Hotels, motels and where to sleep
Restaurant, taverns and where to eat
Cultural (and not so cultural) events
Izborsk is located in the western part of the
Pskov region, 30 km west of Pskov. The official name of the
historical Izborsk - Old Izborsk. The village of New Izborsk is
quite far from the Old, and is of no interest to the traveler.
In The Tale of Bygone Years, Izborsk is mentioned along with
Novgorod, Ladoga, and Kiev, and thus is one of the oldest
settlements of northwestern Russia. According to legend, in 862,
Izborsk went to Truvor, Rurik's younger brother, who became his
first prince and was buried in Izborsk. In the XIV century, a
powerful fortress was built, which for hundreds of years never
succumbed to the constant attacks of the Livonian Order.
To
our time, Izborsk turned into a village, which preserved, however,
remarkable monuments: the Izborsk fortress (walls and towers are
preserved), as well as natural attractions - Slovenian Keys and
Truvorovo Mound.
1 Izborsk Castle.
Open: around the clock. 20 rubles (2013). It is one of the oldest
fortresses of the North-West of Russia. Its first chronicle mention
refers to the year 862 and it is this date that is considered the
year of its foundation, although, most likely, the fortification
existed at this place much earlier. The fortress that reached us was
built in the XIV century on a limestone hill of gray untreated stone
- all the same limestone. The outlines of the fortress are not the
result of a well-thought-out project, but were determined by the
natural outlines of the natural elevation. During the
Russian-Lithuanian wars, the fortress withstood many sieges, but it
was well preserved to this day and, uncharacteristically, was not
rebuilt at a later time. The length of the walls of the fortress is
850 meters with 7 towers. It is necessary to climb the Lukovka tower
(daily, 10.00–19.00, 40 rubles) - the oldest tower of the fortress -
and enjoy the beautiful landscapes of the Izborsk-Malsky valley. In
the basement of Lukovka there is a small exposition of historical
weapons.
On the territory of the fortress stands Nikolsky
Cathedral (XIV century; rebuilt, but retained elements of Pskov
architecture) and a couple of small, unremarkable buildings. From
the fortress begins the trail leading along the lake to the north,
and then branching out: one path leads down to the Slovenian
springs, and the other goes up to the settlement.
2 Slovenian
springs (or springs of the Twelve Apostles). Powerful groundwater
exits from the steep coastal terraces of Lake Horodyshche, forming
small waterfalls. Springs are located a little to the north of the
fortress, at the Gorodishchensky lake. The legend says that each
spring has its own miraculous power: one gives wisdom, the other
health, and together they form the river of life. On the springs are
the ruins of a water mill and a manor house, which stood here at the
beginning of the 20th century.
3 Truvorovo Settlement. The hill
on which, according to legend, settled in 862, the Truvor. Now here
is a cemetery with a stone Truvorovy cross, which dates from the XV
century and, of course, has nothing to do with Truvor himself.
However, the main attraction of the settlement is not the cross or
even the Nikolskaya Church (see below), but stunning views of the
Gorodishchenskoye Lake and the Izborsky-Malsky Valley. Truvorovo
Settlement - one of the most delightful places in the North-West of
Russia.
4 St. Nicholas Church at Truvorovoy Mound (1650). Located
in the southeastern part of the settlement and is the only surviving
building of the ancient Nikolsky Gorodishchensky monastery. No
documentary evidence of the date the church was built has been
discovered so far; it is only known that at the end of the
seventeenth century the stone Nikolskaya already existed. The upper
part of the church, apparently, was rebuilt in the XVIII century.
The church has a rare form of a small cupola and an unusual decor
with an abundance of almost Kabbalistic symbols that are not typical
for Orthodoxy.
Along with the main attractions, several unusual
chapels of the XVIII century are scattered around Izborsk.
Truvor
Cross at the Gorodishchenskoye Cemetery
For the celebration of
the 1150th anniversary of Izborsk, large-scale restoration work was
carried out: the fortress walls, all the towers, the battle
procession on the eastern fence, the green cellar in the Lukovka
tower, the secret passage to the water were restored. All restored
objects are available for visiting.
5
Church of St. Sergius of Radonezh. At the entrance to the fortress -
the small church of Sergius of Radonezh (the beginning of the XVIII
century).
6 Church of the Nativity of the Virgin. 17th century
7 Chapel of Our Lady of Korsun. Early 20th century
8 Chapel
Troitskaya. XVIII century
9 Chapel of Flora and Laurel. Early
eighteenth century
10 Slovenian springs. They are located not far from the Izborsk fortress on the shore terrace of the Gorodishchenskoye Lake, sometimes they were called the springs of the Twelve Apostles. The first written mention of these sources dates back to the seventeenth century. In the "Book of the Big Drawing" (the first geographical description of the Russian land) it is said that: "from Pskov, thirty miles to the west, the city of Izborsk stands on the Slovenian springs." Sources of karst-fissure type. Water intake is carried out on the territory of three to four kilometers. Passing through limestone and clay layers, the water is filtered and purified, but it still contains a lot of calcium and mineral salts. The mineralization of water is quite high, as is the power of the springs, which emit up to four liters of water every second. Slovenian keys are an Orthodox shrine. They are annually consecrated on Bright Week, on the day of the celebration by the Orthodox Church of the icon of the Mother of God "Life-Giving Spring".
11 State Museum-Reserve "Izborsk". The museum in Izborsk was founded in 1964 on the initiative of local residents. Worked on a voluntary basis. The local historian Sergey Alekseevich Shcherbakov became the first director. From the first days, the museum began to receive archaeological artifacts - finds of selected trees, household items, documentary materials. The name of Professor of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Academician Valentin Vasilievich Sedov is closely associated with the museum, under whose leadership since 1971 systematic archaeological research of the ancient Russian urban settlement began in Izborsk and a unique collection of archaeological objects was collected, which became the basis of the museum's stock collection. Since 1979, the museum has become known as the Museum of Defense Architecture, which was headed by Leonid Nikolaevich Panov in 1982. Through his efforts, in 1993 the museum became independent and received the status of a legal entity. In 1996, in accordance with Decree of the Government of the Russian Federation No. 43 “On measures to preserve the historical, cultural and natural heritage of the Izborsk-Malskaya Valley in the Pskov Region”, the State Historical, Architectural and Natural Landscape Museum-Reserve “Izborsk” was created with an area of 7734 hectares. On its territory there are 181 monuments of history, archeology, religious and civil architecture, nature, 12 are of federal significance. The Izborsk Museum-Reserve includes a branch of the Museum of the History of the City of Pechora and a museum-estate of the Seto people in the village of Sigovo.
Horse riding, organized by the museum-reserve "Izborsk". ☎
8-81148-96-696. 500 rub / hour Routes have a different duration from
half an hour to 4, 5 hours.
The path of health. It starts from
Truvorov settlement. The length of 6km round-trip.
Museums
1 Manor of the merchant Anisimov, Pechora, 41 a. Open from 10.00 to
18.00 daily. The exhibition "Chronicle of the Slavic-Russian
princely city of Izborsk: from the beginning of Russia to the
Poltava battle." The exposition will tell you about the birth,
history and development of one of the first cities in Russia -
Izborsk, which for more than six centuries defended Russian land
from enemies.
2 Outhouse of the estate of merchant Anisimov,
Pechora, 41 b. Open from 10.00 to 18.00 daily. The exposition “The
Izborsk Chamber of Russian Literature and the Orthodox Faith” is the
author’s exposition of murals by the People’s Artist of the USSR
Peter Ossovsky.
3 The estate of the merchant Shvedova,
Pechorskaya, 32. Open from 10.00 to 18.00 daily. The exhibition
"Russian and Seto. One land is a common story.” Presents a real
Russian stove, a collection of samovars, authentic furniture of the
time, the characteristic items of merchant life, old photographs.
According to the Russian Primary Chronicle, the town was the seat
of Rurik's brother Truvor from 862-864. Although his burial mound is
still shown to occasional tourists, archaeological excavations of
long barrows abounding in the vicinity did not reveal the presence
of the Varangian settlement at the site, indicating that Izborsk was
an important centre of the early Krivichs.
The next mention
of the town in Slavonic chronicles dates back to 1233, when the
place was captured by the Livonian Brothers of the Sword. Pskov
moved the fortress to a more convenient site in 1302.
In 1348
Pskov feudal republic that included Izborsk separates from Novgorod
Republic, in 1399 becomes a viceroyalty of Muscovy, and later in
1510 annexed to the latter.
In the later 16th century,
Izborsk was one of the smaller, but nonetheless strategically
important fortresses that protected the northwest Russian borders
from invasion. The fortress was supposed to be impregnable, which is
why the seizure of it in 1569 by a small Lithuanian regiment came as
such a shock to the then ruler, Ivan the Terrible. The relative ease
and suspicious circumstances of the seizure of the fortress deeply
troubled the already paranoid Ivan. In the dead of night Teterin, a
Russian turncoat disguised as an oprichnik, ordered the gates of the
town be opened in the name of the oprichnina, thus allowing the
enemy regiment to enter and overtake the fortress (the town of
Izborsk, however, was never listed as territory where oprichnina
governance applied).
Though Ivan managed to retake the city
with little difficulty, the treachery and conspiracy involved in the
original seizure led him to order the executions of the assistant
crown secretaries of Izborsk, as well as the secretaries of the
surrounding fortresses. With rumors of disaffection and growing
discontent throughout the country on the rise, Ivan feared that
other cities would soon follow the treasonous example of Izborsk.
The proximity of the town to the cities of Novgorod and Pskov,
coupled with the questionable implication of Novgorod's chancery
administration in Teterin's plot, threw suspicion of treachery and
defection onto the already distrusted city.
During the siege
of Pskov (1581) Izborsk was captured by the Lithuanian troops, but
after the Truce of Yam-Zapolsky (1582) handed over to the Muscovy.
After the Great Northern War Izborsk ceased to be a western
borderline fortress of Russian state. In 1708 it joined the
newly-established Governorate of Saint-Petersburg (until 1710 called
Ingermanland Governorate), where it was listed as the centre of
uyezd within the Pskov province. In 1727 the whole Pskov province
was transferred to the Novgorod Governorate, and later transformed
into a part of the larger Pskov Governorate, where Izborsk was
listed as a town until 1920.
In 1920, according to the Treaty
of Tartu, the Russian-Estonian state boundary went eastwards of
Izborsk and thus the town became part of Estonia. During 1940-1945
the town remained within the Estonian SSR (1941-1944 under Nazi
occupation).
In 1945 Russian SFSR/Estonian SSR border was
redefined to resemble the pre-1918 borders between the Livonia and
Pskov Governorate, leaving Izborsk with the Pskov Oblast of the
Russian SFSR, now Russian Federation.
How to get there
There is no railway in the city, the nearest
stations are Pskov and Pechora.
By bus
1 Bus station.
Buses from Pskov in the direction of Pechora and Estonia stop on the
highway at the turn in the direction of the fortress. A large number
of buses per day allows you to explore Izborsk and Pechora in one
day from Pskov and return to Pskov by evening.
Passing bus
Pechora - St. Petersburg daily 2 flights at approximately 5:50 and
11:20. St. Petersburg - Izborsk daily at 13:30 and 17:30. The cost
of 550 rubles, on the road 5 hours. Telephone for booking tickets
8-911-690-00-60.
Passing bus Pechora - Moscow flight on
Sunday, Tuesday at approximately 14:20. Moscow - Izborsk Monday,
Wednesday at 13:00. The cost of 1100rub. Telephone for booking
tickets 8-911-362-03-62.
By car
Izborsk is located on the
A212 Pskov - Riga highway. Turn to the fortress is located in front
of a pointer to the Pechora.
1 Guest
House of the State Historical-Architectural and Natural-Landscape
Museum-Reserve "Izborsk", st. School, 3 (the road from the
fortress to the Slovenian springs and fortification).
izborsk@yandex.ru ☎ + 7- (81148) -96-612 (round-the-clock), 96-696
(from Monday to Friday, from 9.00 to 17.00 h.). Double room: 1500
rub .; triple room: 2000 rub .; luxury: 3500 rub. (2013). A small
new hotel with several double and triple rooms which are quite nice
with no amenities, as well as two suites with private facilities.
The house has a fully equipped kitchen - in this case, an absolutely
necessary element, since there are no cafes in the evening working
in Izborsk. The hotel offers a beautiful view of the fortress. There
is no Internet.
2 Hotel
"Izborsk-Park", st. Pechorskaya, 43. ☎ +7 (911) 370 4219, +7
(921) 509 1127, +7 (931) 902 2067. Double room without conveniences
990 rubles, 2-person guest house 2500 rubles. Mini-hotel,
restaurant. There are double rooms of the main building (shower and
toilet are located on the second floor of the main building, next to
the rooms), as well as a guest house (there is a shower and toilet).
The reviews are very mixed: someone really liked it, someone
complained about the discrepancy between price and quality.
3
Hotel Complex "Izborsk", st.
Pechora, 13. ☎ +7 (8112) 60 703 1, +7 (921) 703 703 1. Single 1900
rub., Double from 2500 rub. Hotel with 40 rooms, restaurant, free
parking
1 Museum cafe "Pancake" (near the fortress). Open 10.00-19.00.
seven days a week. The bill per person is 150 - 200 rubles (2013).
Cafe in the hut with a small cozy room (there is even a working
Russian stove). The menu includes salads, first, second courses,
pancakes with various fillings, dumplings, as well as a stew of
broth and herbal tea prepared according to the original recipe. Very
tasty cooked. A lot of positive feedback. In addition, they sell
chips, chocolates, juices, beer; brewed espresso. Taking into
account the color (the hall with the Russian stove is especially
good in winter) is quite a suitable place for a snack. The only
problem is the lack of space, which is especially felt in winter (in
summer, open terraces save).
2 Cafe Izborsk Sloboda, the village
of Old Izborsk, Pskov ul. (Turn to the town of Pechora, 500 meters
from the old fortress.). ☎ +7 (981) 351-24-51. Open 11:00 - 1:30.
pancakes, chowder, tea.
In addition, there are restaurants in
hotels Izborsk-Park and Izborsk Hotel Complex.
Festival
International festival of military historical
reconstruction "Iron City". Beginning in 2007, a festival of
military-historical reconstruction was held in Izborsk fortress in
August. In the framework of the festival: fights, dances, rites of
fraternization, torchlight processions, reconstruction of the
storming of the fortress, equestrian tournament, craft workshops,
medieval theater and much more.
In 1903-1904, Nicholas Roerich and his wife made a trip to the
ancient Russian cities, studying architectural monuments, frescoes and
icons. Having visited Izborsk, the artist was fascinated by the beauty
of these places. In his diary he wrote:
The most beautiful place near
Izborsk, on the shore of the lake…
Here he painted several
paintings, including "Towers" and "Cross on the Truvorov Settlement".
The main place was occupied by Izborsk in the work of the local artist
Pavel Dmitrievich Melnikov. More than 200 works dedicated to his native
city remained after his death.
Izborsk is mentioned in Vladimir
Sverzhin's book The Homeward Crusade.
A native of Izborsk (in the
distant future) is Master Captain Alex Romanov, the protagonist of the
novel "Genome" of the trilogy of the same name by Sergei Lukyanenko.
In 2016, the artist Maksimov E. N. painted the painting of the same name
“Izborsk”.
On September 8-10, 2012, the celebration of the anniversary of Izborsk took place on the basis of the Decree of the President of the Russian Federation "On the celebration of the 1150th anniversary of the founding of Izborsk" dated June 7, 2010. For the celebration of the 1150th anniversary of the founding of Izborsk, the ensemble of the Izborsk fortress of the 14th century was restored, merchant houses were restored, in which museum expositions were created: “The Izborsk Chamber of Russian Literature and the Orthodox Faith”, “The Chronicle of the Ancient City of Izborsk: from the Beginning of Russia to the Battle of Poltava”, “Izborsk Land – Holy Places for Russian Culture”, Exposition “Russians and Setos. One land, common history.
During the celebration of the 1150th anniversary of Izborsk on September 8, 2012, an expert "Izborsk Club" was opened in the Pskov Kremlin's Order Chambers. The club brought together political scientists, philosophers, public figures, journalists, and clergy who share the idea of strengthening Russian statehood. Alexander Prokhanov, Alexander Dugin, Leonid Ivashov, Archimandrite Tikhon Shevkunov, Sergey Chernyakhovsky, Andrey Fursov, Mikhail Delyagin, Natalya Narochnitskaya, Vladimir Medinsky, Governor of the Pskov region Andrey Turchak took part in the work of the club.