Pereslavl-Zalessky or Pereyaslavl-Zalessky (Russian: Пересла́вль-Зале́сский; could be translated as "Pereslavl, which is located behind the woods"), is a town in Yaroslavl Oblast, Russia. It was called Pereyaslavl until the 15th century. The town is located on the southeastern shore of the Lake Pleshcheyevo at the mouth of the Trubezh River. Population: 42 900 (2005).

Founded in 1152. One of the oldest among the towns of the Russian Golden Ring, the birthplace of the famous Russian prince Alexander Nevsky, who defeated an army of German knights in 1242. Zalessky means "behind the woods". That is where, behind the dense forests, ancient Slavic tribes retreated seeking refuge from hostile nomads coming from the South-East. In 1302, the town became a part of the Grand Duchy of Moscow. Pereslavl-Zalessky had been devastated numerous times by the Mongols between the mid-13th century and the early 15th century. In 1611–1612, it suffered from the Polish invasion.

This Russian town is situated on the shores of the huge Pleshcheyevo lake. In 1688–1693, Peter the Great built his famous "funny flotilla" on Lake Pleshcheyevo for his own amusement, including the so-called Peter's little boat, which would be considered the forefather of the Russian fleet. The Botik (small boat) museum chronicles the history of the first Russian fleet and keeps one of the original model boats. In 1708, Pereslavl-Zalessky became a part of Moscow Governorate. In 1894, Vladimir Lenin came to the village of Gorki not far from Pereslavl-Zalessky and typed his work entitled "Who are the 'friends of the people' and how do they fight Social Democrats?" on a hectograph. In 1919–1920 and 1941–1943, a famous Soviet artist Dmitry Kardovsky lived and created in Pereslavl-Zalessky.

Pereslavl-Zalessky is known for its historic buildings, including:
the white stone Spaso-Preobrazhensky Cathedral (1152–1157);
Church of Metropolitan Peter (1585);
Troitse-Danilov Monastery (16th–18th centuries);
Nikitsky Monastery (16th–19th centuries);
Feodorovsky Monastery (16th–19th centuries);
Goritsky Monastery (17th–18th centuries).

There is also an Institute for Program Systems of the Russian Academy of Sciences.

Main points of interest: The white-stone Transfiguration of the Saviour Cathedral was built in 1160 during the reign of Andrey Bogolubsky. It is simple and modest in design resembling churches of Novgorod. It is believed that Alexander Nevsky was baptised in this church. Except the Cathedral few of theother buildings in the Uglich Kremlin have survived. The oldest one of them is the Church of Metropolitan Peter (1585). Pereslavl-Zalesskiy is proud of its five monasteries which add so much to its beauty. The oldest of them is the Goritsky Monastery said to have been founded during the time of Ivan Kalita (14th century). It overlooks the lake and from a distance looks like a fairy-tale town. Worthy of notice in the monastery is the large seven-domed Dormition Cathedral (1757) with the beautigul interior frescoes. The Danilov Monastery is situated in the low, southwestern end of town. Commissioned by the Russian tsar Vasily III, the single-domed Trinity Cathedral was finished in 1532 in honour of the birth of Vasily's son Ivan, who was to go down in history as Tsar Ivan the Terrible. Next to the Trinity Cathedral there is another single-domed building, the All-Saints Church. Small, pleasant and cheerful-looking, it was built in 1687. Only two non-secular buildings have survived at the Danilov Monastery - the Refectory and the 230-foot long Brethren's Hall. The St. Nicetas Monastery on the road to Yaroslavl (1564). Tsar Ivan the Terrible intended to convert the humble monastery into a fortified stronghold for himself and his oprichniki (elite troops, bodyguards), but changed his mind at the last moment in favour of Alexandrov. In 1608 the St. Nicetas Fort-Monastery withstood a two-week siege by Polish invasion troops. It was badly damaged by fire, restored in 1643. There are two private museums with many antique exhibits in Pereslavl-Zalesskiy. One of them is the Museum of Teapots, another is the Museum of History of Irons in Russia.