It is not often that a city celebrates a millennial birthday. Founded as a fortress in 1010 by Yaroslav the Wise, Yaroslavl soon rose to prominence as a commercial center. Six centuries later, in 1612, it was the center of resistance to the Polish occupation. And just 40 years prior to that, Tsar Ivan IV (the Terrible) took refuge here when the Mongols threatened the capital. Just 250 kilometers from Moscow, this city of 615,000 sits astride the Volga and Kotorosl rivers, and was home to Russia’s first public theater, first rubber factory, and Northern Russia’s first university. The city will officially celebrate its anniversary in early September, but we at Russian Life decided to get a jump on things and offer a colorful portrait of multifaceted Yaroslavl this spring.
City of Legends
The truth of Yaroslavl’s founding has been lost in the mists of time.
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