Jewel on the Volga

Yaroslavl has always been one of Russia’s most attractive and visitor-friendly cities. Now, as Igor Yunakovsky discovers, its rich history and cultural traditions are providing the basis for a revival of its fortunes. Photos by the author.

As in many provincial Russian towns, visitors to the old city and river port of Yaroslavl may find themselves bombarded with useless and often bizarre information. Like the fact that the population of Yaroslavl is almost 1 1/2 times that of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, or that the Region of which Yaroslavl is the capital is only a few hundred square kilometers smaller than Holland.

Comparisons with BeNeLux should end here, however, as Yaroslavl is very much a Russian city, standing in the forests of central Russia since 1010, when Kievan Prince Yaroslav the Wise decreed the building of a fortress city on the banks of the broad Volga river.

Yaroslavl’s favorite legend provides a reason for the prince’s decision — on this spot he wrestled a bear and won. In heraldry, however, the bear fared better. On the city’s coat-of-arms, he is portrayed standing proud on his hind legs and holding a gold pole-axe, representing  the strength of character and power of the Russian spirit, and the kindheartedness of the people of Yaroslavl. Now he is successfully marketed on souvenirs, emblems and trademarks well beyond the confines of the city.

Yaroslavl became a minor princedom in the 13th century, and three centuries later grew to be a major commercial center, with especially well-developed trading links with England and Holland. This period in particular has left it with a rich legacy of architectural masterpieces, a kind of chronicle written in stone on a scale unmatched in Russia. The interiors of these buildings, meanwhile, are replete with magnificent frescoes and paintings, usually by Russian artists of simple peasant stock.

The best of these can be seen in the Church of St. Elijah the Prophet(top photo, left hand page), built on the spot where the ‘wrestling match’ took place in the 17th century and later made the focal point of the new city plan at the time of Catherine the Great. It is painted with frescoes by the celebrated local artists Gury Nikitin and Sila Savin, whose work can also be seen in the cathedrals of the Moscow Kremlin.

Another architectural and artistic feast is the later Epiphany Church, renowned for its fine proportions and decorative tile patterns, which contrast pleasantly with the red brick of the walls. The paintings inside reflect the tendency towards realism in late 17th century church art, with the faces of saints by artists like Dmitry Plekhanov and Fyodor Ignatev looking decidedly more human than Nikitin’s or Savin’s.

Though little remains of Yaroslavl’s Kremlin, its place is surely filled by the Monastery of the Savior, whose white walls dominate the center of town. In the beginning of the 13th century, north Russia’s first educational college was set up here. The monastery’s library had a huge collection of Russian and Greek literature, including the old Russian epic poem The Lay of Igor’s Host, discovered here in 1788.

Yaroslavl has much more to it than art and architecture, though. It was here that in the 17th century Fyodor Volkov founded Russia’s first professional drama theater, and the first woman cosmonaut Valentina Tereshkova began her training in the local aviation club. The city’s quick-witted youths were reputed to be fine waiters, and served in the best of Moscow’s eating houses before the revolution. Eighteen scientific research and project institutes, 10 higher educational establishments and a university and academy make Yaroslavl one of the country’s major centers of learning.

Like almost all Russian cities, Yaroslavl has its grey industrial element too. Here car and tractor engines, tires (Yaroslavl has the dubious distinction of building the world’s first synthetic rubber factory), oil products, electrical engines, asbestos products, varnishes and paints are produced, sometimes tainting the local skyline with an unhealthy hue.

This potent blend of past and present in Yaroslavl make it a difficult city to look after. All in all, there are around 300 listed buildings in the city. In theory, they are preserved by the state, though in effect all this means is that no one is allowed to knock them down. Many museum-churches are simply kept permanently locked, whether because there is no money to staff them or because  they are simply not safe for visitors.

For those churches and monasteries which have been returned to their original function, things are not much better. The cash-strapped Orthodox Church has only been able to carry out renovation work with considerable outside help. This was the case with the beautiful out-of-town riverside Tolga Convent, restored to its original glory in 1992 with millions provided by the city administration, local firms and individuals.

But help appears to be on the way for the city center too, literally. A local foundation called Pomoshch (help) is financing the reconstruction of a historic part of town around the 17th century church of St. Nicholas the Wet. A second task is the re-creation of a whole street in the spirit of old Rus’, with small hotels, coaching inns, eating houses, trading stalls, exhibition halls and craft workshops.

Though often praised by visitors as a picturesque and attractive city, such projects show that there is clearly further room for improvement and plenty of local initiative. However, as Yaroslavl is on eight different tourist routes of national and international significance, including the famous Golden Ring of Russia, there is considerable outside interest, too. German architects from Kassel have joined forces with a team from the Moscow Institute of Town Planning to build a new hotel complex in the center of town. Its four stories, to contain cafes, restaurants, souvenir shops, nightclubs and a health club with sauna, will be designed to blend in with the city’s historical landmarks.

The combination of culture, tourism and industry in Yaroslavl has made the city a fertile ground for contacts with cities abroad. It has several twins around the world, including Kassel and the Vermont city of Burlington. A number of joint ventures have sprung up as a result of these contacts, like Yar-Kassel System, who have built a macaroni factory and are planning milk processing and babyfood plants.

Contacts with Burlington have included medical college and school exchanges, and a visit by Yaroslavl’s Puppet Theater to Vermont. An exhibition of products from Yaroslavl Region was organized by the two cities’ Chambers of Industry and Commerce in Burlington, and was met with great enthusiasm by the American side.

Overall, Yaroslavl gives the impression of a vibrant, lively city, its people more optimistic and buoyant than in many parts of Russia. This provides a fitting complement to the ancient churches and elegant river scenes beloved of Yaroslavl’s frequent and satisfied visitors. RL

Photos: counter clockwise from top left: The city’s main theater (1911), named after Russia’s first thespian, Fyodor Volkov; three generations of Yaroslavlians; the 1983 Children’s Theater; a stone in the center of town proclaims that Burlington, VT is just 10,875 km away.