Suzdal

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Suzdal is a historic town in Russia, known for its well-preserved medieval architecture and picturesque landscapes. It is part of the Golden Ring, a group of towns with great cultural and religious significance. The town is famous for its white-stone churches, monasteries, and wooden architecture.Suzdal's architecture has remained largely traditional, with few modern high-rise buildings. Suzdal attracts visitors interested in Russian history, Orthodox heritage, and traditional crafts.

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Suzdal
Суздаль
SuzdalPanoramaC 9345.jpg
Flag of Suzdal (Vladimir oblast).png
Coat of Arms of Suzdal.png
Location of Suzdal
Suzdal
Russia administrative location map.svg
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Suzdal
Location of Suzdal
Outline Map of Vladimir Oblast.svg
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Suzdal
Suzdal (Vladimir Oblast)
Coordinates: 56°25′N40°27′E / 56.417°N 40.450°E / 56.417; 40.450
Country Russia
Federal subject Vladimir Oblast [1]
Administrative district Suzdalsky District [1]
Founded1024 [2]
Government
  Head of Town [3] Larisa Majorova [3]
Area
[2]
  Total
15 km2 (6 sq mi)
Elevation
115 m (377 ft)
Population
  Total
10,535
  Estimate 
(2015) [5]
9,978
  Density700/km2 (1,800/sq mi)
   Capital ofSuzdalsky District [1]
   Municipal district Suzdalsky Municipal District [1]
  Urban settlementSuzdal Urban Settlement [1]
   Capital ofSuzdalsky Municipal District, [1] Suzdal Urban Settlement [1]
Time zone UTC+3 (MSK   OOjs UI icon edit-ltr-progressive.svg [6] )
Postal code(s) [7]
601291, 601293
Dialing code(s) +7 49231 [8]
OKTMO ID17654101001
Town Day2nd Saturday of August [9]
Website www.gorodsuzdal.ru
Suzdal population
2021 Census 9,286 [10]
2010 Census 10,535 [4]
2002 Census 11,357 [11]
1989 Census 12,063 [12]
1979 Census 11,529 [13]
Christmas in Suzdal Christmas in Suzdal.jpg
Christmas in Suzdal

Suzdal (Russian : Суздаль, IPA: [ˈsuzdəlʲ] ) is a town located along the Kamenka tributary of the Nerl River, 26 km (16 mi) north of the city of Vladimir. The town serves as the administrative center of Suzdalsky District in Vladimir Oblast, Russia. As of the 2021 Census, its population was 9,286. [10]

In the 12th century, Suzdal became the capital of the principality. Currently, Suzdal is the smallest of the Russian Golden Ring towns. It has several sites listed as UNESCO World Heritage Sites. [14] [15] [16] [8] [17]

History

Suzdal in 1912 Gorskii 04449u.jpg
Suzdal in 1912

The town's history dates back to 999 and 1024. In 1125, Yury Dolgoruky made Suzdal the capital of the Rostov-Suzdal principality. [18] [19] [8] In 1157, Andrei Bogolyubsky moved the capital from Suzdal to Vladimir, from which time the principality was known as Vladimir-Suzdal. Suzdal was burned down and plundered in 1237 during the Mongol-led invasions; however, it remained a trade center afterward due to its location in a fertile wheat-growing area. [20] In 1341, it united with Nizhny Novgorod until both were annexed by Moscow in 1392. [18]

Plan of Suzdal, 1788 MapSuzdal-1788-1923.jpg
Plan of Suzdal, 1788

After a decline in political significance, the town regained prominence as a religious center, with development projects funded by Vasily III and Ivan the Terrible in the 16th century. In the late 17th and 18th centuries, wealthy merchants funded the construction of 30 churches, many of which still stand today. [18]

In 1864, local merchants failed to convince the government to build the Trans-Siberian Railway through their town. Instead, it went through Vladimir, 35 km (22 mi) away. [8] In 1967, Suzdal earned a federally protected status, which officially limited development in the area. [18]

In 1943, high-ranking Nazi officers captured at the Battle of Stalingrad were imprisoned within the monastery [21] in Suzdal.

Today, the town serves as a tourist center, and contains many examples of old Russian architecture. Much of its rural infrastructure and partially unpaved streets have been preserved. [22]

Administrative and municipal status

Within the framework of administrative divisions, Suzdal serves as the administrative center of Suzdalsky District, [23] to which it is directly subordinated. [24] As a municipal division, the town of Suzdal is incorporated within Suzdalsky Municipal District as Suzdal Urban Settlement. [25]

Tourism

The primary industry of Suzdal is tourism. Suzdal avoided the industrialization of the Soviet era and thus preserved much of its 13th-19th century architecture. There are 305 monuments and listed buildings in Suzdal, including 30 churches, 14 bell towers, and 5 monasteries and convents. 79 of them are federally protected buildings and 167 are regionally protected. [2]

In 1982, Suzdal became the first Russian town to receive La Pomme d'Or (Golden Apple) - a prize for excellence in the tourism industry, awarded annually by the World Federation of Travel Journalists and Writers (FIJET). [26]

In 1992, two of the monuments (Saviour Monastery of St Euthymius and Kremlin with Nativity of the Virgin Cathedral) were included in the UNESCO World Heritage List, together with six other White Monuments in the region. [14] [15]

The Cathedral of Nativity Suzdal asv2019-01 img39 Kremlin Cathedral.jpg
The Cathedral of Nativity

Notable buildings

Wooden Church of St. Nicholas (Souzdal) Souzdal Eglise Saint-Nicolas (Glotovo).JPG
Wooden Church of St. Nicholas (Souzdal)

Festivals

Film

More than 60 movies were filmed in Suzdal and the vicinity. [33] Among them are:

Twin towns

Suzdal is twinned with:

Notable people

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Устав муниципального образования город Суздаль Владимирской области [Charter of the Town of Suzdal of Vladimir Region](PDF). Official website of Suzdal (in Russian). Retrieved January 16, 2016.
  2. 1 2 3 Характеристика города Суздаль [Characteristic of the Town of Suzdal]. Official website of Suzdal (in Russian). Retrieved January 16, 2016.
  3. 1 2 Глава города Суздаля [Head of the Town of Suzdal]. Official website of Suzdal (in Russian). Retrieved September 20, 2016.
  4. 1 2 Russian Federal State Statistics Service (2011). Всероссийская перепись населения 2010 года. Том 1 [2010 All-Russian Population Census, vol. 1]. Всероссийская перепись населения 2010 года [2010 All-Russia Population Census] (in Russian). Federal State Statistics Service.
  5. Численность населения Российской Федерации по муниципальным образованиям на 1 января 2015 года [Population of the Russian Federation in 2015](rar) (in Russian). Official website of the Russian Federal State Statistics Service.
  6. "Об исчислении времени". Официальный интернет-портал правовой информации (in Russian). June 3, 2011. Retrieved January 19, 2019.
  7. Почта России. Информационно-вычислительный центр ОАСУ РПО. (Russian Post). Поиск объектов почтовой связи (Postal Objects Search) (in Russian)
  8. 1 2 3 4 5 Ragozin, Leonid (March 2015). "Suzdal". In Richmond, Simon (ed.). Russia (7 ed.). Lonely Planet. ISBN   978-1-74220-733-9.
  9. Праздники в городе Суздаль [Holidays in the Town of Suzdal]. Information portal "Town Day" (in Russian). Retrieved January 16, 2016.
  10. 1 2 Russian Federal State Statistics Service. Всероссийская перепись населения 2020 года. Том 1 [2020 All-Russian Population Census, vol. 1](XLS) (in Russian). Federal State Statistics Service.
  11. Federal State Statistics Service (May 21, 2004). Численность населения России, субъектов Российской Федерации в составе федеральных округов, районов, городских поселений, сельских населённых пунктов – районных центров и сельских населённых пунктов с населением 3 тысячи и более человек [Population of Russia, Its Federal Districts, Federal Subjects, Districts, Urban Localities, Rural Localities—Administrative Centers, and Rural Localities with Population of Over 3,000](XLS). Всероссийская перепись населения 2002 года [All-Russia Population Census of 2002] (in Russian).
  12. Всесоюзная перепись населения 1989 г. Численность наличного населения союзных и автономных республик, автономных областей и округов, краёв, областей, районов, городских поселений и сёл-райцентров [All Union Population Census of 1989: Present Population of Union and Autonomous Republics, Autonomous Oblasts and Okrugs, Krais, Oblasts, Districts, Urban Settlements, and Villages Serving as District Administrative Centers]. Всесоюзная перепись населения 1989 года [All-Union Population Census of 1989] (in Russian). Институт демографии Национального исследовательского университета: Высшая школа экономики [Institute of Demography at the National Research University: Higher School of Economics]. 1989 via Demoscope Weekly.
  13. Всесоюзная перепись населения 1979 г. Национальный состав населения по регионам России [All Union Population Census of 1979. Ethnic composition of the population by regions of Russia](XLS). Всесоюзная перепись населения 1979 года [All-Union Population Census of 1979] (in Russian). 1979 via Demoscope Weekly (website of the Institute of Demographics of the State University—Higher School of Economics.
  14. 1 2 "White Monuments of Vladimir and Suzdal". UNESCO/World Heritage Convention.
  15. 1 2 "World Heritage List No.633 Vladimir/Suzdal. ICOMOS Evaluation" (PDF). UNESCO/World Heritage Convention. October 1992.
  16. Kahn, D. (February 9, 2013). "A weekend in Suzdal". Russia Beyond the Headlines. Retrieved November 30, 2019.
  17. Erkovich, V. (October 17, 2012). "The epicenter of "Legendary History"". Russia Beyond the Headlines. Retrieved November 30, 2019.
  18. 1 2 3 4 Vorhees, Mara (2006). "Suzdal". In Richmond, Simon (ed.). Russia & Belarus (4 ed.). Lonely Planet. ISBN   1-74104-291-7.
  19. "History of Suzdal | Rusmania". rusmania.com. Retrieved May 6, 2019.
  20. Suzdal during the Tatar-Mongol yoke
  21. Suzdal Camp 160: The fate of the German officers captured at Stalingrad . Retrieved April 5, 2020.
  22. Luxmoore, Matthew (July 1, 2012). "Suzdal". The Moscow Times . Retrieved January 18, 2016.
  23. Государственный комитет Российской Федерации по статистике. Комитет Российской Федерации по стандартизации, метрологии и сертификации. №ОК 019-95 1 января 1997 г. «Общероссийский классификатор объектов административно-территориального деления. Код 17 254», в ред. изменения №278/2015 от 1 января 2016 г.. (State Statistics Committee of the Russian Federation. Committee of the Russian Federation on Standardization, Metrology, and Certification. #OK 019-95 January 1, 1997 Russian Classification of Objects of Administrative Division (OKATO). Code 17 254 , as amended by the Amendment #278/2015 of January 1, 2016. ).
  24. Resolution #433
  25. Law #190-OZ
  26. "Golden Apple Award". Official website of the World Federation of Travel Journalists and Writers.
  27. Brumfield, William Craft (1997). Landmarks of Russian Architect: A Photographic Survey. Routledge. p. 60. ISBN   9056995367 . Retrieved April 4, 2016.
  28. "The Vladimir and Suzdal Museum". en.vladmuseum.ru (in Russian). Retrieved February 22, 2025.
  29. "Monastery of St. Alexander « Historic buildings « Suzdal « Old Russian Towns « Город Владимир / Виртуальный Владимир - полная информация по городу Владимир и Владимирской области". www.virtvladimir.ru. Retrieved February 22, 2025.
  30. "Intercession (Pokrovsky) Monastery". www.tourism33.ru. Retrieved February 22, 2025.
  31. Официальный веб-сайт Открытого Российского фестиваля анимационного кино [Official website of Open Russian Festival of Animated Film] (in Russian). February 27, 2024.
  32. "'Cucumber Day' Celebrated in Russia". NBC News. July 16, 2015. Retrieved January 15, 2016.
  33. Belov, Yury (2006). В главной роли Суздаль[Starring Suzdal] (in Russian). Algoritm. ISBN   5-9265-0281-0.
  34. Соглашение между городами Ротенбург об дер Таубер (ФРГ) и Суздаль (СССР) [Agreement between Rothenburg ob der Tauber (FRG) and Suzdal (USSR)](PDF). Official website of Suzdal (in Russian). April 24, 1988.
  35. Соглашение между городами Клез (Италия) и Суздаль (Россия) [Agreement between Cles (Italy) and Suzdal (Russia)](PDF). Official website of Suzdal (in Russian). October 1991.
  36. "Oberlin's Connections Around the World". Oberlin: Yesterday, Today, Tomorrow. USA.
  37. "Sister City - Suzdal, Russia". Official website of Windham, NH . USA.
  38. Соглашение о дружбе и сотрудничестве между г.Суздалем (Россия) и г.Эвора (Португалия) [Partnership agreement between Suzdal (Russia) and Évora (Portugal)](PDF). Official website of Suzdal (in Russian). August 12, 2006.
  39. "Protocole d'accord de cooperation entre les municipalités de Souzdal et Loches" [Partnership agreement between Suzdal (Russia) and Loches (France)](PDF). Official website of Suzdal (in French). December 15, 2011.
  40. Соглашение о сотрудничестве между администрациями города Суздаля (РФ) и города Шанжао (КНР) [Partnership agreement between Suzdal (Russia) and Shangrao (China)](PDF). Official website of Suzdal (in Russian). September 10, 2012.

Sources