Closest to Moscow of the Golden Ring cities, Sergeev Posad developed from a settlement around the Troitse-Sergeeva Lavra, one of Russia's most famous monasteries. The town was renamed Zagorsk during the Soviet period, during which it was a site of pilgrimage and considered the center of the Russian Orthodox Church.

Sergeev Posad is also known for the production of wooden carvings (toys in particular) and matryoska dolls.

Sightseeing in Sergiev Posad
The Holy Gates THE HOLY GATES are the entryway into the monastery, whose walls, crowned by 11 towers, are reminiscent in their style of Moscow's Kitay-gorod. The museum was f...
Troitsky Monastery The Troitze-Sergiyev monastery stands on top of a small hill known as Makovetz. It was founded in the 1330s and -40s by the brothers Varfolomey and Stefan. Varf...
The Toy Museum The Arts and Pedagogical TOY MUSEUM was founded in 1918. Sergiyev Posad has the country's only College of Toys and a Toy Research Institute. Along with the muse...