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Cathedral of the Assumption

 It is one of the most historically important Russian Orthodox Churches. For a short period in the 14th century, the cathedral was the seat of the Metropolitan, the leader of the Russian Ortodox Chuch. Originally, the cathedral was built in 1158 and had only one dome. However, the major reconstruction followed already in 1185: four smaller domes were added, and the building was considerably enlarged in order to resemble St. Sophia's Cathedral in Kiev. Later on, a similar project was utilized for the cathedral of the Assumption in Moscow Kremlin. The neghboring bell tower of eclectic style was built in 1810 to replace the former hip-roof tower. The interior of the cathedral includes a number of ancient frescos from late 12th century (northern wall) and 15th century (vaults), the latter being painted by Andrei Rublev and Daniil Chyorny. Presently, the cathedral combines church and museum activities. Services are normally held in the morning and offer free entrance.

Golden Gate

Once the entrance to the walled city, the gate was originally built in 1158-64. At that time, the city was surrounded by a rampart with five stone gates. The Golden Gate is the only remaining part of the complex and the unique monument of ancient fortifications in Russia. The ramparts were removed in 19th century, and the gate was reinforced by four circular bastions at the buttresses. These bastions strongly changed the appearance of the gate, so it may be advisable to see the picture of the original building like in a museum of military history inside the gate. The remaining part of the rampart is found south from the gate, along the Kozlov Rampart Street.

Church of St. George

This church is rather small and looks modest as compared to the Church of St. Nikita. The nice appearance is supplied by the neighboring hip-roof bell tower. For a long time, the Church of St. George housed a concert hall, but now it should start regular services.

Regional history museum

The museum covers the history of Vladimir region from the very beginning till the February Revolution of 1917. During the Middle Ages, the history of the region was tightly bound to the history of Russia itself, so one can find a lot of information on the Vladimir principality and the development of north-eastern Russia prior to the Mongol invasion and along the period of the Mongol yoke.

Military museum

The museum presents a number of old weapons and a huge gallery of military leaders, originating from Vladimir region. The best exhibit is a special diorama that depicts the assault of Vladimir by Batu Khan in 1238. The diorama gives an idea how the the ancient city looked like.

Cathedral of St. Demetrius

This is the other ancient cathedral of Vladimir. The buliding was constructed in 1194-97 as an in-house church of the Prince's court. Originally, galleries linked the cathedral to the palace, but they were removed during the reconstruction in 19th century. At present, St. Demetrius' Cathedral is a detached church, a unique monument of ancient Russian architecture. The bottom part of the walls is flat (here the galleries were attached), while the upper part is covered by fine stone carvings. These carvings depict stories from the life of King David and praise the harmony of the world. Yet the meaning of some carvings remains unknown. The cathedral hosts a small museum that presents enlarged images and detailed explanations for a number of carvings as well as a small piece of original frescos from late 12th century. The museum is open Wed-Mon

The White Monuments of Vladimir and Suzdal

The White Monuments of Vladimir and Suzdal is the name of a World Heritage Site in Russian Federation. The patrimony embraces eight medieval limestone monuments of Zalesye
 

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