Zaraysk

On November 4th 2012 our team (including one-year old baby) were decided to look one of the most far town of Podmoskovye. It was Zaraysk. November 4th is a public holiday in Russia we celebrate the win of Moscow volunteer peoples’ corps after Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth.

We had a large plans on sightseeing of Zaraysk. But it turned out quite different. Zaraysk is considered as most warm town of Moscow region (absolute maximum was +39 degrees of Celsius) but in begin of November nothing said about it. As we arrived to Бронниц rain have started.

Then we got into a large traffic jam on the M5, than in another jam near Lukhovitsy. McDonalds in this village really saved us. We drink a coup of coffee, change a child’s napkin. Our daughter was on breast feeding that days and this fact was big help for us. Because when she started to play up my wife gave the breast her.

When we turned out from M5 to Zaraysk we drove on an empty road and weather became better. So we spent 3 1/2 hours to drive 100 kilometers when we entered into this ancient town. Bad weather gave required sullenness of Middle Ages to landscape.

A voivode of Zaraysk was prince Pozharsky and he took the first victory over Polish-Lithuanian intervenes neart this town. So Kremlin of Zaraysk was freely opened for visits at this day. The Kremlin is considered as the most preserved among kremlins of Podmoskovye and one from the most preserved among Russia.

It’s believed that kremlin was built by Aleviz Fryazin who also built Moscow Kremlin. In fact, Kremlin in Zaraysk is in medieval Italian style (building was finished at 1531). Interesting, that walls of castle have white bottom and red top. It because a white stone is cracked during a fire storm.

The main gate tower is called Nikolskaya, it has three battle levels. The pass was closed by three gates and dropping lattices. The tower had an off take loophole. It was used for pouring attackers by tar.

The Kremlin is very compact. It’s funny that tilted wooden chapel is the most modern building of this. It was builded in 1990s.

Eupraksia Zarayskaya is russian saint martyr († 1237) was wife of prince Fedor Zarayskiy (he also is saint). She jumped from the castle wall with his young son because she didn’t want to be catched by tatars. Her grave is inside of Kremlin.

The temple of St. Nicholas (1681). It represents the Moscow architectural style of that time.

Inside of Kabatskaya corner tower.

This towers are 12-15 meters of height.

After walking inside of Kremlin we was tired. And we have forces only to look at White well. This place is respected by Russian christians.

The source flows from the well. The source fall into Osetr, the river which pass Zaraysk. After the river is Velikoye Pole, young communist Chiang Ching-kuo. He was a son of Chiang Kai-shek and later he became the President of Taiwan.

There are a lot of interesting places in Zaraysk. Also it is a good place for picnic in the summer time. We decided to comeback here sometime.