|
Yaroslav the Wise was the founder of the city of Yaroslavl which was built on the shore of the Volga. The Finno-Ugric tribe which lived there, according to the legend, set their sacred animal, the bear, on Yaroslav's forces. When the bear was killed, the tribes submitted to the invading Christian forces. These events were supposed to have happened around 1010 and Yaroslavl will be celebrating its 1000 year anniversary in 2010. Since that time the bear has become a part of Yaroslavl's coat of arms. If you click on the "view full-sized image ..." below the photo, you can see the coat of arms on the pedestal of the statue. The location of Yaroslavl along the trade route between the Vikings and the Greeks as well as merchants from the Middle East made it rich and powerful. Today, one can still see portions of the defensive walls and towers which guarded the city and the "Monastery of the Transfiguration of the Saviour."
| 
Eastern Europe
view full-size
image -- 1024 x 1536)