To find vivid impressions, it is not at all necessary to go over the far lands. There are a huge number of them in Russia. For example, in the lands of Pskov and Novgorod there are many beautiful villages and cities. Their history is covered in the dust of centuries, and interesting objects simply can not be counted. These pearls of the country include the city of Velikiye Luki, whose attractions speak for themselves.
The ancient village was first mentioned in the Novgorod Chronicle. As early as 1166, Luke on the Lovati River was a famous cultural center. The first Velikiye Luki were then approximately three kilometers from the modern border of the city. In the twelfth century, it became part of the Novgorod Republic and was of strategic importance. The local fortress, erected in 1211, was a kind of border point with Lithuania, for which the city received its second name - “the mantle of Novgorod”. After the fall of the capital of Novgorod, Velikiye Luki entered the Principality of Moscow
Great Luke, whose sights are so diverse, got its name from the nature of the area. The Lovat river, on the banks of which the village rises, forms steep bends. The word "onion" itself means a long, large bend of the river, an arc. The second component of the toponym “great” refers not to the river, but to the city, its influence on the life of ancient Russian society.
In different periods of history, the Great Luke, whose photos mesmerizes and delights, were the scene of hostilities. The city remembers Ivan the Terrible, whose headquarters was located here during the Livonian War, Stefan Batory, who captured the fortress in 1580, False Dmitry I and False Dmitry II. The glorious city was destroyed, but again rose from the ashes, like a fairy bird Phoenix. Peter I during the Northern War ordered the construction of a six-bastion earthen fortress here, the drawings of which were completed by Leonty Magnitsky. During the Patriotic War of 1812, Great Luke was a significant rear base of the Russian army. Already in the nineteenth century, several factories worked in the city - wax, soap, candle, and leather. Postways and the railway passed through it. The Second World War flashed twice over the city.
Today in the city of Velikiye Luki you can see various sights: this is the fortress, which has not changed much since the time of construction, the ancient settlement of the ninth to tenth centuries, the local history museum and the house of Academician Vinogradov, the Cathedral of the
Ascension of the Lord (XVIII century), Musogorsky estate. Amid the abundance of monuments, colored fountains are beating. In the calm course of the river, you can take a boat trip to the island of Dyatlinka.
A beautiful and modern city with open arms welcomes guests. Tourists from all over the Russian Federation come to visit Velikiye Luki sights. There are luxury hotels and more budget options, places of recreation and entertainment, shopping centers. To see the city, which played a significant role in the history of the country, it is enough to catch a train. A fascinating tour begins directly from the railway station, on the platform of the city of military glory.