The Volga Embankment is one of the main attractions of Yaroslavl, a favorite place for city residents and guests traveling around the Golden Ring of Russia. Yaroslavl is often called the Capital of the Golden Ring, although other cities of this wonderful route are of great interest.
The Volga embankment has two levels. The lower level passes directly by the water, and most often you can see people doing sports on it. The upper level of the Volga embankment runs along the high bank, and there are numerous sights of Yaroslavl.
The Volga embankment stretches for 2.2 kilometers from the confluence of the Kotorosl River with the Volga to the Oktyabrsky Bridge. Beyond the bridge, the embankment descends from the high bank to the water and stretches another 600 meters to Lenin Street, but at this point it is no longer of interest to tourists.
Start your walk along the Volga embankment of Yaroslavl on the Arrow of the Volga River and Kotorosl. It is a park area with fountains and monuments erected in honor of the 1000th anniversary of the founding of Yaroslavl. This is the only attraction that is located on the lower level of the Volga embankment. After that, climb the stairs to the upper level of the embankment. There you will see a stone on the site of the foundation of Yaroslavl. Behind it is the restored Assumption Cathedral.
From there, walk along the alley of the Volga embankment in the shade of huge lime trees that were planted in the 19th century. Once there was a fortress wall of the Yaroslavl Kremlin. Here you will see the Museum of Ancient Russian Art, as well as the Ilyinsko-Tikhonovskaya Church. This church is a bright example of the architectural style of Paladianism. Corinthian colonnades with porticos are installed on all sides of the building, as well as a dome in the form of a rotunda.
Nearby is the main attraction of the embankment - the Volga Tower. This is the only surviving tower of the Yaroslavl Kremlin, but not the ancient Chopped city (it was wooden), but later, when Yaroslavl became one of the main trading cities on the Volga. The tower was built in 1658-1669.
Next to the tower on the Volga Embankment is the Bolkonsky House. This is a two-storey mansion of the 18th century, which housed a hospital for officers during the Patriotic War of 1812. General Nikolai Tuchkov died here from a severe chest wound. The eldest of four brothers who participated in the Battle of Borodino. Later he was buried in the Tolga Monastery, in the vicinity of Yaroslavl. His brother, Alexander Tuchkov, was killed directly on the battlefield. At the place of his death, his wife founded the Spaso-Borodinsky Monastery.
Leo Tolstoy, when he wrote his famous novel War and Peace, was shocked by the fate of the Tuchkov brothers. He wrote about his literary hero Andrei Bolkonsky: "Prince Andrei was alive for more than a month after the Battle of Borodino and only recently died in Yaroslavl in the Rostov house." Grateful residents of Yaroslavl then named the house where Tuchkov died: "Bolkonsky House".
In the following mansions along the Volga Embankment are the Museum of the History of the city of Yaroslavl, as well as the Museum named after Vadim Orlov. The largest house on the embankment was once the Governor`s Residence. Now it houses the exposition of the Yaroslavl Art Museum. Behind the house is located the Governor`s Garden.
If you walk another 300 meters from the Governor`s House, at the very edge of the high Volga Embankment, there is a Rotunda. This is an observation deck with beautiful views of the Volga River. At this point, the historical buildings on the embankment end. The Oktyabrsky Bridge is still 1.2 kilometers away, but the embankment gradually descends to the river port.
