Sights in South Of St Petersburg
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Pskov National Museum of History, Architecture & Art
A very rich 17th-century merchant built his fortress-like house and treasury here in the heart of Pskov, with walls 2m thick. The original building and a newer addition now house the Pskov National Museum of History, Architecture & Art, which comprises three separate museums and a wide range of displays. The 2nd floor of the new building houses the war collection, with photos and artefacts from WWII, as well as information on more recent conflicts like Afghanistan and Chechnya. More interesting is the 1st-floor picture gallery, which has works from the 18th, 19th and 20th centuries, including paintings by Nikitin, Tropinin and Zhukovsky, as well as representations from…
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B
Dostoevsky House
The simple, two-storey Dostoevsky House on the small Pererititsa River is now open as a museum. The house never left the family’s possession before becoming a museum, and some original pieces remain. Dostoevsky’s desk has copies from his mazelike drafts, and you can see his doodlings on the pages. His bookcase holds books from the period, and his wife’s bedroom still contains her bed and chest. A keyboard instrument that Dostoevsky supposedly tinkered with sits by a window overlooking the river. You can take a tour in Russian, or do a self-guided tour using the English-language handout available at the ticket office.
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C
Pskov State Museum
The Pskov State Museum, located near the entrance to the kremlin, is a spartan collection of archaeological finds from the Old Town. The first floor contains displays include knives, jewellery and old keys dating back to the settlement’s earliest days when Scandinavian Vikings lived in the area. An attached room has revolving displays by local artists. A second exhibit upstairs, the fairly dry Chancery Chamber, presents old documents on the administration of Pskov during the 17th century.
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D
Cathedral of the Transfiguration of the Saviour
The attraction here is the Unesco-protected, nonworking Cathedral of the Transfiguration of the Saviour, whose 12th-century frescos are considered to be one of the most complete representations of the biblical narrative to have survived the Mongols. The frescos have been partially restored after centuries of damage from flooding, whitewashing and scrubbing; 80% of what you see today is original. The artists are unknown but were almost certainly from Greece, based on the Byzantine-style of the frescos.
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E
Trinity Cathedral
The grandeur of the 1699 Trinity Cathedral, Pskov's principal sight, is heightened by the simplicity of the skeletal kremlin surrounding it. The gilded centre dome, as high as a 28-storey building, can be seen from 30km away on a clear day. The interior, with a large collection of bejewelled icons of the Madonna, is still undergoing restoration, though services have returned.
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Pushkin Museum Reserve
Pushkin’s family house is open as part of the Pushkin Museum Reserve, a 2½-hour bus ride from Pskov. The family first came to the area in the late 1700s, when Pushkin’s great-grandfather Abram Hannibal was given the land by Empress Elizabeth. The family house was destroyed during WWII and has since been rebuilt.
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F
Gremyachaya Tower
Along the Pskova tributary, near a small spillway and the Epiphany Cathedral, is a lovely stretch of park, nice for strolling, picnicking or short hikes. Gremyachaya Tower, a decaying 16th-century fortress tower on the north bank, is open to explorers.
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G
Local Lore Museum
Other attractions in Staraya Russa include the Local Lore Museum, which is housed in a 12th-century church and displays old religious relics; you can also see fragments from the church’s original frescos.
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Chancery Chamber
In the same area as the Pskov State Musem, but up the stairs, is the fairly dry Chancery Chamber, which presents old documents on the administration of Pskov during the 17th century.
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Kartinnaya Gallery
The Kartinnaya Gallery, has a small but noteworthy selection of paintings (and also a few sculptures) of artists who spent time in Staraya Russa.
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Detsky Park
Detsky Park, right in the centre of town, is less bucolic but still pleasant. During summer, children enjoy the park's mechanised rides - and pony rides, no less.
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Museum of the Northwest Front
Ardent war buffs can check out the small but earnest Museum of the Northwest Front.
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