Staraya Russa is a city from a legend. Sights of Staraya Russa

One of the oldest Russian cities is Staraya Russa, whose sights attract tourists and are the pride of local residents.

There is still no exact data on the time of the settlement, but the first mentions are found in chronicles dated 1167, which was considered the official date of the appearance of Staraya Russa. There are several versions about the name of the city. One of them - on behalf of the Porusya River (formerly Rus), the other - in honor of the legendary hero Rus, who lived in this area and became the founder of the city.

So where is Staraya Russa? The city is located in the central part Novgorod region, less than a hundred kilometers from the regional center , at the confluence of the Porusya River with the Polist River. You can get to the city from the regional center by bus (travel time is about 2 hours), by car, or by railway on the passing train Moscow -.

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The main attractions with photos and descriptions

There are quite a lot of attractions for a small town and iconic places. Some of them were especially famous in the past, but have lost their original grandeur in our time, others still attract tourists today. The city has museums, churches, cathedrals, temples, monuments, and even its own spa resort.

monuments

On the territory of the city there are sculptural compositions, most of which were significantly damaged during the German occupation. Many of them have been carefully restored and are of interest to tourists:

Churches

The city attracts both lovers of antiquity and pilgrims wishing to visit holy places. Many shrines have been preserved on the territory of the city, and believers are in a hurry to visit the Church of the Great Martyr Mina, and the Resurrection Cathedral, and the Church of St. George the Victorious, and the Transfiguration Monastery, and other holy places. Let's talk about some of them:

The pride of Staraya Russa are other shrines. The Church of the Great Martyr Mina, founded in the 14th century, is famous for its ancient architecture.

The main values ​​stored in it are the eight-pointed altar cross, the Gospel published in 1657, and the image of the Holy Martyr Mina.

Often tourists visit the Church of the Holy Trinity, the exact date of construction of which is unknown. During its existence, the shrine survived several destructions from fires and natural disasters, and was badly damaged during the war years. During this time, all church values ​​were lost.

The building was restored in 1980.

Museums of Staraya Russa

City museums, of which there are quite a few, are also sights - the Old Russian Museum of Local Lore, the House Museum of F. M. Dostoevsky, the Center for Folk Art and Crafts "Bereginya", and the "Estate of the Medieval Rushanin" - cognitive and interesting excursions for children and adults.

Let's talk in more detail:

Historical fact: this house was Dostoevsky's first own dwelling. Previously, his family was forced to live in rented apartments.

Resort Park Staraya Russa

What else to see in Staraya Russa? Visit the spa park. In ancient times, the city was a center for the extraction of salt, but over time, the processes stopped, but remained mineral water and mud with medicinal properties.

In 1828, Emperor Nicholas I agreed to the construction of a balneological resort. Mineral waters were used to treat diseases of the skin, gastrointestinal tract, and respiratory system.

The first building was built on the site of an abandoned Peter and Paul Monastery, near a salt lake. Initially, the patients of the new sanatorium were soldiers who needed treatment and recovery from injuries and diseases.

Over time, the resort acquired new buildings and gained wide popularity. The sons of Alexander II, M. Gorky, N. Dobrolyubov, F. M. Dostoevsky visited its waters. In 1882, with funds collected by professors of St. Petersburg University, who gave lectures at the resort, a medical children's colony was opened - the first such phenomenon in Russia.

The development of the resort continued after the revolution of 1917, the number of buildings increased, laboratories and diagnostic and treatment rooms appeared. Since 1925, the sanatorium has become year-round. With the beginning of the Great Patriotic War, in 1941, a military hospital was located on the basis of the hospital. But, after the retreat of our troops, with the arrival of the German invaders, the sanatorium was destroyed, most of the century-old trees in the park around the health resort were cut down, all water conduits, dams were destroyed, the dirt was washed out and oxidized.

After the expulsion of the Nazis in February 1944, the sanatorium began to be restored, and already in 1946 he was able to receive the first patients. The complete restoration of the resort was completed in the early 70s.

The main attraction and symbol of not only the resort, but also the city is the Muravyov Fountain, named after Count Muravyov, who ordered to start drilling the well. Healing qualities are possessed not only by water, but also by the air around the fountain. Smoking near the source is prohibited.

Note: Muravyovskiy Fountain is the most powerful self-flowing mineral spring in Europe, reaching a height of 1.5 meters. In 2002, in the series "Ancient Cities of Russia", the fountain was depicted on a 10-ruble coin.

One of the methods of treatment is walking in the park, the air in which has healing powers. Special treatment routes have been developed, exercise equipment has been installed in open areas. The park is located in the center of Staraya Russa, you can visit it all year round and done for free. Currently, the resort continues to operate throughout the year. Everyone can receive treatment and improve their health - both adults and children from 4 years old.

A variety of sights and their history attract guests of Staraya Russa. Many tourists and guests of the city are happy to visit not only memorable places, but also strengthen their health at the balneological resort. We invite you to look interesting photos Staraya Russa.

Staraya Rusa is an ancient Russian city in the Novgorod region. Stands between St. Petersburg and Moscow. Since ancient times, Staraya Russa has been of particular importance in the culture and history of our country. It was here that even before the baptism of Russia, the center of the trade route "From the Varangians to the Greeks" was located.

Staraya Russa was founded between the rivers Polistia and Porusya (formerly Rusa), hence the city got its name. In 2015 the city celebrated its 1000th anniversary. Staraya Russa was first mentioned in the second half of the 11th century in birch-bark document No. 526.

What can you see in Staraya Russa?

Despite the fact that the city is small, there are many places of interest that are worth paying attention to. It is famous for its rich history.

In the 70s of the 19th century, F.M. Dostoevsky. Now the house-museum of the writer is located here. There are many churches in the city that keep shrines and a piece of the history of our state.

Cathedrals and churches

• Resurrection Cathedral

All guidebooks will send you first of all to visit the Resurrection Cathedral, which attracts with its beauty. The temple is located at the confluence of the rivers Polisti and Porusya. Until the 17th century, there was a wooden Trinity Church on this site. It suffered the same fate as the whole city - it was destroyed by the invaders in 1612.

Then the wooden Church of the Intercession was rebuilt Holy Mother of God but it burned down in 1678. And only in 1696 the Church of the Resurrection of Christ was erected on this site.

The new cathedral was built by the whole county, stones were brought from each parish. The legend says that in the mound under the temple there is a magic stone - Bel-flammable. He had women praying for their husbands and sons who went to war. Periodically, the stone was tearing.

During the Great Patriotic War, the temple was badly damaged, as it was occupied by the Germans. But after the victory over the Nazis, it was quickly restored. Parts of the frescoes of the XV-XVII centuries still adorn the walls of the monastery. Today, expositions of the local history museum are exhibited here.

Archaeological finds are widely presented, which say that Russa was a developed city already in the 11th century.

• Church of the Holy Great Martyr George the Victorious

This temple has been standing in Staraya Russa for over 600 years. The church was founded by Archimandrite Varlaam in 1410. She's taken it apart and rebuilt over and over again. In the 40s of the last century, during the war, it remained the only functioning Orthodox church in the city and miraculously was not destroyed.

Thanks to this, the icons of other sanctuaries of Russa, which were kept in it, were also preserved. The main shrine not only of this church, but of the whole city is a list from the miraculous icon of the Old Russian Mother of God.

The icon itself disappeared without a trace in the summer of 1941 during the German occupation. It is considered to be the largest portable icon in the world.

• Church of the Holy Trinity

During the Great Patriotic War, part of the walls in the temple was broken and the domes were destroyed. In the 60s, restoration work was carried out and after that a local history museum was opened.

During perestroika, the church building served as a warehouse. And only in the mid-90s the temple again began to act as an Orthodox church. But restoration work continues to this day as part of the federal program for the restoration of historical and cultural monuments.

Other historical sites and sights of Staraya Russa

But the city is famous not only for temples and churches. What other sights can be seen in Staraya Russa and its environs?

• House-Museum of Dostoevsky

Every summer since 1872, for eight consecutive years, F.M. Dostoevsky lived with his family in Staraya Russa. Only this house became his property for the rest of his life. Here he wrote his novels "Demons" and "The Brothers Karamazov" and worked on his other works.

After the death of the writer, his wife and children lived for 46 years in this house, creating a museum out of some of the rooms. It gave visitors the opportunity to freely see the drafts of the writer, his notebooks and manuscripts.

During the Great Patriotic War, this house housed a hostel for teachers. But since 1967, Dostoevsky's grandson began to re-create the museum. Its unveiling took place in May 1981.

Today there you can see things that belonged to the family of the great writer. Theatrical and interactive events are also held here, which help to plunge into the era of Dostoevsky's life, to learn family traditions and life stories.

On the opposite bank of the Pererytitsa River from the museum, Grushenka's house is located - which was the prototype

• Grushenka's house

From the first days of the Great Patriotic War, it was converted into an evacuation hospital. But after a couple of months, he was urgently evacuated due to the occupation of the city by German troops.

The Nazis completely destroyed all the buildings, violated the water supply systems, cut down a huge part of the park. In addition, they began to bury their officers on its territory.

Only after the end of the war did the restoration of the health resort begin, and already at the end of 1946 he received his first patients.

The resort is now gearing up to celebrate its 190th anniversary in 2018.

• Muravyovskiy fountain

Muravyovskiy Fountain was built in the very heart of the resort park. It should also be given special attention as the sights of Staraya Russa. The decision to drill another well in 1858 was due to the increased demand for mineral water from the population and patients of the resort.

Initially, the fountain was located under a glass tent and hit 8 meters in height. But the Nazis also destroyed this building. At the end of the last century, it was restored, but now it is open, and its jet is much lower, as the spray has a negative effect on neighboring trees.

Muravyovskiy fountain is one of the most powerful mineral springs in Europe. There is a commemorative 10-ruble coin in circulation, minted in 2002, which depicts the Resurrection Cathedral, the fountain and the coat of arms of Staraya Russa.

• Interactive museum "Estate of the medieval Rushanin"

Opposite the central gate of the resort "Staraya Russa" is the Interactive Museum "Estate of the medieval Rushanin". Here are copies-reconstructions of medieval houses and buildings. All features of the construction of those years are observed.

The spirit of the ancient Russian city is present here. Saltworks (varnichny place), a Russian bath, which was heated on black, a barn, a residential hut with a passage, a palisade, a wooden pavement - this is what tourists can see on individual and organized excursions in this museum.

New buildings are constantly appearing in the museum, and the classical manor of a medieval Rusanian is gradually being recreated.

• Museum of the North-Western Front

As it became clear from the article, Staraya Russa was fully affected by the Great Patriotic War. The city was captured by German troops, which caused massive damage to historical sites.

Therefore, the Museum of the North-Western Front is rich in exhibits, leaflets, documents and front-line letters of those years. The most unique instrument is the German bell. Initially, it was called Trading for its intended purpose. Located in the city center. Merchants from different volosts and lands met here. The locals were engaged in salt mining.

Before World War II, Gostiny Dvor was located here, but it was completely destroyed. Now there is a square and a boulevard in this place. Currently, all city holidays and festivities are held on Cathedral Square.

At the beginning of the square there is a water tower, which serves as the zero kilometer of all roads coming from Staraya Russa.

• Tsaritsyn spring

By order of Catherine II, an artesian well 246 meters deep was drilled outside the city on the cathedral side. Today there is a swimming pool and the place is popular for walking.

• Nikolsky Kosinsky Monastery

Not far from the city, in the village of Kosino, there is a female (formerly male) Kosinsky-Nikolaev-Nativity Monastery.

The founders are considered to be the Monk Constantine and Blessed Cosmas, who built the church in 1220. Their relics rest on the territory of the monastery today.

Throughout the history of its existence, it has undergone more than once attacks and changes. The Swedes completely destroyed it in the 17th century, but our ancestors rebuilt it again.

The German troops made it their headquarters. Since the mid-90s, the temple has again become active, but its restoration continues.

• Buregsky Transfiguration Monastery (ruins)

The remains of Buregsky Preobrazhensky are located 23 kilometers from the city. In the middle of the 15th century, where the Psizha river flows into Lake Ilmen, the stone church of St. Nicholas the Great was built.

Around it in the 17th century the Monastery Complex was built. It was very badly damaged during the Great Patriotic War, as Russian soldiers fired on the Germans who occupied it.

Now we can only see the remaining walls of the monastery and the miraculous holy spring with silver water.

All attempts to restore the temple were unsuccessful. The bell tower of the Monastery is included in the List of objects historical heritage RF.

The Church of the Holy Trinity is originally a wooden church, it is located in the very center of the city of old Russa, in the city inventory it is considered as burnt by people of Lithuanian nationality.

Located on the street named after Timur Frunze. Many troubles befell the church.

In 1680, the church was burned down, a fire broke out in a neighboring building, soon after which it spread to the church, the iconostasis, icons, as well as church accessories and many other things were destroyed.

The church was rebuilt, after which in 1836 a storm came that swept all over the mountain, due to a strong wind the main dome fell, which damaged the Trinity Church itself.

After the repair, the church acquired a different look, it became a cubic, four-columned church measuring 17m by 17m.

After all the troubles for the next 10 years, the church flourished, a parish school was opened in it, where children were taught singing, the laws of God, and of course literacy, counting.

A local history museum was opened in the Trinity Church in the 1980s, and a year later Archbishop Lev of Novgorod consecrated it.

River Polist

Polist is a river in the European part of Russia, flowing through the Pskov and Novgorod regions. The length of the channel is 176 kilometers. The river has three large tributaries - Porusya, Belka and Snezha.

The origin of the name of the river is not exactly known. According to one version, the river was named by the founding prince of Staraya Rusa in honor of his wife. According to another version, the name of the river comes from the old Russian word meaning "bog, bog."

The river is characterized by a stormy, swift current - only the first kilometers of the river are calm, surrounded by swampy banks. At the source, the width of the channel does not exceed twenty meters.

The river is replete with powerful rapids and rifts, the height of which sometimes reaches two meters. The total number of thresholds is forty-one. Complicating the situation is the fact that in some places both banks of the river are sheer cliffs up to twenty-five meters high. The most dangerous threshold of the river is located near the village of Braklovitsy.

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Church of the Holy Great Martyr Mina

The Church of the Holy Great Martyr Mina is inactive Orthodox church, the oldest in Staraya Russa. This small cubic-shaped one-domed temple with one apse belongs to the protected monuments. cultural heritage Russia.

The exact date of its construction has not yet been established, but it has been mentioned in historical records since the end of the 15th century. At one time, the temple had a large parish, as fifteen surrounding villages were assigned to it. The temple, like many others in Russia, was closed at the end of the thirties of the last century. During the Patriotic War, he was badly damaged, but later was restored.

The temple had many valuables, including the dome from Lübeck made in 1672, which is now in the museum, the gilded image of St. Mina, which disappeared in the twenties, the Holy Scripture, 1657, bound on legs, etc.

The Resurrection Cathedral is the most beautiful functioning Orthodox cathedral in memory of the Resurrection of Jesus Christ.

The temple is located in Staraya Russa, at the confluence of two rivers - Polisti and Pererytitsa. Many years ago, there were city walls with gates at this place.

In the 1690s, the first Cathedral of the Resurrection of Christ was built here. It was stone structure, consisting of three aisles. In 1833 the temple was rebuilt and expanded. During World War II, the temple was used as a stable. During the liberation of Staraya Russa, the cathedral was badly damaged: the spire, wooden ceilings, the dome of the bell tower were destroyed, the walls and roof were damaged. After that, a cinema, a club, warehouses were located in the temple, and in 1984 a museum of the North-Western Front was opened here. The cathedral became active again only in 1992, and in 2008 restoration work began in the temple.

Porusya river

Porusya is a river located in the Novgorod region, in northwestern Russia. The total length of the channel is 110 kilometers. The sources of the river are located in the Rdeysky swamps, the mouth of the river - the confluence with the Polistya River - within the city of Staraya Rusa.

The source of the river is actually just a small meandering stream. But having gone beyond the territory of the swamps, the riverbed expands, and the current becomes quite turbulent. The banks of the river are wooded along the entire length of the channel. There are small rifts and sills, but there are quite a few of them. AT downstream the shallow river bed widens to twenty meters.

House-Museum of F.M. Dostoevsky

Our nest - that's how Dostoevsky called the house in Staraya Russa. In this small provincial town, he felt so good and calm, composed so well, like nowhere else. In just one year, the house with Staraya Russe turned into a family nest, which Dostoevsky so wanted. The third child of the writer, Alexei, was born here. Here, in amazing provincial silence, "The Brothers Karamazov", "Demons" and other famous works were created.

Once, on the advice of friends, the writer's family decided to rent a dacha in Staraya Russa for the summer. And in 1873 they rented a two-story house on the embankment of the Pererytitsa River. After spending the whole summer in Ruse and loving this town with all their hearts, the Dostoevskys stayed for the winter. And no wonder, because everyone who comes to Staraya Russa falls in love with her, with her smooth life, cozy streets, walks along the cobbled embankment.

In the spring of 1909, it was decided to establish a house-museum of the great writer. The city authorities immediately declared Dostoevsky's house "an inviolable monument." In 1931, it was solemnly installed Memorial plaque. However, the house-museum opened its doors to the public only in 1981. Since then, guests of the city can see an almost completely recreated atmosphere of the late 19th century, when the Dostoevsky family lived here. According to photographs, letters, memoirs of the writer and his household, household items and furniture were selected. Literally every detail is carefully thought out and carefully installed in its place. There are also genuine things of the writer here, there are not many of them, but when you realize that Fyodor Mikhailovich himself wore these gloves and a top hat, an incredible feeling of delight awakens somewhere inside everyone.

Muravyovskiy fountain and drinking gallery

The Staraya Russian resort, with a history of more than 150 years, is one of the most famous in Russia. Rest here is especially favorable, because the outlets of numerous mineral springs form a very special microclimate here. Thanks to the amazing air, the very stay in Staraya Russa already has a healing effect in itself. Not to mention the unique sulphide-silt mud, which is mined on the territory of the sanatorium and used in medical procedures.

On the territory of the Staraya Russian resort there are eight sources of useful chloride-sodium-calcium-magnesium water. Two of them are displayed in the drinking gallery, where anyone can come and get water with them. Especially popular is the so-called Muravyovskiy Fountain - the most powerful self-flowing mineral fountain in Europe.

The history of the fountain goes back to 1854, when the then Minister of State Property M. Muravyov began to show interest in the resort in Staraya Russa. He ordered the expansion of the mud therapy department and the opening of new cabinets for pine baths. Another order of the minister was to drill an additional well to improve the flow of mineral water to the hospital. A new well began to be drilled in 1858 and completed exactly one year later, reaching a depth of 116 meters. As a result of these efforts, a powerful column of mineral water burst out of the ground, hitting to a height of about ten meters. Within one second, 70 liters of water were pushed to the surface. In honor of the initiative minister, the fountain got its name. For more than 150 years, every day, the Muravyovka Fountain has been throwing out priceless jets of incredibly useful mineral water from the ground. A special air is felt even if you just sit next to the fountain, which many visitors to the resort and the townspeople love to do.

Museum of the North-Western Front and the Partisan Territory

The Museum of the North-Western Front and the Partisan Territory is located in the Novgorod region in the city of Staraya Russa, on Volodarsky Street. The museum conveys all the actions that took place during the Great Patriotic War.

All that is in the museum tells about the events that took place in Staraya Russa, its opening took place on February 18, 2003, this is the day when 59 years have passed since the liberation of the city.

One of the memorable exhibits is the bell, the designer of which was the master Benning in Lübeck. One of the main memorials are various weapons, schemes, maps, documents, honorary awards and, of course, personal items.

All things were brought from those places where the war took place, and from veterans of the Wehrmacht.

Nearby the museum is installed viewpoint, where the T-26 tank is located, which got them from the Lovat River and two guns.

Spaso-Preobrazhensky Monastery

The Spaso-Preobrazhensky Monastery in Staraya Russa is the oldest historical monument that has survived to this day. The first information about him was recorded in the Novgorod chronicle, which, under 1192, reports that hegumen Martyry founded in Ruse (as the city was called in ancient times) a church and a monastery in honor of the Transfiguration of the Lord. The first wooden temple did not last long, because in 1194 a fire broke out in the city, which destroyed the temple. However, already in 1198, Martyry, who had already become an archbishop, was building a new, stone, church. The next major building period dates back to 1442, when the church was seriously rebuilt.

At the beginning of the 17th century, after the Swedish occupation, Novgorod land was in ruins and desolation, but active construction is underway in the Spaso-Preobrazhensky Monastery: two stone churches and a bell tower appear. This example suggests that the Spaso-Preobrazhensky Monastery was a kind of exception, and considerable royal grants and income from the salt industry played an important role in its revival.

The monastery was miraculously able to avoid destruction during the Great Patriotic War and is a wonderful architectural monument. Now in the premises of the monastery there are exhibition halls of the museum of local lore, and in the building of the cathedral you can see unique frescoes XV-XVII centuries.

Korostyn - German military cemetery

Korostyn, a German military cemetery is located on the picturesque shore of Lake Ilmen, in the Novgorod region. In the same place, on the high bank of the lake, there is a natural monument - the Ilmensky Glint.

The memorial cemetery was opened in 1997. Here, in a beautiful and cozy place, German soldiers who died in these lands during the war years are buried. But not only soldiers and not just soldiers are buried. Here are the soldiers of the SS division "Dead Head" (MG), who were gathered in the surrounding swamps.

The SS Totenkopf Division, or more precisely the 3rd SS Totenkopf Motorized Infantry Division, was formed in 1939. The division consisted mainly of soldiers from the guards of concentration camps. The first commander of the "Dead Head" - Theodor Eicke, was previously known as the commandant of the Dachau concentration camp.

The most popular attractions in Staraya Russa with descriptions and photos for every taste. choose best places for visiting famous places Staraya Russa on our website.

BIRCH BERESTYAN HISTORY OF THE CITY

The first mention of Staraya Russa is contained in one of the birch bark letters discovered during excavations in the city.

Staraya Russa is located in the Novgorod region. The city stands at the confluence of the Polist River, its largest tributary, the Porusya River, which is called Pererytitsa in the city.

There are many assumptions regarding the origin of the name of this city. According to one of them, the word "Rusa" recalls the inseparable connection between the history of the city and the people of Rus, who gave the name to the entire ancient Russian state. Philologists also suggest that the name may be based on the hydronym "Porusya" - in the past the river was known as Rusa. The adjective "old" appeared in the middle of the 16th century, when the village of Novaya Rusa was built nearby. The double "s" appeared in the name after the 16th century.

The first chronicle mention of Staraya Russa dates back to 1167. However, Rusa was also mentioned in a birch-bark letter from the early 70s of the 11th century.

There is also a chronicle legend of the 17th century. "The Tale of Slovenia and Rus and the city of Slovensk", where the mythological version of the appearance of the ancestors of the Russian people is presented in an epic style. In particular, it tells about the settlement of the environs of Novgorod and Prince Rusa, the founder of the city of Rusa:

“... the brother of the Slovenes Rus settled in the place of a certain distant Slovensk Velikago, like 50 stages from a salty student, and created a hail between the two rivers, and called it Rusa in his name, and is still called Rusa Staraya.”

The city immediately began to grow rich and build thanks to trade (the city stood on the waterway "from the Varangians to the Greeks"), crafts, and mainly the boiling out of salt from local sources.

It so happened that the city was at the crossroads of interests of various political forces during the period when the formation of the Russian state was taking place, and the armies of the warring parties went through these lands every now and then, as a result, ups and downs in the history of the city gave way to falls more than once.

Initially, the city was part of the Novgorod lands. In the XII - XIII centuries. Staraya Russa was attacked by the Lithuanian princes, in 1234 it was taken by the troops of the Livonian Order, but liberated by the townspeople.

In 1478, the Russian Tsar Ivan III annexed the city to the Muscovite state along with the Novgorod lands. In the XV century, state-owned salt production appeared in the city (for the needs of the state treasury), which enriched the city even more.

By the middle of the 16th century, Staraya Russa was the fourth in the Russian state after Moscow, Pskov and Novgorod in terms of the number of inhabitants and the number of households. Then Staraya Russa was almost wiped off the face of the earth at the end of the 16th - beginning. XVII centuries, during the military campaigns of Tsar Ivan the Terrible and in the Time of Troubles: in 1608 the city was captured by the detachments of False Dmitry II, and in 1611 by the Swedes. And only 38 inhabitants remained in the city, but by order of Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich, the city was restored in the middle of the 16th century.

The city was twice visited by Emperor Peter and contributed a lot to the development of salt production and the timber industry: in the vicinity of the city, oak wood was harvested for shipbuilding.

The year 1831 turned out to be terrible for the city: an epidemic of cholera broke out here and a bloody "cholera riot" took place, when soldiers and townspeople killed officers and doctors, suspecting them of intentionally poisoning people.

During the Great Patriotic War for almost three years, from August 9, 1941 to February 18, 1944, the city was occupied by the Germans, it was badly destroyed, but subsequently rebuilt.

OLD HEALING SALT
The healing natural properties of salty mineral springs have made the city of Staraya Russa a popular medical resort.

The townspeople prefer to call themselves Rushans (Rushans, Rushanin, Rushanka). This self-name is from hoary antiquity: it is known that the Transfiguration Monastery of the Savior was founded in the 12th century by a local resident Martiry, nicknamed Rushanin.

Staraya Russa is one of the oldest resorts. As early as 1828, the capital's doctors began to recommend the local mineral water for treatment. For the convenience of wealthy patients, the first resort was opened here in middle lane Russia, and it has become fashionable to go “on the waters”, and it is relatively close compared to the Caucasus or Western Europe.

There are nine mineral springs on the territory of the city, two of them are drinking, and seven are mineral lakes in the resort park, thanks to which a zone of increased air ionization is created. Thus, a specific microclimate is formed here, useful for the treatment of many ailments.

Also, not far from the springs there are mud lakes, where sulfide-silt mud "Starorusskaya" with biologically active substances is mined.

The resort is famous not only healing power mineral waters, but also by the fact that prominent figures of Russian culture visited here at different times: writer and critic N. A. Dobrolyubov, poet K. M. Fofanov, composer E. F. Napravnik, artist B. M. Kustodiev, writer M . Bitter.

There are not only mineral waters in the land of Staraya Russa: excavations of archaeologists found that the thickness of the cultural layer reaches 6 meters, and in the historical core of the city - on Seredki Square, where the accumulation of the layer began no later than the middle of the 11th century, 26 tiers of wooden pavement were found. The discovery that brought the city international fame is birch bark letters dating back to the 11th-15th centuries, according to which not only the life of that era was recreated, but even the local dialect of the Old Russian language was studied.

Surprisingly, it is a fact: the city almost miraculously retained its historical appearance, despite many wars. The greatest damage to the architecture of Staraya Russa was caused by the Second World War: a lot of buildings burned down, out of 2960 residential buildings only three remained intact.

The oldest architectural monument of the city is the Spassky Cathedral of the Transfiguration Monastery, founded in 1192. The buildings of the monastery, dating back to the 17th century, have survived to this day.

In St. George's Church, the Old Russian Icon of the Mother of God is kept, revered by the parishioners as miraculous.

Nikolskaya Church of the 14th century was set up by the townspeople in many respects for practical purposes: there was market Square, and merchants - their own and visiting - needed the protection of the patron saint of trade, Nicholas of Myra.

Staraya Russa honors and remembers the great Russian writer Fyodor Dostoevsky (1821-1881), who lived here in 1872-1875 and in 1880, coming with his family on vacation. The writer was very fond of Staraya Russa, and she appears in more than one of his works, albeit under different names. The house-museum of the writer stands on the banks of the Pererytitsa.

Every spring, Staraya Russa hosts the International Old Russian Readings "Dostoevsky and Modernity", and every autumn - the International Festival of Chamber Performances based on Dostoevsky's works.

ATTRACTION

Historical:

• Settlement Staraya Russa (XI-XV centuries).
• Water tower (1909).
• Monument to the "Valiant Wilmanstrands" ("Eagle", 1913).

Natural:

• Spring "Life-giving source".

Iconic:

• Church in the name of the Savior of the Transfiguration of the Lord (1198).
• Church of the Great Martyr Mina (XIV century).
• St. Nicholas Church (Nicholas of Myra, 1371).
• St. George's Church (XV century).
• Church of the Holy Trinity (1680).
• Resurrection Cathedral.
• Spiritual Church (Church of the Holy Spirit, 1797).

Architectural:

• Popov's house (late 18th century).
• Resort park.
• "Grushenka's House" (XIX century).
• Living bridge.

Cultural:

• House-Museum of F. M. Dostoevsky.
• Museum of the history of the resort "Staraya Russa".
• Old Russian Museum of Local Lore.
• Museum of the Northwestern Front.

CURIOUS FACTS

On the river Porusya are more than forty settlements, but the largest is the city of Staraya Russa. Presumably, the last kilometer of Porusya before flowing into Polist is of artificial origin, and the channel of Porusya itself, called Mapashka, goes to the right and disappears in the east of the city. Why and by whom Pererytitsa was created is not exactly known.

According to local legend, the river Polist was named by Prince Rusa - the hero of the "Tale of Slovene and Rus and the city of Slovensk", the mythical founder of Staraya Russa - in honor of his wife Polina. There is also a simpler explanation: the word "polist" has ancient European roots and literally means "swamp, swamp, bog."

The Old Russian Icon of the Mother of God in Staraya Russa is the largest portable icon in the world: height - 278 cm, width - 202 cm.
Russian writer Fyodor Dostoevsky, while in Staraya Russa, described the city in the novel The Brothers Karamazov under the name Skotoprigonievsk. In the house that has now been turned into a museum, Fyodor Dostoevsky also wrote the novels "Demons" and "Teenager".

The “Grushenka House” in Staraya Russa was named after Agrippina Menshova, the prototype of Grushenka Svetlova in Fyodor Dostoyevsky’s novel The Brothers Karamazov.

The description of the coat of arms of Staraya Russa from 1781 accurately reflects the natural wealth of the city: “... in the red field there is an iron pan in which salt is boiled, placed on a brick fired oven, because in this city there are noble salt pans.”

GENERAL INFORMATION