Where is the oldest Kremlin in Russia? Veliky Novgorod is exactly the city that you need to visit in order to touch the origins of Russian history. But it happens that an ancient place does not strike the imagination of a tourist far from archeology. Fires, sieges, looting and, most importantly, World War II caused irreparable damage to many ancient cities in Europe. It is very difficult among modern buildings (or dull Khrushchevs) to imagine that here, in this place, there were Romanesque churches or white stone palaces. Well, what about Novgorod? Did time spare him? In this article we will talk about this.
After analyzing the reviews of travelers, we can confidently say that you can visit the Novgorod Kremlin in any season and in any weather. An excursion to the museum is worth the money spent on it. The stratum after stratum in the Kremlin reveals the history of Russia. Here you do not need to strain your imagination to imagine the Novgorod veche, the courtyard of Alexander Nevsky and ancient cathedrals. Sometimes the guide says, pointing to something: "This is a remake." And, after a pause, he clarifies: "The seventeenth century." Antiquity is palpable, visible. Let's trace the history of Veliky Novgorod and its Kremlin from the very beginning of its formation.
What is the Kremlin?
Veliky Novgorod, judging by the etymology of the name, is a "new city." And where was the old one? Ancient Slavic settlements were built according to the principle that Western European historians call incastellomento , that is, "within the walls." It was different from German urban planning, when the fortified castle stood on a hill, and just a little distance lived mere mortals. In ancient Slavic cities such as Kiev, the entire settlement was surrounded by protective walls. But then the Varangians brought their own, Germanic custom. The hillforts remained defenseless in the face of a possible enemy. And the prince in the eleventh century built a fortified castle for himself and his squad. In relation to the city, they began to call it the new city. Later it turned into Novgorod.
The prince was fenced off from his citizens. In the Ukrainian language, the most archaic, it sounds like "vіdokremlyuvatisya". The root of this verb served as the name for the new fortification. But the residence of not only one feudal lord and his family was the Kremlin. Veliky Novgorod was the habitat of close associates of the prince, servants, representatives of secular and religious authorities. Therefore, the Kremlin often bears another name - Detinets. It was not only an administrative, but also a community center. Here was the Veche of Novgorod. The cathedral of the city was also located on this territory.
Where is the Kremlin located?
Now the fortified Detinets rises on the banks of the Volkhov River. Reviews say that it is best to approach the Kremlin from the side of Ilmen, a beautiful and vast lake. The abundance of water only adds fabulousness to this indescribable beauty landscape. The bell ringing is far away, and the walls and towers of red brick seem to soar above the lake surface. But tourists need to keep in mind that over a thousand years the terrain has changed somewhat. And now, as before, Volkhov flows from Ilmen. But in antiquity, he divided the lowlands into numerous islands. And when the Varangians arrived here, they called this place "Holmgard". Which in translation simply means "country of the islands."
It was in this place, surrounded on all sides by water, that Vladimir, the son of Yaroslav the Wise, began to build his Kremlin in 1044. Veliky Novgorod was expected to be the glory of a great trading city, but then, at the turn of the tenth to eleventh centuries, it was a small settlement. Scientists are still arguing on which particular island the first Detinets was laid. But there is no doubt that at first its walls were wooden. Most likely, the fortress occupied the middle island. Now it is part of the Detinets between the Vladimir and Prechistenskaya towers. But there is another opinion. The first Kremlin could be at the place where the Vladychny Dvor is now located, that is, on the northern island.
Stone fortifications
The further history of the Novgorod Kremlin is associated with the name of Prince of Polotsk, Vseslav Bryachislavich, who in 1065 captured the fortress. He did not do much harm to the city, but such an unwanted visit made Novgorodians think about building more reliable walls of Detinets. Reviews of tourists are advised to pay attention to the road leading from the bridge across the entire Kremlin. In the middle of the eleventh century, it connected the settlements of Ludin's end and the Nerevskaya side. So the main and breakdown streets rested on the two gates of Detinets. And the main highway of the Kremlin itself was Biskuplya (that is, the Episcopal Road). She was so named because the pavement for her was built with the money of the Metropolitan. This street crossed the citadel from east to west and overlooked the Great Bridge across the Volkhov. And so, after the wooden Detinets burned down again in 1097, Prince Mstislav (the son of Vladimir Monomakh) ordered the cutting down of new fortifications. The work was completed in 1116, while the Novgorod Kremlin (Detinets) significantly increased in size. This is evidenced by the chronicle: "Pogore Detinets, and lay Mstislav Novgorod more than the first." The north-eastern (Okr) and southern (Okolotok) parts were joined to the original Kremlin. According to most historians, it was at the beginning of the twelfth century that Detinets reached its present size. But as the reviews say, what visitors see today refers to later eras.
Stone Kremlin
For its time (eleventh to twelfth centuries), the wooden Detinets was a reliable citadel. Only the Polotsk prince managed to capture him. But in the thirteenth century, the conditions for conducting a siege changed. Throwing guns appeared which only stone walls could withstand. The invasion of the hordes of Batu Khan, to which Russia was subjected, also affected. Veliky Novgorod, fortunately, escaped plunder. But the metropolitans who ruled at that time thought about strengthening the defenses of Detinets. According to historians, the replacement of wooden fortifications with stone took place gradually at the turn of the thirteenth to fourteenth centuries, and these works began precisely from the Vladychny Dvor.
Reviews say that then the oldest Detinets towers that have survived to this day were built: Voskresenskaya and Spasskaya (1297), Pokrovskaya (1305) and Vladimirskaya (1311). In the Middle Ages, gate structures were crowned with gate churches. Vladyka Vasily in the thirties of the fourteenth century strengthened Detinets even more. He replaced the wooden walls with stone ones and built several new towers. The chronicle of 1333 tells us that "the lord set the city of stones, with the guidance of God, in two summers." Subsequent metropolitans - Moses in the 1360s and John in the 1400s - strengthened and expanded the walls of Detinets, constructing new towers. In the fifteenth century, work spread to Okolotok.
Temples of the Kremlin
Detinets was not only the administrative center of the city, but also the center of its spirituality. Therefore, the cathedrals of the Novgorod Kremlin were of paramount importance. The first of them, Sophia, was laid down together with Detinets himself. Prince Vladimir Yaroslavovich in 1045 began the construction of the temple and very much wanted to see its completion. The church was built in seven years. It was consecrated in 1502, after which the prince did not live even a month. He is buried within the walls of this oldest cathedral in Russia.
Reviews of tourists indicate that this temple must be visited. There are preserved fragments of murals of the twelfth century. Tourists are also advised to pay attention to the main gate of the temple. As you know, they were made in the twelfth century in Magdeburg. Inside it is interesting to look at the prayer place of Ivan the Terrible. It is made of wood and decorated with carvings. But of course, the main attraction of the temple is the necropolis - the oldest in Orthodox Russia.
No less than the cathedral, the belfry of the Novgorod Kremlin is also interesting. The first mention of this architectural monument dates back to 1437. Tourists are advised to visit the bell exhibition, which is located on the second floor of the campaign. Only here is such a complete collection. And if you are not too lazy and climb into the observation deck, you can enjoy the view of Veliky Novgorod from a bird's eye view. In the southern part of Detinets is the church of Andrei Stratilat. Initially, it was part of the ancient (1167-73 biennium) temple of Boris and Gleb. The legend says that the main donor of the construction of the church was Sotko Sytinich (merchant Sadko). Archbishop Euthymius in 1441 rebuilt the temple in the form that we observe today.
Vladychny Yard
In the thirties of the twelfth century, urban democracy reigned in Novgorod. The power of the prince became almost nominal. All decisions were made at the Veche. Detinets as a symbol of power in the city passed to the Novgorod Republic. And the prince moved to the settlement.
Alas, the period of democracy did not last long in Russia. Soon, power in Novgorod gradually passed to the Orthodox Church. Archbishops immediately began to develop the Novgorod Kremlin. Their residence - Vladychny Dvor - occupied a significant part of the children. In addition to residential and farm buildings, there were many churches. Reviews strongly recommend not only to look into the Vladychny Dvor, but also to visit the residence of the archbishops - the Faceted Chamber. This is the only construction of the complex that has come down to us since the first half of the fifteenth century.
The first tenant of the residence was Euthymius II. He ordered the construction of their chambers in the Gothic style. German architects worked on the construction of a three-story brick building. Reviews mention that among the interiors of the palace fragments of the original murals have been preserved. In these apartments, the Bishops received ambassadors, a church court sat, solemn feasts were held. Also here the Parliament of Novgorod gathered - the Council of gentlemen.
The Faceted Chamber is now a museum. The working hours of the exposition telling about the “modest” life of the archbishops are as follows: daily from ten to eighteen, weekends - Monday and the first Wednesday of each month. In addition, the building has two permanent exhibitions - jewelry and arts and crafts.
Accession of Novgorod to the Moscow Principality
This event, which radically changed the fate of the Veche republic, occurred in 1478. Ivan the Third, Prince of Moscow, annexed the Novgorod lands to his state. Together with independence, the glorious grandeur of the city is a thing of the past. He was no longer a member of the Hanseatic League, but was a quiet province, which, nevertheless, played an important role in the defense of the northwestern borders of the new state. Therefore, already in 1484, Ivan Vasilyevich "nachash lay on the old basis the Detinets city of stone." The fortress of Veliky Novgorod is outdated morally. Tsar Ivan the Third ordered the expansion of the loopholes of the towers in order to place firearms there. The estimate of these works has also been preserved, according to which one third of the cost was covered by Archbishop Gennady.
The reconstruction of Detinets was so massive that, one might say, it was built anew, albeit on old foundations. But then, in the nineties of the fifteenth century, the Novgorod Kremlin took on the look that we see now. Some towers were completed later, such as Kokuy, built under Peter the Great. But in general, all reviews claim that the Detinets of Novgorod the Great takes the traveler to the fifteenth century.
Towers of the Novgorod Kremlin
Tourists are amazed at the power of the defensive walls of this magnificent citadel. Their thickness in different places is not the same: from three and a half to six or more meters. And the height of the walls also varies. In some places they rise by fifteen meters, and in others - only eight. A distinctive feature of Detinets in Novgorod are the gate churches. This is reflected in the religious and secular authority of the archbishops.
Some towers of the Kremlin have not survived to our time. On the site of the Resurrection and Prechistenskaya (Bogoroditskaya) travel arches now gap. But in total, out of the twelve towers, nine were preserved, which, you see, is not bad. All of them were interconnected by transitions. Tourists are advised to climb Kokuy. This is a forty-meter watchtower with a view of the entire district. From its observation deck you can admire the Anthony Monastery and the Yaroslav Yard. And in clear weather, even the bell tower of the monastery in Yuryev is visible from it. The Palace Tower (1484-1499) contains very interesting expositions. If you are visiting a Novgorodian kid with a child, be sure to take a look at them. One of the exhibitions is dedicated to the armament of Russian heroes of the twelfth to seventeenth centuries.
The latest history of the Novgorod detinets
On the rise of Slavic patriotism, interest in the oldest Kremlin in Russia appeared in the nineteenth century. At the end of this century, local historians awarded the surviving towers with names that do not quite correspond to historical names. Previously, sections of the fortress walls were tied to gate churches. That is, there were the Voskresenskaya, Bogorodnitskaya towers, etc. Now they are called Princess, Metropolitan, Palace, Kokuy. In 1862, in the center of the Kremlin, in the presence of Emperor Alexander the Second and his family, a monument dedicated to the millennium of Russia was opened . And such a respected organization as UNESCO included the entire complex of the Novgorod children in the list of the World Cultural Heritage of Humanity. In 1865, part of this ensemble was declared a museum reserve. Getting here is not difficult. Veliky Novgorod, Kremlin - the address of this cultural institution is very simple. And you can see Detinets from any end of the old city.
Visit to the Novgorod Kremlin: travelers opinion
Reviews of tourists make it clear that the museum does not occupy the entire complex of children. In addition to him, the Kremlin houses a regional library, a philharmonic society, an art school, restoration workshops, a music and art school. Maybe that’s why the mode of operation of the entire complex is very favorable for tourists to visit: from six in the morning until midnight. The vast territory of the Kremlin suggests that for the inspection you will need all day and comfortable shoes. Reviews are advised to take an individual tour - so you will learn more about the Kremlin. Tourists warn that the Detinets towers and some of its parts, such as the Vladychny Dvor, have their own modes of operation. Some open at eleven in the morning. It’s best not to come to the Kremlin on Monday, because it is the day off in many of the towers of the Novgorod Detins on this very day of the week. You can eat in the cafe, stylized as the Middle Ages. Reviews praise the local squash and kvass.