Last Friday, we saw Russia outside of Moscow for the first time. We took a weekend excursion to the towns Vladimir, Suzdal, and Murom, which are all about four hours from Moscow. Murom is not as well-known as the other two towns because it was a closed city during Soviet times (important Soviet factories were located here, and travel in and out of the city—even for Russians—was almost impossible). Nowadays, Murom is trying to regain its cultural legacy and attract tourists—for example, by promoting its status as the home town of llya Muromets, one of Russia’s three bogatyrs (a type of folk-hero/knight), and the saints Peter and Fevronia.
Vladimir and Suzdal are both members of Russia’s Golden Ring (a group of cities near Moscow considered among the oldest and most historically important in Russia) and played important roles during the decline of Kievian Rus’. Vladimir is currently the largest of the three cities and has an economy based on both industry and tourism. Meanwhile, Suzdal’s economy seems to rely on tourists, attracted by the town’s ancient history.
Suzdal was first mentioned in 1024, more than a century before the first record of Moscow in 1147. As the political center of Rus’ started shifting East—away from Kiev—Suzdal gained importance, and it was the capital of its region up through the end of the reign of Yuri Dolgorukiy. When Yuri’s son Andrei Bogolyubskiy came to power in 1157, the capital was moved to Vladimir. Nevertheless, Suzdal retained its importance as the capital of other principalities, a key location for trade, and was one of the largest cities of the time.
We started our tour of Suzdal by visiting the 800 year-old Cathedral of the Nativity—a beautifully restored church with starry blue cupolas. But as we walked through town, we began to sense that not everything was quite as well preserved as this cathedral. Although we passed two glamorous wedding parties (one even had a gold stretch-limo), we were more struck by the group of drunks on the town square (it wasn’t even 3 pm). The square itself featured several souvenir vendors, a few stores, and one or two restaurants. There were also at least 7 or 8 babushkas, each sitting by a couple cloudy jars of home-made pickles, some bags of various dairy products, and a small pile of potatoes or onions. No one seemed to be buying their goods, though.
As we walked through the old merchant part of town, our guide informed us that if we saw a traditional style house that was newer looking, it was probably a hotel. Indeed, most of houses, although beautiful and colorful, were in need of repair. Finally, we arrived at the Spaso-Evfimiev Monastery. Today it is obvious that a lot of energy has been put into preserving the buildings in the monastery complex, many of which are now well-maintained museums. Our visit to the monastery’s Transfiguration Cathedral coincided with the visit of a large group of Italian tourists. Inside, we were serenaded by a male choir singing traditional church music. We thought these men were monks, but later learned that their robes were just costumes. After the performance, they promptly whipped out their CDs, targeting the wealthy Italians. We were again reminded that this beautiful singing was an act put on for tourists.
Our visit to Suzdal was enjoyable, and it was eye-opening to see how central tourism seems to be to this once-great city. Suzdal seems to put effort into preserving historical monuments instead of the condition of the town as a whole. It is a city with a well-cared for past, but a neglected present. Murom, with its history fractured by the Soviets, has no substantial tourism—it is a city based only in the present (if that…its industry, though once strong, is also in decline). In contrast, Vladimir benefits from its history through tourism, while simultaneously profiting from modern industry. Sadly, of these three cities, only Vladimir has managed to find a balance between maintaining its rich past and thriving in the present.
Interesting links:
A more detailed history of Suzdal--in English
A New York Times article about one writer's experience in Suzdal:
Suzdal is also well known for its "Suzdal Cucumber Festival," held one day each July. Festivities include an eating contest, cucumber souvenirs, pickles and every possible cucumber-based food (including cakes, pies, and liqueurs), lessons on growing cucumbers, cucumber songs, dances, games, the cucumber hymn...
Here's a short video and the festival's official website (including a short history of the cucumber).
