5th Balloon Festival in Pereslavl-Zalessky

From April 26 to 29, the 5th balloon festival called "Spring in Pereslavl" was held in Pereslavl-Zalessky. Three such massive aeronautics festivals are held annually in the city and each time the event gathers hundreds of people. Both local residents and residents of Moscow come to watch the event, who travel a distance of 140 kilometers for this event. This is exactly the distance from Moscow to Pereslavl-Zalessky. This time, more than ten bands took part in the festival. One of the features of the festival is that neither the balloon pilots nor the audience know where the starting point is until the last moment. A lot depends on specific short-term forecasts, wind speed and direction. After the take-off location is determined, teams arrive at the site and hastily begin assembling the aircraft. It should be laid in 30 minutes. At any moment, the wind may change direction or increase, and then the planned flight may not take place. When everything is laid out and ready, the balloonists' teams begin the most difficult procedure – pumping the balloon with hot air. It is important at this moment not only to pump in a sufficient amount of air, but also to make sure that the basket does not fly away ahead of time, without a pilot and passengers. The audience greeted the massive takeoff of these beautiful, multicolored balloons with applause

Taking off into the air, passengers could enjoy bird's-eye views of Pleshcheyevo Lake and one of the oldest Russian cities of Pereslavl-Zalessky, which is one of the cities of the Golden Ring of Russia.

Pereslavl-Zalessky was founded by Yuri Dolgoruky (he is also the founder of Moscow) in 1152. Just five years after the founding of Moscow. The city is famous for its numerous ancient monasteries and churches, some of which were founded in the 12th century.

In addition, the city is located on the shore of Lake Pleshcheyev. Today, this lake is part of the national Nature Park of the same name. It was here, on Lake Pleshcheyevo, in 1688, the future Russian Emperor Peter I decided to master the maritime business and build his first ships. In this case, he was assisted by the Dutch shipwright Carsten Brant, the teacher and mentor of sixteen-year-old Peter. 

On May 1, 1692, the 30-gun frigate Mars was launched on Lake Pleshcheyevo and maneuvers took place in cooperation with infantry and artillery. This date is considered the birthday of the Russian Navy.