In Veliky Novgorod, we arrived not accidental. On February 14, my wife's cousin planned a wedding there and we were among the invited. About the wedding I will not tell, better let's walk around the city for a bit and see its sights.
Veliky Novgorod, also known as Novgorod the Great, or Novgorod Veliky, or just Novgorod, is one of the most important historic cities in Russia, which serves as the administrative center of Novgorod Oblast. It is situated on the M10 federal highway connecting Moscow and St. Petersburg. The city lies along the Volkhov River just downstream from its outflow from Lake Ilmen. UNESCO recognized Novgorod as a World Heritage Site in 1992.
Source: Wikipedia.
Veliky Novgorod is one of the oldest cities in Russia. It was founded in the 8th century and still has many cultural and historical monuments preserved here. Of course, the main attraction of Novgorod is the Novgorod Kremlin. There we went first.
Novgorod Detinets (also the Novgorod Kremlin) - the fortress of Veliky Novgorod. Detinets is located on the left bank of the Volkhov River. The first annalistic mention of it dates back to 1044. It is an architectural monument of federal significance, it is protected by the state. Novgorod Detinets as part of the historical center of Veliky Novgorod is included in the UNESCO World Heritage List.
Source: Wikipedia
We are greeted by powerful fortress walls with a width of 3.6 to 6.5 m and a height of 8 to 15 m. The "chasozvonya" - the clock tower, built in 1673 - peeps out from behind the walls.
And outside the walls of the Kremlin you can admire an even older building - the St. Sophia Cathedral, built in 1045-1050.
And opposite it stands the monument "Millennium of Russia" - a huge ball-power on the bell-shaped pedestal.
Around the power there are various sculptural groups representing certain moments of the history of Russia and historical characters.
This scene symbolically depicts the baptism of Russia.
And this is a fragment of the lower part of the bell, also containing scenes of historical events.
We go further and see another historic building - it is the belfry of St. Sophia Cathedral, the first mention of which occurs in the annals dated 1437.
And here it is - looking out from behind the Kremlin wall.
We will continue our walk in the next post!
Thank you for attention!