Novgorod Kremlin
1 1 Share TweetIt all started in Novgorod. It is the oldest Russian city founded in 859 A.D., at a time were Lithuanian tribes ruled the Slavic territories. There was no Russian Kingdom and no superpower in sight. It is situated 190 km south of St.Petersburg and as the base of the Russian nation it was given the title “Veliky”, which means “the great”. And this is how you can separate Veliky Novgorod from the South-Siberian Nischnji Novgorod!!
It all started in Novgorod. It is the oldest Russian city founded in 859 A.D., at a time were Lithuanian tribes ruled the Slavic territories. There was no Russian Kingdom and no superpower in sight. It is situated 190 km south of St.Petersburg and as the base of the Russian nation it was given the title “Veliky”, which means “the great”. And this is how you can separate Veliky Novgorod from the South-Siberian Nischnji Novgorod!!
The city has one of the few remaining Kremlins with the cathedral St.Sophia, which is by the way also the oldest building of the country. Since 1998 it is even an UNESCO world heritage sight. In the medieval times it was a member of the Hanse, which brought the city wealth and the people knowledge. Nowadays it is still economically successful, one of the few cities besides the two capitals to be relevant. Great locations are made of unique moments and very personal stories. I went to Russia for a volunteer service right after my graduation. I was working as a language assistant in a lycey, I also lived in their boarding part.
This school was kind of private, and a pretty good insight view into the Russian society. There were students from villages and the very town, and among them were the daughter of the governor, the daughter of the mayor and the daughter of the mafia-boss. The nouveaux riches financed that school and this shows the political and moral dilemma of this country. What do you remain believing, if the bad guys finance a school for their kids, but also for students, who are from underprivileged homes? They slip into the gap the government has left blank and is not willing to fill again. Interesting…
In the beginning I didn’t know who is who in the school, which almost got me in deep shit. Out of boredom I drew with chalk a cross on Irinas lob, because I wanted to be funny. Thank god it was only the governor’s daughter and not Mascha, the daughter of the local godfather. Then I wouldn’t write this story now, or maybe only with the two remaining fingers on my hand.
But lets come back to the great kremlin. It looks like a even more ancient version of the kremlin in Moscow. Red stone at the outside and a load of History inside. I like how the wall is so rough, that you can climb up the stones. And from the river volkhov you can do icefishing in the winter. Loads of fisherman put on their warmest clothes and remain for hours and minus grades on the ice.
There is a Monument within the kremlin, which was created in 19th century called “1000 years of Russia” with loads of significant characters from the Russian past. Nowadays many Russian and even more international tourists have Novgorod on their list while traveling. You get there by train and bus from St.Petersburg.
Links: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Velikiy_Novgorod
==http://www.out-trade.de/de/index.php?cat=WG12&product=101143==
http://eng.visitnovgorod.ru/index.php??
geschrieben von wil6ka am 2008-08-12 in #Orte #culture #history #location #novgorod
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