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Narodnaya Square (formerly — Trading place or Market) of Pereslavl is situated in the very middle of the city, next to the central intersection. Since the end of the 16th century it was the heart of the town's trade. In the 16th to 18th centuries it was filled with merchants’ stores. After the great fire of 1847, a new wooden and brick shopping arcade was built which existed till the 1930s. In the near past this used to be the market place for almost daily trade and annual fairs. The fair was a perfect chance for the town's people to save money. The commodities’ prices in the late 19th to early 20th centuries were quite reasonable considering the average payroll at that time: a pound of bread was priced 0.02 roubles, a pound of meat — 0.06-0.1 roubles, 12 ounces of tea — 2.20 roubles. Since 1884 citizens of Pereslavl who took water from the river were given an opportunity to make use of a newly-built water tower. From the water tower, for 8 rubles a sazhen’ (213 centimeters), an aqueduct was laid to various town structures for those wishing to take advantage of this innovation. Today Narodnaya Square is not what it used to be. In 1930s the Prince Vladimir Church, dating to the beginning of the 20th century, was demolished and at the place where it stood a cross was erected. Now instead of the water tower you can see the building of the Town Hall. Next to it is a children's center, “Uventa,” built in the middle of the 20th century as a film factory recreation center. |
The Land of Pereslavl
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