Pskov, a city steeped in history

Source: Global Times

Russia has several major rivers such as the Volga, Don, Yenisei, Lena, Ob, and Amur. There is also a small waterway route called the Velikaya River, and Pskov sits on the banks of this river. It's an old city and easy to reach by car.

The ancient rhyme is long

The locals have a high sense of Ancient Rus' identity and try to emphasize this. Quite a few medieval stone facilities of great historical value are preserved here. Pskov is worth seeing not only the Kremlin. People settled here, forming a walled city. The first layer of Pokrovskaya Pagoda, which we admire today, was carved out of rock. It is also one of the largest towers in Europe, with a circumference of 90 meters, and once withstood the siege of Stefan Barthori.

The old city center is the Kremlin, but here it is called the Krem. The name derives from "secluded", meaning "hidden". It's a great hideaway to avoid being spotted by the enemy, and admission is free for tourists. If someone wants to know more, they can buy a ticket to one of the museums.

Both Pskov natives and outsiders love to walk around Kremlin Square. In ancient times, wooden fortifications were built here, and stone walls were built in the 14th century. Before arriving here, you will arrive in the town of Dovemont. Before the 13th century, an industrial and commercial area was formed here, which is what we today call the private area outside the walls of the Kremlin. The city was constantly expanding, and when attacked by the enemy, people fled from here into Krom. It was empty, there used to be a variety of different buildings, which were later demolished, and now the main building is the snow-white Trinity Cathedral.

The Kremlin, located in a narrow strip between the Velikaya River and the little Pskov River that joins it, is particularly majestic at sunset. Not only is Pskov worth seeing in the center of the state, but the surrounding scenery is also good.

Route St. Petersburg - Pskov: 283 km, 6 hours by car, fuel consumption 80 liters; Moscow- Pskov: 718 km, 11 and a half hours by car, fuel consumption 200 liters.

The most beautiful village

The Association of the Most Beautiful Villages in Russia included more than 40 settlements on the list, including the village of Izborsk. The earliest mention of this village in history dates back to 862 AD. In fact, The Ancient Ross is only slightly earlier than the village in the written records. Pskov's history is shorter than that of Izbolsk. No wooden buildings from the 9th century or so have survived, and the main monument is the fortress on the Geravian hills. By local standards, the fortress, built in the 14th century, is considered "new construction".

There are many particularly beautiful houses in the village that are pleasing to the eye. Unlike the ordinary villages that look a little shabby, even the humble buildings look strong, tidy and well-maintained, such as the small wooden house in Metlin with wooden pillars, which was built in 1929; The manor of the merchant Semenov, according to the identity of the owner, can be concluded that it was a pre-revolutionary building. Andrey Tarkovsky filmed the film Andrey Rublev in the Izbolsk Fortress.

Tickets to visit the museum are only 100 rubles. The fortress complex was built between the 14th and 17th centuries. Typical buildings are walls, towers and churches. The largest Ploskaya Tower has not survived to this day, and its foundations were excavated in 2011. Next to it is the passage of the fortress gate, the outline of which is still visible. It is a narrow corridor leading from the outer gate of the fortress to the inner gate. When the invaders break through the first line of defense, they will fall into the "stone bags" of the fortress defenders, and the defenders' bows and arrows will shoot mercilessly at the invaders.

The fort has a secret passage to the water. A stepped trench of about 40 metres was dug and extended 16 metres down the hillside. The slate-paved vaults are covered with turf. Sometimes it was necessary to send people to Pskov to seek reinforcements. It was a narrow crevice made of stones, and when the night was dark, the pile was removed, and the messenger carefully slipped down the steep hillside where the enemy was inconvenient to camp, sliding into the swampy Smolka River and sneaking into his own camp.

The fortress covers an area of 2.4 hectares, the walls are 623 meters long, 7.5 meters to 10 meters high, and the average thickness is 4 meters. The Livonian Knights hit the vicinity of Izborsk on more than one occasion, but eventually returned home. From the middle of the 14th century to the beginning of the 16th century, the fortress withstood a total of 8 sieges.

The walls of Lukovka Tower are the thinnest. After the firearm appeared, a powder magazine was dug under the wall. The tallest and strongest tower in existence is called the Vyshka Tower. The name of the tower next to it resembles a spirit, Ryabinovka Tower, which seems to have been named after the red flag hanging on the wall. The name of the Temnushka Tower is apparently due to the small number of wind holes.

It's a pleasure to walk here in winter, it's snowy everywhere and Nikolski Cathedral is like an Easter cake on a white tablecloth.

Visitors can walk out of the fortress and go to the Slovński Mineral Springs. Due to the flow of water through the limestone, the degree of mineralization is very high. The spring water provides water for Lake Gorodyskoye. The lake on the shore is not frozen, and ducks and swans swim around.

Route Pskov - Lao Izborsk Village: 30 km, 1 hour drive, fuel consumption 8 liters.

Pushkin traces

From Moscow to Pskov is even closer. The name of the town of Pushkin Hill in Pskov Oblast sounds related to the great poet. Pushkin's hereditary territory, Mikhailovskaya Estate, is nearby. In the place where you stay and eat, you can often see "Pushkin" on the signboard. The menu design here is very imaginative, such as "goldfish" fish soup, "see blood seal throat" vegetable salad, "Tan Tuo" fig butter, "Peter the Great's Black Slave" chocolate dried blackberries, "stupid eggs" boiled two wheat, "Caucasian prisoners" stewed lamb bones, "Dubrovsky" acorn sauce, "Ice and Fire" poached eggs, "Plague Feast" meat slices cold cuts, etc.

The Mikhailovskaya estate is now a museum reserve. It was a good place, but it was the site of Pushkin's exile from 1824 to 1826. The poet later recalled: "I came back to this corner of the earth, and before I knew it, two years had passed, when I was still an exile here. "Tourists can visit the luxurious manor house and can take a walk in the park within the manor. The snow on the ground is ankle-thick, but very clean. Many of the things here were restored in the 20th century, and most of the objects Pushkin never touched.

Route Moscow - Pushkin Mountain 650 km, 7 hours by car, fuel consumption 180 liters; Pskov-Pushkin Mountain 102 km, 2 hours by car, fuel consumption 30 liters.

This article is published in the Global Times "Russia Perspective" special issue, the content is provided by the "Russian newspaper".