The founding of Vladimir. City history and interesting facts
The city of Vladimir in Russia is one of the oldest settlements. Its glorious history and numerous attractions attract tens of thousands of tourists annually. The main events that took place there for more than nine centuries, and is devoted to this article.
Before you name the year of the founding of the city of Vladimir, you should be familiar with the background of the appearance of the Slavs in these regions.
Scientists say that the first settlements of people in these places appeared around the 1st century AD. In particular, in the territory of modern Vladimir at that time there was a village of one of the local Finno-Ugric tribes. Later, in the 9-10 centuries, Smolensk Krivichi and Novgorod Slovenia appeared there. They quickly appreciated all the advantages of the local landscape, which ensured the natural security and inaccessibility of the settlement. In addition, Klyazma carried its waters in the Eye,thereby linking these territories with the most important trade route, the Volga, the forests abounded with beasts, there were excellent conditions for the development of cattle breeding, and in the north-west lay a vast fertile region, perfectly suited for farming.
Year of foundation of Vladimir
In the 10th century, the lands on which the city is located today became the possession of Prince Vsevolod Yaroslavich. The feudal war, which then broke out, aimed at capturing Northeastern Rus, showed the strategic importance of a small trade and craft settlement located on the high coastal ridge of Klyazma.
As a result, in 1108, the son of Prince Vsevolod - Vladimir Monomakh - founded a mighty fortress there. For a long time it was from that moment that it was decided to count the history of the glorious city. After all, the year 1108 is indicated in the Novgorod first chronicle as the year of foundation. The year of mentioning Vladimir with this date does not coincide, since the named manuscript was written in the 13-14 centuries.
The new city, which grew around the fortress, got its name in honor of the prince who founded it. Soon it became the capital of North-Eastern Russia.
Disputes related to the founding year of Vladimir
At the end of the last century, local historians began to argue that the generally accepted date for the founding of the city is incorrect. In their opinion, the year of the first foundation of Vladimir should be considered the 990th. As a substantiation of their statement, they cited the records present in the Suprasl, Nikon, Lviv, Gustyn, Yermolinsk and Kholmogory chronicles. In all these texts there are indications that the city of Vladimir was founded by Vladimir Svyatoslavich at the end of the 10th century. This alternative dating was also supported by the famous philologist, academician D. S. Likhachev.
In addition, in 2016, academician S. V. Zagraevsky published his scientific work, in which he convincingly showed that the city could have been founded in 990. This date was supported by the administration of Vladimir.
History of the city in the 12th century
In 1157, Prince Andrei Bogolyubsky rebuilt in Vladimir a new princely court with the church of Sv. George At the same time, the city has greatly grown along the road to Suzdal, and the population has increased due to the arrival of immigrants from the Dnieper region and Kiev.
Then, up to 1165, a grandiose construction was carried out in Vladimir. As a result, he got a belt of new ramparts and four gate towers.
Western part ofVladimir (the year of foundation - the 990th or 1108th) was predominantly inhabited by princes and boyars, and the township was in the eastern triangle, delineated by declining urban heights. The total perimeter of the walls and fortifications of the city reached 7 km and surpassed the fortresses of Kiev and Novgorod.
Under Vsevolod the Third
The strengthening of the grand-ducal power with the ruler and the growth of the political consciousness of the citizens led to serious unrest and uprisings. Vsevolod the Third had to move his court to the Middle City, next to the bishop's courtyard. There, the prince built a magnificent palace with Dmitrievsky Cathedral, protecting it with a stone wall.
The second half of the 12th century was also for Vladimir the heyday of culture. In particular, along with the architecture developed literature.
However, after the death of Vsevolod the Third, all this came to an end.
The invasion of the Golden Horde
In 1238 the city was besieged, and then the Tatars took it. They looted and burned Vladimir, but he continued to remain the center of North-Eastern Russia. Moreover, right up to the beginning of the 14th century, the Metropolitan of All Russia lived here, and the principality itself was the object of a fierce struggle of Moscow and Tver dynasties.
In particular, Dmitry Donskoy declared himself patron of the Dmitrievsky Cathedral, from which the icon of Dmitry Solunsky was carried to the capital on the eve of the Kulikovo battle, and in 1395 an important Orthodox shrine, the icon of the Vladimir Mother of God, was temporarily transferred to the Kremlin's Assumption Cathedral.
In addition, when after the raid on the city of hordes under the leadership of Khan Edigei, the Assumption Cathedral was badly damaged, Prince Vasily the First sent Andrei Rublev to the city to restore his painting.
In the 15th century begins the decline of Vladimir. In 1410, it was again ravaged as a result of a horde of Tsarevich Talych, after which restoration work was carried out, but the city lost its importance. By the beginning of the 16th century, Vladimir became an ordinary city of the Moscow State. There are flocked "reduced" Novgorod, who founded several settlements. And yet, from the beginning of the 17th century, the demographic situation was deteriorating, and by 1668 in Vladimir there were only 990 people and 400 houses.
In the 18th century
By 1715, 1840 people lived in Vladimir. In the center of the city there was a Kremlin with chopped walls and 14 towers. Moreover, 8 of them were located along the southern wall. In the same place, on a mountain slope there was a magnificent Patriarchal garden.The square to the north of the city cathedral was built up with siege yards. There was also a large voivod house. In the north, there were densely populated areas, a prison was located at the western Trade Gate, and in the west, a commercial part.
In 1778, the Vladimir governorship was established, and after 8 years - the province. In connection with this, a corps of office places was built between the cathedrals in the city center.
In the 19th century
In the 19th century, the city of Vladimir (the photo of the preserved sights, see below) began to be rebuilt again. Along with ancient monuments, several buildings appeared in the style of classical architecture (the buildings of the Nobility Assembly, the men's gymnasium, etc.). In addition, a new cathedral bell tower and an arcade of shopping malls was built.
Unfortunately, and perhaps, fortunately, the subsequent industrial development of the Russian Empire almost did not affect Vladimir. However, the city authorities did not value the old buildings, so many of them were irretrievably lost. This was done with the aim of building tenement houses, which were located mainly along Main Street.
The appearance of the historical part of Vladimir suffered as a result of the laying of the Moscow-Nizhny Novgorod railway.The built objects of traveling facilities did not fit well with the architectural ensemble of the southern "microdistricts" and disfigured their magnificent panorama.
History in the first half of the 20th century
Vladimir (the year of the founding of the city is the subject of a dispute of scholars) in the era of the USSR lost many churches, and most of the remaining were closed to believers. They were returned to the RCP only in recent years.
In the pre-war decades, the city underwent accelerated industrialization with the aim of turning it into a major industrial center, and in 1944, Vladimir, who received hundreds of thousands of evacuees from the western regions of the USSR, became the center of the same name region.
In the 1950s, several universities and the Torpedo stadium were opened there, large enterprises of metalworking, machine-building, electrical engineering, chemical, instrument-making and light industry were created.
History over the past 50 years
In the spring of 1971, the Moscow-Vladimir electric train made its first flight, and 5 years later a new railway station opened in the city. This, like its inclusion in the route of the Golden Ring of Russia and the construction of the hotel complexes Zarya, Klyazma, etc., contributed to the development of tourism.
In the 1980s, housing construction began to be conducted at an active pace in Vladimir.
After the collapse of the USSR, the city experienced a deep economic crisis associated with the general situation in the country. Today, the situation in Vladimir has improved. This is due to the reprofiling of some enterprises and the increased demand for tourist services.
Interesting facts about Vladimir
- The weather in the city for most of the year is cloudy, clear, sunny days make up only 1/3 of the year.
- On the territory of Vladimir there are more than two hundred cultural and historical monuments. Among them there are several unique architectural structures listed by the UNESCO World Heritage List.
- During the year, the air temperature in the city limits varies from -40 to +37 degrees.
- Vladimir has a lot of parks and forests, so he is literally immersed in greenery.
- The Golden Gate is located on the territory of the city, attracting tourists from all over the world. Today, in their upper part of the Museum of military equipment.
- Vladimir's pride is the Assumption Cathedral, which served as a model for the construction of the eponymous church of the Moscow Kremlin. In it you can see several frescoes by Andrei Rublev.
- The city is known for its unusual museums, among which, along with the traditional ones, there are several unusual ones. Among them are museums of spoons, optical illusions, crystal, gingerbread, etc.
- Vladimir preserved a magnificent example of pre-Mongolian architecture - Dmitrievsky Cathedral.
Now you know the founding year of Vladimir, the year of the first mention of the city and other information relating to its history. The sights that are there are unique and deserve to see them with my own eyes. Therefore, at the first opportunity, be sure to visit Vladimir.