Lyubim, the smallest town in the Yaroslavl region, is located on the Obnora River in the northeast of Yaroslavl. The town has been famous since ancient times as a falconry center.

According to legend, Ivan the Terrible himself preferred to hunt in the game-rich local forests. Some historians even tend to believe that the name of the city is associated with the tsar's love for this type of leisure. According to historical documents, the city of Lyubim was indeed founded under Ivan the Terrible: in 1538, an earthen fortress was built here to protect against the raids of the Kazan Tatars. And in 1560, the penultimate master of the Livonian Knightly Order, Johann Wilhelm von Furstenberg, was exiled to Lyubim.

Lyubim is a living monument of provincial culture. The city has preserved the radial-beam layout typical of Russian medieval settlements. The city has a rich history, and its surroundings are admired for their unspoilt natural beauty.

Lyubim is the smallest town in the Yaroslavl region.

It is not known for certain what caused such a sincere name. Either a man's name, or the special location of Ivan the Terrible, who loved falconry in these places. Or maybe it's the fact that the fortress on the arrow of the Ucha and Obnora rivers fell in love with the locals, tired of the constant raids of the restless khanate.

In cozy Lyubim, it's great to walk around the Square of Love, admire the views from the embankment of the majestic and transparent Obnora, play forfeits in an old noble manor, visit the reconstruction of an ancient wedding ceremony, walk through the places where the poet and writer Leonid Trefolev, the author of the songs "Dubinushka" and "When I served as a coachman at the post office" was born. If you're lucky, you can catch crayfish in the winding Uche near Lyubim.

You can go to the neighboring village of Zakobyakino – there is the Assumption Church, built according to the project of Fyodor Dostoevsky's younger brother, Andrei Dostoevsky, who was a Yaroslavl provincial architect for a long time.

The special charm of these places is that the endless green forests still remain a corner of untouched nature.

What you definitely need to do in your favorite:

• Explore the earthen ramparts of the city, which are a fortress of the Ivan the Terrible era of unique preservation.
• Get some fresh air in the ancient city park, which is a landscape monument of nature.
• Walk along the embankment of the Obnora River and the pedestrian bridge over it.
• Admire the elegant and miniature chapel of Alexander Nevsky, built in honor of Alexander II in the second half of the XIX century.
• Take a picture against the background of wooden sculptures decorating the city streets – the works of Lyubimsky master Sergei Saar.
• Take a look at the Lyubimsky Museum of Local History, which includes several historical exhibitions and an art gallery. In the museum, anyone can book an excursion with a fascinating story about the history of the city.

What to eat and what to take with you:

• Gingerbread cookies are locally produced.
• Wooden dishes made by local lozhkars.
• Handmade birch bark products