Zalesye

thumb|250px|The site of Blue Stone (Russia)|an ancient Meryan sanctuary in Zalesye Zalesye (, area beyond the forest) or Opolye (, area in the fields) is a historical region of Russia, comprising the north and west parts of Vladimir Oblast, the north-east of Moscow Oblast and the south of Yaroslavl Oblast. As the kernel of the medieval state of Vladimir-Suzdal, this area played a vital part in the development of Russian statehood.

== History == thumb|300px|1865 French map showing the "Trans-Forest Colonies" or "Zaleskie" of Kievan Rus' (Kiiov) and the Republic of Novgorod in the year 1139 The name Zalesye alludes to the deep woods that used to separate the medieval Principality of Rostov from the Republic of Novgorod and from the Dnieper principalities. Merians, Muroma, and other Volga Finnic tribes inhabited also the area. There was a strong interaction between the Slavs and Finnic peoples in these territories.