Historical Centre of the City of Yaroslavl
The historic city of Yaroslavl, located at the confluence of the Volga and Kotorosl rivers, about 250 km northeast of Moscow, has developed into an important commercial center since the 11th century. Yaroslavl is famous for its many 17th-century churches and is an outstanding example of the urban planning reforms that Catherine II ordered for the whole of Russia in 1763. Yaroslavl has preserved some important historical buildings and has been renovated in the neoclassical style according to the radial city master plan. Yaroslavl also retains elements of the 16th-century Spassky Monastery, one of the oldest monasteries in the Upper Volga region, which was built on the site of a pagan temple at the end of the 12th century but was rebuilt over time.