Yaroslavl



Yaroslavl

Name: Maxim Grigoryev

Age: 28

Profession: Photojournalist

City: Yaroslavl and Tutaev

How long have you been doing photography?  I don't remember how long. Perhaps since my parents bought me a cheap film camera in elementary school. Very soon they regretted this,  because I often asked for money for film and printing.

What style or genre most interests you? My noname camera had a multi-exposure mode. Since then I've fallen in love with abstract photography.​

Can you give us a short description of your city? Where is it located? What is it famous for? 

Yaroslavl is a more than thousand-year-old city situated 250 kilometers from Moscow and sitting on both banks of the Volga River. It was named for Prince Yaroslav the Wise. Legend has it that he was the city's founder. Also, Yaroslavl is the capital of the "Golden Ring" - the most beautiful and histor-laden cities in Russia. Many of them are in Yaroslavl region.

What are some things that only locals would know about the city? 

  • The first professional dramatic theatre in Russia was founded in Yaroslavl in 1750 by a merchant's son, Fyodor Volkov. It was a few years after he became an actor. 
  • The first university in Northeast Russia was founded in Yaroslavl, in the beginning of a thirteenth century. It is called Grigoryevsky Zatvor. 
  • On the main square of Yaroslavl - Bogoyavlenskaya - you can see a monument to Yaroslav the Wise. Locals call it "Man with a Cake" because he is holding a small tower in his hand that looks like a cake.
  • Yaroslavl is one of two cities in Russia whose historic centre is protected as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The second is St. Petersburg.
  • Yaroslavl's kremlin actually is not a kremlin. It's a monastery, which was a small part of the old city. Now only two sections of the not-a-kremlin walls remain.
  • Yaroslavl was a capital of Russia. But only for a few years, during the Times of Troubles. The first Romanov tsar, Michael, signed the documents on accepting the Russian throne in Yaroslavl.

Which places or sites are a must for someone to see if they visit your city?

If you like real Russian history, you must just take a walk in the historic centre. Many old churches, monasteries and architectural treasures from different centuries are located there. You must also visit Volkov's Theatre, the State Art Museum, Governor's garden, the Volga embankment and Spassky monastery. And don't forget to visit the nearby towns of Rostov Veliky, Uglich, Pereslavl Zalesky and Tutaev. It is best to travel to Yaroslavl region in summer or early autumn.

Anything else? Yaroslavl people are very freedom-loving. History shows that they were the first to fight against injustice. But at the same time they are very peaceful and hospitable.

Instagram: gideonmaximus

 



Like this post? Get a weekly email digest + member-only deals

Some of Our Books

Steppe / Степь (bilingual)

Steppe / Степь (bilingual)

This is the work that made Chekhov, launching his career as a writer and playwright of national and international renown. Retranslated and updated, this new bilingual edition is a super way to improve your Russian.
Maria's War: A Soldier's Autobiography

Maria's War: A Soldier's Autobiography

This astonishingly gripping autobiography by the founder of the Russian Women’s Death Battallion in World War I is an eye-opening documentary of life before, during and after the Bolshevik Revolution.
Survival Russian

Survival Russian

Survival Russian is an intensely practical guide to conversational, colloquial and culture-rich Russian. It uses humor, current events and thematically-driven essays to deepen readers’ understanding of Russian language and culture. This enlarged Second Edition of Survival Russian includes over 90 essays and illuminates over 2000 invaluable Russian phrases and words.
93 Untranslatable Russian Words

93 Untranslatable Russian Words

Every language has concepts, ideas, words and idioms that are nearly impossible to translate into another language. This book looks at nearly 100 such Russian words and offers paths to their understanding and translation by way of examples from literature and everyday life. Difficult to translate words and concepts are introduced with dictionary definitions, then elucidated with citations from literature, speech and prose, helping the student of Russian comprehend the word/concept in context.
Driving Down Russia's Spine

Driving Down Russia's Spine

The story of the epic Spine of Russia trip, intertwining fascinating subject profiles with digressions into historical and cultural themes relevant to understanding modern Russia. 
A Taste of Chekhov

A Taste of Chekhov

This compact volume is an introduction to the works of Chekhov the master storyteller, via nine stories spanning the last twenty years of his life.
How Russia Got That Way

How Russia Got That Way

A fast-paced crash course in Russian history, from Norsemen to Navalny, that explores the ways the Kremlin uses history to achieve its ends.
Okudzhava Bilingual

Okudzhava Bilingual

Poems, songs and autobiographical sketches by Bulat Okudzhava, the king of the Russian bards. 
Murder and the Muse

Murder and the Muse

KGB Chief Andropov has tapped Matyushkin to solve a brazen jewel heist from Picasso’s wife at the posh Metropole Hotel. But when the case bleeds over into murder, machinations, and international intrigue, not everyone is eager to see where the clues might lead.
Bears in the Caviar

Bears in the Caviar

Bears in the Caviar is a hilarious and insightful memoir by a diplomat who was “present at the creation” of US-Soviet relations. Charles Thayer headed off to Russia in 1933, calculating that if he could just learn Russian and be on the spot when the US and USSR established relations, he could make himself indispensable and start a career in the foreign service. Remarkably, he pulled it of.
The Little Humpbacked Horse (bilingual)

The Little Humpbacked Horse (bilingual)

A beloved Russian classic about a resourceful Russian peasant, Vanya, and his miracle-working horse, who together undergo various trials, exploits and adventures at the whim of a laughable tsar, told in rich, narrative poetry.

About Us

Russian Life is a publication of a 30-year-young, award-winning publishing house that creates a bimonthly magazine, books, maps, and other products for Russophiles the world over.

Latest Posts

Our Contacts

Russian Life
73 Main Street, Suite 402
Montpelier VT 05602

802-223-4955