The Golden Ring is a ring of cities northeast of Moscow, the capital of Russia. They formerly comprised the region known as Zalesye.
These ancient towns, which also played a significant role in the formation of the Russian Orthodox Church, preserve the memory of the most important and significant events in Russian history. The towns have been called “open air museums” and feature unique monuments of Russian architecture of the 12th–18th centuries, including kremlins, monasteries, cathedrals, and churches. These towns are among the most picturesque in Russia and prominently feature Russia’s famous onion domes.
The term “Golden Ring” appeared in 1967, with a light hand writer Yuri Bychkov, who wrote several essays for the newspaper of the same name. These ancient cities have played a major role in the formation and the formation of the Russian Orthodox Church. They keep the memory of the deeds of our ancestors who took part in the most important events in the history of Russia.
There were eight cities originally included into the tourist route of Golden Ring, but many more are associated with it now (original ones are highlighted):
Sergiyev Posad
Pereslavl-Zalesskiy
Rostov Velikiy
Yaroslavl
Kostroma
Ivanovo
Gus-Khrustalny
Suzdal
Vladimir
Rybinsk
Uglich
Myshkin
Alexandrov
Many of these cities are to be found along the M8 highway or can be reached from Yaroslavsky railway station in Moscow.
