Yaroslavl

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Historical Centre of the City of Yaroslavl*
UNESCO World Heritage Site
Kotorosl River in Yaroslavl downtown
State Party Russian Federation
Type Cultural
Criteria ii, iv
Reference 1170
Region† Europe and North America
Inscription history
Inscription 2005  (29th Session)
* Name as inscribed on World Heritage List.
† Region as classified by UNESCO.

Yaroslavl (Russian: Яросла́вль) is a city in Russia, the administrative center of Yaroslavl Oblast, located 250 km north-east of Moscow at 57°37′N, 39°51′E. The historical part of the city, a World Heritage Site, is located at the confluence of the Volga and the Kotorosl Rivers. As of the 2002 Census, its population was 613,088.

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[edit] History

Yaroslavl lies at the intersection of several major highways, railways, and waterways. Preceded by Viking sites such as Timerevo from the 8th or 9th centuries, the city is said to have been founded in 1010 as an outpost of the Principality of Rostov Veliky, and was first mentioned in 1071. Capital of an independent principality from 1218, it was incorporated into Muscovy in 1463. In the 17th century it was Russia's second largest city, and for a time (during the Polish occupation of Moscow in 1612), the country's de facto capital. Today, Yaroslavl is an important industrial center (petrochemical plant, tire manufacturing plant, diesel engines plant and many others).

Apart from the Spaso-Preobrazhensky (Transfiguration of the Saviour) Monastery the oldest churches in the city date back to the 17th century and belong to the so called Yaroslavl type (built of red brick, with bright tiled exteriors). Those of St. Nicholas Nadein and Elijah the Prophet have some of the Golden ring's most impressive frescoes.

Yaroslavl has many institutions for higher education including: Demidov University, Polytechnical University, Ushinskiy Pedagogical University, Medical Academy, International University for Business and New Technologies (MUBINT).

Military institutions include the High Military Financial School and the High Anti-aircraft Missile School.

The city has a well-developed network of public transportation including buses, trolley-buses and tram lines. It is home to the Tunoshna airport, which was a former Cold War airbase, and the Yaroslavl Levtsovo air base.

Many Orthodox shrines and monasteries are strewn along the banks of the Volga.
Many Orthodox shrines and monasteries are strewn along the banks of the Volga.

There is one railway bridge across the Volga and two road bridges; the second road bridge across the Volga was ready for use in October 2006.

There are two major passenger railway stations: Yaroslavl-Glavny and Yaroslavl-Moskovsky. Electric shuttle trains go to Danilov, Rostov, Alexandrov, Nerekhta, and Kostroma. Diesel shuttle trains go to Rybinsk and Ivanovo. Also many long-distance passenger trains go through Yaroslavl.

Yaroslavl is the site of the Volkov Theater (built 1750), the oldest theater in Russia.

Temples: the city has many Russian Orthodox churches, one Russian Old Believers church, one Baptist church, one Lutheran church, one mosque and one synagogue.

FC Shinnik Yaroslavl is a soccer club based in Yaroslavl. It plays in the Russian Premier League. The city also hosts the Lokomotiv Yaroslavl ice hockey team which became the champion of Russia in 1996–1997, 2001–2002, and 2002–2003.

[edit] Districts

Saviour Monastery Cathedral in Yaroslavl (1505-15)
Saviour Monastery Cathedral in Yaroslavl (1505-15)

Yaroslavl is divided into six city districts. The center is located on the northern bank of the Kotorosl where it converges with the Volga, on the Volga's western bank. The Center is the economic and political center of the city. The center is also the oldest district in the city, where the city was first settled. The center contains the majority of landmarks and attraction in the city, including the Volkov theater, the Church of Elijah the prophet, the soccer stadium, the Volga embankment and the monastery, often mistakenly called the kremlin. Pyatyorka is located north of the center, but still under its administrative jurisdiction. Pyatyorka is largely a residential region with very little of note, aside from a few Houses of Culture.

Across the Kotorosl lie Frunzensky and Krasnoperekopsky city districts, which are divided by Moskovsky Prospect. Frunzensky is a relatively new district, constructed in the post-war era and offers little of particular interest. Perhaps Frunzensky district's greatest attraction is the Yarpivo brewery. Most of the buildings are of typical grey Soviet construction. Frunzensky district is divided into three microdistricts: Suzdalka, Dyadkovo, and Lipovaya Gora.

Church of St. John the Baptist in Yaroslavl on the 1000 ruble banknote.
Church of St. John the Baptist in Yaroslavl on the 1000 ruble banknote.

Krasnoperekopsky city district is one of the oldest parts in Yaroslavl. During pre-revolution days, it was home to the bulk of Yaroslavl's industry, and a good deal of industry remains today. Krasnoperekopsky district is divided into two microdistricts, one of which is Neftestroy, a relatively pleasant up-and-coming region, named for its proximity to Yaroslavl's oil refinery. Neftestroy is home to the newly-built hockey arena, and there are plans to build an indoor soccer stadium there by the millennial anniversary of Yaroslavl's founding. By contrast, on the other side of the railway tracks that run through Krasnopereposk district lies the Perekop proper. Today, the Perekop is known as one of the most dangerous areas of Yaroslavl. It consists largely of run-down, pre-Soviet izbas, and decaying factory buildings. There are plans to pump life into this depressed district, but at the time of writing it remains extremely impoverished and dangerous. Much of Yaroslavl's mafia grew out of the Perekop. Ironically enough, the Perekop offers some of Yaroslavl's most beautiful parks and churches, most notably the Church of Saint John the Baptist, which is located right next to a paint factory on the Kotorosl embankment; and Peter and Paul's Cathedral, a peculiar Protestant-looking Orthodox church.

Yaroslavl town hall (18th century)
Yaroslavl town hall (18th century)

North of the center there is a small industrial region, which is home to the tire factory, the sponsor of Yaroslavl's soccer team, and the engine plant, as well as many other smaller factories. Further north on the Western bank lies Dzerzhinsky city district, named after "Iron" Felix Dzerzhinsky, founder of the Cheka, the Soviet secret police. Dzerzhinsky district's core microdistrict is Bragino, named after a small village that was eventually consumed by Yaroslavl's post-war expansion. Bragino is the largest area in Yaroslavl in terms of population, but like Frunzensky district, it is largely a residential region, mostly consisting of middle to lower-middle class families.

On the other bank of the Volga lies Zavolzhsky city district (lit. one behind the Volga). Zavolzhsky district is Yaroslavl's quietest and most rural area. In Zavolzhsky, blocks of pre-fabricated Soviet apartment blocks are broken up by beautiful birch and evergreen forests. The region is largely residential and has little to offer aside from its forests.

St. John the Baptist church (17th century)
St. John the Baptist church (17th century)

[edit] Notable residents

  • Valentina Tereshkova, the first woman to go into space was born in a nearby village and went to school in Yaroslavl.
  • Andrei Khomutov, member of the Soviet national hockey team that won countless World Championships and the 1981 Canada Cup.
  • Fedor Volkov, founder of the 1st Russian theatre.
  • Nikolai Nekrasov and Leonod Trefolev, poets.
  • Leonid Sobinov, opera singer.
  • Konstantin Ushinsky, founder of the Russian pedagogics.

[edit] Sister cities

Yaroslavl has twin town ties with

[edit] External links

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World Heritage Sites in Russia

Central Sikhote-Alin · Curonian Spit (with Lithuania) · Ferapontov Monastery · Golden Mountains of Altai · Church of the Ascension, Kolomenskoye · Kazan Kremlin · Kizhi Pogost · Lake Baikal · Citadel, Ancient City and Fortress Buildings of Derbent · Historic Monuments of Novgorod and Surroundings · Moscow Kremlin and Red Square · Ensemble of the Novodevichy Convent · Historic Centre of Saint Petersburg and Related Groups of Monuments · Cultural and Historic Ensemble of the Solovetsky Islands · Struve Geodetic Arc (with nine other countries) · Architectural Ensemble of the Trinity Sergius Lavra in Sergiev Posad · Uvs Nuur Basin (with Mongolia) · Virgin Komi Forests · Volcanoes of Kamchatka · Western Caucasus · White Monuments of Vladimir and Suzdal · Natural System of Wrangel Island Reserve · Historical Centre of the City of Yaroslavl
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Cities and towns in Yaroslavl Oblast
Administrative center: Yaroslavl
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