Description

In 2002 the Central Bank of the Russian Federation began an annual program that each year commemorates some of their historical towns on bi-metallic 10 Ruble coins. The coins picture the city and its arms on one side and has the standard Russian 10 Ruble obverse on the other. Unlike a lot of coin programs throughout the world there is no set regularity to the number of coins released each year in this series, with some years seeing 4 coins issued and other years only 3.

Vladimir is a city in Russia, the capital of the Vladimir region, located on the left bank of the Klyazma River.

In the past, this town was also known as Vladimir-on-Klyazma and Vladimir-Zalessky, because there was another town of Vladimir located in southwestern part of Kievan Rus’ - the Volyn region of present Ukraine. The founding of Vladimir is traditionally associated with a chronicle entry saying that Prince Vladimir Monomakh laid the town in 1108.

The town began to grow rapidly thanks to the efforts of Princes Vladimir Monomakh and Yury Dolgoruky, who strengthened it as a foothold to protect the Rostov-Suzdal principality. Vladimir owes its heyday to Prince Andrey Bogolyubsky, who moved the capital of the principality here in 1157. His successor - Vsevolod Bolshoye Gnezdo - was one of the most powerful of the Russian princes. Vladimir-Suzdal school of painting developed at this time.

In 1238, during the Mongol Invasion, the town was destroyed because it was an important center of northern principalities. Later, in 1293, Vladimir was destroyed again. In 1299, it became the residence of Russian metropolitans. For some time, the political importance of Vladimir increased.