Yuryev-Polsky
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Coordinates: 56°30′N 39°41′E / 56.5°N 39.683°E
Yuryev-Polsky (Russian: Ю́рьев-По́льский) is an old town and the administrative center of Yuryev-Polsky District of Vladimir Oblast, Russia, located in the upper reaches of the Koloksha River, 68 km northwest of Vladimir. Population: 19,906 (2002 Census);[1] 22,247 (1989 Census);[2] 23,000 (1974).
Yuryev-Polsky was founded by Yuri Dolgoruky in 1152. First part of its name derives from Yuri's patron saint, St. George. The second part is derived from the word polsky meaning "in the fields" (see Opolye for details). This specification was needed in order to distinguish the town from the earlier established fortress of Yuryev (nowadays Tartu), at the time located in the woods in what is now Estonia and then the biggest Russian settlement in the territory of the Chuds.
Upon Vsevolod III's death in 1212, the town was assigned to one of his youngest sons, Sviatoslav. It was that prince who personally designed the town's chief landmark, the Cathedral of St. George (1230–1234). It is the latest pre-Mongol construction in Russia, unprecedented in abundance of stone sculptures, and also the model for first stone churches in the Moscow Kremlin. In the 1460s, the cathedral's dome collapsed, thus burying most of unique sculptures which had adorned the cathedral walls. The collapsed roof was sloppily restored by a well-known Muscovite artisan, Vasili Yermolin, in 1471.
The great Battle of Lipitsa was fought near the town in 1216. In 1238, Yuriev was sacked by the Mongols. A century later, it was incorporated into Muscovy. The chief monument of the Muscovite period is the walled Monastery of Archangel Michael, originally founded in the 13th century and containing various buildings from the 17th and 18th centuries. Several miles from Yuryev, on the bank of the Yakhroma River, stands the Kosmin Cloister, whose structures are typical for the mid-17th century.
[edit] References
- ^ Федеральная служба государственной статистики (Federal State Statistics Service) (2004-05-21). "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)" (in Russian). Всероссийская перепись населения 2002 года (All-Russia Population Census of 2002). Federal State Statistics Service. http://www.perepis2002.ru/ct/doc/1_TOM_01_04.xls. Retrieved on 2008-07-25.
- ^ "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.)" (in Russian). Всесоюзная перепись населения 1989 года (All-Union Population Census of 1989). Demoscope Weekly (website of the Institute of Demographics of the State University—Higher School of Economics. 1989. http://demoscope.ru/weekly/ssp/rus89_reg2.php. Retrieved on 2007-12-13.
[edit] External links
- (Russian) (English) Yuriev-Polsky city website
- Yuryev-Polsky travel guide from Wikitravel
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