Veliky Novgorod, Russia
Located about 4 hours from Saint Petersburg, Veliky Novgorod is one of the oldest cities in Russia. It gives a clear idea of how is to live in a Russian small city: calmer pace of life and wooden houses. It’s a haven for many persons who live in San Petersburg to take a rest from the crowd and noise of the big city.
The most interesting about Veliky Novgorod is the historical importance the city has to the consolidation of Russia as a nation and of Russian culture. It was there that the prince Rurik, in the year of 862, started the Russian state as we know nowadays and began a dinasty that lasted 750 years. The city is also close to Staraya Russa, where Dostoyevsky was born.
It’s possible to visit all the attractions by walking. You have to visit the Sant Sophia Cathedral, built in the year of 1050, one of the oldest buildings of the orthodox Christianity. Other mandatory place to visit is the Kremlim of the city, which worked as a parliament during the Rurik dinasty, also among the oldest buildings in Russia.
