedral of the Assumption

   Успенский собор

   It is one of the most historically important Russian Orthodox Churches. For a short period in the 14th century, the cathedral was the seat of the Metropolitan, the leader of the Russian Orthodox Church. The cathedral was built in 1158 with only one dome. However, the major reconstruction followed already in 1185: four smaller domes were added, and the building was considerably enlarged in order to resemble St. Sophia's Cathedral in Kyiv. Later on, a similar project was utilized for the cathedral of the Assumption in Moscow Kremlin. The neighbouring bell tower of eclectic style was built in 1810 to replace the former hip-roof tower. The interior of the cathedral includes a number of ancient frescos from the late 12th century (northern wall) and 15th century (vaults), the latter being painted by Andrei Rublev and Daniil Chyorny. The cathedral combines church and museum activities. Services are normally held in the morning and offer free entrance. During the opening hours of the museum (Tu-Su 13:00-16:30), the tickets are sold.

3. See

   Church of St. Trinity / Red Church

   Троицкая церковь

   The red-brick church of eclectic style (with an emphasis on Russian revival, though) from 1913-1916. It houses a museum of crystal, miniature paintings, and embroidery.

4. See

   Exhibition

   экспозиция

   The museum reconstructs the routine life and the atmosphere of Vladimir from the late 19th century. The exhibition is more or less generic for any provincial Russian town from this period. Don't miss the observation platform on the top of the tower!

   Tue–Sun 10:00–18:00

5. See

   Golden Gate

   Золотые ворота

   Once the entrance to the walled city, the gate was built in 1158-64. At that time, the city was surrounded by a rampart with five stone gates. The Golden Gate is the only remaining part of the complex and the unique monument of ancient fortifications in Russia. The ramparts were removed in the 19th century, and the gate was reinforced by four circular bastions at the buttresses. These bastions strongly changed the appearance of the gate, so it may be advisable to see the picture of the original building like in a museum of military history inside the gate. The remaining part of the rampart is found south from the gate, along the Kozlov Rampart Street (ул. Козлов вал).

6. See

   Memorial house of Stoletov family

   Дом-музей Столетовых

   The museum reconstructs a typical merchant house from the 19th century. Stoletov family is well-known in Russia: Nilokay Stoletov was a military leader, while his brother, Alexander Stoletov, was a famous physicist. The exhibition occupies a wing of the house that used to belong to the family.

   Fri–Wed 10:00–16:00 or 17:00

7. See

   Regional history museum

   Областной исторический музей

   The museum covers the history of Vladimir region from the very beginning (Stone age) till the February Revolution of 1917. During the Middle Ages, the history of the region was tightly bound to the history of Russia itself, so one can find a lot of information on the Vladimir principality and the development of north-eastern Russia prior to the Mongol invasion and along the period of the Mongol yoke.

   Wed–Mon 10:00–16:00 or 17:00

8. See

   Water tower

   Водонапорная башня

   The pseudo-Russian style water tower is likely one of the most impressive and unusual secular buildings in Vladimir. It was constructed in 1868 as a part of the first water-supply system and re-built in 1912. It houses an exhibition on the history of Vladimir.

9. See Not mapped

   Art gallery

   The regular provincial art gallery with a collection of Russian fine art. The building also houses the so-called Children's Museum Centre. The centre presents a number of fascinating historical exhibitions that were specially designed for young people.

   Tue–Sun 10:00–16:00 or 17:00

10. See Not mapped

    City Museum

    Городской музей

    This red-brick building of Russian-revival (pseudo-Russian) style is now a home to the history museum.

11. See Not mapped

    Military museum

    музей воинской доблести

    The museum presents a number of old weapons and a huge gallery of military leaders, originating from the Vladimir region. The best exhibit is a special diorama that depicts the assault of Vladimir by Batu Khan in 1238. The diorama gives an idea how the ancient city looked like.

    Fri–Wed 10:00–18:00

12. See Not mapped

    Museum of S.D. Vasilisin

    Музей С.Д. Василисина

    School museum of Sergey Vasilisin, a national hero who took part in battles near Murmansk during World War II.

13. See Not mapped

    Museum of crystal, lacquered miniature painiting, and embroidery

    экспозиция

    The collection of exhibits from different crafts that were traditionally developed in Vladimir region. Magnificent crystalware are manufactured in Gus-Hrustalnyi and neighboring towns. The miniature paintings are hand-made articles from Mstyora, a small settlement near Vyazniki, while embroidery is a traditional handicraft of the whole region. If you do not plan a trip to the destinations specified above, visiting this museum may be a good option. There is a shop of crystalware as well.

    Wed–Mon 11:00–19:00

Listings from the Wikivoyage guide to Vladimir (CC BY-SA 4.0).