MUST SEE by Red Izba

1. Take a walk around the Novgorod Kremlin. Enjoy the view of the sun light reflecting in the golden dome of St Sophia. ‘Study the Russian history in bronze’, i.e. the sculptures of the Monument to the Millennium of Russia. Climb the tallest tower in the Kremlin, the Kokuy observation tower built by Dutch architects, and admire the beautiful bird’s eye view of the city.

2. Feel great awe for the icons of the world’s largest exposition of Russian medieval icon-painting in the main building of the Novgorod State United Museum. Take notice of the unusual colour combination used by the Novgorod school of icon-painting, i.e. bright red and gold.

3. Visit St Sophia Cathedral and light up a candle by the icon of The Sign of Our Lady.

4. Read some of the thousand-year-old birch-bark scrolls exhibited at the historical exposition and imagine that you are a recipient of those ancient messages. As you leave the former Administrative Offices building, don’t forget to pat on the tail one of the bronze lions guarding the entrance and make a wish. It really does work.

5. Cross the foot bridge to the side of Torg, the ancient marketplace. Throw a coin into the Volkhov River for luck. Go for a stroll around theYaroslav’s Courtyard. If you hold your breath and listen carefully, you might hear the deep booming sound of the vechevoy (assembly) bell coming with the wind through the centuries.

6. Visit St Nicholas Cathedral and look at the amazing collection of decorative tiles. Don’t forget to go down to the ground level and see a very rare fresco of the biblical ‘Job on the dunghill’ (12th c.).

7. Visit the Centre of Musical Antiquitiesof Vladimir Povetkin, and hear for yourself the ancient folk-tunes of Novgorod instruments that simply make your feet want to dance.

8. Drive to the country and experience the unhurried pace of village life in Vitoslavlitsy. Walk a bit further and come out to the small Perynsky Skit (Monastery). Legend has it that the formidable idol of Perun, an ancient god worshiped by the pageant Novgorod, stood there once and was thrown by Dobrynya into the Ilmen Lake.

9. Visit the ring of active monasteries and convents surrounding Novgorod and fully experience the feeling of walking on the holy land.

10. Fall deep in love with the ancient city and promise yourself to come back here again. 

MUST DO by Red Izba