One of The OLDEST Russian Towns | MUROM in Vladimir Region, Russia (Founded in 862)

One of The OLDEST Russian Towns | MUROM in Vladimir Region, Russia (Founded in 862)

Ladies and gentlemen, today we are in one of 
the oldest cities of Russia. The city which is already older than 1,100 years. I’m talking 
about Murom in Vladimir region of Russia. It is a little bit over 300 kilometers east from 
Moscow. And that’s where we’re gonna take a ride now. My name is Sergey Baklykov. This 
is “All of Russia” channel on Baklykov Live! So, welcome to Murom — one of the oldest cities 
in Russia. It was founded in the same year as the foundation of Russia itself — in 862. 
Murom is located in the Vladimir region of Russia on the left bank of the Oka River, on 
the border with the Nizhny Novgorod Region, 137 km from Vladimir itself, which was the 
capital of Russia from 1243 to 1389. In 2023, the new M-12 highway passed through the city, and 
now it is the fastest way to get from Moscow to Murom. The distance from Moscow is 330 kilometers. 
The population of Murom is 104,000 people. Murom is also a major railway junction on 
the Gorky Railway, on the Moscow–Kazan line. It is believed that the name of the city comes 
from the Finno-Ugric tribe called “Muroma”, which was first mentioned in 
“The Tale of Bygone Years”. The Finno-Ugric Muroma tribe inhabited this land 
from the beginning of the 1st millennium AD. According to Vladimir Dal, the name of the city 
comes from the word “murom, murom’” — “glaze, glassy coating on pottery, on 
tiles, from frit and tin ash”. According to archaeological datings, Slavic tribes 
appeared here no earlier than the second half of the 10th century, which is when the city emerged.
Since 1219, Ingvar Igorevich ruled in Ryazan. During his reign, the principality was 
devastated by the Mongol hordes of Batu Khan. Completely burned to the ground by 
the Mongols, Murom disappeared from the pages of Russian chronicles in 1293.
The next mention of Murom only appears in 1351 and is connected with the last 
Murom prince — Yuri Yaroslavich. In 1392, the Grand Prince of Moscow, Vasily I Dmitrievich, 
joined the Murom principality to Moscow. In the mid-16th century, the troops of Ivan the 
Terrible gathered in Murom to participate in the campaigns against Kazan. This period saw the 
construction of the city’s first stone churches. Since the 17th century, Murom became an important 
center of craftsmanship. Skilled artisans worked here in tanning, shoemaking, blacksmithing, 
jewelry, tailoring, and other trades. That period also marked the beginning of the fame of 
Murom’s kalachi (traditional white bread rolls). Murom’s gunsmiths were known beyond Rus’. 
The famous Russian cannon caster Andrey Chokhov was from Murom — he cast the 
Tsar Cannon in 1586, which now stands on the grounds of the Moscow Kremlin. Murom 
was also known for its fishing industry. The architectural appearance of Murom’s historic 
center took shape in the 19th — early 20th centuries, as major fires in 1792 and 1805 
destroyed almost all old wooden buildings. The new city was built according to a 
master plan developed by Ivan Lem and approved by Empress Catherine II in December 1788.
The plan provided for a shift from a radial-street layout to a strictly perpendicular street 
grid. As a result, the blocks in central Murom form rectangles measuring 250 by 150 meters.
Murom built the first water supply system in Vladimir province. In 1863, at the intersection 
of Rozhdestvenskaya and Voznesenskaya streets (now Lenin and Sovetskaya Streets), a water tower 
was constructed. Funds for the tower and pipeline were provided by the city head Alexey Vasilyevich 
Ermakov — a wealthy merchant and philanthropist. In the 19th century, Murom also saw the 
opening of a cast iron and mechanical plant, flax-spinning and cotton factories, and 
in 1916, railway workshops were built. During the Soviet era, the city developed 
into a major industrial center of Vladimir region. The railway repair workshops opened in 
1916 were renamed the Dzerzhinsky Locomotive Repair Plant in 1926. In 1946, the plant began 
producing small steam locomotives (model 9P), then diesel locomotives TGM-1 and TGM-23, 
electric locomotives EK-10, EK-12, EK-13, railcars, and other railway equipment of its 
own design, which was exported to 17 countries. The Murom Switch Plant was formed in 1928 on 
the basis of small track maintenance workshops. In 1947, the Murom Radio Plant began operations, 
producing radio equipment for the Navy, metro, and broadcasting nodes, as well as car radios 
under the brand “Bylina”. In 1993, the plant employed about 7,000 people. A closely related 
enterprise is the Murom Radio Instrumentation Plant, founded in 1947, which produced civilian 
and military radar equipment (including for the S-300 SAM system), as well as consumer 
electronics such as “Muromets”, “Kantata”, “Elegiya”, “Oda” and even home electronic 
musical instruments and personal computers. The Murom Engineering Plant (named after 
Ordzhonikidze, also known as Murom-Mashzavod, or OKA-Kholod JSC) is the oldest industrial 
enterprise in the region, founded in 1867. Since the 1960s, it was one of the largest producers 
of the well-known OKA-brand refrigerators, with an annual output of about 300,000 units; these 
refrigerators received awards at international exhibitions and the USSR’s VDNKh (Exhibition 
of The Achievements of People’s Economy). The city is also home to the United Company 
“RusTechnologies”, a plant for producing galvanized steel with polymer coating — one of the 
largest manufacturers in this sector in Russia. Historically, Murom is the homeland 
of Saints Peter and Fevronia of Murom. The love story of Prince Peter and 
Fevronia tells of fidelity, sincerity, and deep feelings that overcome all obstacles.
One day, Prince Peter was struck by a terrible skin disease. All attempts to cure 
him failed: no one could cope with the illness. When the prince despaired and resigned 
himself to his fate, he had a prophetic dream: he saw a girl named Fevronia who could heal him.
Fevronia came from a simple peasant family. She lived with her beekeeper father in the Ryazan 
village of Laskovo. From a young age, she studied the properties of plants and had a healing gift; 
even wild animals obeyed her. The young prince was charmed by the girl’s beauty and kindness, 
and promised to marry her if she cured him. Fevronia restored the prince’s health. 
But fearing an unequal marriage, he broke his promise to wed her. Soon, the 
disease returned even more severely. When envoys came to Fevronia a second time, she did 
not refuse to help and cured the prince again. Repentant, Peter married his savior and lived 
happily with her until the end of their days. After his elder brother’s death, Peter ascended 
the throne. The boyars respected the noble ruler but couldn’t accept a woman of humble 
origins on the throne beside him. One day, they issued an ultimatum: Peter had to 
choose between power and his beloved wife. Peter abdicated and left Murom with his wife.
Soon, the boyars realized they couldn’t maintain order in the city without a wise ruler. 
Regretting their decision, they sent envoys to bring the princely couple back. After 
consulting with Fevronia, Peter returned. They prayed to die on the same day so they 
could remain together in the afterlife. Legend says their prayers were answered: 
they died at the same hour — July 8th 1228. Peter and Fevronia were canonized 
in 1547 and are now considered the patron saints of family and marriage.
For this reason, the city hosts large annual celebrations — the Day 
of Family, Love, and Fidelity. During the Soviet era, Murom had developed river 
passenger traffic with Nizhny Novgorod and town of Kasimov. The first steamboat arrived in 
the city in 1845, and in 1858, the steamer “Moskva” established regular routes connecting 
Murom with other cities along the Oka river. During Soviet times, the routes used 
hydrofoil ships like the “Raketa”. In the 1990s and 2000s, the shallow waters 
reduced tourist boat visits to Murom, but after the reconstruction of the Kuzminov 
hydraulic complex on the Oka River in 2015, the situation improved, and cruise ships started 
visiting more often. The city is now part of the popular “Moscow Circumnavigation” river cruise.
The city has a river harbor and can receive almost any cargo by water.
The history of public education in Murom goes back centuries: since the 1720s, 
a school for priest’s children operated at the Murom Transfiguration Monastery, later 
transformed into the Murom Theological School. In 1930, the former girls’ gymnasium 
was turned into a pedagogical college, which became a teachers’ college in 1937.
That same year a medical college was opened; later, the city also saw the founding of a 
peat technical school (1947), a college of radio-electronic instrumentation 
(1958), and the Murom Institute of Vladimir State Technical University.
Additional education in Murom is provided by 1 music school, 2 schools of arts, 
an art school, the City Youth Center, the Center for Extracurricular Work, the Young 
Naturalists’ Station, a technical creativity center, and 2 youth sports schools.
In 1888, the inventor of television, Vladimir Zworykin, was born in Murom. 
Yes, you heard right — the inventor of television Vladimir Zworykin was born in Murom.
He was born into the family of Kozma Zworykin, a first-guild merchant who traded grain, owned 
a steamboat company on the Oka, and chaired the Murom Public Bank. From a young age, Vladimir 
showed an interest in physics; during business trips with his father between Murom and Nizhny 
Novgorod, he repaired the electrical systems of the ships. After graduating from Murom Real 
School, he entered the Saint Petersburg Practical Technological Institute in 1906 to study physics.
Between 1912 and 1914, he continued his education in Paris at the Collège de France.
Due to the Revolution, Vladimir Zworykin emigrated to the United States and joined the 
Westinghouse Company, where he focused on his passion — transmitting images over distance. 
However, the company leadership didn’t support his ideas (partly due to the language barrier), so 
he continued his research independently. In 1923, Zworykin filed a patent application (US2141059) 
for a fully electronic television system (granted after court proceedings on December 20, 1938).
In 1919, in the large Zworykin family house, the Murom History Museum was opened. 
Today, it contains over 60,000 exhibits, including an archaeological collection 
of the Muroma tribe, collections of ancient Russian art, and an art gallery.
After World War II, the city also saw the opening of the house-museum of academic painter 
Ivan Kulikov, and the Memorial Museum of Hero of the Soviet Union Nikolai Gastello, located 
in the house where he lived from 1924 to 1930. Since the second half of the 19th century, the 
city had its own drama theater. During World War II, nearly all actors went to the front, 
and the professional troupe ceased to exist. After the war, the People’s Operetta Theater under 
Radkovsky continued to perform at the Lenin Club. In 1962, the Palace of Culture named after the 
1100th Anniversary of the City was opened, hosting about 30 amateur groups and guest performers.
The city also has the Palace of Culture of Railway Workers, the Verbovsky House 
of Culture, and the club of Murom JSC. In Murom, on the territory of the former Oka 
Garden, lies the Oka Park of Culture and Leisure, the main attraction of which is a monument 
to the famous folk hero Ilya Muromets. One of Murom’s key landmarks is 
the Annunciation Monastery for men, founded in 1553, with a cathedral from 1664 
and the St. Stephen Gate Church from 1716. Also notable is the Resurrection Convent with 
the Resurrection and Presentation churches, built in the mid-17th century by 
the merchant brothers Cherkasov. There is also the Transfiguration Monastery 
for men, founded in the 11th century, with a cathedral from the 16th century; its 
first mentions in chronicles date to 1096. The Holy Trinity Convent, founded in 1643
The 1845 Church of Saints Gurias, Samonas, and Abibus which houses an icon 
with a relic of St. Ilya Muromets. The Church of Saints Cosmas and Damian 
was built in 1565 on the site of Ivan the Terrible’s camp during his Kazan campaign.
The Nikolo-Naberezhnaya Church, first mentioned in 1566 as “Nikola Mokry” (Nicholas the Wet), 
was rebuilt in stone between 1700 and 1714 . Murom also has many other lesser-known churches.
The majority of Murom’s population are Orthodox Russians. However, there is a small Muslim 
community. Thus, Murom is also home to the Gabdulkhak Hazrat Samatov Mosque, opened in 
2007; the Muslim religious organization of Murom is located at the same address.
In 2014, on the initiative of Murom district head Yevgeny Rychkov, the football club 
“Murom” was revived. The club plays its matches at the Viktor Losev Stadium.
Hope you enjoyed the ride! Sergey Baklykov, All of Russia 
channel on Baklykov. Live from Murom!

Driving around Murom, the city in Vladimir Region of Russia which is as old as Russia itself, founded in 862. Murom is the motherland of Vladimir Zworykin, the inventor of the television.

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