Suzdal

On the way from Vladimir to Suzdal, we encounter a snowstorm.

Suzdal is delightful. It’s a truly Russian city, even excessively so. A collection of Russian folk clichés. The population is only 10,000, with one main street you can walk end to end in half an hour. Suzdal ends as abruptly as it begins: amidst fields, a fence appears, houses, churches and Kremlin walls float by along the road, then another fence emerges, and beyond it, the fields begin again. Driving through, it feels as if the town was never there.

But what a city it is.

A winter street in central Suzdal

In winter, it’s probably even better here. Everything resembles a pre-revolutionary postcard.

Old houses of Suzdal beneath snow

Beauty.

A snow-covered landscape in winter Suzdal

Which landscape is more to your liking? A solitary church across a white field?

A solitary church in a snowy field

Or is it better with a birch tree?

A birch tree against a winter Suzdal church

A frozen river.

The frozen river in Suzdal

People ride a banana sled and snowmobiles on it.

Snowmobiles and a snow banana on the river

Next to the church, there is a hill that used to be part of the Kremlin wall.

A snowy hill beside a Suzdal church

One can come to Suzdal just to slide down that hill once.

People on a snowy hill in Suzdal

Or on a snowmobile along the frozen riverbed.

A snowmobile on Suzdal’s frozen river

Horse transport is very common in Suzdal: horses are everywhere, ridden or pulling carriages. Of course, this is done with tourists in mind. Suzdal is too small for local residents to move around the city on horses just for the sake of it. The rides are offered to tourists. One trip through the city costs 300 rubles.

A snowy view of historic Suzdal Church towers in winter Suzdal

I’ve already mentioned that Suzdal is a very Russian city. I’ll repeat it once again. The local bell tower has a clock with letters from the old Cyrillic alphabet. I’m not sure if they have remained from those times or were installed during restoration. When did clock-making begin in general? And when did the transition from letters to numbers occur?

A bell tower clock with Cyrillic letters

The city is filled with many inscriptions in the pre-revolutionary style. Even in the local antique shop, you can find various artifacts, unlike the usual junk. From Provisional Government banknotes with a swastika under the eagle to an antique oak table at an exorbitant 70,000 rubles.

Pre-revolutionary items in an antique shop

Or there stands an inconspicuous house that doesn’t attract any attention.

An unassuming old house on a Suzdal street

If you take a closer look, it turns out that it has been standing here ever since, and the inscription has survived, not destroyed by the Bolsheviks. Immediately, this warehouse becomes not just an ordinary house but, in its own way, beautiful and historical.

An old inscription on a building facade

The Kremlin walls.

The Suzdal Kremlin walls in winter

The church near the Kremlin.

A church near the Suzdal Kremlin

Not to mention that even the ordinary streets of Suzdal are beautiful. In this small tourist corner, they diligently clear the snow, even after a severe overnight blizzard.

A cleared street in snowy Suzdal

Strolling along them is a pure delight.

A winter walking street in Suzdal

A low arch in one of the houses. During a heavy snowstorm, it probably gets drifted up to the top.

A low archway in an old house

What’s behind the arch? The same as everywhere else: unimpressive dilapidation. However, it’s not as dreadful as in Vladimir.

A worn courtyard behind an arch in Suzdal

Still, there aren’t those dreadful wooden sheds piled on top of each other here. It’s a rather decent garage, albeit discolored from dampness.

An old garage in a snowy courtyard

Entrance to the stairwell.

The entrance to an old apartment building

The wheel track goes somewhere around the corner.

Snowy tire tracks around a house corner

Another collection of window moldings. Suzdal has many of them, all different.

Old buildings along a Suzdal street A snow-covered lane in Suzdal Wooden houses in winter Suzdal Historic house facades in Suzdal A street between old Suzdal houses Details of Suzdal’s wooden architecture

And here is an incredible house. I have never seen anything more beautiful in my life.

An ornate wooden house in Suzdal

Just take a look at this! What an unfathomable number of details. Everything is exquisite in it, from the patterns on the windows to the numbered signpost.

Carved patterns and the number on a wooden house

Another one.

Another old house in Suzdal

At night, Suzdal doesn’t sleep, at least on the main street. Even in the late hours, cars are still driving. There are few dark spots in the city; yellow lanterns illuminate everywhere. After the New Year, LED garlands remained on the trees. They weren’t draped around the trunks like in Moscow, nor were they hung all over the canopies like in Europe. Instead, a few garlands were neatly arranged. It’s economical and looks good. There’s something to learn from the countryside.

An illuminated Suzdal street at night

At night in Suzdal, you may meet a well-groomed mare.

A decorated horse on a Suzdal street at night

And for the third time, I will repeat: Suzdal is truly an authentically Russian city. Sometimes even excessively Russian. To some it may seem clichéd or overly stylized for the tourists. But if you want to see “that Russia” for yourself, it’s definitely worth visiting Suzdal. It’s a beautiful place, especially in winter.

P.S. Mead is cheaper in Moscow.

Galich tower
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