Pskov



Pskov

Name: Dmitry Markov

Age: 34

Profession: Photographer

City: Pskov

Can you give us a short description of your city? Where is it located? What is it famous for? Pskov is one of the oldest of Russian cities. It sits on the country's western border and is famous for its architecture. Most famous of all is the Pskov Fortress, which was one of the largest in medieval Europe: the length of its walls was 9.5 km in total, and the Pokrovskaya Tower is considered one of the most impregnable towers of Europe. The city is also famous for churches with their own distictinctive architectural style, over 40 of them, and for the unique fresco and icon drawing style, which many have compared with the finest works of the Enlightenment.

In the 13th-16th century, Pskov was the capital of the independent Pskov Vechevoy Republic, one of the most democratic states in Medieval Europe. It's main organ of power was the Veche, a gathering of citizens on Vechevoy Square, where decisions were decided by a majority vote.

When Pskov was united to Moscow in 1510, it was no less a city than Moscow in size or riches. Yan Piotrovsky, secretary to King Stefan Batory during the seige of Pskov in 1581, was amazed at the city's size and compared it to Paris.

Pskov has many times been at the crossroads of Russian history. In 1917, it was at a Pskov train station that Tsar Nikolai II renounced the throne, and it was in Pskov in 1918, during WWI, that volunteer communist brigades fighting against the Germans were formed into what would become the Red Army.

Today, Pskov is the administrative center for Pskov Oblast. Some 200,000 residents live in the city, whose slogan is "Russia Begins Here."

What are some things that only locals would know about the city? 

Today, the 76th Airborne Division – one of Russia's most famous armed force units – is quartered in the city. This means you will see many paratroopers on the streets, wearing their famous blue berets. And Paratroopers Day (August 2) is one of the city's main holidays. The city fills with blue bereted paratroopers, as a result of which many citizens decide to stay at home, so as not to encounter the many young men cutting loose.

Pskov has two important symbols of national significance. First is the smelt. And it is the Pskov smelt, from the Veliky and Pskovsko-Chudsky Lakes that is considered the Russian standard, which graced the tsarist table. Pskov cuisine is riddled with all sorts of dishes centered on this fish.

Second is flax, and Pskovian flax is also considered to be the standard. It has long been exported to Europe and, thanks to the light blue color of its flowers, this color has come to be the sort of official city color.

Yet through ironies of fate, in recent times flax has all but stopped being produced in Pskov, and the population of smelt in Chudsky Lake has fallen so far that neither industrial or private fishing brings in any catch, certainly not at former levels. Yet, the symbols remain and continue to be spread through popular culture. The blue flax flower adorns the region's tourist logo, or that of restaurants and cafes, which attempt to include smelt recipes on their menus as a local delicacy, despite the great difficulty in acquiring the fish.

Which places or sites are a must for someone to see if they visit your city? Pskov kremlin, the Veliky River embankement, Mirozhsky Monastery, Finsky Park, Pskov Museum Preserve, TIR Club.

Instagram: @dcim.ru



Like this post? Get a weekly email digest + member-only deals

Some of Our Books

Chekhov Bilingual

Chekhov Bilingual

Some of Chekhov's most beloved stories, with English and accented Russian on facing pages throughout. 
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.
Woe From Wit (bilingual)

Woe From Wit (bilingual)

One of the most famous works of Russian literature, the four-act comedy in verse Woe from Wit skewers staid, nineteenth century Russian society, and it positively teems with “winged phrases” that are essential colloquialisms for students of Russian and Russian culture.
Bears in the Caviar

Bears in the Caviar

Bears in the Caviar is a hilarious and insightful memoir by a diplomat who was “present at the creation” of US-Soviet relations. Charles Thayer headed off to Russia in 1933, calculating that if he could just learn Russian and be on the spot when the US and USSR established relations, he could make himself indispensable and start a career in the foreign service. Remarkably, he pulled it of.
Jews in Service to the Tsar

Jews in Service to the Tsar

Benjamin Disraeli advised, “Read no history: nothing but biography, for that is life without theory.” With Jews in Service to the Tsar, Lev Berdnikov offers us 28 biographies spanning five centuries of Russian Jewish history, and each portrait opens a new window onto the history of Eastern Europe’s Jews, illuminating dark corners and challenging widely-held conceptions about the role of Jews in Russian history.
Turgenev Bilingual

Turgenev Bilingual

A sampling of Ivan Turgenev's masterful short stories, plays, novellas and novels. Bilingual, with English and accented Russian texts running side by side on adjoining pages.
Life Stories: Original Fiction By Russian Authors

Life Stories: Original Fiction By Russian Authors

The Life Stories collection is a nice introduction to contemporary Russian fiction: many of the 19 authors featured here have won major Russian literary prizes and/or become bestsellers. These are life-affirming stories of love, family, hope, rebirth, mystery and imagination, masterfully translated by some of the best Russian-English translators working today. The selections reassert the power of Russian literature to affect readers of all cultures in profound and lasting ways. Best of all, 100% of the profits from the sale of this book are going to benefit Russian hospice—not-for-profit care for fellow human beings who are nearing the end of their own life stories.
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.
At the Circus (bilingual)

At the Circus (bilingual)

This wonderful novella by Alexander Kuprin tells the story of the wrestler Arbuzov and his battle against a renowned American wrestler. Rich in detail and characterization, At the Circus brims with excitement and life. You can smell the sawdust in the big top, see the vivid and colorful characters, sense the tension build as Arbuzov readies to face off against the American.
Murder and the Muse

Murder and the Muse

KGB Chief Andropov has tapped Matyushkin to solve a brazen jewel heist from Picasso’s wife at the posh Metropole Hotel. But when the case bleeds over into murder, machinations, and international intrigue, not everyone is eager to see where the clues might lead.

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