The question of which city in Russia can be called the oldest is still open. There are various hypotheses, various studies are being conducted, but there is no exhaustive data.
According to some sources, I managed to compile a list of the ten oldest cities in Russia:
0. Derbent - A medium-sized city that is part of the Republic of Dagestan. Date of foundation - the end of the 4th millennium BC. e.
1. Veliky Novgorod - A regional center with a small population. The date of foundation is 859.
2/3/4.
- Medium size city. It is part of the Vladimir region. Year of foundation - 862
2/3/4. Rostov the Great is the same age as the city of Murom, a small city included in the Yaroslavl region. In 1995, the museum-reserve "Rostov Kremlin" was included in the list of especially valuable objects of cultural heritage of the peoples of Russia.
2/3/4. Belozersk (first name - Beloozero). The same age as Rostov the Great. Small town. Year of foundation - 862
5. Smolensk - Large city, regional center of the Smolensk region. The date of foundation is 863.
6. Pskov - Small in number of the regional center. The year of foundation is 859.
7/13 Uglich - First mentioned in the annals in 1148, however, some local sources provide other information: 937, 947, 952 and other years.
7/8. Trubchevsk is a small town in terms of population. The year of foundation is 975.
8/9. Bryansk is a regional center. The city was founded in 985.
9/10/11/12
- Regional center. The date of foundation (one of the versions) is 990.
10/11/12
- A small town, which is part of the Vladimir region. Date of foundation - 999, or 1024.
10/11/12 Kazan - Regional center, the capital of the Republic of Tatarstan. The date of foundation is 1005.
11/12/13 Yaroslavl is a large regional center. The date of foundation is 1010.
It is believed that the most ancient city in Russia is Derbent. It existed when there was no Ancient Russia, and its approximate age is 5000 years. However, this city became part of the Russian state only in 1813. Now Derbent belongs to the Republic of Dagestan as part of the North Caucasian Federal District.
However, the oldest native Russian can rightly be considered a city of Russia Velikiy Novgorod . This city was founded in 859 and is the progenitor of the Christian faith. On the left bank of the Volkhov River in Novgorod is one of the most beautiful Kremlins in Russia.
The ten oldest cities in Russia include two cities that are part of the Vladimir region. According to some sources, Suzdal was founded in 999 and also claims to be among the ten most ancient Russian cities.
Murom It is considered the third oldest city in Russia, along with Rostov the Great and Belozersk. The first written mention of him gives "The Tale of Bygone Years". From the chronicle, it becomes clear that Murom got its name from the ancient Finno-Ugric tribe "Muroma", which once lived in the Oka basin. The first prince of Murom was Gleb. Back in 988, he received Murom as an inheritance from the hands of his father, Equal-to-the-Apostles Prince Vladimir. The Murom Spaso-Preobrazhensky Monastery is one of the oldest in Russia.
Vladimir - one of the most beautiful cities in Russia, which stands on the banks of the Klyazma River. According to recent studies by local historians, according to information from a number of chronicle sources, Vladimir-on-Klyazma was founded by Vladimir Svyatoslavich Monomakh in 990. The most ancient inhabitants of this region were the Finno-Ugric tribes (VI-VII centuries), some of which were subsequently assimilated by the Slavs.
Another ancient city Suzdal it is first mentioned in the chronicle when it speaks of the uprising of the Magi in 1024. According to other studies, Suzdal was first mentioned in written sources under the year 999. It is believed that the city arose on the site of the most ancient agricultural and trade and craft settlements, which, there is every reason to believe so, appeared here no later than the 9th century. Now Suzdal is a city-reserve, which is part of the Golden Ring of Russia. By the abundance of architectural monuments and the integrity of its appearance, he knows no equal.
If we talk not only about cities, then we can recall another ancient settlement - this is the village of Staraya Ladoga, which until 1703 was a city. In 2003, the 1250th anniversary of Staraya Ladoga was celebrated, during which the village was positioned as the "ancient capital of Northern Russia."
Today I decided to touch upon such a topic as “Old Russian cities” and identify what contributed to the development and formation of Russian cities in the 9th-10th centuries.
The chronological framework of this issue falls on the IX-XIII centuries. Before answering the questions I have raised above, it is worth tracing the process of development of ancient Russian cities.
This question is interesting not only for the historian of the Russian state, but also for the scientific community and world history. It's easy to follow. The largest cities appeared where they did not previously exist and developed not under anyone's influence, but on their own, developing the ancient Russian culture, which is of particular interest to world history. The cities of the Czech Republic and Poland developed similarly.
The illumination of this issue is of great importance for modern society. Here I emphasize the cultural heritage that has been preserved in the form of architecture, painting, writing and the city as a whole, since it is, first of all, the main source of the heritage of society and the state.
Relevant heritage items are passed down from generation to generation, and in order not to interrupt this chain, certain knowledge in this field of activity is required. Especially in our time there is no lack of information. With the help of a rather large amount of accumulated material, one can trace the process of education, development, way of life, and culture of ancient Russian cities. And besides, knowledge about the formation of Russian cities and, consequently, about the history of the ancient Russian state speaks of the cultural development of man. And now, in our time, it is very important.
In written sources, Russian cities are mentioned for the first time in the 9th century. An anonymous Bavarian geographer of the 9th century listed how many cities different Slavic tribes had at that time. In Russian chronicles, the first mention of cities in Russia is also dated to the 9th century. In the Old Russian sense, the word "city" meant, first of all, a fortified place, but the chronicler also had in mind some other qualities of fortified settlements, since he really called cities cities. There is no doubt about the reality of the existence of Russian cities of the 9th century. It is hardly possible that any ancient Russian city appeared earlier than the 9th-10th centuries, since only by this time in Russia were conditions for the emergence of cities that were the same in the north and in the south.
Other foreign sources mention Russian cities from the 10th century. The Byzantine emperor Constantine Porphyrogenitus, who left notes “On the management of the empire”, wrote about Russian cities from hearsay. The names of cities in most cases are distorted: Nemogardas-Novgorod, Milinsk-Smolensk, Telyutsy-Lyubech, Chernigoga-Chernigov, etc. It is striking that there are no names that can be attributed to names of Scandinavian or Khazar origin. Even Ladoga cannot be considered built by Scandinavian immigrants, since in the Scandinavian sources themselves this city is known by a different name. A study of the names of ancient Russian cities convinces us that the vast majority of them bear Slavic names. Such are Belgorod, Belo-ozero, Vasiliev, Izborsk, Novgorod, Polotsk, Pskov, Smolensk, Vyshgorod, etc. It follows from this that the most ancient ancient Russian cities were founded by the Eastern Slavs, and not by any other people.
The most complete, both written and archaeological, information is available on the history of ancient Kyiv. It is assumed that Kyiv appeared by the merger of several settlements that existed on its territory. At the same time, the simultaneous existence in Kyiv of the settlement on Andreevskaya Gora, on Kiselevka and in Shchekovitsa is compared with the legend of the three brothers - the founders of Kyiv - Kyi, Shchek and Khoriv [D.A. Avdusin, 1980]. The city founded by the brothers was an insignificant settlement. Kyiv received the importance of a trading center in later times, and the growth of the city begins only in the 9th-10th centuries [M.N. Tikhomirov, 1956, pp. 17-21].
Similar observations can be made over the territory of other ancient Russian cities, primarily Novgorod. The original Novgorod is presented in the form of three multi-ethnic simultaneous settlements, corresponding to the subsequent division into ends. The unification of these settlements and the enclosing with a single wall marked the emergence of the New City, which thus received its name from the new fortifications [D.A. Avdusin, 1980]. The intensified development of urban life in Novgorod, as in Kyiv, takes place at a certain time - in the 9th-10th centuries.
A slightly different picture is given by archaeological observations made in Pskov. Excavations on the territory of Pskov have confirmed that Pskov was already a significant city center in the 9th century. Thus, Pskov arose earlier than Novgorod, and there is nothing incredible in this, since the trade route along the Velikaya River dates back to a very early time.
The concept of a medieval city in Russia, as in other countries, included, first of all, the idea of a fenced area. This was the initial difference between the city and the countryside, to which the idea of the city as a craft and trade center was later added. Therefore, when assessing the economic significance of the ancient Russian city, one should not forget that the craft in Russia in the 9th-13th centuries was still at the initial stage of separation from agriculture. Archaeological excavations in Russian cities of the 9th-12th centuries confirm the constant connection of the townspeople with agriculture. The degree of importance of agriculture for the townspeople was not the same in small and large cities. Agriculture dominated in small towns like the Raykovetsky settlement, was least developed in large centers (Kyiv, Novgorod, etc.), but existed everywhere in one form or another. However, it was not agriculture that determined the economy of Russian cities in the 10th-13th centuries, but handicraft and trade. The largest urban centers could no longer exist without constant communication with the nearest agricultural district. They consumed agricultural products to a greater extent than they produced, being the centers of crafts, trade and administrative management [M.N. Tikhomirov, 1956, pp. 67-69].
The handicraft character of Russian cities is well shown by archaeologists. During excavations, the main and frequent finds are the remains of craft workshops. There are blacksmith, jewelry, shoe, leather and many other craft workshops. Spindles, weaving shuttles and spindle whorls are common - undoubted traces of home-made fabrics [D.A. Avdusin, 1980].
The existence of a number of casting molds used for the production of handicrafts of the same type has led some researchers to assume that these workshops worked for market sales. But the concept of a commodity itself presupposes the existence of a certain market for sale. Such a market was known as bargaining, trading, trading. Commodity production undoubtedly already existed to some extent in Ancient Russia, but its significance cannot be exaggerated. The overwhelming majority of written evidence known to us speaks of handicraft production to order. Work to order prevailed, although commodity production also took place in Ancient Russia.
The trade of the cities of the 9th-13th centuries unfolded under the dominance of subsistence farming and a weak need for imported goods. Therefore, trade with foreign countries was mainly the lot of large cities, small urban areas were connected only with the nearest agricultural district.
Domestic trade was an everyday phenomenon that attracted little attention of writers of that time. Therefore, fragmentary information about the internal exchange in ancient Russia. There is no doubt that such connections as trade within the city, between the city and the countryside and between different cities, existed, but they are difficult to grasp due to the unity of ancient Russian culture. One can trace the connection of the city market with the surrounding villages (famine in the city is usually associated with a crop failure in the region) and the dependence of the village on the city's crafts and trade (the village's requests for iron objects were satisfied by the village and city forges).
Much more is known about foreign, "overseas" trade. Foreign trade mainly served the needs of the feudal lords and the church; only in famine years did bread become a commodity delivered by overseas merchants. To an even greater extent, the village was a supplier of export goods: honey, wax, furs, lard, flax, etc. were delivered to the city from the village, which was thus involved in trade, although these items entered the market not through direct sale, but as part of quitrent or tribute [M.N. Tikhomirov, 1956, pp. 92-103].
Russia is a country with a long history, which has a huge territory. The country is home to several dozen nationalities located in different regions of the Russian Federation. Each of these regions joined Russia in a certain period: someone recently, and someone five hundred to a thousand years ago. Accordingly, the cities appeared at different times. But which of them bear the proud title of "the oldest cities in Russia"?
Population: 532,772
Ryazan opens our Top most countries. The name of the city comes from the territory of the principality, which at the beginning of the 11th century was located on the right bank of the Oka. Tourism in Ryazan is widely developed, because the land on which it is built is the most ancient territory of Russia. There is something to see here: St. John the Theologian Monastery, Trinity Monastery, Ryazan Historical Museum-Reserve and much more.
Population: 603,961
One of the oldest cities in Russia dates back to 1010. In the past, Yaroslavl proudly bore the title of "the city of a hundred churches." Now there are only thirty left. You can see all the churches in one day. Many old cathedrals and architectural monuments have been preserved in Yaroslavl, which is not surprising, because it is part of the Golden Ring of Russia. The most important attraction in the historical center of the city is the Transfiguration Cathedral (not to be confused with the monastery of the same name), built in 1516.
Population: 1,205,651
Kazan was founded in 1005 as an outpost on the border of the Volga Bulgaria. One of the most ancient cities in Russia has a centuries-old rich history and a unique cultural and historical heritage. Included in the UNESCO World Heritage List. One of the main attractions in the city is the Kazan Kremlin, built of white brick. And the Kul Sharif mosque is considered the main symbol of the Republic of Tatarstan.
Vladimir Population: 362,581
The city-museum was founded in 990. It is one of the most ancient in the country, it is included in the Golden Ring of Russia. They say about Vladimir: "even the city's hospitals, shops and pharmacies are architectural monuments built by our ancestors." And there is no exaggeration in this description. Many houses in the city are over 300 years old. And the world-famous Golden Gate, Assumption and Dmitrievsky Cathedrals are included in the UNESCO list.
Population: 110,746 people
The first mention of Murom slips in The Tale of Bygone Years. It was from this ancient source that it was possible to establish the origin of the name of the city. In ancient times, one of the tribes of Finno-Ugric origin, called Muroms, lived on this territory.
Prince Vladimir in 988 gave the city to his son Gleb. It was he who became the first ruler of Murom. It will be interesting for tourists to look at the Transfiguration Monastery, which is the oldest in the country.
Population: 9978 people
There are several references to this city in ancient sources. One dates back to 1024. It describes the uprising of the Magi. The second, in the year 999, which says that Suzdal was founded as a result of the merger of several settlements.
Currently, one of the oldest cities is part of the Golden Ring of Russia. On its territory there is a huge number of monuments, which have no equal anywhere in the country.
Population: 330,049 people
The hero city was first mentioned in 946 in the Tale of Bygone Years as a settlement of the Krivichi tribe. And twenty years later, Prince Oleg captured Smolensk and annexed it to Ancient Russia. He made his son Igor the prince of the city, but he, due to his infancy, could not perform managerial functions, so Smolensk was controlled from Kyiv.
Of the main attractions of the ancient city of Russia, it is worth noting the Borisoglebsky Monastery, the Church of St. John the Evangelist, and the Assumption Cathedral.
Population: 221,954
This ancient city was built in 859. It can rightfully be called unique, because such architectural monuments cannot be found in any other city in the world. And the atmosphere of Novgorod, which received bronze in the rating of the oldest cities in the country, cannot be confused with anything. This is due to the fact that the city was built on the site where many important events of Russia took place.
Tourists should look at the main attraction of Veliky Novgorod - St. Sophia Cathedral. It is often called the religious center of the country. And the Novgorod Kremlin is one of the most beautiful buildings in the country.
Population: 2012 people
Staraya Ladoga, which took second place in the ranking of the oldest cities in Russia, was founded in 753. But historical evidence shows that even before the founding of the city, people lived here. Interestingly, the first prince of Ancient Russia - Rurik, was a native of Staraya Ladoga.
Since the city was close to the territories of hostile states, it was the first outpost on the way of foreigners. It has been destroyed and rebuilt many times.
The wooden fortress of Staraya Ladoga was replaced with a stone one in the 9th century, which allowed it to become the first fortress in the country made of this material.
Population: 121,251
Derbent is rightfully considered the oldest city in Russia. After all, its history goes back as much as 5,000 years! It was founded when Ancient Russia did not yet exist in the project. The earliest references to the city date back to sources from the 6th century BC. But then it was called the Caspian Gates. Derbent became part of the Russian Empire only in 1813, after an armistice agreement was signed with Persia. With such a long history, it would be surprising if the city did not have ancient monuments. Of the most famous: the Juma mosque built in the 8th century, and the Naryn-Kala fortress, 2500 years old.
From this article, the reader will learn about what are the oldest cities in Russia and how old they are. Get interesting information about the history of these cities and the main attractions.
For centuries, as historians note, “the main type of settlements has been transformed: from unprotected settlements located in low places to settlements in high, naturally protected places.” However, experts admit that some of these settlements did not have a permanent population and were in the nature of shelters.
Early urban formations of the 9th-10th centuries, basically, fit within the limits of small fortresses - detintsy. The appearance of urban settlements - settlements of artisans and merchants - is found not earlier than the end of the 10th century. A number of ancient Russian cities were the main settlements of one or another East Slavic tribe, the so-called tribal centers. The almost complete absence of written sources for the 7th-8th centuries. and chronicle evidence for the IX-X centuries. do not allow us to establish at least an approximate number of ancient Russian cities of that era. So, according to the mentions in the annals, a little more than two dozen cities can be identified, but their list is certainly not complete.
It is difficult to establish the dates of the founding of the early ancient Russian cities, and the first mention in the annals is usually given. However, it should be taken into account that at the time of the annalistic mention, the city was an established settlement, and a more accurate date of its foundation is determined by indirect data, for example, based on archaeological cultural layers excavated on the site of the city. In some cases, archaeological data contradict chronicles. For example, for Novgorod, Smolensk, which are mentioned in the annals under the 9th century, archaeologists have not found cultural layers older than the 11th century. However, priority in dating is given to written annalistic sources.
At the end of the X - the first half of the XI century. many of the largest trade and craft centers disappear or fall into decay. However, some continue to exist, but undergo changes, both torographic - settlements are transferred over short distances - and functional. If earlier the cities were monofunctional, now they are beginning to combine the functions of trade, craft and princely administrative centers and centers of the local (in the past - tribal) districts.
From the 11th century begins a rapid growth in the number of urban population and the number of ancient Russian cities around the existing city centers. It is noteworthy that the emergence and growth of cities in the XI-XIII centuries. also occurs to the west - in the territories of modern, and. There are many theories about the reasons for the massive emergence of cities. One of the theories belongs to a Russian historian and connects the emergence of ancient Russian cities with the development of trade along the route "from the Varangians to the Greeks." This theory has its opponents, who point to the emergence and growth of cities not only along this trade route.
economy
Archaeological excavations in Russian cities of the 9th-12th centuries. confirm the constant connection of townspeople with agriculture. Vegetable gardens and orchards were an indispensable part of the economy of the townspeople. Animal husbandry was of great importance in the economy - archaeologists discovered in the cities the bones of many domestic animals, including horses, cows, pigs, sheep, etc.
Handicraft production was well developed in the ancient Russian cities. In his capital studies, based on a deep study of material monuments, he singles out up to 64 craft specialties and groups them into 11 groups. Tikhomirov, however, prefers a slightly different classification and questions the existence or sufficient prevalence of some of them.
The following is a list of specialties that are the least controversial and are recognized by most professionals.
- blacksmiths, including nailsmiths, locksmiths, boilermakers, silversmiths, coppersmiths;
- gunsmiths, although the existence of this specialty is sometimes questioned, but the term can be used here to generalize the various artisans associated with the manufacture of weapons;
- jewelers, goldsmiths, silversmiths, enamellers;
- "woodworkers", which included architecture, architecture and carpentry proper;
- "gardeners" - builders of city fortifications - gorodnikov;
- "ships" - builders of ships and boats;
- masons-builders, with whom bonded labor and servitude were associated;
- "builders", "stone-builders" - architects associated with stone construction;
- bridgemen
- weavers, tailors (Shevtsy);
- tanners;
- potters and glass-workers;
- icons;
- book scribes
Sometimes artisans were engaged in the production of one specific item, designed for constant demand. Such were saddlers, archers, tulniki, shieldmen. One can assume the existence of butchers and bakers, as, for example, in the cities of Western Europe, but, unfortunately, written sources do not confirm this.
An obligatory accessory of the ancient Russian cities was the city market. However, retail trade in our sense of the word in the Old Russian market was very poorly developed.
Population
The population of other cities rarely exceeded 1,000 people, as evidenced by the small areas occupied by their kremlins, or citadels.
Craftsmen (both free and), fishermen and day laborers made up the main population of ancient Russian cities. A significant role in the composition of the population was played by princes, and those associated with both the city and land holdings. Quite early, merchants emerged as a special social group, they constituted the most revered group under direct princely protection.
ancient cities
According to the annals, it is possible to establish the existence in the IX-X centuries. more than two dozen Russian cities.
| according to the chronicle refers to ancient times | |
| 859, according to other chronicles it was founded in ancient times | |
| 862 | |
| 862 | |
| 862 | |
| 862 | |
| 862 | |
| 862, according to the chronicle refers to ancient times | |
| 863, mentioned among the oldest Russian cities | |
| 881 | |
| 911, now Pereyaslav-Khmelnitsky | |
| 903 | |
| 907 | |
| crossed | 922 |
| 946 | |
| 946 | |
| -Zalessky | 990 |
| hand () | 977 |
| 980 | |
| Relatives | 980 |
| 981 | |
| Worm | 981 |
| 988 | |
| Vasilev | 988, now |
| Belgorod | 991 |
| 999 |
The most famous cities of the pre-Mongol era
The most complete list of ancient Russian cities is contained in.
Below is a short list, broken down by lands, indicating the date of the first mention, or the date of foundation.
Kyiv and Pereyaslav lands
| from ancient temp. | glade tribal center | |
| 946 | suburb of Kyiv, served as a refuge for Kiev princes | |
| hand () | 977 | after the desolation of Iskorosten in the second half of the 10th century. became the center of the Drevlyans |
| 980 | through Turov there was an ancient trade road from Kyiv to the shores of the Baltic Sea | |
| Vasilev | 988 | stronghold, now |
| Belgorod | 991 | had the value of an advanced fortified princely castle on the outskirts of Kiev |
| Trepol* (Trypillia) | 1093 | stronghold, assembly point for troops fighting the Cumans |
| Torchesk* | 1093 | the center of the Torks, Berendichs, Pechenegs and other tribes of Porosye (the basin of the Ros River) |
| Yuriev* | 1095 | Gurgev, Gurichev, founded by Yaroslav the Wise (baptized Yuri), exact location unknown |
| Kanev* | 1149 | a supporting fortress, from where the princes made trips to the steppe and where they waited for the Polovtsy |
| Pereyaslavl (Russian) | 911 | now, the center of Pereyaslav land, experienced a period of prosperity in the XI century. and rapid decline |
- - the marked cities never grew beyond the fortified castles, although they are often mentioned in the annals. For the Kiev land was characterized by the existence of cities, the prosperity of which did not last long, and which were replaced by new cities that arose in the neighborhood.
Volyn land
Galician land
Chernihiv land
| 881 | forward point on the way to Kiev from the north, in 1159 already mentioned by the deserted | |
| 907 | Major economic importance; Shestovitsa churchyard is nearby | |
| Kursk | 1032 (1095) | |
| 1044 (1146) | ||
| Vshchizh | 1142 | |
| 1146 | ||
| ,Debryansk | 1146 | |
| Trubchevsk | 1185 |
Among the Chernihiv cities is the distant one on the Taman Peninsula.
Smolensk land
Polotsk land
| 862 | |
| 1021 | |
The ancient cities of Russia, which have lived a long life and still exist today, make it possible to trace the history of our country, the stages of its formation and development. Having gone through the trials of centuries, they managed to survive and preserve to this day unique historical monuments of architecture and culture. The surviving earthen ramparts, fortress walls, ancient cathedrals and monasteries testify to the former power of ancient Russia and the talent of artisans. Traveling through these cities leaves an indelible and incomparable impression. In the north-west of the country is the "Silver Ring of Russia", which includes the great ancient Russian cities of Veliky Novgorod and Pskov. Thousands of kilometers are overcome by tourists in order to see the Kizhi churchyard and the Valaam monastery in Karelia, the Kirillo-Belozersky monastery in the Vologda region and the pearl of the White Sea - the Solovetsky Islands. The tourist centers of the Volga region are, based on the confluence of the Volga and Oka, Nizhny Novgorod, the capital of the Republic of Tatarstan - Kazan, the hero city of Volgograd and the ancient Volga cities of Samara and Saratov.
The date of origin of the city is usually considered to be the first mention of it in the annals. But archaeological excavations often push it even deeper into the centuries. The longer the city exists, the more trials it will face. Many of them started their history from scratch more than once. But not all cities managed to recover. And all that remained of them was a mention in the annals and the remains of ancient fortifications. So, for example, traces of the disappeared cities are kept by the territory to the west of Moscow.
The most ancient Russian cities are five cities of the historical core of Russia: which had the same importance in Ancient Russia as Kyiv - connecting the largest Russian cities Novgorod and Kyiv -, the capitals of large principalities - and, as well as Belozersk, where, according to legend, one "sat" of the Rurik brothers - Sineus. But the most ancient city on the territory of the Russian Federation is Derbent, founded in 438.
If we distribute all the existing cities of Russia by the time of formation, it turns out that 56 cities arose before the Mongol-Tatar yoke, and 111 cities appeared in the process of overcoming the political fragmentation of Russia during the formation of a centralized state.
Kremlins and fortresses, cathedrals and monasteries, palaces and estates, factory and industrial buildings of the era of industrial prosperity create a peculiar historical atmosphere of ancient cities. Some historical cities acquire individuality through the predominance of one architectural style. But for all their diversity and uniqueness, they also have common features. Firstly, most of the ancient Russian cities were built at the arrow - at the confluence of the river with its tributaries. Secondly, in the middle lane, cities were built mainly on the high bank of the river. Their layout was subject to the terrain. Temples were erected on the highest places. And the core of the city - the fortress - occupied a hard-to-reach place, protected by ravines and steep river banks. The streets of ancient cities are characterized by curvature, which has certain artistic merit. Thirdly, embankments in a Russian city located on the river, as a rule, played the role of a facade, the face of the city, one might say, its calling card. Old Russian urban planners skillfully used the features of the landscape and created beautiful cities in harmony with the surrounding nature.
Monasteries were of great importance for the ancient cities in Russia. They were not only places of religious worship, but also cultural and educational centers. As well as the place of stay in different periods of the history of noble and royal persons. So, for example, in what is not far from Kostroma, Mikhail Fedorovich Romanov lived for some time. It was here that he received the news of his election to the throne. Since then, the Romanov family began to revere this monastery as their family shrine. In a turbulent time of enemy raids and princely civil strife, the monasteries protected the city dwellers. Often settlements that arose around monasteries became cities. The cities of Cherepovets, Pechory, Pokrov, Valdai, Kirzhach developed around the monasteries. laid the foundation for Sergiev Posad. became the ovary of the city of Istra. The city of Kirillov was formed around.
Outstanding achievements of medieval urban planning are the kremlins, inside which the most significant buildings of the city were erected. survived and adorn Moscow, Veliky Novgorod, Pskov, Smolensk, Rostov the Great, Tula, Zaraysk, Tobolsk, Kazan, Astrakhan, Nizhny Novgorod. Russian architecture has made a huge contribution to the glorification of Russia. Few cities in the world can boast of architectural structures that are unique in nature. There are a huge number of them in Russian cities. Temples, cathedrals, monasteries - each with its own history, its own unique beauty.
