What to see in Pskov in 1 day on your own – route, description, photo
Pskov is an ancient city with a rich history, a visit to which leaves a special indelible impression. Its cultural and spiritual heritage, as well as architectural monuments and ancient buildings, together with enchanting nature, create a wonderful ensemble. The land of forests, rivers, picturesque villages and temples is covered with the atmosphere of the Old Russian Middle Ages. According to the chronicle, the first mention of the city dates back to 903.
Pskov Kremlin
On a high hill between the Velikaya and Pskov rivers, the Kremlin, a historical landmark and the main symbol of the city, majestically rises. An excellent example of defensive architecture is an ancient unified architectural ensemble, the construction of which began in the 9th century.
Most of the buildings of the fortress have retained their original severe and monumental appearance. During its thousand-year history, the large-scale fortification was attacked by enemy troops more than 25 times.
Powerful impregnable white stone walls, tall hipped towers, an amazingly beautiful cathedral with a bell tower, various luxurious chambers and a well-groomed spacious inner square of the Kremlin make a grandiose impression. The architectural monument of culture is picturesquely reflected in the water surface of the river.
Trinity Cathedral
The pearl of the Pskov Kremlin is the Cathedral of the Holy Trinity. Previously, on the site of the current temple, a wooden church was founded at the behest of Princess Olga in the 10th century. It is noteworthy that by that time Christianity did not yet have the status of an official religion in Russia. The snow-white modern cathedral, which now delights with its beauty, was built in 1699. A masterpiece of ancient Russian architecture dominates the walls of the fort and is perfectly visible from anywhere in the city. The shrine, quadrangular in plan, rushes up to 78 meters.
The temple is crowned with five domes – the central tent sparkles with gilding, four other bulbs are painted in gray. The facade of the church is decorated with protruding vertical ribs, narrow window openings are decorated with architraves and elements of relief stucco. The rich interior decoration of the Trinity Cathedral evokes a feeling of reverence among the parishioners.
The halls are separated by tall square columns. The seven-tiered iconostasis with an exquisite wooden openwork ornament is striking. Its height is 48 meters. The vaults are unusually painted under the starry sky. Miraculous ancient images and relics of saints are kept in the temple.
Dovmontov city
At the foot of the hill in front of the entrance to the Kremlin is the city of Dovmont. Here, since the end of the 13th century, in a small area framed by a wall, there was a unique complex of churches and civil buildings. Thanks to the work of masons and architects, numerous temples were erected, standing close to each other and under the protection of the Kremlin.
This was due to the fact that the city was often besieged by enemy troops. To build temples outside the fort meant to expose them to ruin and destruction. The cult place is named after the Lithuanian prince Dovmontov, who left his homeland, underwent the holy rite of baptism and faithfully began to rule the Russian city of Pskov. Later, during the Northern War, Emperor Peter I ordered the installation of a powerful battery, as a result of which part of the territory of the Dovmont city was covered with earthen bastions.
Many churches were buried underground, and the remaining places of worship began to serve as military depots. Today, Dovmontov city is the remains of stone foundations of various shapes and sizes, as well as the surviving fragments of several churches.
Thunder tower
On the steep bank of the river, covered with trees and grass, the dilapidated Gremyachaya Tower keeps its former formidable glory. The six-tiered rounded limestone structure was part of the city's defensive system, formed in 1525. The height of the tower is 20 meters, the diameter of the base is 15 meters. Historians believe that the building was erected with the participation of an Italian architect. This is evidenced by tower elements characteristic of the Western Middle Ages – a domed vault, loopholes and a system of underground passages.
According to one of the many versions, the current name of the fort was due to the hill located nearby, on which blacksmiths worked. The thundering blows of the hammers of the masters literally shook the ground. Several mystical legends are associated with the tower. According to folk legend, the prince's daughter groans in a dream underground, who can be saved from witchcraft by a young man. He must read prayers for 12 nights, after which the girl will wake up.
Spaso-Mirozhsky Monastery
In a calm and fertile place at the confluence of the two rivers Velikaya and Mirozha, the ancient Spaso-Mirozhsky Monastery rises. The monastery, erected in the XII century, was a true cultural center. In a small area, surrounded by greenery, there was a library, an icon-painting workshop, and a chronicle was kept and the famous work “The Tale of Igor's Campaign” was copied for posterity. The complex of buildings and structures of the monastery is a historical monument of architecture.
Noteworthy is the Transfiguration Cathedral. Cruciform in plan, the white-stone church impresses with its preserved original appearance, which has not changed over all the centuries of its existence. The temple is crowned with an onion dome mounted on a massive drum with narrow high windows. The walls and ceilings of the cathedral are painted with unique frescoes of the pre-Mongolian period.
They were made by Greek masters. For a long time, colorful panels were hidden under thick layers of plaster. After a major overhaul, this man-made miracle, included in the UNESCO World Heritage List, was discovered.
Snetogorsk monastery
The oldest convent of the Snetogorsk Monastery of the Most Holy Theotokos is the central monastery of the Pskov lands, located a few kilometers from the city center. According to the chronicle, the first mention of this holy place is found in manuscripts dated 1299. The monastery was repeatedly plundered and destroyed by foreign enemy invaders.
The attacks were explained by the desire to seize a strategic position on the high bank of the river. Despite the trials that befell the buildings, there were still people who restored the monastery from the ruins. Therefore, the architectural ensemble of the monastery took on very diverse forms.
The Snetogorsk Monastery consists of cathedrals, church schools, icon-painting workshops, as well as residential and utility buildings. The most significant object of the monastery is the white-stone church of the Nativity of the Virgin, built in 1312. The cubic church is decorated with a dome standing on a drum, which is girded with an openwork ornament. Inside the temple there is a unique collection of wall paintings. Beautiful frescoes depict biblical scenes. The painting surprises with the images of saints, which are presented humanely without symbolism.
Museum “Two Captains”
For fans of the famous adventure novel “Two Captains”, it will be exciting to visit the museum dedicated to the literary work, as well as the life and work of the author Veniamin Kaverin. The Soviet writer was born and raised in Pskov. The native city of the writer became the prototype of Ensk, which was described in the book.
Museum exhibits are located in the building of the children's and youth library. The place is covered with the romance of the exciting chapters of the book. The expositions of the institution allow visitors to plunge into the atmosphere of the events described. Here you can see an aircraft propeller blade, a model of a schooner, a ship's steering wheel, many historical photographs, a compass, globes and other items.
V. Kaverin's personal belongings are collected in a separate room. These are manuscripts, drafts, first editions of the novel and reviews. In front of the museum building there is a sculptural composition of two captains – Tatarinov and Grigoriev. The figures of the heroes of the work are captured in dynamics. One with a mighty beard seems to be moving out of a block of ice, the other in a pilot's helmet is confidently heading to solve the task.
Museum “Honey Farm”
In the village of Dubrovka, among the dense forest, there is a real bee kingdom – “Honey Farm”. The farm and at the same time an open-air museum attracts all honey lovers with interesting exhibits that give an idea of the traditions, history and culture of beekeeping.
The museum consists of old wooden huts, which recreate the atmosphere of the peasant life of the XIX century. Here you can see a variety of tools, household items, as well as collections of rare beehives, samovars, irons, handicraft tools, honey extractors and much more.
In total there are more than 10 thousand exhibits. Tasting rooms are equipped on the well-groomed territory of the farm, where tourists are given the opportunity to try the most delicious Pskov honey products. You will be pleasantly surprised by the abundance of drinks that combine different varieties of honey with berries, fruits, tea, bread and cheese. For particularly inquisitive visitors to the farm, special bee breeding courses are held.
Pogankin Chambers
The complex of the museum-reserve includes the original “Pogankin's Chambers”. More than 300 years ago, the powerful and wealthy merchant Sergei Pogankin ordered the erection of a universal building for himself, in which residential apartments and warehouse outbuildings were to be located. As a result, the eyes of the townspeople were presented with a classic Russian medieval single ensemble of buildings with powerful white walls, small windows, wooden hipped roofs and a decorated porch.
Pogankin chambers attract tourists with numerous and varied museum exhibits. The merchant premises display collections of ancient silverware, church items, unique colorful Pskov icons, all kinds of authentic weapons, paintings from various art schools and masterpieces of folk decorative applied art. A large museum exposition is dedicated to the Great Patriotic War.
Order chambers
The only administrative building on the territory of the Kremlin, where the administrative apparatus of the voivodeship met, was called the Prikazny chambers. The building of the 17th century is a two-storey white rectangular building made of limestone slabs with thick walls, a hipped roof, a massive stone porch and a high staircase.
The chambers were divided into five departments, each of which performed its tasks and resolved the fate of the Pskovites. The clerical “tables” of the embassy, finance, land, army and court were also located here. The original working environment of the governor and officials of the Middle Ages has been recreated in the premises.
Chambers of the Menshikovs
A stone architectural ensemble built in the second half of the 17th century rises in one of the central districts. These are the chambers of the zemstvo head Semyon Menshikov, who was one of the richest and most influential merchants of the Pskov lands.
The complex consists of separate stone three-story and two-story buildings, the facades of which are decorated with a porch with columns, small window openings with ornamented architraves and wide staircases. Merchants' mansions are interconnected by an underground passage. The lower floors of the buildings served as warehouses, and the upper spacious halls were intended for receiving guests and entertaining the owners.
Victory Square
Located on the western outskirts of Russian land, it turned out to be one of the first cities occupied by fascist invaders. On the surrounding lands, people's partisan detachments were created, which, by virtue of their capabilities, heroically fought the enemy. Only in the summer of 1944 the city was liberated from the Germans. Victory Square in the central region reminds of the exploits of Soviet soldiers and the triumphant end of the Great Patriotic War.
In the well-groomed park area, you can see the alley of heroes of Pskov, the “Eternal Flame”, memorial steles with bas-relief images, as well as the tomb of the Unknown Soldier, above which rises a monumental composition of anti-aircraft guns directed skyward.
Monument “Battle of the Ice”
On Mount Sokolikha, among the picturesque endless fields, a majestic sculptural composition rises, attracting the attention of tourists. This is the famous Battle on the Ice monument, which embodies an important historical period of the Pskov lands. The monument is dedicated to the squad of Prince Alexander Nevsky, who defeated the troops of the Livonian knights who captured a number of Russian cities in the middle of the 13th century.
The opening of the memorial took place in 1993. It is noteworthy that the statue was installed a hundred kilometers from the real battlefield. The monument, 30 meters high, impresses with its scale and impresses with its artistic design. The central composition of the sculpture is the equestrian figure of Alexander Nevsky with a shield and a sword.
The prince was surrounded by loyal companions in formation. These are warriors dressed in chain mail and helmets, as well as an old man, an urban artisan and a kneeling peasant. Against the background of a blue sky and snow-white clouds, spears and the banner of the heroes of the fatherland rise up. The monument reflects the strength and power of the Russian state.
Monument to the 6th company
In the village of Cheryokha there is a memorable monument dedicated to the heroically dead soldiers of the sixth paratrooper company in the second Chechen campaign of 2000. A detachment of Pskov paratroopers took on an unequal battle at an altitude of 776 meters in the Argun Gorge with large enemy forces. The basis of the sculptural monument is a parachute. A metal dome with steel slings is mounted on a pedestal designed to look like a mountain peak. In the center, 84 long candles are directed upwards. Their number corresponds to the number of bravely killed soldiers.
At the foot of the monument, granite slabs are installed, on which the names and surnames of the paratroopers are engraved. In the inside of the parachute dome, you can see copies of the autographs of all the fighters. The building is crowned with the star of the Hero of Russia.
“Golden Embankment”
A magnificent embankment stretches along the river bank, immodestly called the Golden by the people. The place attracts the attention of tourists with beautiful hotel complexes built in the architectural style of the 19th century. Colorful facades of buildings with decorative elements give the quarter a noble aristocratic entourage. On the other side, opposite the palace ensemble lined up in a row, the majestic buildings of the Pskov Kremlin rise.
The ennobled territory of the “golden embankment” contributes to an ideal pleasant walk. The street, paved with decorative tiles, has lanterns and comfortable benches, as well as tall broad-leaved trees and flower beds.