Velikiy Novgorod. Issue number 1

One of the oldest and most famous cities of Russia Veliky Novgorod stands at the source of the Volkhov River from Lake Ilmen, in the north-west of the country. Celebrating its 1155th anniversary in 2014, the city has a rich history. Veliky Novgorod is famous not only for becoming a cradle of Russian democracy. He avoided the capture of the Mongol-Tatars, so here, unlike other settlements in Rus', many monuments of the pre-Mongol period were preserved. Today, any tourist route on this Earth begins with the main historical and architectural attractions of the city-the Novgorod Kremlin, located on the left, elevated bank of the Volkhov River, on the ancient path from the Varangians to the Greeks. And then the road leads to the most significant construction of the Kremlin - the temple of St. Sophia, the ancient Orthodox Church in Russia, which has survived to the present day. However, the impressions of the journey through Novgorod land will be incomplete if they do not visit the Nicolas-Sorischensky Cathedral, the Church of Theodore Stratilat on the stream and the Svyato-Yuryev monastery founded by Yaroslav the Wise. A brief excursion of the main shrines of Veliky Novgorod you will find in this book.

Nowadays, getting to Novgorod from St. Petersburg will not be difficult. It is most convenient to overcome the distance of 180 km by rail - the path will take about three hours. The Swallow High -speed train flies faster - 2 hours 36 minutes, on an ordinary train following with all the stops, to go for an hour more. By car, if you are lucky with traffic, you can get faster. From Moscow to Veliky Novgorod, you need to drive 500 kilometers along the road - an average of six hours. The train delivers passengers in eight and a half hours. The fastest to get on high -speed trains -four hours, but with a transplant in Miracle from Sapsan to a Swallow. From Pskov, although it is located from Novgorod by Russian standards not far, 250 kilometers, you can only get by bus or car for four hours. Unfortunately, there are no direct trains now. From the remote corners of our Motherland, it is better to go on a trip by plane. The nearest airport is Pulkovo, which is under St. Petersburg. But, as you know, all roads lead to the temple. So, let's go! Our first journey through Russia Orthodox begins in Veliky Novgorod, in his heart - near the walls of the Cathedral of St. Sophia.