Historic Center of Ryazan

Photo of route “Historic Center of Ryazan” — 3

19 points5 km6 hours

Ryazan is an ancient city with a distinctive history. On this route you'll find out why Kolovrat's horse is rearing while Oleg of Ryazan's stands calmly; who keeps a close watch over the city; where the “Swan Princess” from Vrubel's painting lived; and how Hollywood is connected with an inconspicuous house. And you'll simply enjoy an unhurried stroll through the old streets of the historic center.

Route author

Susanin Team

Things to do

📜 Learn the city's history
🏛️🕰️ Compare the eras

Route points (19)

Ryazan's Versailles in Ryazan

Point on route “Historic Center of Ryazan”

Point 1

Ryazan's Versailles

📜 Historic site • 🌿 Public garden or park

Historical Background

Until 1957 the little Lybed River flowed where Lybedsky Boulevard is today, and the residents of the local houses did their laundry in it. Old-timers recall that the smell from the water was unbearable. The outlines of today's boulevard appeared in time for a visit by Nikita Khrushchev: the sedge was cleared out and the banks straightened, elegant humpbacked footbridges were thrown across, benches were installed, and flower beds were laid out. Locals joked that the Lybed now had its very own “Versailles.”

How the Lybed Was “Rolled” into a Pipe

But residents didn't get to enjoy Ryazan's “Versailles” for long. In the late 1960s construction of a circus began here, and the architects' plans had no room for a “stinky creek.” The Lybed was put into a pipe and sent underground. And in 1971, in place of “Versailles,” Ryazan's first permanent circus appeared.

A Modern Boulevard Story

Today Lybedsky Boulevard is a popular one-kilometer walking route from the Spartak Stadium to the Ryazan Circus. Recent reconstruction has made walks along the Lybedsky more comfortable. For the promenade they even had to dig a tunnel under the bridge on Lenin Street.