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Step in the fairy tale!
The Golden Circle
One of the best known Tsars is Peter the Great, who founded St. Petersburg.
He was one of the greatest reformers of his country, wanting to modernise
it and make it a maritime power.
To learn about shipbuilding he travelled to Deptford in England and
to Zaandam and Amsterdam in the Netherlands. He had many books translated
and opened a grand library in St. Petersburg.
The Tsar also fought many wars and crowned himself to be emperor.
The last Tsar dynasty was the one of the Romanov's. The mystery of
daughter Anastasia will never be solved.
Vladimir
Vladimir is one of the oldest towns of the Golden Ring, founded
in 1108 by Prince Vladimir Monomakh. Through a length of time it
was one of Russia's most important cities. A Capital City. The many
unique monuments like the St. Demetrius Cathedral (famous for her
impressive white stone statues), the Assumption Cathedral (where
the national hero of Russia, Alexander Nevsky was buried), and de
Golden Gate make a visit very worthwhile. The local churches do
have frescoes made by famous Russian icon painters. Vladimir is
nominated by the UNESCO being one of the international heritage
most important treasures.
Suzdal (18 km from Vladimir)
Numerous architectural and historic monuments which were built through
the ages, give the wooden town on the banks of the River Kamenka
its special charm. For a long period it was an important commercial
and trade centre and next to Vladimir the second capital of the
country.
The building of the city started with the Kremlin, which is a fortified
monastery, but was also used for political purposes.
Saint Petersburg
A real Tsar-city and probably the most beautiful of Russia. It's
not hard to loose yourself in the endless alleys of the city, strolling
along canals and crossing bridges which make you think of Venice,
because there are over 500 bridges crossing the river Neva alone.
Their is no shortage of palaces and cathedrals, the one even more
beautiful than the other. The famous Hermitage is the larges art
museum in the world. St. Petersburg is also the harbour of the cruiser
Aurora, from where the starting signal for the Russian Revolution
was given.
Kaliningrad
Kaliningrad used to be called Konigsberg. It once was the capital
city of East Prussia for 700 years and belonged to Germany. And
German it still is, or isn't it, this Russian enclave? During WWII
there has been a devastating battle; the bullet holes even tell
the story today. If there is one unique part of Europe it must be
Kaliningrad, inhabited by probably the most hospitable Russians
there are.
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Hermitage in Sint Petersburg
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