The Ipat'yev Monastery Excursion Conducted by Vladimir

Transcription by Micha Jelisavcic

The most impressive lecture given was in Kostroma by a Curator who spoke in English with a definitely British accent. His speech was like that of a military officer of the Victorian era. If there was ever a man who could act in a movie, play the part of a Russian living in England he would be the one. What a splendid chap!
Obviously from the tape I was taking a lot of pictures.
Vladimir then took us thru the Kostroma State Historical/Architectural Park (Kostromskoi Gosudrastvennyi Ob'yedinyonnyi Istoriko-Arkhitekturnyi Muzei-Zapovednik)

It is believed that Kostroma is five years younger than Moscow, if Moscow was founded in 1147, then Kostroma was founded in 1152 by Prince Yuri the Long Arms, or in Russian, Dolgorukii. He was called the Long Arms due to the extension of territories he acquired . Archaeological excavations on the territory in the center of the city proved the existence of Kostroma already in 12th. Vladimir pointed to some artifacts, clay pots, nails, iron. The Kostroma people fought bravely in the Kulikovo Battle. Vladimir pointed to a Dospekh - chain mail worn by a simple warrior. The weight was 17 or 12 kilograms. Scale armor was pointed out by John Sloan. Kostroma had been an appenage handed by Yaroslav Vsevolodovich in 1243 to his nine year old son Vasilii. Vladimir pointed to a depiction of Prince Vasilii Yaroslavich -- the younger brother of Alexander Nevskii, who in 1272 led the Kostroma people against the Tatar aggressors who had come to collect tribute from the city. Over the span of the XIIIth and XIVth centuries the process of the amalgamation of the Russian lands came to a close and Kostroma principality joined the principality of Moscow. This way the Russian state came to life.