THE GOLDEN RING OF RUSSIA
PERESLAVL - ZALESSKY
 Pereslavl-Zalessky (65 km. from Sergiev - Posad) is another ancient town of special interest to tourists. On the shore of Lake Pleshcheevo almost exactly halfway between
Moscow and Yaroslavl, Pereslavl-Zalessky history and monuments aren't in the Golden Ring's first division, but it's a good place to visit if, like the many Muscovites who have dachas here, you want to soak up the atmosphere of a peaceful old Russian village. The southern half of the town is full of
one-story izbas, with pretty gardens in summer.
Pereslavl-Zalessky - 'Pereslavl Beyond the Woods' - was made a town in 1152 by Yury Dolgoruky, and Alexander Nevsky was born here. But the present town is a shadow of earlier days, having been sacked five times by the Mongol Tatars and stormed frequently by
neighboring princes and foreign armies. Its earth walls and the little Cathedral of the Transfiguration are as old as the town.
SIGHTS OF INTEREST
- Lake Pleshcheevo takes credit as one of the birthplaces of the Russian navy, having been one of the places where Peter the Great developed his obsession with the sea, studying navigation and building a flotilla of over 100 little ships by the time he was 20.
- The walls of Yury Dolgoruky's Kremlin are now a grassy ring around the central town. You can walk along the top most of the way round. Inside, the simple Cathedral of the Transfiguration of the Saviour
(Spaso- Preobrazhensky sobor), started in 1152, is one of the oldest standing buildings in Russia. A bust of Alexander Nevsky stands in front. Across the grassy square, the
tent roofed Church of Peter the Metropolitan (Tserkov Petra mitropolita), built in 1585 and renovated in 1957, looks abandoned now. Nearby are twin churches built in 1745.
- The Trubezh River winds 2km from the Kremlin to the lake, fringed by trees and narrow lanes. People row their narrow boats up and down until well after dark on summer evenings. You can follow the northern riverbank most of the way to the lake by
a combination of paths and streets. Footbridges cross to the south bank. The Forty Saints' Church (Sorokosvyatskaya tserkov) sits picturesquely on the south side of the river mouth.
- The Goritsky Monastery
(Goritsky monastyr) was founded in the 14th century, though today the oldest buildings are the 17thcentury gates, gate-church and belfry. From the bus station, walk about 1.2km then
turn left and it's up on the hill after 300m. The center piece is the baroque Assumption Cathedral
(Uspensky sobor) with its beautiful carved iconostasis. In the refectory is a museum with icons and incredible carved wooden furnishings (open from 10 am to5 pm, closed Tuesday and the last Monday of the month).
- Across the highway from Goritsky, the 1785 Purification Church of Alexander Nevsky (Tserkov Alexandra Nevskogo - Sretenskogo) is a working church. To the east, on a hillock overlooking fields and dachas, is
the Danilovsky Monastery (Danilovsky monastyr), whose tent-roofed Trinity Cathedral (Troitsky sobor) was built in the 1530s. Another 16th century walled monastery is
the Fyodorovsky Monastery, about 2 km south on the Moscow road.
- During the sightseeing tour of the city, tourist can visit ancient monasteries - the Goritsky, Danilovskiy and Nikitsky - and the
stunningly beautiful Spaso - Preobrazhensky Cathedral.
OUR TOURS:
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