July 12, 2019

A Good Time to Visit Pskov


A Good Time to Visit Pskov
Pskov Fortress under a full moon. Oleg Tokarev (CC)

The cozy town of Pskov in Western Russia received world-wide recognition this weekend, as its ancient churches were inscribed on the list of UNESCO World Heritage. The so-called Pskov school is renowned for its simple, asymmetrical forms that inspired the centuries of architecture that followed: Le Corbusier once called the style "medieval constructivism."

The city's oldest buildings date to the twelfth century, but the style was at its peak after Pskov became a political and economic force as an independent republic. Meanwhile, its builders were renowned all over Rus. Some were even invited to build the cathedrals in the Moscow Kremlin, alongside Italian architects.

Here is what UNESCO said about Pskov's churches:

Characteristics of these buildings, produced by the Pskov School of Architecture, include cubic volumes, domes, porches and belfries, with the oldest elements dating back to the twelfth century. Churches and cathedrals are integrated into the natural environment through gardens, perimeter walls and fences. Inspired by the Byzantine and Novgorod traditions, the Pskov School of Architecture reached its peak in the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries, and was one of the foremost schools in the country. It informed the evolution of Russian architecture over five centuries.

Here are the ten churches now recognized as part of our global cultural heritage.

Pskov's churches have had various fates. Some are now museums, while some are functioning places of worship, but all are in need of tender loving care. We hope the new inscription on the list will instill a new sense of responsibility on the part of local authorities, while piquing the interest of tourists so as to generate needed finances for upkeep.

In more good news for Pskov tourism, the Pskov Museum, which unites the city's most notable landmarks, including the kremlin, is to be promoted from regional to federal status. While this sounds like just a bureaucratic change, it actually means more prestige and funding from Moscow, expanding its means beyond its current, tiny regional budget.

When visiting Pskov, you can use a handy free app to orient yourself, and, while there, don't forget to visit the nearby Pushkin Hills, Pechory and Izborsk!


You Might Also Like

The Battle on the Ice
  • March 01, 2006

The Battle on the Ice

Alexander Nevsky's victory over the Livonians on Lake Chudskoye (Peipus) has taken on the status of legend in Russian history. But Nevsky may not be the best of Russian heroes.
Pskov (and Pskovians)
  • July 01, 2003

Pskov (and Pskovians)

An arranged marriage put Pskov on the map (or so the Chronicle says). But, since then, for 1100 years, Pskov has been an important crossroads between Russia and Europe. For a millenium, Pskov has withstood countless attacks and seiges, while facilitating trade and commerce. Its biggest challenge today is integrating with the wider world, while preserving a hold on its historic past.
Alexander Nevsky
  • November 15, 2000

Alexander Nevsky

Controversial actions of the Russian leader during the Mongol domination of the 13th century.
Pskov
  • February 21, 2017

Pskov

Accomplished photographer Dmitry Markov takes us on a tour of Pskov, "Where Russia Begins."
Like this post? Get a weekly email digest + member-only deals

Some of Our Books

The Latchkey Murders

The Latchkey Murders

Senior Lieutenant Pavel Matyushkin is back on the case in this prequel to the popular mystery Murder at the Dacha, in which a serial killer is on the loose in Khrushchev’s Moscow...
Stargorod: A Novel in Many Voices

Stargorod: A Novel in Many Voices

Stargorod is a mid-sized provincial city that exists only in Russian metaphorical space. It has its roots in Gogol, and Ilf and Petrov, and is a place far from Moscow, but close to Russian hearts. It is a place of mystery and normality, of provincial innocence and Black Earth wisdom. Strange, inexplicable things happen in Stargorod. So do good things. And bad things. A lot like life everywhere, one might say. Only with a heavy dose of vodka, longing and mystery.
Marooned in Moscow

Marooned in Moscow

This gripping autobiography plays out against the backdrop of Russia's bloody Civil War, and was one of the first Western eyewitness accounts of life in post-revolutionary Russia. Marooned in Moscow provides a fascinating account of one woman's entry into war-torn Russia in early 1920, first-person impressions of many in the top Soviet leadership, and accounts of the author's increasingly dangerous work as a journalist and spy, to say nothing of her work on behalf of prisoners, her two arrests, and her eventual ten-month-long imprisonment, including in the infamous Lubyanka prison. It is a veritable encyclopedia of life in Russia in the early 1920s.
Maria's War: A Soldier's Autobiography

Maria's War: A Soldier's Autobiography

This astonishingly gripping autobiography by the founder of the Russian Women’s Death Battallion in World War I is an eye-opening documentary of life before, during and after the Bolshevik Revolution.
How Russia Got That Way

How Russia Got That Way

A fast-paced crash course in Russian history, from Norsemen to Navalny, that explores the ways the Kremlin uses history to achieve its ends.
Fish: A History of One Migration

Fish: A History of One Migration

This mesmerizing novel from one of Russia’s most important modern authors traces the life journey of a selfless Russian everywoman. In the wake of the Soviet breakup, inexorable forces drag Vera across the breadth of the Russian empire. Facing a relentless onslaught of human and social trials, she swims against the current of life, countering adversity and pain with compassion and hope, in many ways personifying Mother Russia’s torment and resilience amid the Soviet disintegration.
Russian Rules

Russian Rules

From the shores of the White Sea to Moscow and the Northern Caucasus, Russian Rules is a high-speed thriller based on actual events, terrifying possibilities, and some really stupid decisions.
A Taste of Chekhov

A Taste of Chekhov

This compact volume is an introduction to the works of Chekhov the master storyteller, via nine stories spanning the last twenty years of his life.
Murder at the Dacha

Murder at the Dacha

Senior Lieutenant Pavel Matyushkin has a problem. Several, actually. Not the least of them is the fact that a powerful Soviet boss has been murdered, and Matyushkin's surly commander has given him an unreasonably short time frame to close the case.
The Frogs Who Begged for a Tsar (bilingual)

The Frogs Who Begged for a Tsar (bilingual)

The fables of Ivan Krylov are rich fonts of Russian cultural wisdom and experience – reading and understanding them is vital to grasping the Russian worldview. This new edition of 62 of Krylov’s tales presents them side-by-side in English and Russian. The wonderfully lyrical translations by Lydia Razran Stone are accompanied by original, whimsical color illustrations by Katya Korobkina.

About Us

Russian Life is a publication of a 30-year-young, award-winning publishing house that creates a bimonthly magazine, books, maps, and other products for Russophiles the world over.

Latest Posts

Our Contacts

Russian Life
73 Main Street, Suite 402
Montpelier VT 05602

802-223-4955