Kolomna may be considered one of the best destinations for a day excursion from Moscow. It is located 100 kilometers to the south-east along the Ryazan highway. As a variant, you can combine a trip to Kolomna with a visit to Konstantinovo (birthplace of Yesenin) or Ryazan.
There are a lot of interesting sights in Kolomna. And all of them are within a walking distance from one another. Having arrived in Kolomna from Moscow you need to find a parking in the environs of the Kremlin and then begin a tour of the city.
Kolomna was founded at the confluence of the Moscow and Oka rivers in 1177, thirty years after Mos-cow. Being halfway between Moscow and Ryazan, Kolomna was always a border city between these two principalities. Moscow princes began the unification of the Russian lands from the capture of Kolomna.
For many centuries Kolomna played an important role in the defense of the southern borders of Russia. And it was for this reason that the Kremlin with strong defensive fortifications was built in Kolomna. The fortified wall and the towers of the Kolomna Kremlin partially survived to our days and are of course the main sight of the city.
You should start the tour of Kolomna from the Marinkina tower. According to a legend, Marina Mnishek, the wife of False Dmitry, who called himself the Tsar of Russia for several years during the Time of Troubles. After that you can look around the churches of the Brusensky Assumption Convent and then go for a walk on the pedestrian street of Lazhechnikov.
On Lazhechnikov street there was reconstructed the city atmosphere of 19 century, with stone and wooden houses and the architecture peculiar to that time. The local history museum is at the intersection of Lazhechnikov and Lazarev streets. If you turn on Lazarev street, you can see the houses of the old town of Kolomna.
The Assumption Cathedral and the New Golutvin Convent are in the Cathedral Square. You must visit them too. Then you may stroll about the streets around these sights to feel the atmosphere of the old Kolomna as in this district there survived many old houses and churches of various architectural styles.
Then you should pass by the Friday Tower, turn right and continue down the boulevard. It runs along the former city walls. The walls didn’t survive but certain towers still stand in dilapidated state. You may finish your tour of Kolomna near the four-tier bell tower of the Church of St. John the Divine, or you may also visit the mansion of the writer Lazhechnikov. The mansion is opposite the bell tower. You may also visit the Museum of Pastille but it is rather far for a foot walk.
