Yaroslavl

Yaroslavl is an ancient city to the north of Moscow. It was founded in 1010 by Prince Yaroslav the Wise. There is an old beautiful legend about the foundation of Yaroslavl. Once Prince Yaroslav with his warriors came to the place where the Kotorosl River flowed into the Volga. The Prince liked the place, but the pagans who lived there didn't like this invasion and let their sacred bear kill the Prince, but Yaroslav fought against the sacred animal and killed it with his pole axe. Then he founded the fortress and it was called Yaroslavl and the coat of arms of the town was a bear with a pole axe on its shoulder.

Yaroslavl has the rich historic past. It saw the Tatar invasion, the Polish intervention, was damaged during the Revolution and suffered a lot. But in spite of all these difficult periods of history it has remained magnificently beautiful and it is one of the greatest attractions for tourists. Yaroslavl is one of the cities of the Golden Ring of Russia. The first Russian theatre was built in Yaroslavl by Feodor Volkov. In 2005 Yaroslavl became a member of UNESCO because of its wonderful architecture and rich history

Saint Petersburg

St. Petersburg is the second largest city in Russia and one of the most beautiful cities in the world. It was founded in 1703 by Peter the Great as the ‘Window on Europe’. St. Petersburg was the capital of Russia from 1712 till 1918. The city was built on the swampy land at the mouth of the River Neva. Prominent European and Russian architects worked here. The new capital grew rapidly in wealth and beauty. There are over 80 museums, more than 20 theatres, a lot of exhibitions, clubs, universities, colleges, schools and parks. The Alexandrinski Drama Theatre, the Bolshoi Drama Theatre, the Mariinsky Theatre of Opera and Ballet are pearls of the Russian art. The city is often called the Venice of the North because there are 65 rivers and canals with artistically decorated cast iron bridges. One of the most beautiful is the Anichkov Bridge.

Exercise 2 Answer the following questions.

1. What is the capital of Russia? 2. When was it founded? 3. What is the centre of Moscow? 4. When was founded Yaroslavl? 5. Has it a rich historic past? 6. Who built the first theatre in Yaroslavl? 7. When did Yaroslavl become the member of UNESCO? 8. When was St. Petersburg founded? 9. What theatres are there in St. Petersburg? 10. How is the city often called?