Pereslavl-Zalessky

One of the smaller of the cities of the Golden Ring that surround Moscow, Pereslavl-Zalessky is the birthplace of Alexander Nevsky. Nevsky, whose statue can be seen above, was a prince of Kievan Rus during the 13th century, a time of great difficulty for the country.

He was a Grand Prince of Kiev and of Vladimir, and Prince of Novgorod, who defeated invading armies from Germany and Sweden. However, he did pay tribute to the Golden Horde, descendants of Genghis Khan. He has been declared a saint of the Russian Orthodox Church, and generally tops surveys of the greatest Russian heroes.

Like most of the Golden Ring cities, Pereslavl-Zalessky is notable for its large number of ancient churches and monasteries. It also is home to a number of museums, but some of them are very specialised. In summer it attracts many tourists and adventure seekers from Moscow, because it is located on a large lake, Lake Pleshcheyevo, a favourite destination of kite surfers and other water sports enthusiasts. This lake was the site of Peter the Great's fleet of small pleasure boats in the 18th century, and one of the museums celebrates these boats.

All the Golden Ring cities I have seen are of interest, especially if you enjoy visiting old churches and monasteries and getting an idea of what the country was like during the Middle Ages. While Pereslavl-Zalessky is not as large as Vladimir nor as geared to tourists as Suzdal, it is a pleasant place to explore. Below is a shot of sunset over Lake Pleshcheyevo this past September.