Founded in 1010 by Yaroslav the Wise (future Grand Prince of Kiev), is a large, pleasantly quiet old town, and yet much more metropolitan than the other cities on the Golden Ring. Yaroslavl developed rapidly because of its favorable location along the Volga trade route. In 1218 it became the capital of the independent feudal Yaroslavl principality. In 1463 the Principality merged with the Moscow state. During the XVII century Yaroslavl became a port of entry into Russia, and the city advanced to the third place after Moscow and Kazan as a center of trade.

It is a town of trades and crafts, of numerous churches striking your imagination with its original beauty. Of special interest are the Monastery of the Transfiguration of the Saviour, founded in 12th centuty, and the majestic Church of Elijah the Prophet.In August, Yaroslavl holds an annual international festival of choral and bell chime music "Transfiguration" to celebrate the holiday of the Transfiguration of the Lord.
There are many institutions for higher education: Polytechnical University, Demidov University, Ushinskiy Pedagogical University, International University for Business and New Technologies (MUBINT), Medical Academy, and others.
There are two major passenger railway stations: Yaroslavl-Glavny and Yaroslavl-Moskovsky. Electric shuttle trains go to Rostov, Danilov, Alexandrov, Nerekhta, and Kostroma. Diesel shuttle trains go to Ivanovo and Rybinsk. Also many long-distance passenger trains go through Yaroslavl.
In Yaroslavl you can see the oldest theater in Russia (the Volkov Theater, 1750).

Sister cities
Yaroslavl has sister city ties with:
Burlington, VT in USA,
Coimbra in Portugal,
Exeter in the United Kingdom,
Hanau in Germany,
Jyvaskyla in Finland,
Kassel in Germany,
Poitiers in France.