Prince Andrei Bogolyubsky built a gate to impress, and eight and a half centuries later it still does. The Golden Gate of Vladimir was raised in 1164 as the ceremonial entrance to the capital of the principality, a white limestone arch with massive oak doors covered in gilded copper, topped by a small church, and designed to show visitors coming from the west that this was the rising power of Russia. Andrei, who moved his capital here from Kiev's orbit, founded a whole new centre of Russian culture on the bluffs above the Klyazma river, and the white stone cathedrals he and his brother built were models for Russian church architecture.
The gate survived the sack of Vladimir by the Mongols in 1238, when the city was burned and its people massacred, though it was damaged, and later centuries made repairs and additions. Today it houses a small museum of the city's military history, which you can climb to for a view of the town. A short walk away stands the Dormition Cathedral, begun in 1158, with its golden dome and the frescoes by Andrei Rublev and Daniil Chorny from the early fifteenth century. Some twelve kilometres east, in the flood meadows of the Nerl river, is the tiny, perfect Church of the Intercession on the Nerl, which many call the most beautiful church in Russia.
Vladimir sits on the Golden Ring, the circuit of historic towns north-east of Moscow, and Suzdal, with its monasteries, wooden churches and pickle fairs, is about thirty-five kilometres away. The city is about two hundred kilometres east of Moscow along the M7 highway, a busy road with heavy truck traffic and frequent speed cameras. Vladimir itself, with over three hundred thousand people, has fuel, restaurants and hotels.
The countryside is rolling, wooded and cut by rivers, with villages of wooden houses with painted shutters. Summer is warm and green, and autumn brings gold and mist. Winters are cold, with snow, and the churches look best against a white sky.
Locals will tell you about Vladimir cherries, an old local variety, and about gingerbread. Check current travel conditions before planning any trip into Russia, since foreign visitors face significant restrictions.