Sights and landmarks in Staraya Russa

Sights and landmarks in Staraya Russa

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   Dostoevsky's House Museum

   Дом-музей Ф.М.Достоевского

   The Dostoevsky family spent their summers in the healthy country climate of Staraya Russa from 1872 through 1914—well past the writer's death in 1881. His time here saw some of his most prolific work, most importantly his masterpiece The Brothers Karamazov. The large, green, wooden dacha on the riverbank is today a carefully curated shrine to the great nineteenth century writer, having survived the revolutions and wars of the twentieth century unscathed. The first floor hosts exhibits, while the second floor is arranged and recreated in the same way as the Dostoevsky family kept it.

   10:00-18:00 daily·RUB 70
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   Museum of the Northwest Front

   Музей северо-западного фронта

   A modest military history museum with exhibits on the history of the Russian Northwest Front during World War II.

   Mon Wed-Fri 10:00-18:00, Sun 09:00-17:00·RUB 70
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   SeeCathedral

   Cathedral of the Resurrection

   Воскресенский собор

   This monumental cathedral was built close to the end of the seventeenth century. It looks quite impressive from a distance on its grand location, but there is no pressing need to get up close with a camera.
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   Mina Muchenik Church

   Церковь Великомученика Мины

   Despite the later reconstructions and its current dilapidated state, this is a wonderfully preserved little 14th-century church. According to legend, Swedish invaders, having destroyed much of the town, came to the church seeking a night's refuge from the elements, but upon entering the church went blind. The blinded soldiers were sent back to Sweden as evidence of miracles and general strangeness going on in the Russian territories they were occupying.
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   Grushenka's House

   Дом Грушеньки

   Grushenka's house, as depicted in The Brothers Karamazov, was based on this pretty 1850s-era house. Privately owned.
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   Living Bridge

   Живой мост

   If you hear locals talking about "the living bridge", don't expect anything too necromantic — the name is a holdover from the bridge's earlier incarnation as a pontoon bridge with a lively "sway."
7. SeeMuseum

   Dostoevsky Cultural Centre

   Научно-культурный центр Ф.М.Достоевского

   This neat little neoclassical building has small temporary exhibits on the life and works of Fyodor Mikhailovich Dostoevsky, but the main reason to come is if you are interested in having a local guide take you around the town's literary sites (in Russian).

   Tue-Fri Sun 10:00-18:00·RUB 70; tours: c. RUB 300

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   Monastery of the Transfiguration of the Savior

   Спасо-Преображенский монастырь

   The monastery includes the beautiful Cathedral of the Transfiguration (1442), the Church of the Nativity (early seventeenth century) and Sretensky Church (early seventeenth century), all having charming wooden domes. Closed following the Bolshevik Revolution, it is today managed by the Museum of Local History, which houses in the buildings both a small regional museum and an art gallery with exhibits by local artists.

   Mon Wed-Fri 10:00-18:00, Sat Sun 09:00-17:00·RUB 70 for the museum and art gallery each
9. See

   Staraya Russa Balneologic Resort

   Курорт Старая Русса

   While today foreigners come to Staraya Russa because of Dostoevsky, and Dostoevsky alone, the town was for hundreds of years known for its balneologic resort, where ailing Russians would come and avail themselves of the mineral water and mud treatments. The buildings and sculptures throughout the park are for the most part pretty unremarkable, whereas the so-called Muravyovsky Fountain merits a visit. This big fountain at the centre of the complex is built atop a natural mineral water spring, and for most of its history was covered by a rather marvellous metal pavilion, with covered galleries, adorned with wooden carvings, running from the fountain to the hotel and to the wooden theatre. The complex was almost completely destroyed in World War II. In the early 1980s, the government made a half-hearted attempt to erect a new metal dome over the fountain, but the salt in the air corroded the metal and quickly brought it down. Today, the fountain is a shell of its once majestic stature—even the flow has been reduced to reduce salt water damage to nearby trees. But you can still sample its waters from the Drinking Pavilion behind it—chilled or hot like it came out of the ground.

   Muravyovsky Fountain 'gives' water strictly on schedule 07:00-09:00, 11:30-14:30, 18:00-19:30

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    Saint George and Annunciation Church

    Георгиевская церковь

    Dating back to 1410, this stone church was the family church for the Dostoevskys during their summers here. In their first summer at Staraya Russa, the Dostoevsky family actually stayed at the house of the senior priest, Father Rumyantsev, and it was in his house that the writer finished his work Demons. While not a shining example of old Russian architecture, it has a good deal of country charm.
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    St Nicholas Church

    Церковь Николая Чудотворца

    Built in 1371. The classical bell towers were built in the early eighteenth century while the church was being rebuilt. Unfortunately, the renovations and modern décor have for all intents and purposes ruined the elegance of this ancient church.
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    Trinity Church

    Троицкая церковь

    A well-preserved 1676 church, characteristic of churches for the merchant class of the seventeenth century, right at the central City Park.
13. SeeMuseum

    Усадьба средневекового Рушанина

    Музей-реконструкция средневековой усадьбы

    Closed · opens 11 am tomorrow

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    SeeAttraction

    Водонапорная башня
15. 
    SeeMemorial

    памятник «Доблестным Вильманстрандцам»
16. SeeHistory museum

    Старорусский музей

    Монастырская площадь 1

17. SeeMuseum

    Museum of Local History

    Closed · opens 10 am Wednesday

18. SeeArt gallery

    Picture gallery

    Closed · opens 10 am Wednesday

19. SeeRuins

    Дом Васильевых

    29 набережная Глебова

    Built 1898

20. SeeMemorial

    Memorial to the Victims of political repressions

21. SeeMemorial

    Бензохранилище, где в январе 1942 года были замурованы советские люди

22. SeeLibrary

    Библиотека

    17/2 Советская набережная

23. SeeMemorial

    В. И. Ленину

24. SeeMemorial

    Вечный Огонь

25. SeePublic art

    Воловоз

26. SeePublic art

    Городовой

27. SeeLibrary

    Городская библиотека

28. SeeMemorial

    Добролюбов Николай Александрович

29. SeePublic art

    Кот

30. SeeMemorial

    Лёгкий танк Т-26

31. SeeMemorial

    Максим Горький

32. SeePublic art

    На этом месте стоял дом священника Румянцева, где летом 1872 жил и работал Ф.М. Достоевский

33. SeeMemorial

    Отважным воинам-авиаторам северо-западного фронта

34. SeeMemorial

    Памятник В.И. Ленину

35. SeeMemorial

    Памятник Т. Фрунзе

36. SeeMemorial

    Памятник ратному подвигу старорусских авиаремонтников

    Воздушный винт от Ан-12

37. SeeAttraction

    Пляж

38. SeeArchaeological site

    Пятницкий раскоп

39. SeeGarden

    Сад камней

40. SeeMonument

    Стела "Город воинской славы"

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Listings from the Wikivoyage guide to Staraya Russa (CC BY-SA 4.0). Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL). Place data from Overture Maps.