The History of Vladimir and its surroundings

The region of Vladimir is one of Russia’s historical and cultural centres. People were living here already 25 000 years ago, during the Stone Age. Vladimir later became the centre of the Vladimir-Suzdal Principality and from the 18th century on it was the capital of the Vladimir Province.

The Principality of Vladimir (1157-1362) was founded when Andrey Bogolubsky moved the capital of the Rostov-Suzdal Principality to Vladimir at the Klyazma River. The foundation of the city of Vladimir itself is a point at issue: One version claims that it was founded by Duke Vladimir Svyatoslavich in 900; another one wants Duke Vladimir Monomakh to have founded it in 1108. Under the rule of Andrey Bogolubsky and his successors, Vladimir experienced a time of great prosperity and at the end of the 12th- beginning of the 13th century it had become the economic, political and cultural centre of the Rus, as the Russian state was called at the time. The change of the capital of the Rus to Vladimir played a major role in the development of the Russian people and their nation. However, in 1238, the important economic and political influence of the Vladimir-Suzdal Principality was gravely undermined by the devastating attack of the Tatars and Mongols.

The Vladimir-Suzdal Principality had a crucial influence on the development of the rest of the country: Its culture left a visible trace in the history of the entire north-eastern part of the Rus and the architectural school of Vladimir was a model for the stone architecture of Moscow and other Russian cities. Furthermore, at the time of the formation of the Russian centralistic state, the Grand Dukes of Moscow adopted the political and cultural traditions of the Vladimir Principality.

In 1778, the Vladimir Province was founded and split into 14 administrative districts, among them Vladimir and Suzdal. The Vladimir Province was one of the economically most developed regions in the European part of Russia. From the 18th century on, textiles were produced in manufactories in several cities of the region and by the 19th century, the Vladimir Province was a leading region in the textile industry: 31% of the total Russian cotton production were produced here. Along with the ascension of textile industry, ironworks and glass producing factories began to develop from the 18th century on, and the existence of icon painting manufactories even dates back to the 12th century. The majority of the industry was located outside of the bigger cities. Handicraft also played an important role in the province, especially weaving. The masons and carpenters of Vladimir were highly appreciated in the whole of Russia.

The total surface of the Vladimir Province was more than 46 700 km² at the end of the 19th century; the province counted 1 570 000 inhabitants. More than 1 350 factories had been built, with about 150 000 people working there.

The stormy events of the Revolution Year of 1917 scarcely touched the region of Vladimir. Important changes only came with the industrialization of Russia after the Revolution. Numerous factories were founded in the sectors of textile industry, engineering, chemical and glass industry. In 1929, the Vladimir Province was dissolved and its districts were adjoined to Moscow, Ivanovo and Gorky (today’s Nizhny Novgorod). During the Second World War, the Vladimir Region contributed to the victory of the Russians with its weapon industry, namely the factory in Kovrov. In 1944, the Region of Vladimir again became its own administrative unit. The region itself and many of its cities were honoured by different awards and titles, recognizing the great cultural and economic development of the region.

The Vladimir Region is situated in the middle of the European part of Russia and in the centre of Russia’s economy. It covers the lands between the rivers Oka and Volga, with the Klyazma River running through it. From west to east, the region measures 280 km, from north to south 170 km. Its total surface is 9 000 km². The land is flat and slightly descends into the direction of south-east. Hilly in places, it is smoothly divided into parts by rivers. The region boasts a great network of cultural institutions, proposing its inhabitants a large choice of spare time activities. Two of the 13 museums are even considered as being of great importance for the Russian state, among them the Vladimir-Suzdal Museum in Vladimir and the museum in Alexandrov. Further important institutions include the philharmonic of the region, the centre of choral music, the Drama Theatre and the Puppet Theatre of Vladimir, the theatre of Alexandrov, the Centre of Folkloric Arts and Fine Arts as well as the House of Artists. The region further boasts a significant number of folkloric groups and regularly hosts the all-Russian Folkloric Dance Festival. For the formation of new specialists of dance, theatre and folkloric arts, there is the College of Culture and Arts of the Region of Vladimir.

Vladimir is an important touristic region. The must-sees during a stay here are of course the architectural and historic sights and the museums. Unique monuments from the 12th-16th centuries have been conserved in the region up to the present day. Some of them can even be found on the UNESCO World Heritage List, among them the Assumption Cathedral, the Demetrius-Cathedral, the Golden Gate and the Church of Intercession on the banks of the Nerl River. 16 cities and villages made it onto the Russian list of places of historic importance. All in all, this list enumerates 3 589 places of interest to discover in Vladimir and in the surrounding region, including 397 church institutions and numerous monuments which are on the UNESCO World Heritage List.