Alexandrov District
The Aleksandrov district is located in the north-west of the Vladimir region. The population of the district is 107,192 people. (2018). Its administrative center is the city of Alexandrov, the fourth largest city in the Vladimir region, with a population of 59,036 people (2018). It has the satellite cities of Strunino and Karabanovo, together with which it forms the Alexandrov agglomeration with a population of about 112 thousand inhabitants. The district was formed on April 10, 1929 as part of the Ivanovo Industrial Region. Since August 14, 1944, the Aleksandrov district has been part of the Vladimir Region. In December 2001, the city of Aleksandrov and the Aleksandrov district were merged into one municipality "Aleksandrov District", which in May 2005 was endowed with the status of a municipal district.
Alexandrov is a tourist center of the Golden Ring of Russia. The city is primarily known for the royal residence of Ivan the Terrible, the Alexander’s Sloboda, which for almost two decades – from December 1564 to November 1581 – was the actual capital of the state. The Alexander’s Sloboda went down in history not only for the tragic events of the oprichnina, but also as the cultural center of Russia in the 16th century.
In addition, the Alexander’s Sloboda has long been famous for its craftsmen and artisans. It is no coincidence that the coat of arms of the Aleksandrov city, which was granted to it in 1781, depicts a bench vise and two anvils on either side.
In the middle of the 19th century, world fame acquired the products of the Troitsk-Aleksandrov spinning and weaving manufactory in Karabanovo – Baranovs’ chintz.
On the territory of the Aleksandrov district, there are enterprises in the field of radio electronics, instrument making, wood and metal processing, the chemical and food industries, weaving and sewing factories, etc.
In the Aleksandrov district, many areas of trades and arts and crafts are developed – blacksmithing and pottery, woodcarving and painting, embroidery, weaving, patchwork, making of clay toys and folk dolls, female needlework. The main organizations of folk art are the Alexander Crafts Center, the Cinema and Concert Hall "Southern", the Cultural Center "Jubilee", the Andreyev’s Cultural and Methodological Center, etc.