The Golden Ring is a ring of cities emanating northeast of Moscow, the capital of the Russian Federation. These ancient towns, which also play a significant role in the formation of the Russian Orthodox Church, preserve the memory about the most important and significant events in Russian history. The towns have been called "museums under open sky" and feature unique monuments of Russian architecture of the 12th-18th centuries, including kremls (fortresses such as the Kremlin in Moscow) Monastaries, cathedrals and churches. These towns are among the most picturesque in Russia and prominantly feature Russia's famous onion domes. Although there are some discrepencies with respect to the names of the cities that are included in the ring, most include Sergeev Posad, Pereslavl-Zalessky, Rostov-Valiky, Yaroslavl, Kostroma, Ivanova, Gus Khrustalny, Sudzal, Vladimir, Rybinsk, Uglich, and Alexandrov. Many of these cities are to be found along the M8 highway or can be reached from Yaroslavl Vaxhal.
