Veliky Novgorod
Russia · Novgorod Oblast · 25 m
Description
Veliky Novgorod (Великий Новгород) is the oldest city in Russia and the one place where the country's medieval architecture survived the wars largely intact. It was a merchant republic ruled by a public assembly rather than a prince, trading through the Hanseatic League while Moscow was still a village. Inside the earth ramparts of its kremlin stands Saint Sophia, built in the eleventh century and the oldest church in the country still in use. Birch bark letters dug from the wet soil here record ordinary voices from eight centuries ago. The Volkhov river runs through the middle toward Lake Ilmen.
Length of stay
Recommended length of stay: 1 to 2 days (optimal 2 days)
Travel season
Best time to visit: May – September
- Jan
- Feb
- Mar
- Apr
- May
- Jun
- Jul
- Aug
- Sep
- Oct
- Nov
- Dec
Highlights
- Novgorod Detinets kremlin (UNESCO World Heritage)
- Saint Sophia Cathedral, the oldest in Russia
- Millennium of Russia monument
- Yaroslav's Court and the merchant churches
- Vitoslavlitsy Museum of Wooden Architecture
- Birch bark letters in the Novgorod museum
- Yuriev Monastery by Lake Ilmen
- Church of the Transfiguration and its Feofan Grek frescoes
- Volkhov embankment and the kremlin walk
- Church of Saint Theodore Stratelates on the Brook
- Znamensky Cathedral and its baroque frescoes
- Novgorod Museum of Fine Arts
- Rurikovo Gorodishche ruins
- Lake Ilmen shore and its beaches
Getting there
- Train stations:
- Novgorod-na-Volkhove