The city in the Novgorod region Staraya Russa is located at the intersection of roads connecting two Russian capitals - Moscow and St. Petersburg. The city is located between the rivers Polist and Porusya.
The question of when the city emerged is still open. A birch bark document discovered in 1975 in Novgorod claims the existence of Rusa already in the middle of the 11th century. But in the chronicles Staraya Russa is mentioned only in 1167. Trusting the birch bark letter, in 2015 the townspeople celebrated the 1000-year history of the city.
The Polist River divides the city into almost two equal parts. Let's begin our acquaintance with the city from its shores.
Spaso-Preobrazhensky Monastery (Monastyrskaya Square, 1) is the oldest of all historical monuments of the city. The monastery was built on the right bank of the Polist River in 1192.
Over the years of its existence, the monastery was attacked and destroyed more than once, and was rebuilt several times. Currently, four stone churches have been preserved from the monastery ensemble - three temples: the Transfiguration of Jesus Christ, the Nativity of Jesus Christ, the Presentation of the Lord and the bell tower-temple of unknown dedication. The fifth church - the Cathedral of the Old Russian Icon of the Mother of God - was rebuilt beyond recognition into a sports school.
In the 1960s, the monastery buildings, which were seriously damaged during the war, were restored. Since 1973, it has housed a local history museum and art gallery, which presents works by artists born in Staraya Russa or its environs.
Another temple in the city is located on the banks of the Polist River - the Church of the Resurrection of Christ (Resurrection Cathedral) (Vozrozhdeniya St., no. 1). To be precise, the temple stands on a cape at the confluence of two rivers - Polist and Porusya.
Once upon a time, on a steep hill in this place there were high city walls with strong gates, and there were earthen ramparts all around. There was also a wooden Trinity Church here. At the end of the 17th century, a stone temple was erected to replace the wooden church. There was also a two-story bell tower at the cathedral. Both the cathedral and the bell tower were reconstructed several times. In 1828-1833, the Resurrection Cathedral was rebuilt once again - according to the design of the outstanding architect Vasily Petrovich Stasov.
The bell tower was also built at the same time.
From the walls of the Resurrection Cathedral you can clearly see what a sharp turn the Polist River makes at its confluence with Porus.
The Church of the Holy Trinity (Timur Frunze St., 12-A) is located south of the Transfiguration Monastery, in the city park (next to the Polist hotel).
At first the church was wooden; the exact date of its construction is unknown. In 1625, the first inventory of the city was carried out in Staraya Russa, in which the Trinity Church was listed as burned since 1607. For another 70 years, the place where the temple once stood was empty. Only at the end of the 17th century did the restoration of the church begin. The temple burned and was seriously damaged in the 19th century by a storm that hit the city. The restoration and reconstruction of the Trinity Church after the disaster was carried out under the leadership of the architect Konstantin Ton.
The date of construction of the Church of the Holy Great Martyr George the Victorious (Georgievskaya St., 26) is considered to be 1410. In 1740, the temple was rebuilt while preserving the old foundation. Located nearby and once independent, the Church of the Annunciation during perestroika becomes a chapel of St. George's Church.
At the end of 2009, ceramic tiles made by Moscow architect Anna Smirnova were installed in the wall niches. The tiles are made in the traditions characteristic of the 17th century; they depict scenes from the life of St. George the Victorious.
The main shrine of Staraya Russa is kept in the St. George Church - a copy of the icon of the Mother of God “Starorusskaya”.
At the intersection of Georgievskaya Street and Pisatelsky Lane there is the Church of the Holy Great Martyr Mina (Georgievskaya Street, no. 44). Due to the lack of chronicle dating, the exact date of the temple is unknown; information varies greatly - dates are given in the period from the 11th to the 15th centuries. A legend from the time of the Swedish attack on Rusa by Delagardi warriors is associated with the Mina church. They say that the Swedish soldiers who rode into the temple on horseback immediately became blind. Delagardie, amazed by this event, sent blinded soldiers to Sweden as proof of the miracles that were performed in Orthodox churches in Rus'.
Another temple building in the right bank part of the city is the Church in the name of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker of Myra (Red Commanders Street, no. 8).
According to chronicle sources, in 1371, during the reign of Dmitry Donskoy, “to revive trade” a temple was built near Torgovaya Square. It was a stone church, they called it “Nicholas in the city” or “Nicholas at the market”, as it was dedicated to the patron of trade, Nicholas of Myra. In 1710, the church was rebuilt on the old basis, repeating the plan of the ancient building. The ancient masonry of the walls was preserved to a height of 2-2.5 meters. In 1810, a bell tower was added to the temple, which has survived to this day.
Next to the St. Nicholas Church in the park (the intersection of Svarog Street and Red Commanders Street), a monument to Fyodor Mikhailovich Dostoevsky was erected in 2001.
The monument (architect - Vyacheslav Klykov) was created with donations from residents of the Novgorod region for the 180th anniversary of the writer’s birth. Next to the sculpture there is a park - benches, flower beds. You can take a short break after walking around Staraya Russa and sit next to Fyodor Mikhailovich.
The writer's house-museum is also located not far from the monument to Dostoevsky (Dostoevsky embankment, 42/2).
The F.M. Dostoevsky House-Museum opened its doors in 1981. Six rooms on the second residential floor of the house have been restored to the same form they were in during the Dostoevsky era. The exhibition presents, along with exhibits from Dostoevsky's era, authentic items, books, documents of the writer and members of his family. You can stroll through the museum's exhibition.
If in the Dostoevsky Museum you can feel the era of the 19th century, then (44 Svaroga Street) allows visitors to plunge into the atmosphere of the ancient Russian city. A walk through the medieval manor of Rushanin, i.e. resident of Rusa, gives the opportunity to visit the mansions and get acquainted with the structure of life of that time. In addition, the museum allows you to learn what a brewhouse and a cooling tower are and see their operating principle.
The Rushanina Estate Museum is located in close proximity to the central gate of the Staraya Russa resort (62 Mineralnaya St.).
The year of opening of the resort is considered to be 1828. This year, construction of the first building on the shore of the salt lake begins.
The first patients of the new resort were initially soldiers in need of treatment after illness or injury. In the first decades of its existence, the resort belonged to the military department. Only thirty years later did the Starorussian balneological mud resort begin to attract the attention of representatives of the Russian aristocracy. In 1854, the institution moved from the military department to the appanage department. And famous artists, writers, and public figures flocked to Staraya Russa to heal their bodies with mineral water and “calm their nerves” with beneficial air.
The symbol and decoration of the resort park is the most powerful self-flowing mineral fountain in Europe - Muravyovsky.
The source got its name in honor of Count M.N. Muravyov-Vilensky, Minister of Appanages and State Property. By his order, it was dug in 1859. At the end of the 19th century, a metal openwork pavilion with glazing was erected above the fountain. The tents over the fountain were changed, the last one was dismantled in 1996. Now the fountain is open, and a recreation area has been created around it. A model of the fountain pavilion can be seen in the resort's drinking gallery.
The resort park is huge. On its territory there are three salt lakes - Upper, Middle, Lower. Walking paths are laid around them. The Upper Lake is favored by waterfowl, and vacationers set up a “bird” canteen here.
There is a beach area on the Middle Lake - here you can swim and sunbathe.
The healing mud and water of the Lower Lake are used for their intended purpose - it is from here that ingredients beneficial to the body come to the treatment rooms of the resort.
The resort area is equipped with various “thematic” corners in its different parts. Rock garden.
A small corner with animals will delight both children and adults.
A walking area with a fabulous twist.
Comfortable benches are installed throughout the park area. You can walk, relax, and most importantly, heal your nerves and lungs by breathing in the beneficial healing air of Staraya Russa.
Every traveler, coming to a new place, looks for its own local “zest”. The city of Staraya Russa, like Easter cake, is flavored with raisins from the heart. Everyone who comes here will be able to find their own “Old Russian landmarks”.
D About 1552 the city was called simply Rusa.
Staraya Russa stands near Lake Ilmen, at the confluence of the Porusya River and the Polist River (99 km from Veliky Novgorod).
The name of the city most likely comes from the Porusya River, which in ancient times was called Rusa.
According to another version and according to the “Tale of Sloven and Rus,” the city was named after the legendary hero Rus, who lived in this place in 2395 BC. e. I like the second version better))))
The city is old. As they say, it was founded in time immemorial... Birch bark document No. 526 found in Novgorod confirms the existence of Rusa in the middle of the 11th century: “On Boyana in Rous there was a gr(i)vna, on Zhitob(o)ud in Rous 13 kon and gr(i )in truth...". The 1000th anniversary of Staraya Russa was celebrated in 2015.
Previously, the city had walls and a fortress, but they have not been preserved. Park-resort Staraya Russa.
The balneo-mud salt resort on the shore of a salt lake was opened in the 19th century. At first, the patients were soldiers, and after 30 years, officers and aristocrats caught up. Because the local living water from salty mineral springs heals... even the salt here is healthy and has an unusual taste.
The Muravyovsky fountain, located on the territory of the resort park, is the most famous. Previously he hit 8 meters, now slightly lower. It has been flowing since 1858; the fountain was named in honor of Count Muravyov. The Muravyovsky fountain and this spring are considered one of the most powerful mineral springs in Europe.
Photo (C) http://s2.fotokto.ru/photo/full/353/3534789.jpg
In 2002, the St. Petersburg mint minted a 10-ruble anniversary coin with an image of the fountain, the Resurrection Cathedral and the city’s coat of arms.
Photo (C) https://pixabay.com/
Pererytitsa River.
Dostoevsky's house is located here. This is the only real estate he owns. Now it is a museum.
Dostoevsky. Sedentary.
Church of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker. It was built in 1371, and possibly earlier.
Under the USSR, the church was closed. After the war, the temple was restored. At first there was a local history museum here, then there was a warehouse. During the Russian Federation, the church was transferred to the Old Believer community of Pomeranians.
There is a separate post about this church. it is one of the oldest churches in the area.
There are many churches here...
Church of the Holy Great Martyr George the Victorious. The date of construction is considered to be 1410.
After the Great Patriotic War, it was the only one operating in the district and not destroyed. The main shrine of the city is kept here - a copy of the “Old Russian” icon of the Mother of God.
Church of the Holy Trinity. Its founding date is unknown.
There is a "Museum of the North-Western Front" in the city. There are guns, machine guns, maps. But we didn't go there.
The famous local "Living Bridge". Previously, it was not permanent, but on boats, so it “breathed”. Then they built a stone one, they even named it differently, but the name didn’t stick, so it remained alive. Its road surface is unusual - wooden.
The entire city center has been dug up. Specifically dug up. But everything is being thoroughly restored. First the pipes, then the cables are installed, and only then new asphalt. The city will be without wires between the pillars, everything will be underground. It’s about time Peter did this a long time ago.
Local famous water tower.
Restaurant Tower. In general, eating on weekends is a problem here. Everything is closed for special services. Weddings are everywhere, it's a boom. We visited five places until we found somewhere to eat.
The ancient Russian town with a beautiful name has never grown in its long history. This is probably why it has retained its provincial charm. The population of Staraya Russa is slowly aging and declining, as in most similar settlements. Young people are increasingly leaving for big cities and not returning.
General information
The city of the Novgorod region of Russia is located on the banks of the Porusya River, at the place where it flows into the Polist River. It is the administrative center of the municipal district and urban settlement of the same name. It is located 99 km from the regional center - Veliky Novgorod, 20 km from the nearest settlement Parfino. The area of the city is 18.54 sq. km.
The settlement was first mentioned in the chronicle in 1167; in the found birch bark letter (a fragment of a debt list) the mention of Ruse dates back to the last years of the 11th century. Since 1552, the city began to be officially named Staraya Russa.
Staraya Russa is the third most populous city in the Novgorod region. The official name of the residents: townspeople - Rushan, man - Rushan, woman - Rushan.
Etymology
Like any decent ancient settlement, Staraya Russa has many stories about the etymology of the origin of the name. One of the generally accepted versions: the original name of the city of Rusa (as it was called until the 16th century) comes from the hydronym - Porusya, which in ancient times was a simple river Rusa. This is what the Baltic tribes who once lived here called it. The word Rusa, Ruza, Ruzza, for example, in Lithuanian ruosa is “a narrow meadow with a stream”. Already in the 19th century, with the advent of another settlement, Novaya Russa, Russa simply became Staraya Russa.
In the late Middle Ages, a toponymic legend appeared that, in accordance with the ancient source “The Legend of Sloven and Rus,” the city was named in honor of an epic hero - a prince named Rus. Who lived in this area in 2395 BC.
The simplest theory suggests that the etymology of the name directly connects it with the name of the ancient state of Rus', and allows for a direct transfer of the toponym from the Principality of Kyiv.
Base
The life of the townspeople in the 11th-12th centuries is known only from archaeological finds; at that time the city had wooden pavements that were constantly being repaired; people were engaged in trade, crafts and salt making. Then Rusa was part of the Novgorod Republic. In 1192, the Spaso-Preobrazhensky Monastery was opened, which was rebuilt more than once, but has survived to this day.
In 1471, the city was captured and burned by Moscow troops, and 7 years later it was annexed to the Moscow Principality after the campaigns of Ivan III. In 1611 it was captured by the Swedes, along with all the Novgorod lands. In 1617, when the settlement was returned under the Stolbov Peace Treaty, the population of Staraya Russa was 38 inhabitants. In 1763, there was a fire that destroyed the wooden buildings, after which the city began to be built according to plan.
In the 19th century
The city developed rather slowly, since it was destroyed more than once by foreign and Russian troops. In 1856, the population of Staraya Russa was 8,000 people. At this time, the balneo-mud resort became a popular vacation spot for the Russian elite - aristocrats, writers, actors. From 1872, for 8 years, F.M. lived here every summer. Dostoevsky, the writer’s museum currently operates in this building.
In 1878, railway lines were built to the city, which stimulated the development of industry. In 1909, the Starorusskaya Plywood Factory was opened, now a chemical engineering plant that produced laminated birch plywood. According to the last census of the Russian Empire, the population of Staraya Russa was 17,000 people.
Modern times
According to the first Soviet data of 1926, 21,511 people lived in the city. During the years of industrialization, industry began to develop, new enterprises were opened, including aircraft repair shops, now “123 Aircraft Repair Plant”. In the pre-war years, in 1939, the population of Staraya Russa was 37,258 people.
During the Great Patriotic War, the city was under German occupation for a long time (almost three years). There were fierce battles here; in 2015, Staraya Russa received the honorary title - City of Military Glory. The city recovered slowly, only in the mid-70s the pre-war number of residents was exceeded. Since 1996, the number of residents has been constantly decreasing, due to the low supply of new jobs. In 2017, the city had a population of 29,019.
Employment of the population of Staraya Russa
The city has a rather difficult situation with the supply of jobs; residents of Rush are increasingly looking for work in large cities, where there are fairly well-paid jobs and prospects for self-realization. At the same time, there are many available vacancies for doctors of various specializations, sometimes even with the provision of housing. The Staraya Russa Employment Center is located at 34 Aleksandrovskaya Street. The government agency is implementing a set of measures to reduce unemployment, including informing temporarily unemployed city residents about existing jobs, paying benefits, vocational training and additional education. Currently there are the following available vacancies at the Staraya Russa Employment Center:
- low-skilled workers, including auxiliary workers, cleaners, loaders, with wages of 11,163-15,000 rubles;
- qualified employees, including a college teacher, industrial training master, doctor, with a salary of 16,000-35,000 rubles;
- highly qualified employees, including a driller, a rotary turner, and the head of the assessment department, with a salary of 60,000-80,000 rubles.
Staraya Russa is a city (since 1167) in the Novgorod region of Russia. It is a city of regional significance and the administrative center of the Starorussky municipal district and the urban settlement of the Municipal Formation "City of Staraya Russa". Until 1552 it was called Rusa. On April 6, 2015, by decree of Russian President Vladimir Putin, the city was awarded the honorary title - City of Military Glory.
Etymology of the name
There are many assumptions associated with the name of the city Staraya Russa (until the 16th century - Rusa), but the most developed version is presented by philologists and linguists R. A. Ageeva, V. L. Vasilyev, M. V. Gorbanevsky, who believe that the original name city (Rusa) comes from the hydronym - the Porusya River (which in ancient times was called - Rusa). The name of the river, in turn, is ancient Baltic (derived from the root rud-s- / roud-s- - “red”) [source?], that is, the name of the city can be interpreted as “Red River”. The modern name of the city - Staraya Russa - has been recorded in written sources since the 16th century and was firmly established only in the 19th century in connection with the emergence of settlements (also associated with salt production), which were called “New Russa”.
The same researchers point out that according to the “Tale of Sloven and Rus,” the city was named after the legendary hero named Rus, who settled on this place. According to experts, this story is a late medieval book toponymic legend.
The Slovak linguist and ethnographer Pavel Safarik (1795-1861) noted in his writings that in the Proto-Slavic language the river was called rusa. He wrote: “This root Slavic word, as a common noun, has already remained in use only among Russians in the word ruslo, meaning hollow, river bed, depth, vir; but as a proper name for rivers, cities and villages lying more or less close to them, it is used by almost all Slavs.”
Story
The emergence of the city
To this day, the question of the time of the emergence of the city of Staraya Russa remains open.
There is a late medieval legend (The Legend of Sloven and Rus and the city of Slovensk) that the city was founded by a descendant of Prince Scythian, Prince Rus, brother of Prince Sloven.
Staraya Russa was first mentioned in the chronicle in 1167, but the city at the confluence of the Polist and Porusya rivers in the Southern Ilmen region appeared earlier. Birch bark document No. 526, found in Novgorod in 1975, confirms the existence of Rusa in the middle of the 11th century: “On Boyana in Rous there is a gr(i)vna, on Zhitob(o)ud in Rous there are 13 koun and gr(i)vna in truth...”.
Currently, known archaeological sources allow us to date the origin of Staraya Russa to the end of the 10th - beginning of the 11th century. At the present stage of archaeological study of the ancient center of the Southern Ilmen region, not only the question of the time of the emergence of Staraya Russa, but also regarding the localization of the ancient settlement, the nature of the fortifications and the topography of the city remains unresolved.
Participants of the III All-Russian Archaeological Congress (Staraya Russa; October 24-29, 2011) at the round table supported the petition of the administration of the Staraya Russa municipal district and the city of Staraya Russa to the administration of the Novgorod region and the Ministry of Culture of the Russian Federation to celebrate the 1000th anniversary of the history of Staraya Russa in 2015. On May 31, 2012, Governor of the Novgorod Region S. G. Mitin addressed the President of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Academician Yu. S. Osipov, with a request “... to support the petition to celebrate the millennium of the city of Staraya Russa in 2015.”
Novgorod Republic (XII-XV centuries)
Before the first mention in chronicles in 1167, the history of the city can only be judged from archaeological data. According to excavation materials, Rusa in the 11th-12th centuries had regularly updated wooden pavements and a developed urban culture. The townspeople were actively involved in salt production, trade and crafts.
From the end of the 12th century, chronicles began to regularly report events related to the city. In 1192, the future Archbishop of Novgorod, Abbot Martyriy, founded the Spaso-Preobrazhensky Monastery. In 1194 the city experienced a great fire. In 1198, the first stone church was founded - the Transfiguration Cathedral.
In 1199-1201, city fortifications were built in Ruse. In 1234, during a raid, a Lithuanian army penetrated the city, but the combined forces of townspeople, merchants, gridi and firemen repelled the attack.
In 1456, Moscow troops captured the city during the Moscow-Novgorod War and defeated the Novgorod army trying to liberate Rusa (battle of Rusa), after which Novgorod made concessions and the Yazhelbitsky Peace was concluded.
In March 1471, the city was sacked by the Lutsk prince Mikhail Olelkovich. In the same year, during the campaign of Dmitry Kholmsky and Fyodor the Lame, Rusa was captured and burned by Moscow troops.
Moscow kingdom (XV-XVII centuries)
1478 - Rusa, together with all the Novgorod lands, became part of the Moscow Principality after the campaigns of the Great Moscow Prince Ivan III.
In 1565, Ivan the Terrible allocated Staraya Rusa as part of the oprichnina lands, which saved it from oprichnina terror. The rich salt mines remained the basis of the city's economy.
In the last quarter of the 16th century, the city entered a long period of decline. In February 1581, during the Livonian War, it was captured and almost completely burned, and its surroundings were devastated by Polish-Lithuanian troops.
In the fall of 1608, Staraya Russa was captured by troops of False Dmitry II, but in the spring of 1609, during a campaign against Moscow, a Russian-Swedish detachment under the command of Fyodor Chulkov and Evert Gorn recaptured Rusa from the Tushins.
In 1611, the city, together with Novgorod and the surrounding territory, fell into the zone of Swedish occupation. By the time of the return of Staraya Russa, among other lands, according to the Stolbovo Peace Treaty in 1617, the city was completely ruined and there were only 38 inhabitants.
Russian empire
In 1693, 21-year-old Peter I, with his mother’s permission, went to Arkhangelsk and stopped at Staraya Rusa along the way. He ordered to find ways to develop Old Russian salt production. He visited the city for the second time in 1724.
During the division of the Russian Empire into provinces in 1708, the city became part of the Ingermanland (from 1710 - St. Petersburg) province. Since 1719 - as part of the Novgorod province, since 1727 - as part of the province of the same name, Novgorod province.
In 1763, a fire occurred in Staraya Rusa, destroying all wooden buildings, after which the city was built according to plan on the right bank of the Polist River.
In 1785, a balneological and mud resort was founded in the city.
In 1831, a bloody cholera riot took place in Staraya Russa.
In 1878, a railway connection was opened with the city.
At the beginning of the 20th century, the city began to be called Staraya Russa (with a double “s”).
After the October events of 1917 in Petrograd, Soviet power was established in Staraya Russa on November 3-5, 1917.
During the Civil War, from February 24 to July 1919, the headquarters of the Western Front of the Red Army was located at the resort in Staraya Russa.
On August 1, 1927, Staraya Russa became part of the Novgorod district of the Leningrad region, becoming the administrative center of the newly formed Starorussky district (on July 23, 1930, the division into districts in the USSR was abolished).
By decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the RSFSR of September 19, 1939, Staraya Russa became a city of regional subordination.
During the Great Patriotic War, from August 9, 1941 to February 18, 1944, Staraya Russa was occupied by German troops. The city was located near the front line and suffered severe destruction. Soviet troops repeatedly tried unsuccessfully to capture Staraya Russa as early as February 23, 1942. Later there was an equally unsuccessful Starorussian operation in March 1943 and in August 1943.
On February 18, 1944, Staraya Russa was liberated by troops of the 1st Shock Army of the 2nd Baltic Front during the Staraya Russa-Novorzhevsk offensive operation. By the time of liberation, not a single resident remained in the destroyed city; by the end of 1944 there were 5 thousand of them.
By Decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR dated July 5, 1944, the city of Staraya Russa and the entire Starorussky district were included in the newly formed Novgorod region.
On June 9-10, 2015, the Head of the Russian Imperial House, Grand Duchess Maria Vladimirovna, visited the city as part of the 1000th anniversary of the city.