Pereslavl-Zalessky

  On the shores of lake Pleshcheevo at the mouth of the Trubezh River is Pereslavl-Zalessky. This town was founded by Prince Yuri Dolgoruky as a defensive stronghold for the Rostov-Suzdal lands. The history of the town is intimately connected with the activities of Alexander Nevsky, Ivan the Terrible and Peter the Great. Alexander Nevsky, a talented military commander was born here in 1220. It was in Pereslavl-Zalessky that Peter I built his first flotilla between 1688-93. So Lake Pleshcheevo is known as the birthplace of the Russian navy. Many of the old churches remaining in Pereslavl-Zalessky are considered valuable monuments of Russian history and architecture. Such treasures of ancient Russian architecture as the Cathedral of The Transfiguration of the Savior (1152), ensembles of the monastery of St. Nikita, St. Daniel monastery, XVI-XVIII century churches, monuments of civic architecture and extremely picturesque landscapes attracted a lot of famous people here, M. Prishvin, F. Shalyapin, K. Korovin being among them. One of the main places of interest is the lake Pleshcheevo. It is one of the largest lakes in Central Russia. Its length is more than 9 kilometers; its width is over 6 kilometers and it shoreline exceeds 27 kilometers. It is rather shallow near the shore but there are places where it is 25 meters deep. The Cathedral of Transfiguration of the Savior is as old as the town itself. It is a small single-dome church of majestic simplicity, one of the earliest specimens of the Vladimir-Suzdal school of architecture. Fortunately, the church has come down to us with its original appearance almost intact. The Cathedral of the Transfiguration was not only the main church of the town but it also was a burial place for Pereslavl princes.