The "Golden Ring" is the name of a tourist route popular with both Russians and foreign visitors who love old Russian architecture. The route winds in and out of cities and villages in the north-eastern part of the greater Moscow area. The route is hardly circular, but it certainly is "golden" in the sense that it is rich in historical relics and towns that are museums in and of themselves. These man-make "stone records" of the past have witnessed historical events, the suffering and heroism of the nation. Each of the sixteen sections of this book is devoted to the most remarkable places of historical and cultural interest. Around the time of the Russian Revolution, many splendid specimens of medieval architecture were in nearly to neglect. Fifty years later, the Soviets realized the need to preserve this part of their history, and began the restoration process of these great beauties. The tour that this book covers begins and ends in Moscow with excursions in the Moscow, Yaroslavl, Kostroma and Vladimir regions. As soon as we leave Moscow and get on the Golden Ring route, monuments of the past come into view. Off to the side, near the road to Yaroslavl, there are Pushkino, Bratovshchina, Rakhmanovo, Muranove and Abramtesevo, as well as Safarino, Vozdvizhenskoye and the earthen ramparts of old Radonezh. The contours of the Trinity-Sergius Monistary in Zagorsk appear on the horizon like a vision from the past. We could begin our tour from there, but lets keep it in chronological order, and start with the much older town of Pereslavl-Zalessky, the birthplace of the Russian Prince Alexander Nevsky. Legend has it that he built a summer residence on the outskirts of Pereslaval-Zalessky. The site, known as Alexander's Hill, is still shown on tourist maps. Next stop... - from Amzon