History
Vladimir was founded in 1108 by Vladimir Monomakh. There is an alternative version that ascribes the foundation of the city to Vladimir the Red Sun in 990. Yet the exact year does not seem to be very important for the average traveler, since the oldest existing monuments date back only to the middle of 12th century. At that period, the city was rapidly developing due to the activity of Prince Andrey Bogolyubsky who established the capital of North-Eastern Russia in Vladimir. The city's period of greatest importance was probably in the late 12th and early 13th century, up to the Mongol invasion. Several of Russia's greatest architectural monuments were built in Vladimir during that time, including Assumption Cathedral and the Golden Gates, both of which are World Heritage Sites.
In 1238, Vladimir was besieged and taken by the Mongol hordes under Batu Khan. The city never recovered fully. Though it remained the pricipality's capital for a century, Vladimir gradually lost its political and cultural significance to Moscow. Untill the middle of 15th century, Vladimir was the official capital of North-Eastern Russia, but the actual government worked in Moscow. The transfer of the capital was completed in 15th century: the Assumption Cathedral in the Moscow Kremlin, modeled after one of the oldest cathedrals in Vladimir, became the state church. The holy icon of Our Lady of Vladimir was also moved to Moscow.
Vladimir continued to be a provincial capital. It gradually grew in size due to its advantageous loocation in the middle of Central Russia. The development of the city was enhanced by the construction of the Moscow – Nizhny Novgorod railroad in the late 19th century. Presently, Vladimir is a partially industrialized city, although the historical centre remains almost untouched since the beginning of 20th century. In 1992, Vladimir was included in the World Heritage List of UNESCO.
