A brand new development corporation in Russia has announced plans for an extensive redevelopment of the country’s “Golden Ring” of historical cities that surround the country’s capital Moscow.
Known as the Golden Ring Development Corp., the organization has announced that it will invest more than $650 million in the ambitious plan over the next four years, building up tourist infrastructure and more than fifty new hotels and rental homes in the area, which is one of the country’s most popular tourist routes.
The Golden Ring Route takes in the historical capital cities of the seven most important regions in Central European Russia. These cities have been labeled “open-air museums” in the past, due to the staggering number of historical monuments they possess, including dozens of churches, monasteries, cathedrals and mini-kremlins.
The cities, which include Vladimir, Suzdal, Kostroma, Yaroslavl, Rostov Velikiy, Pereslavl-Zalesskiy and Sergiev Posad, are well known as some of the most picturesque destinations in all of Russia, with spectacular countryside and terrific examples of imposing Stalinist architecture in addition to their more famous sights.
The tourist potential of the cities is huge, according to Petr Shur, Golden Ring’s project manager. He explained that the new investment was about making the route more accessible to tourists, and promoting it as somewhere else foreign visitors can explore in the country.
Currently, the majority of Russia’s tourist visitors tend to take in Moscow and St. Petersburg, and little else of this vast country, which is a real shame when there is so much to offer just outside the capital, says Shur.
The project calls for 17 hotels and 33 homes for tourists to rent in the region, creating an additional 3,000 new hotel rooms.
“We began construction in June last year, and expect the first hotel to be ready at the end of this summer,” said Shur. “The rest of the hotels will be completed by 2015.”
The first stage of the project is a resort, somewhat predictably named “Golden Ring”, in the city of Pereslavl-Zaleski, around 130km north of Moscow. The resort will feature nine luxury hotels and should be ready by the beginning of 2015, said Shur.