Deep into Russia
Upon arriving in Sergiev Posad you should head straight for the Troitse-Sergieva Lavra which is located on Krasnogorskaya Ploschad. Buses run from the railway station to the lavra, but it is also possible to walk there which will allow you to stop at the special viewing platform to get a great view of the lavra.
There are also a few extra sights in the city worth seeing. These are located around Prospekt Krasnoy Armi (Red Army Street) which runs across the whole city.
The Sergiev Posad State Historical and Art Museum-Reserve was founded in 1920 after the Troitse-Sergieva Lavra was closed and turned into a museum. Today the lavra has since been returned to the Russian Orthodox Church and reopened as a place of worship and so the building on 144 Prospekt Krasnoy Army is now the main building of the museum-reserve. It holds various temporary expositions. The current exposition (as of 2014) is dedicated to the Romanov Dynasty's connections… Read more »
In 2010 a monument was installed just outside the Stable Yard dedicated to the defenders of the Troitse-Sergieva Lavra during the siege of the Time of Troubles, in particular to the peasants Shilov and Slota from Klementievskaya Sloboda. Shilov and Slota are credited with foiling a Polish plan to dig a tunnel under the Pyatnitskaya Tower of the lavra. The monument depicts both Shilov and Slota as well as the cellarer of the monastery at the time - Avraami Palitsyn, who later… Read more »
On Prospekt Krasnoy Armi and immediately before the lavra is a church ensemble - the 16th century Presentation of Mary Church and the 17th century St Paraskevy Pyatnitsa's Church. Normally these churches would be a popular sight in any other city, but here they are so completely overshadowed by the neighbouring lavra that most people probably just walk past them without giving them a second glance. Read more »
Another department of the Sergiev Posad State Historical and Art Museum-Reserve is the Regional Department, which is located on Ovrazhny Pereulok off Ulitsa Karla Marksa. The Regional Department has three permanent exhibitions. The 'From Revolution to War' exhibition details the history of Sergiev Posad in the first half of the 20th century and the 'We will defend our Native Moscow' exhibition is dedicated to the Battle of Moscow during the Second World War. Finally the 'At the… Read more »
On the way to the lavra from the station between the viewing platform and the lavra, at the bottom of the hill, is the quaint 17th century St Sergius' Well-Chapel which stands over a natural spring, which according to legend was started by St Sergius himself. Normally you will see lots of people here filling empty bottles with holy water. Read more »
The stable yards of the Troitse-Sergieva Lavra, which date from the late 18th - early 19th century, are now used to hold various exhibits and museums of the Sergiev Posad Museum-Reserve. Its permanent exhibitions include the Russian Doll Exhibition, which has one of the largest collections of Russian dolls in the world and details the history of the dolls, including the life of one of their creators – Sergey Malyutin who worked in Sergiev Posad. Also housed in the stable yard are… Read more »
Sergiev Posad’s Artistic and Educational Toy Museum is probably the city’s most famous sight not connected with the lavra. Sergiev Posad has had a long history of toy making. Sergey Malyutin, an artist who worked on the first set of Russian dolls, worked in the city, and the nearby village of Bogorodskoe is famed for the wooden toys it produces there. This museum exhibits a whole range of toys including Russian homemade wooden and clay figures, toy soldiers, Russian dolls… Read more »
Sergiev's War Memorial, dedicated to its citizens who lost their lives in the Second World War, is located on the city's main street - Prospekt Krasnoy Army (Red Army Prospect). It was erected in 1950 on a mass grave of Red Army soldiers and is made out of dark red granite. More bodies were interred here in the 1960s, but they were later all reburied in a new location in the 1980s. In 1977 an eternal flame was added to the complex. Read more »
Outside the lavra is a statue of its founder St Sergius of Radonezh. St Sergius was born as Varfolomey just outside of Rostov Veliky in approximately 1314. After a holy visitation Varfolomey became a monk and took the name Sergi (Sergius). In 1337 Sergius became a hermit in dense forest where Sergeiv Posad now stands. Over time he founded a monastery which grew into a highly influential religious centre of Russia. Sergius died at his monastery in 1392 and was canonised in the mid… Read more »
The main sight Sergiev-Posad has to offer is of course the Troitse-Sergieva Lavra (also sometimes translated as the Trinity Lavra of St Sergius) and a visit to the UNESCO-protected lavra alone is enough reason to visit the city. If walking to the lavra from the station you can enjoy great views of it from the special Viewing Platform (intersection of Ulitsa Sergievskaya and Voznesenskaya Ulitsa), from where you can admire all the domes and towers of various forms and colours. On… Read more »
As with most city’s Sergiev Posad has its own statue to Vladimir Lenin. This monument however slightly differs from standard Lenin monuments as it depicts just a bust of Lenin on a rather tall pedestal. Although there have been discussions to move the statue, Lenin remains located a few metres from the lavra which was closed on his orders and turned into a museum of architecture. Read more »
History
Sights
Tourist map of Sergiev Posad