For more than 13 centuries, in the northwestern part of Russia, near the source of the Volkhov River, there has been ancient Veliky Novgorod, which during its existence has become a unique city-museum of Ancient Russia. The official date of its foundation is considered to be 859. Prince Rurik, who became the founder of the Russian royal dynasty, was invited here in 862 by local tribes. In 1136, the city became the birthplace of the Novgorod Republic, when for the first time, with the strikes of a bell, the townspeople were gathered for a folk veche. Today, many historical monuments of the 11th - 16th centuries, lost in other ancient cities of Russia, have been preserved here. The ancient unique sights of Veliky Novgorod amaze with the skill of the architects of the towers of the Kremlin fortress, churches and monasteries, wooden buildings that have survived for 400 years. Here, like nowhere else, you can feel the atmosphere of Ancient Russia, in every stone and structure there is a story with its own secrets and legends.
Novgorod Detinets
The construction of the Novgorod Detinets (Kremlin) as a military defensive fortress dates back to the 11th century. In 1116, the detinets was rebuilt from a wooden one into a stone one and was completed over the next centuries, becoming the religious and administrative center of the city in the 15th-17th centuries. The Kremlin, built for the first time in Russia from red brick, is surrounded by walls 8 to 15 m high and up to 6.5 m thick for almost 1.5 km.
Of the 12 Kremlin towers that were in the 15th century, tourists can look at the multi-tiered architecture of the remaining 9 tower buildings. Inside the Kremlin walls, excursions with a visit to the towers are held, ending with a panoramic view of the Kremlin and the city from a height of 40 meters. On the territory of Detinets, there are preserved: the oldest temple in Russia - St. Sophia Cathedral (1045-1050), the Vladychnaya Chamber (1433) and other monuments of the 15th-19th centuries. The Kremlin ensemble, as an open-air museum, is included in the list of UNESCO World Heritage Sites.
Kokuy tower
Watchtower Kokuy stands out from the rest of the towers in the Kremlin wall for its original form, towering 41 m above the surrounding area. It has been serving as the main observation post of the Voevodsky Court since the 17th century, after the rebuilding of the blind rolling tower, the upper tier of which was used for the installation of guns. Today, a three-storey rectangular building with two octagonal tiers on top appears before the gaze.
Kokuy is crowned with a 10-meter white iron tent, topped with the emblem of the Novgorod state. The two lower floors served as a wine cellar and treasury chambers, from the third floor exits to the fortress wall were made. From the observation deck of the tower, a stunning panorama opens up overlooking the complex of the Svyato-Yuryevsky monastery and the Prince, Palace and Spasskaya towers, guessed by a 5-ruble bill. The observation deck on Kokue is equipped with two telescopes that magnify the view of the observed objects 60 times.
Arcade Gostiny Dvor
The arcade of Gostiny Dvor is one of the most ancient sights. It represents the remainder of the Gostiny Dvor of the second half of the 17th century. On this historical site in the XI century there were the Yaroslav's Court and the Torg, from the XII to the XV century the Trade Square was located, where the veche was also held. After the fire in 1606, construction of the Gostiny Dvor began on this site, which lasted the 17th-18th centuries.
The complex is built in the form of a closed square with a gallery, shopping malls and an arcade that served as a decorative frame for its facade. Outwardly, the structure of a chain of snow-white arches resembles ancient Roman aqueducts. The grace of the fence is created by arched openings separated by square columns and relief pilasters along the upper part. Architecturally, the arcade differs significantly from the wall and towers of Detinets, located opposite, standing out from the general ensemble of the ancient city.
Gate tower of Gostiny Dvor
In the Gostiny Dvor complex, the building of the Vorotnaya Tower or Gridnitsa, which had a defensive and commercial purpose in the 17th century, has been preserved. The tower also served as the eastern passage inside the Gostiny Dvor. The architecture of the gate tower appears in the form of an octagon, erected on a quadrangular base. From two sides in the lower tiers, the tower building is cut through by two passable arches. The octagon ends with a hipped roof topped with a mace.
Today, the Gate Tower houses a museum on three tiers with unique exhibitions of samples of Christian antiquities and art metal of the 11th - 19th centuries. The highlight of the Novgorod collection were 312 religious objects and utensils, artistically made of non-ferrous metals, products of the 17th-19th centuries with biblical subjects and the faces of saints, decorated with multi-colored colored enamel. The tower is equipped with an observation deck that reveals a majestic panorama of the ancient city.
Hanseatic fountain
At the Yaroslav's Court, guests of ancient Novgorod like to gather at the Hanseatic fountain, specially built in June 2009 for a significant event - the opening of the International Cultural and Economic Forum "XXIX Hanseatic Days of New Time". In the field of fountain complexes, the symbol fountain is considered a real exclusive. Its shape is a granite circle that represents a round table for negotiations.
Along the perimeter of the water surface with water beating in the center, images of the coats of arms of 16 countries - members of the modern Hanseatic League, decorated with multi-colored mosaics attract attention. With the advent of the fountain, a tradition was born of throwing a coin into it, checking the local legend on oneself that “Volkhov's water will wash 1000” with a ruble thrown into its water and enrich it by 1000 rubles. Every summer, twice a month, at the fountain, a theatrical show of collecting coins is held, based on the stories of local legends and legends.
Monument "Millennium of Russia"
On the ancient square of Novgorod's Detinets, the monument "Millennium of Russia", erected in 1862 for the 1000th anniversary of the Russian state, is striking in its monumentality. A giant sphere-orb, symbolizing the attribute of autocracy “the cap of Monomakh”, rises 15.7 m on a granite pedestal - a nine-meter bell. The composition of the monument consists of three levels, on which there are 128 figures representing the chronicle of Russia.
Starting from the upper level, you are amazed at the crowning figure of a woman kneeling before an angel with a cross - the symbol of Russia. At the middle level there are 6 groups of sculptures reflecting the historical path of the state, starting with the arrival of the Varangians in Novgorod in 862 and ending with the creation of the Russian Empire. The lower level is made in the form of a frieze with 109 figures of statesmen, educators, famous commanders and heroes, writers and artists placed on it.
Kremlin park
The Kremlin park embraces the territory of Novgorod Detinets from three sides, adjoining from the inside to the defensive ditch that stretches along the Kremlin wall. The park was founded on the territory of the Small Earth Town in 1819, and it was called the Summer Garden. Today, in the Kremlin Park, which has become a popular recreation place for citizens and tourists, there are many cultural and historical sites that deserve attention: a monument to composer Sergei Rachmaninov, Sadko fountain, foundations of 8 ancient churches.
The Catherine's Hill is crowned with the Victory Monument, to which a picturesque alley leads. Fascinating leisure time can be spent here by watching a concert on the summer stage, visiting the town of souvenirs and a chess house, visiting the "Krasnaya izba", racing at the karting track and relaxing in a cafe.Walking along the pedestrian alley, laid along the bank of the Volkhov River, along the line of the former moat, you enjoy the beauty and grandeur of the Kremlin architectural ensemble.
Fountain "Sadko and Princess Volkhova"
The fountain "Sadko and Princess Volkhova", which has become an adornment of the Kremlin Park, is a favorite resting place for the townspeople. It was built in 1978 on the site of an old fountain with a bust of Stalin. After restoration in 2009 for the 1150th anniversary of Veliky Novgorod "Sadko" was recognized as the main city fountain. Its center is a sculptural composition with the hero of Russian epics Sadko and Princess Volkhov, framed by a round bowl lined with granite and decorated with mosaic patterns.
The sculptor subtly conveyed the content of the legend in which Sadko plays the harp on the seabed at the whim of the king of the sea. To the right of the guslar, a girl, the sea princess Volkhova, who became the savior of the musician, is all in attention. The predominance of the theme of water is conveyed in the flowing clothes of Sadko and the princess, in the torn strings of gusli, reminiscent of the waves of the sea. The amazing view of the Volkhva River and Novgorod Detinets enhances the impression of the fountain.
Pedestrian bridge
From the very beginning, Veliky Novgorod was located on two banks of the Volkhov River: on one bank, Detinets was historically located, and on the other - the Trade side. The connection of the two banks with a permanent bridge already in the first half of the 12th century became a vital necessity. It was built in 1133, connecting the banks in the area of the Kremlin and Yaroslav's Court. The medieval image of the bridge was found in a 17th century Swedish engraving.
Over the century, it was rebuilt several times, changing its design. At the beginning of the last century, the bridge was rebuilt in the form of a five-span iron structure, installed on 7 supports. So it stood until 1944, when it was destroyed by the Nazis. The modern curved girder bridge with a length of 250 m from three spans with arched lines of the lower belt was opened in 1987. It can withstand up to 8 thousand pedestrians at the same time and reveals the amazing landscapes of the historic city center, divided by the river.
Victory Monument
The complex of the Victory Monument in honor of the Soviet soldiers who won the Great Patriotic War rises on the Catherine Hill in the Kremlin Park. A bronze horse reared on a high pedestal with a rider personifying a Soviet warrior. A warrior's right hand with a raised bronze sword calls for battle. The left hand, extended forward with an open palm down, points to a twisted swastika under the horse's belly, symbolizing defeated fascism.
The scale of the monument is 8m high and weighs 27 tons of a horse and rider. In the background of the composition there is a monumental structure of a brick tower, completed by a boat with ancient military attributes along the perimeter. Together with the boat, the height of the tower was 34.5 m. The tower walls are impressive with four bas-reliefs depicting the battles for the liberation of the city and the turning points in the war. You can climb to the top of the tower to the balcony via an internal spiral staircase.
Cathedral of the Sign
The history of the Znamensky Cathedral, built near the Church of the Transfiguration of the Savior, specifically to store the Novgorod shrine of the icon "Our Lady of the Sign" goes back to 1354. At the end of the 17th century, a new cathedral in the style of Moscow church architecture was erected on the site of the dilapidated church. A five-domed two-story temple with arched galleries, porches, porches, facades and interiors decorated with multicolored frescoes and colorful decor appeared before the townspeople. In this form, he appears now.
After the reconstruction, carried out in the middle of the last century, the restorers managed to discover the unique original frescoes, made at the beginning of the 18th century. Particularly striking is the monumentality of the composition "The Last Judgment", where one of the depicted characters guesses Tsar Peter I. Today the cathedral is in the status of a museum. His monumental painting can be viewed on Monday-Tuesday, Thursday-Sunday from 10.00 to 17.00
Church of the Transfiguration of the Savior on Ilyina Street
The Church of the Transfiguration of the Savior on Ilyina Street is an outstanding monument of Novgorod architecture of the 14th century, stunning in its monumentality. The four-pillar square temple with one apse and one dome impresses with the richness and sophistication of the decor of the facades, the shape of the windows and their framing. The walls, drum and apse of the Church of the Savior are loaded with traditional Novgorod decor details, which makes you want to look inside as soon as possible.
In the interior of the temple, the frescoes on the church vaults, dome and drum, painted by the famous Byzantine icon painter Theophanes the Greek, are striking. The domed medallion is skillfully depicting Jesus Christ surrounded by six-winged angels. The drum amazes with the expressiveness of the faces of the forefathers and prophets. From above, Adam, Abel, Noah, Melchizedek, Elijah the Prophet, John the Baptist are watching as alive. You can see the divine creations of the master of the brush from Wednesday to Sunday from 10.00-17.00, Monday-Tuesday - days off.
Vitoslavlitsy
Near the Yuryev Monastery between Lake Myachino and the Volkhov River, on the site of the ancient village of Vitoslavlitsy, the Museum of Folk Wooden Architecture was created. On its territory, 34 monuments of wooden architecture are collected, located on several streets. The heart of Vitoslavlits became a churchyard, recognized as the center of the village. It is represented by three churches brought from different parts of the region. You can learn about the life and way of life of the estates by visiting the thematically decorated villagers' huts.
The creators of the museum have recreated fragments of real peasant estates with barns and smithies, baths, carts, sleighs, boats, vegetable gardens and wells. The exposition "Economic Yard" with stables, with hay, carriage sheds, with horses, goats and other domestic animals is impressive. Every year the museum hosts folklore festivals, exhibitions and master classes of crafts, an international festival of bell ringing. You can get to Vitoslavlitsa by bus: No. 7 and 7A from the station square.
The Lord's Chamber
The medieval architectural complex Vladychnaya (Faceted) Chamber is a unique monument of Russian architecture of the 15th century, made in the Gothic style. The name "Faceted" building owes to the Gothic ribs - the edges that adorn the vaults of the chamber where the Novgorod saints lived. The main object of the excursion was the cell of Archbishop John with walls decorated with frescoes of the 15th century and murals of the beginning of the 19th century.
In three rooms of the chamber, connected by enfilades, many religious exhibits and relics are exhibited, including the famous icon "Our Lady of the Sign". The hall with Gothic vaults on the second floor is the location of the precious exposition "Jewelry Art of the 5th - 17th centuries" with items from Byzantium, Ancient Russia and Western Europe of art: cameos, crosses, caskets, rings of gold and ivory. You can visit the Vladychnaya Chamber Tuesday-Sunday from 10.00 to 18.00.
Rurik settlement
An ancient settlement of the Vikings at the source of the Volkhov River is called the Rurik settlement. Back in 862, it became the residence of Prince Rurik, invited by the Ilmen tribes to rule. The settlement is an archaeological site of the 9th century. During its excavations, the remains of an ancient fortress and residential buildings of the 8th-9th centuries were discovered. The settlement remained the residence of the princes until the accession to the throne of Ivan the Terrible. The temple of the Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary that remained on the settlement dates back to the XIV century. It was built on the site of the old temple of 1103 and stood for over 600 years until it was destroyed by the Nazis.
The preserved ruins of the temple are adapted today for use and serve as a year-round museum site open to the public. The temple is open in April from 11.00 to 17.00, from May to October from 12.00 to 19.00, from November 1 to March 31 from 11.00 to 14.00, weekends are Thursday-Friday.You can get to Gorodishche from the bus station by bus # 186 to the stop "Spas-Nereditsy".
Yuriev monastery
The Yuryev Monastery, founded in the 12th century by the Grand Duke of Kiev Yaroslav, is located in a picturesque place near Lake Ilmen. In the grandiose monastery complex, the following are of historical value:
- the ancient temple of St. George, mentioned in the annals in 1119
- building on the south side with the Church of the Burning Bush
- Archimandrite Corps with the Savior Cathedral
- The northern building with a 52-meter bell tower and the adjoining Krestovozdvizhensky five-domed cathedral of 1823, attracting attention with gold stars on the domes
The ancient white-stone St. George's Cathedral, which serves as the center of the monastery, strikes with a monumental three-domed composition stretched up 32 m.In the church interior, the richness of choirs, iconostasis and frescoes from the middle of the 12th century on the window slopes and at the top of the staircase are amazing. The monastery is open to everyone. You can get to it by buses No. 7, 7A from the station.
Art Museum
The Museum of Fine Arts has been located under the roof of the historic building of the Noble Assembly since 2001. Its permanent exhibition presents more than 650 paintings, drawings, sculptures and miniatures - masterpieces of Russian art of the 17th-20th centuries, confiscated from noble estates in the 20-30s of the last century. Part of the collection was supplemented by the Russian Museum Fund. Visitors can enjoy the canvases of prominent Russian painters: K. Bryullov, I. Aivazovsky, I. Repin, I. Kramskoy, I. Levitan, V. Serov, A. Kuindzhi and others.
There are sculptures by M. Vrubel and M. Antakolsky. The works are displayed in 7 rooms on the 2nd floor and 2 rooms on the 3rd floor, dedicated to the art of the 20th century. Represents the historical and cultural value of the majolica in the center of the hall, made by Mikhail Vrubel. The museum is located on Sofia Square and is open to visitors every day from 10.00 to 18.00, except Monday and the first Thursday of the month.
Saint Sophie Cathedral
The history of one of the main monuments of ancient Russian architecture - the Sophia Cathedral and its belfry, which has no analogues in Russia, goes back to 1045. The stone church was erected by Kiev and Byzantine architects under Yaroslav the Wise and his son Vladimir as the main cathedral of the city. The architecture of the cathedral is expressed by a structure in the shape of a cross with five domes: the main one - gilded and silver on the sides. The temple is notable for three apses: pentahedral - in the center and round on the sides.
The cathedral is surrounded by galleries on three sides. From the ancient external murals, images of Saints Constantine and Helena on the porch, made on dry plaster, have been preserved. From the fragments of the three-meter images of the prophets on the central drum remaining from the 11th century, one can get an idea of the former frescoes of the cathedral. There are also two altar icons of the XI century in the iconostasis of the XIV-XVI centuries and the miraculous icon "Sign", written in 1170. The cathedral is open daily from 8.00 to 20.00
Tithes monastery
On Desyatinnaya Street, the picturesque white-stone structure of the bell tower, which serves as the entrance to the former Desyatinniy nunnery, is striking. According to the chronicles, the foundation date of the monastery was 998. Other mentions date back to 1170 in connection with the siege of Novgorod by the army of the Suzdal prince Andrei Bogolyubsky, from whom the "Sign" icon, exhibited near the Tithe Monastery of the Okolny city, was protected from it. Most of the historical buildings of the monastery have survived here, in which the cells, the refectory, and the kvassnya were located.
Unfortunately, the temples of St. John the Baptist (15th century) and the Nativity of the Virgin (1397, rebuilt in the 1670s, as evidenced by the remaining ruins of the 17th century temple) have not survived. Art workshops and an exhibition hall are located in the monastery premises. the style of Old Russian Moscow architecture, has come down to us in the form that it acquired after perestroika in 1903.
Monument-stele "City of Military Glory"
The stele "City of Military Glory" was opened on the eve of the 65th anniversary of the Victory on the square of the Square of Military Glory. The monument looks like a 10-meter column on a granite pedestal, crowned with the coat of arms of Russia. On the sides of the central monument there are 4 mini-steles with four periods of Russia's military glory. The stele of Old Russian history is represented by 4 narrative bas-reliefs of the campaigns of Yaroslav the Wise, the reflection by the townspeople of the Vladimir-Suzdal army, the defense of the city and Torzhok from the Tatar invasion and the victory of Alexander Nevsky at Lake Peipsi.
The second stele depicts: the Moscow militia campaign, the defense of Novgorod from the Swedes, the events of the Northern War with Peter I and the Battle of Poltava. The imperial period is represented by the victories of A.V. Suvorov, the battle in the war of 1812, the heroism of the Novgorodians in the Russian-Turkish, Japanese and First World Wars. The Soviet period shows exploits in the Great Patriotic War and in local military conflicts.
Monument to Sergei Rachmaninoff
Veliky Novgorod is the birthplace of the greatest Russian composer Sergei Rachmaninoff, where he lived and created his famous musical works before emigrating to the United States. The monument to the composer, made by the famous Russian sculptor A. Rukavishnikov, was erected in June 2009. A low pedestal with a monument was installed on a round base with four ladders, which made the sculptural composition an organic part of the square.
The originality of the monument is expressed in the figure of the musician leaning against the park bench with his back, leaning on its back with his right hand. The composer's gaze is directed to the new city, behind it is the picturesque landscape of the Kremlin Park and the alley leading to the fortress wall of the ancient Kremlin. The ease of posture in the monument made it attractive from any vantage point. The real park benches set around the bronze composer perfectly match the bronze sculpture bench.
Novgorod Museum-Reserve
The Novgorod Museum-Reserve is over 150 years old. Being the most significant collection of rare monuments of architecture and monumental painting of the 11th-17th centuries in Russia, it with its numerous branches is included in the list of UNESCO protected sites. As part of the museum-reserve, there are several exhibition halls with unique expositions, many historical and cultural monuments of Veliky Novgorod and the region are preserved.
The museum organizes exhibitions with exhibits of ancient Russian carved wood, Russian icons of the 11th-19th centuries, the history of the Novgorod land from ancient times, and others. Tourists are offered a wide range of excursions with visits to architectural monuments of the city, the museum of wooden folk architecture "Vitoslavlitsy", calendar folklore and ethnographic holidays and art exhibitions from the fund of Russian museums, master classes on folk crafts. The administrative building of the museum is located in the Kremlin, building 11.
Alekseevskaya tower
Alekseevskaya (White) Tower is a part of the outer ring of the fortifications of the Okolny town and the Small earth town and a unique preserved monument of the medieval fortification. The tower rises at the junction of an 11-meter defensive wall that surrounded Okolny and Maly Zemlyanoy towns and served to protect the Kremlin from enemies. The White Tower is the only surviving defensive structure of the outer border dating back to the 16th - 17th centuries.
The tower, together with the fortifications, was erected during the Livonian War by order of Tsar Ivan the Terrible for the cannon defense of the approaches to the city. The architecture of the building is round in shape in the outer diameter is 17 m, and in the inner diameter up to 8.4 m, which indicates a large thickness of the walls. The height of the tower, built on a strong foundation, faced with granite stones protruding by 0.5 m, was 15 m. An exposition dedicated to the history of the Novgorod Fortress and its garrison is being created inside the White Tower.
Church of Paraskeva Friday at Torgu
The Temple of Paraskeva Pyatnitsa at the Torgue in Novgorod is a landmark in the architectural complex of Yaroslav's Court. The temple dedicated to the great martyr Paraskeva Pyatnitsa, the patron of the merchants, was built at the expense of merchants who traded "overseas" in 1156. At the beginning of the 13th century, the church was rebuilt into a stone one. The church acquired its present appearance after the restoration of the second half of the last century.
It appears as a light one-domed cross-domed, four-pillar structure with three naves and one apse. The northern limit of the old temple has been preserved, and the remaining fragments of the two ancient limits have been completed by restorers. In the church, you can see the masonry sections of the 13th-16th centuries, freed from plaster. The dome of the 18th century and pilasters on the facade remained unchanged. The interior is notable for its delicate decoration and comfort. Now the temple of Paraskeva Friday is a museum object, open to visitors: Thursday-Monday: 11.00 -18.00.
Center for Musical Antiquities V.I. Povetkin
Tourists interested in music should see the unique exhibits of the Center for Musical Antiquities, located on Ilyina Street. The museum center was created by the artist-restorer Vladimir Povetkin in order to restore the shape and sound of musical instruments used in the X-XV centuries. In addition to replenishing the collection, studying the history of ancient instruments, the center conducts lectures and concerts with playing the harp, horns, snuffles and other folk instruments.
They are accompanied by choirs and ensembles with folk and ritual songs, tunes. The center will teach you how to tune the harp, sewing folk clothes and many folk crafts. Thematic excursions are held here: "The Sounding World of Ancient Novgorod" - on Saturdays and Sundays and "The World of the Center of Musical Antiquities" - from Tuesday to Friday. You can visit the unique kingdom of ancient Russian music from Tuesday to Sunday from 14.00 to 15.30.
