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.

Murom (Old Norse: Moramar) is a historical city in Vladimir Oblast, Russia, which sprawls along the left bank of the Oka River.

In the 9th century CE, the city marked the easternmost settlement of the East Slavs in the land of the Finno-Ugric people called Muromians. The Primary Chronicle mentions it as early as 862. It is thus one of the oldest cities in Russia. Circa 900 CE, it was an important trading post from Volga Bulgaria to the Baltic Sea.

Between 1010 and 1393, it was the capital of a separate principality, whose rulers included Saint Gleb, assassinated in 1015 and canonized in 1071, Saint Prince Konstantin the Blessed, and Saints Peter and Fevronia, subjects of an opera by Rimsky-Korsakov. It was believed to be the home town of the most celebrated East Slavic epic hero, Ilya Muromets. The town has a statue which shows Ilya holding the hilt of his sword in the left hand and a cross in the right.

Issue date: 06.10.2003