Sights and landmarks in Vladimir

Sights and landmarks 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

   Cathedral of the Assumption (Princess Convent)

   Успенский собор Княгинина монастыря

   The history of the Princess Convent is traced back to the 12th century. The central building, the Cathedral of the Assumption, was built in the beginning of the 13th century. In the 16th century, the cathedral was rebuilt in its present shape (known as "Moscow style" of church architecture). You can see numerous kokoshniki below the dome and compare this type of decoration with the ancient one from St. Demetrius' Cathedral. Note fine frescos from the 17th century inside the Cathedral.

4. See

   Church of Our Lady of the Rosary

   Костёл св. Розария Пречистой Девы Марии

   This Catholic church from the late 19th century is a rare example of neo-gothic building in Vladimir region. The church was constructed for Polish-Lithuanian troop that stayed in Vladimir. The church works under the supervision of Roman Catholic church. This lovely place is worth a visit, especially during Catholic holidays.

5. See

   Church of St. Nikita

   Никитская церковь

   This former church was built in baroque style in the middle of the 18th century. Bright green color and huge building sharply contrast to the harmony of the ancient white-stone cathedrals. Still, the decoration of the church is remarkable. The building houses a restoration workshop.

6. 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.

7. 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

8. 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).

9. 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

10. See

    Nativity Monastery

    Рождественский монастырь

    The monastery was founded in the end of the 12th century and played important role for Russian Orthodox Church during the Middle Ages. None of the ancient buildings survived, but it is worth to see the stone walls and towers from the 18th century. Though there was no real threat to Vladimir at that time, the walls imitate fortifications of ancient Russian monasteries. You will also find a church and several living houses with fine decorations from the 17th century. The monastery is a home to the bishop of Vladimir region.

11. 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

12. 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.

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    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

14. See Not mapped

    Building College

    Строительный колледж

    A rare example of the building from Stalin's Empire style in Vladimir. The project is rather regular and dates back to 1950, although a small tower is certainly an unusual feature that originates from art nouveau or Russian-revival fashion.

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    Church of St. George

    Георгиевская церковь

    Another example of baroque-style architecture. This church is rather small and looks modest as compared to the Church of St. Nikita. The nice appearance is supplied by the neighboring hip-roof bell tower. For a long time, the Church of St. George housed a concert hall, but now it should start regular services.

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    Church of St. Michael the Archangel

    Михаило-Архангельская церковь

    This impressive dark-red church was built in the end of the 19th century in neo-Byzantine style. It is probably one of the best (or, at least, most harmonious) representatives of this style in Russia.

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    Church of the Assumption of our Lady

    Богородице-Успенская церковь

    This church built in 1644-49 presents another example of original Russian architecture. Apart from kokoshniki, you will find a hip-roof bell tower, a typical feature of the 17th century-style.

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    City Museum

    Городской музей

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

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    House of Realschule

    Реальное училище

    It is an art nouveau building from 1908 with colored brick and nice decorations. It is occupied by Vladimir University.

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    House of the Assembly of Nobility

    Дворянское собрание

    This building in the empire style from the early 19th century has once been a cultural centre of Vladimir.

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    House of the Temperance Association

    Народный дом общества трезвости

    A very unusual mix of neoclassical and art nouveau styles. In the beginning of the 20th century, this house was one of the cultural centres of Vladimir.

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    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

23. See Not mapped

    Monument of the 850th anniversary

    This amusing monument was laid on 1958 (the 850th anniversary of Vladimir) and completed in 1969. It is a typical example of the "Soviet realism" style. The monument shows three aspects of Vladimir's history (or three faces of the city): a warrior with a sword, an architect with a design, and a worker with a tractor. All together they look quite funny. Don't miss this monument!

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    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.

25. 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

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    Trading Rows

    Торговые ряды

    A very typical building for Russian architecture of the late 18th – early 19th century. The Trading Rows in Vladimir follow the general classicism style with an original project from the late 18th century, although the present appearance of the building is heavily disrupted by the signboards and advertisements.

27. See

    Planetarium

    Большая Московская ул. 66а

    Daily 09:00–17:15

28. See Not mapped

    City Bank

    Городской банк

    The red-and-white neoclassical building from 1896.

29. See Not mapped

    Old Pharmacy

    Старая аптека

    A small lovely building from the late 18th century.

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