МБОУ лицей №17 г. Владимир

Кондратьева Ольга 6 «Б» класс

Учитель Гурова Ольга Владимировна

A Page from a Diary.

March, 2.

I thought a lot what the word "birthplace” means. May be it is a country where I live. I was born in Russia and I’m proud of my country. But I can’t say that Russia is my lovely birthplace.May be it is my family – my dear parents. They love and take care of me.May be it is my school where I get knowledge.But looking through the window I understood that it is a place of my origin where my ancestors lived and worked. It is my native town Vladimir. I’m from Vladimir. Here my parents live and work. Here I study at lyceum #17. At last here I think I’ll enter the university and make my own family.

Every time when somebody asks me: - "Why do you love your native town?” I can say that it can’t be expressed by words because Vladimir is worth seeing. From my childhood my mum and dad told me about its majestic history. Vladimir is very ancient. It was founded in990. It used to be the capital of ancient Russia. Vladimir   is situated on the left bank of the river Klyazma whichwas navigable at that time. My town is of great historical interest and is famous for its beautiful old cathedrals, churches and monasteries, some of which date back to the 12^th– 13^th centuries. They are unique monuments of ancient Russian architecture and famous all over the world. The historical centre ofVladimir is SobornayaSquare with Assumption Cathedral in it and St. Demetrius cathedral not far from it.Assumption Cathedral is a real treasury of the old Russian Art. The foundation of theCathedral was laid in 1158. Its walls are painted by the best artists of ancient Russia.There are some unique frescoesby AndreiRublyov andDanieleChorny. They date back to 1408.St. Demetrius Cathedral is famous for its white – stoned architecture. The symbol of Vladimir is the Golden Gatesbuilt in 1164.And I think if tourists want to understand the "mysterious Russian soul” they cannot miss Vladimir.

The names of some great citizens of Russia are connected with Vladimir. They are Alexander Nevski,J. B. Levitan, the well – known broadcaster of the radio,  theStoletovs’ brothers – NikolayGrigorievich, a general and Alexander Grigorievich, a physicist,S. I. Taneeva composer and many others. Some streets are named afterthem. We can see many monuments topublic figures,statesmen, writers in my town.

To my mind Vladimir is a mixture of old and new. There is a lot to see and learn about. You can visit the Town museum of History. It has a lot of ancient things and arms.Inside the Golden Gate there is an Armorymuseum. It’s interesting to visit the museum of old Vladimir in the former water tower (1912). From the last floor of it we can observe Vladimir. On clear days our town is spread before the eyes. Inthe former Trinity church (1916) there is an exhibition of crystal glass, lacquer painting and embroidery. Children like to visit the Children’s Museum Complex where they get acquainted with old Russian traditions.

Modern Vladimir is very busy in the day -time and in the evening. It’s wonderful all the year round.In spring when nature awakens the town becomes more and more beautiful. Vladimir is one of the greenest in Russia. We  have  some nice parks with a lot of trees , flower beds and attractions  .In summer nightingales sing their songs  in these parks .Lovers of winter sports go skiing , snowboarding to the so- called  Hare’s Hill not far from Vladimir.

My town is an industrial center. It has some plants and factories. Vladimir is a town of the youth. There are a lot of schools,colleges, universities and academies. Children can visit a lot of educational centers.We have the American and the German Homes in Vladimir. They are educational and cross- culturalcenters.

Young people like to have a rest at disco parties,clubs,and entertainment centers. They also like doing sports at various Sportscenters. There are some swimming pools in Vladimir. We have theatres, concert halls,cinemas, art galleries in the town. Every year in September we have our City Day. Citizens of Vladimir and its guests can visit spectacular performances and take part in various excitingevents. Not long ago they began to organize the HeroicGames in Vladimir.  It’s a regional ethnic festival where you can enjoy feasts, traditional Russian round dances, bonfires and tests of skill and wit. Our great history isseen everywhere in Vladimir.

I’m proud of my native town and love it very much. Vladimir is the most favourite place in the world for me.