History of Pereslavl-Zalessky

Pereslavl-Zalessky is an ancient town and it has a long history. Here you can read some facts.

1152

The town was founded by Prince Yury Dolgoruky. The building of the Cathedral of Transfiguration of the Saviour (the most ancient surviving monument of all Central Russia) was begun in that year.

1179

The town became the capital of Pereslavl County. The first Prince of Pereslavl County was Vsevolod the Big Nest (he had eight sons and four daughters in his family). In XII century the masterpiece of the ancient Russian literature "The Word of Daniel Zatochnik" was written here.

1194

Wooden walls were built on Pereslavl ramparts.

1220

Russian Prince Alexander Nevsky (1220-1263) was born in Pereslavl-Zalessky. The church of St. Alexander Nevsky is situated in Krasnaya Square not far from the Cathedral of Transfiguration of the Saviour.

1408

The town was taken and ruined by the Mongolians.

1608

The Polish-Lithuanian interventionists took Pereslavl. In the following year an army commanded by Skopin-Shuisky drove them out of the town.

1612

People of Pereslavl joined the militia under Minin and Pozharsky and took part in the liberation of Moscow.

1688

Tsar Peter the Great began building boats and galleys on Lake Plechsheyevo.

1692

In August the first Russian millitary ships were exhibited. This is the date of the foundation of Russian Navy (other Russian cities, such as Voronezh, seem to have a different opinion about this).

1744

Pereslavl eparchy was established. Goritsky Monastery was the centre of it.

1783

The town was on fire and all the ships built by Peter the Great were lost except one. It was the boat "Fortune". Now we call it "Peter's Boat" ("botik" in Russian, this is where the name of the server botik.ru comes from). At present the boat is kept in the local museum, established in 1803.

1894

V.I. Lenin worked in the village Gorki of Pereslavl-Zalessky District.

1913

Russian Tsar Nicolai II visited the town. 300 years of the Romanov Dinasty was celebrated here.

1919

The History and Art Museum of Pereslavl was established in the Goritsky monastery. It possesses a number of masterpieces of ancient Russian art.