Location: Vladimir Oblast Map
Yuryev- Polsky is a small town in Vladimir Oblast. During medieval period it was one of the largest cities in the area with numerous churches and monasteries constructed to honor God and saints. After the Russian Revolution much part of historic buildings were abandoned or destroyed by newly established atheist government that persecuted religion and belief in all forms. However Russian Orthodox Church suffered the most in the new Witch Hunts.
Geography
Yuryev-Polsky is in the field region
(Vladimirskoe Opolye) on the banks of the tiny river Koloksha, the
left tributary of the Klyazma. The land near the town is almost
flat. There are no natural fortifications, and the spot is quite
unpractical from the medieval point of view. The choice of this
location was motivated by the agricultural importance of the region
and the huge trading activity during the Middle Ages: the roads from
Vladimir, Suzdal, Pereslavl Zalessky, and Rostov Veliky crossed
here. The town has lost its hub position. It stands on a minor
railway line, far away from any big roads. Yuryev-Polsky is in the
geographical center of the Golden Ring, but the lack of transport
connections prevents most travellers from visiting the town.
Orientation
Yuryev-Polsky has a pretty simple rectangular
layout. The river flows from north to south and slightly
disturbs the regular arrangement of streets and houses. The road
from Vladimir comes from the east, the road to Alexandrov and
Moscow goes to the south-west, and the road to Pereslavl
Zalessky leaves the town in the northern direction. The railroad
passes along the southern boundary of the town. The historical
center is quite compact and located on the left (eastern) bank
of the river. The main square is named Советская площадь (Soviet
square). The Trading rows and the monastery of Archangel Michael
are found right on this square. The cathedral of St. George is
hundred meters away, behind the monastery. The monastery and the
cathedral lie within the well-preserved, picturesque ancient
ramparts.
Monastery of Archangel Michael (Михаило-Архангельский монастырь), ул. 1 мая/Советская пл. The monastery dates back to early 13th century, but its present buildings are much later (16th–18th century). The complex is surrounded by a stone wall with towers. The wall was originally constructed in 16th century and rebuilt in 18th century. The towers still look fortress-like and quite impressive, while the wall is rather low and does not have any defensive function. Behind the wall, one finds several churches in Russian style: the cathedral of Archangel Michael (late 18th century), the church of Orans (1625), the church of John the Evangelist (over the gate, 17th century), and the wooden church of St. George (17th century, this church was moved from a neighboring village). Additionally, there are a hip-roof bell tower and a refectory building from 17th century. The cathedral of Archangel Michael belongs to the church, while other buildings are used by the museum.
Cathedral of St. George (Георгиевский собор), ул. 1 мая. One of the most impressive buildings of ancient Russian architecture. The cathedral was constructed in 1234 in the general style of that period. The appearance of the building was likely similar to that of St. Demetrius cathedral in Vladimir or the church of the Intercession on the Nerl in Bogolyubovo. All the walls were covered by finest stone carvings that formed huge compositions. In 15th century, the cathedral collapsed, and craftsmen from Moscow repaired the building. However, they were not aware of the original project. Moreover, some stones were broken or lost, and the craftsmen simply did their best to collect the remainings. The result is the present unusual shape of the cathedral with the unexpectedly huge dome, sitting on the top of the relatively small, stocky building. The walls are covered by carvings, but the original order of the images is unknown, and their present layout is partly accidental. The carvings of this cathedral remain an even greater puzzle than the decoration of St. Demetrius cathedral in Vladimir. Inside the cathedral, one can see ancient tombs of local princes and parts of original stones that were not used during the reconstruction in 15th century. Wall paintings are pretty regular and date back to 17th century.
Church of St. Nikita and church of the Intercession (церкви Никиты Мученика и Покрова Пресвятой Богородицы), Покровская ул. (south-west from the historical center, across the river). A complex of two churches from late 18th century. The church of the Intercession is built in the Russian style, while the church of St. Nikita is a nice example of classicism and has a tall red-brick bell-tower. These two churches are the religious center of the town.
Further churches:
Bell tower of the convent of Peter and Paul'
(колокольня Петропавловского монастыря: late 19th century, Russian
revival) – a huge red-brick bell tower, the remain of the former
convent. The ravaged refectory building can be found nearby.
Church of St. Trinity (1913, Russian revival) – a ravaged red-brick
building next to the cathedral of St. George.
Church of the
Nativity (церковь Рождества Пресвятой Богородицы: 1700, Russian
style) and the remains of the church of St. Boris and St. Gleb (late
18th century)
Monastery of the Presentation (Свято-Введенский
Никонов монастырь). This monastery keeps the remains of two churches
in Russian style from late 17th century (church of the Presentation
and church of St. Nicholas). Both churches were ravaged and rebuilt
during the Soviet time. Now they are restored by monks.
Secular buildings: are rather unremarkable and present the general
provincial style of 19th century. The buildings are concentrated
along ulitsa Pervogo maya (ул. 1 мая, north from the central
square), Krasnooktyabr'skaya ulitsa (Краснооктябрьская ул., north
from the central square), and Vladimirskaya ulitsa (Владимирская
ул., east from the central square). The 19th century building of the
Trading rows is located directly on the central square.
Museum
(Юрьев-Польский историко-архитектурный и художественный музей), ул.
1 мая, 4, ☎ +7-49246 -22-848. W–M, 09:00–17:00. A complex of several
exhibitions (tickets are sold separately for every exhibition):
Art gallery (church of John the Evangelist) – Russian art from
16th–19th century.
Cathedral of St. George (interior) – original
carved stones from 13th century and 17th-century wall paintings.
Observation platform and the exhibition of monk's cell (bell tower).
The exhibition is rather boring, while the platform offers a nice
view on the town and on the surrounding fields.
Peasant life and
agriculture – the regular life of the region.
The life of
Bagration. Bagration was a famous military leader of Georgian
heritage during the war of 1812. In the end of his life, he lived in
the neighboring village Sima. He died from wounds he recieved at the
Battle of Borodino. He was mentioned in the famous novel War and
Peace.
Weaving manufacture – the history of the textile industry
and local embroidery.
Gorodische (Городище) – a village, lying 10 km north from
Yuryev-Polsky. The spot of the ancient town Mstislavl that vanished
in 14th century. The remains of the town are ramparts surrounded by
water (former ditch). The land near Mstislavl was the place for the
battle of Lipitsa (1216), one of the largest battles during the
intestine wars in early 13th century.
Get in: buses to Shordoga
or Podolets (normally, twice a day).
Luchki (Лучки) – a village,
located 30 km north from Yuryev-Polsky. In the beginning of 20th
century, the Russian merchant Pervushin built a factory for dextrine
production here. The factory building is a nice example of
industrial architecture from early 20th century, while old wooden
houses are remarkable for their fine carvings.
Get in: local
buses twice a week.
Nebyloe (Небылое) – a village that lies 30 km
south-east from Yuryev-Polsky (the road to Vladimir) and hosts the
monastery of the Assumption (Свято-Успенский Косьмин монастырь). The
monastery was founded in late 15th century, while the stone
buildings were constructed in 17th century (Russian style). These
buildings were partially or fully destroyed during the Soviet
period. You can see three recently renovated churches, although none
of them are really impressive.
Get in: buses to Vladimir.
Sima
(Сима) – a village, located 20 km north from Yuryev-Polsky (the road
to Pereslavl Zalessky). The estate of Golitsyn family where
Bagration, a famous military leader of the war of 1812, spent last
months of his life. You can see the main house (classicism style),
the remains of the park, and a small museum of Bagration. In the
village, there is a small church of St. Dmitry (1775, Russian
style).
Get in: buses to Pereslavl Zalessky, Luchki, or Spasskoe
(normally, 2-3 times a day).
Varvarino (Варварино) – an estate of
Mit'kov family, 8 km south-east from Yuryev-Polsky. Several
buildings in classicism style from late 18th century.
Get in: by
car or by foot.
General remark: there are few local buses in
Yuryev-Polsky, and their schedule is somewhat irregular and
intricate. If you want to visit the neighboring villages, it is
certainly advisable to hire a taxi.
Transport connections to Yuryev-Polsky are rather
inconvenient. If you do not have a car, the best starting points are
Moscow, Vladimir, Alexandrov, and Ivanovo.
By plane
The
nearest international airport is located in Moscow.
By train
Yuryev-Polsky stands on a minor railway line with a very infrequent
passenger service. The railway station is in the southern part of
the town, 1.5 km away from the historical center. Despite the low
number of trains, the station is open round-the clock, and the
waiting room (lounge) is available. Phone number of the train
station: +7-49246-22-307.
From Moscow: two long-distance
trains every day (to Ivanovo and Kineshma). The trip takes 4 hours.
Both trains start from Moscow in the evening and arrive to
Yuryev-Polsky in the middle of the night. Alternatively, you can use
the indirect connection with a change in Alexandrov. Local trains
between Moscow and Alexandrov run every hour, while there is one
local train from Alexandrov to Ivanovo (in the afternoon) and two
buses running between Alexandrov and Yuryev-Polsky in the morning
and in the afternoon. The trip from Alexandrov takes 2 hours, the
full trip from Moscow – at least five hours.
From Ivanovo: two
long-distance trains to Moscow (late in the evening) and three local
trains during the day. The trip takes 2–2.5 hours.
By bus
The bus station is next to the railway station, south from the
historical center. The station is open from early morning till 17:00
or 18:00. The schedule and the time-table can be obtained by
calling: +7-49246-22-153, 22-373
From Moscow: 3–4 buses per
day. In Moscow, the buses depart from the central bus station
(Schelkovskaya metro station). The trip takes four hours.
From
Vladimir: 5–6 buses per day, the trip takes about two hours.
From
Alexandrov: 2 buses per day, the trip takes two hours.
From
Pereslavl Zalessky: the bus runs three times a week (normally, on
weekends). The trip takes about 2 hours.
From Suzdal: no direct
bus connection available. One should either travel via Vladimir or
via the village Staryi Dvor. This village stands on the road from
Vladimir to Yuryev-Polsky and has three daily buses to Suzdal. The
whole trip takes at least three hours.
By car
From Moscow:
160 km along A103 (via Kirzhach and Kol'chugino). Upon entering the
town, pass three or four crossings, turn right, and cross the river
(there is no road sign).
From Vladimir: 70 km along R74. Upon
entering the town, you will pass under a railway bridge. Turn left
on the next crossing.
From Alexandrov: 77 km (via Kol'chugino).
From Ivanovo: via Suzdal - Obraschiha or Vladimir only. There is no
adequate road from Yuryev-Polsky to Ivanovo Oblast. The road from
Gavrilov Posad to Yuryev-Polsky via Osanovec and Skomovo while
exists and paved, contains several segments of extremely bad
pavement.
From Pereslavl Zalessky: 70 km along R74.
From
Suzdal: 65 km via the villages Obraschiha or Staryi Dvor.
In
Yuryev-Polsky, there is a lot of space for free parking. In the
daytime the central square may be crowded due to the market.
Additionally, the street along the monastery of Archangel Michael
(towards the cathedral of St. George) is closed for traffic.
The historical center of Yuryev-Polsky
is very small and can be easily explored by foot. The hotels and
places to eat are also located nearby, while walking to the train
and bus stations should not be diffucult as well. Inside the town,
there is a regular (every half-hour) minibus service. Additionally,
long-distance buses make a stop in the historical center.
Taxi service:
Pigeon (Голубь): +7-49246-22-018, 33-333;
+7-910-416-0233; +7-920-626-4606; +7-905-146-6155.
Afterburn
(Форсаж): +7-49246-21-310, 21-013; +7-915-754-9040; +7-910-185-0850;
+7-905-145-7070.
Dormitory (Общежитие ФЭК), ул. Шибанкова (east from the central
square), ☎ +7-49246 -2-21-16. Dormitory of the college of finances
and economics. The rooms are rented in summer only.
Pearl
(Жемчужина), ул. Шибанкова, 72 (north from the main square), ☎
+7-49246 -2-34-55. 700 rubles per person (2008).
Pokrovskaya
(Покровская), Владимирская ул. 22а, ☎ +7-49246 -2-24-17, e-mail:
urev-hotel@yandex.ru. A nice mini-hotel located next to the main
square. The rooms are modern and fully equipped. Breakfast is not
served, unguarded parking is available near the entrance. The hotel
occupies the third floor of an old building without an elevator.
Double room: from 1500 rubles (2008).
Promsvyaz (Гостиница
завода), ул. Заводская, 1а (south from the main square), ☎ +7-49246
-2-27-31. A renovated guest house of the factory, close to the bus
and train stations.
Yuryevskaya (Юрьевская), Советская пл, ☎
+7-49246 -2-28-44, e-mail: gos-yurevskaya@yandex.ru. A modern
mini-hotel in the center of the town. The rooms are fully equipped
and even air-conditioned. However, breakfast is not served, and the
lack of an elevator makes visitors to climb up to the fourth floor.
Unguarded parking is available near the entrance. Double room: 1800
rubles (2008).
Golden calf (кафе), Советская пл. 1, ☎ +7-49246 -3-45-34.
12:00–00:00. A cafe with a trace of Russian style and rather trivial
(but fully eatable and even enjoyable) food. In the evening, loud
and troublesome music can not be avoided. Main dishes: 100–200
rubles (2008).
Golden ring (кафе), Советская пл. 2, ☎ +7-49246
-2-22-20. A cheap and basic cafe on the central square.
Rainbow
(закусочная), Советская пл. 5. A canteen on the central square.
Water-colour (кафе), Заводская ул. 9, ☎ +7-49246 -2-26-23. An
extremely basic cafe.
Zarechye (столовая), Набережная ул. 80
(south from the central square, across the river), ☎ +7-49246
-2-23-74. A cheap canteen attached to the local factory.
Sky (Ночной клуб), ул. 1 мая, 72. The only night club in the town.
All the necessary shops can be found at Soviet
square (Советская площадь). There are no huge department stores in
Yuryev-Polsky, and specific items are sold in Vladimir only.
Book store, Советская пл. 12, ☎ +7-49246 -2-25-90.
Central store
(Супермаркет), Советская пл. 1, ☎ +7-49246 -2-22-89. 09.00–22.00.
Trading rows (Торговые ряды), Советская пл. Lots of small food
stores.
The postal code of Yuryev-Polsky is
6018**.
Central post office (601800), Советская
пл. 1а, ☎ +7-49246 -2-20-70. M–Sa, 09:00–20:00.
Post office # 2
(601802), пер. Вокзальный, 3.
Post office # 3 (601803), ул. 1
мая, 74.
Internet access is supposed to be available in the central post office (Советская пл. 1a). However, this part of the post office is permanently closed (2008). Most likely, there is no public internet access in Yuryev-Polsky.
In the chronicles, the city was originally called Gyurgev or Gergev after its founder Yuri Dolgoruky. The second part of the name, derived from the word "field", since the city stands on the Suzdal Opole, appeared to clarify the location due to the existence of other cities with the same name during this period: before 1224 Yuryev (Tartu), and since 1224 Yuryev-Povolsky (Yuryevets), Yuryev in the Dnieper region (now, probably, the White Church of the Kiev region of Ukraine). Until the middle of the XX century, the form of "Yuriev-Polskaya" existed in parallel. This option was even fixed in Soviet times in the production of souvenir badges with the coat of arms of the city. However, the historical document — the Nikon Chronicle — reads: "... Prince the Great Yuri Dolgoruky put a city in his name, the Polish one." Already in the ancient document, it is the Polish form that is used. The parallelism of the names "Yuryev-Polskaya" and "Yuryev-Polsky" is fixed in the form of two spelling variants of the city name in the BSE. Currently, on all maps and in official documents, the city is called Yuriev-Polsky.
Yuryev-Polsky was founded in 1152 by Yuri Dolgoruky. By his order,
an almost round detinets was built, which was surrounded by earthen
ramparts up to 7 m high, with wooden walls, which have survived to
this day. On the territory of the fortress in 1234, the St. George
Cathedral was erected.
The city arose in the area of
concentration of the Finno-Ugric tribe Merya, as evidenced by the
Meryan hydronyms Koloksha and Gza (Kza). The city occupies a
strategic position at the confluence of these two rivers.
Since 1212, Yuryev-Polsky was the center of an appanage
principality, headed by the son of Vsevolod the Big Nest Svyatoslav.
During his reign, the princely Mikhailo-Arkhangelsk monastery was
founded in Detinets.
In 1216, the famous Lipitsa battle took
place near Yuryev-Polsky.
In 1238, 1382 and 1408 the city was
devastated by the Mongol-Tatar invasion. In 1340 it became part of
the Great Moscow principality.
At the behest of Ivan the
Terrible, it was presented to the son of the Astrakhan khan, Abdulla
Ak-Kubekov, who had gone over to the side of the Russians even
before the fall of Astrakhan.
During the troubles of the
beginning of the 17th century, Yuryev-Polsky was burned by the
Poles. From the middle of the 17th century, the economic growth of
the city began, which was facilitated by its location on the Great
Stromyn road, which connected the Suzdal lands with Moscow.
In the 17th-18th centuries, the ensemble of the Mikhailo-Arkhangelsk
Monastery was rebuilt, in which the gateway Church of 1670, located
in the western part of the monastery fence, as well as the
monumental tent-roofed bell tower of the 17th century and the
Znamenskaya refectory church, stand out.
Since 1708 as part
of the Moscow province. County town since 1778. Since 1796 in the
Vladimir province.
On July 11, 1919, the state institutions
of the city were plundered by a gang of the staff-captain of the
tsarist army Efim Skorodumov (Yushka).
In 1920, the
Yuryev-Polsky Historical, Architectural and Art Museum was founded.
Until 2010, Yuryev-Polsky had the status of a historical
settlement, but by order of the Ministry of Culture of the Russian
Federation of July 29, 2010 No. 418/339, it was deprived of this
status.
It is located on the Koloksha River (a tributary of the Klyazma River), 68 km northwest of Vladimir and 180 km northeast of Moscow.
weaving and finishing factory "Avangard" (terry fabrics, furniture
and light fabrics and products made from them);
Promsvyaz plant
(electric power equipment);
Yuriev-Polish factory of skimmed milk
powder;
Yuriev-Polish meat processing plant;
Horse breeding
(Vladimir heavy trucks), meat and dairy farming were developed in the
area.
The Ivanovo passage of the Northern Railway passes through
the city, the Yuryev-Polsky station operates with daily passenger
service to Moscow, Alexandrov, Ivanov, Kineshma.
In the spring of 1967, the first episode of the film "The Golden Calf" was filmed in Yuriev-Polsky. The filming of the films "The Seventh Day" (2006, dir. Kakha Kikabidze), "St. George's Day" (2008, dir. Kirill Serebrennikov), "Walk, Vasya!" (2017, dir. Roman Karimov) and the TV series "Russian Chocolate" (2010, dir. Daria Poltoratskaya).