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Western European Russia
This ancient, Arcadian region showcases Mother Russia at her most fertile: Tolstoy, Turgenev, Dostoevsky’s The Brothers Karamazov and nothing less than the modern country itself were all born here. It’s a lofty legacy and nowhere does Western European Russia (Западно – Европейская Россия) let you forget it. The imposing kremlins, soaring cathedrals and cultural treasures of cities such as Veliky Novgorod, Pskov and Smolensk bear stunning testament to golden eras. Budding writers flock to the area’s wealth of literary estates – Staraya Russa, Spasskoe-Lutovinovo, Yasnaya Polyana and Pushkin’s ancestral home, Mikhailovskoe – with high hopes there’s something in the water; and character-filled smaller towns such as Yelets and Oryol are photogenic throwbacks to prerevolutionary Russia. Even the tiny, far-flung village of Stary Izborsk – a stone’s throw from the Estonian border – claims a distinguished heritage: it’s home to the oldest stone fortress in Russia.
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Top attractions
These are our favorite local haunts, touristy spots, and hidden gems throughout Western European Russia.
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Novgorod State United Museum
Within the kremlin walls is this must-see museum that houses three strikingly comprehensive exhibitions covering the history of Veliky Novgorod, Russian woodcarving and Russian icons. The latter contains one of the world's largest collections of icons, with around 260 pieces placed in chronological order, allowing you to appreciate the progression of skills and techniques through the centuries. The English audio guide (R200) is recommended if you want to get the most out of a visit. Downstairs in the history section (with minimal English signage), birch-bark manuscripts are displayed, some of them 800 years old. The letters, documents and drawings by people of all ages and social classes indicate that literacy was widespread in medieval Novgorod. The woodcarving exhibits include everything from the mundane (kitchen utensils and furniture) to more elaborate religious objects.
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Cathedral of St Sophia
This is the oldest church in Russia (finished in 1050) and one of the country's oldest stone buildings. It's the kremlin's focal point and you couldn't miss it if you tried – its golden dome positively glows. St Sophia houses many icons dating from the 14th century, but none are as important as that of Novgorod's patron saint, Our Lady of the Sign, which, the story goes, miraculously saved the city from destruction in 1170 after being struck by an arrow. The cathedral's domes were probably added during the 14th century – they are perhaps the first example of this most Russian of architectural details. The west doors, dating from the 12th century, have tiny cast-bronze biblical scenes and portraits of the artists.
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Veliky Novgorod Kremlin
On the west bank of the Volkhov River, and surrounded by a pleasant wooded park, the kremlin is one of Russia’s oldest. Originally called the Detinets (and still often referred to as such), the fortification dates to the 9th century, and was rebuilt with brick in the 14th century; this still stands today. The complex is worth seeing with a guide; arrange one through the tourist office. You can walk part of the kremlin walls for views over the complex and the city. Boat tours operate from the kremlin's pier.
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Church of the Transfiguration of Our Saviour on Ilyina Street
This compact church is famous for housing the only surviving frescoes by legendary Byzantine painter Theophanes the Greek (1378) – they came close to extinction when the church served as a Nazi machine-gun nest. Restoration has exposed as much of the frescoes as possible, though they are still faint, and a small exhibit upstairs includes reproductions with explanations in Russian. The church closes on the last Thursday of the month and in wet weather.
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Vitoslavlitsy
Vitoslavlitsy is an evocative open-air museum of 22 beautiful wooden peasant houses and churches, some dating back to the 16th century, and the highlight being the soaring Church of the Nativity of Our Lady (1531). What makes these buildings all the more remarkable is that they were all constructed without nails. There's a cafe on the grounds, plus a good souvenir shop and craft sellers. Opposite Vitoslavlitsy is the rustic, charming Yurevskoe Podvore. The hotel's attached restaurant prepares traditional Russian food (meals R600 to R1000). Buses 7 and 7A (R22) run here from opposite the Novgorod tourist office. The bus route goes in a loop; it first stops at St George's Monastery and then outside the museum, 600m further on, before returning to town.
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Millennium of Russia Monument
This gargantuan 16m-high, 100-tonne sculpture was unveiled in 1862 on the 1000th anniversary of the Varangian Prince Rurik’s arrival, a moment heralded as the start of Russian history. It depicts 127 figures captured in heavy bronze, including rulers, statesmen, artists, scholars and a few fortunate hangers-on. The women at the top are Mother Russia and the Russian Orthodox Church. Around the middle, clockwise from the south, are Rurik, Prince Vladimir of Kyiv (who introduced Christianity), tsars Mikhail Romanov, Peter the Great and Ivan III, and Dmitry Donskoy trampling a Mongol Tatar. In the bottom band on the east side are nobles and rulers, including Catherine the Great with an armload of laurels for all her lovers. Alexander Nevsky and other military heroes are on the north side, and literary and artistic figures are on the west.
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St George’s Monastery
Set amid peaceful marsh and lakelands a 15-minute bus ride south of the Veliky Novgorod town centre, the picturesque St George’s Monastery makes for a relaxing excursion. Founded in 1030 by Yaroslav the Wise, the monastery functions as a theological school. It features the heavily reconstructed Cathedral of St George and a clutch of 19th-century add-ons. Catch bus 7 or 7A (R22 one way), which depart on the opposite side of the road from the tourist office.
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Yaroslav's Court
Across a footbridge from the kremlin are the photogenic remnants of an 18th-century market arcade. Beyond that is the market gatehouse, an array of churches sponsored by 13th- to 16th-century merchant guilds, and a 'road palace' built in the 18th century as a rest stop for Catherine the Great. The 12th-century St Nicholas Cathedral is all that remains of the early palace complex of the Novgorod princes, from which Yaroslav's Court (Yaroslavovo dvorishche) gets its name.
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Belfry
The belfry, with its enormous steel bells, has a small bell museum and an observation platform providing good photo opps of the Cathedral of St Sophia on one side and fine views across the beach and river on the other. You can combine a visit with the kremlin wall walk (combo ticket adult/child R300/150), though views are arguably good enough from the belfry.