08:30 Breakfast at the hotel restaurant.
Guided tour of Veliky Novgorod, the first capital of Ancient Russia. Veliky Novgorod is one of the oldest cities in Russia, located at the headwaters of the Volkhov River and Lake Ilmen. Novgorod is rightly called the museum city of Ancient Russia.
Many architectural monuments and monumental paintings of the XI-XVII centuries have been preserved here.
The acquaintance with the city will begin from the left Sofia side — the Novgorod Kremlin. The ancient name of the Kremlin complex is Detinets. It was founded by Yaroslav the Wise in 1044.
Detinets is the oldest defensive structure in Russia, 9 of the 13 towers of the Kremlin have survived to this day.
You will admire St. Sophia Cathedral, one of the most outstanding monuments of ancient Russian architecture, and you will see unique fragments of authentic original paintings on the central dome and in the St. Martin's Porch.
The main shrines of the cathedral are the ancient miraculous icons of the Mother of God the Sign, the icon of Sophia the Wisdom of God, and the Tikhvin Icon of the Mother of God.
We will continue our acquaintance with Novgorod at Yaroslav's Courtyard and the ancient Novgorod auction. The trading side got its name from the Auction House located on it, which was the economic center of the city. Shopping malls were the busiest place in the city, in the 16th century.
Barns and shops were located here, and trade was in full swing. Immediately after the Auction there were "courtyards" where merchants from all over the world came. In the XVII – XVIII centuries, a Gostiny Dvor was built on the site of the Auction.
There are architectural monuments of Veliky Novgorod – Nikolo-Dvorishchensky Cathedral, Prokopius Church, Paraskeva Friday Church, Assumption Church, St. George's Church.
Lunch at a cafe in the city.
Free time in the city, or a trip to Staraya Russa with a visit to the "Manor of the medieval Rushanin" (for an additional fee, optional when booking a tour).
Sightseeing tour of Staraya Russa, a cozy resort town with an interesting history. Today it is a real treasure trove full of ancient sights ready to surprise every guest.
These are the Transfiguration Cathedral of the 12th century, St. George's Church with the miraculous icon of the Mother of God "Starorusskaya", the Trinity Church of the 17th century.
The famous Muravyovsky Fountain, the largest self—draining mineral water source in Europe, whose height can reach 10 meters, is of interest.
Visit to the "Manor of the Medieval Rushanin", an open–air reconstruction museum.
The museum allows you to plunge into the atmosphere of a medieval city, get acquainted with the way of life and traditional salt production of the inhabitants of Staraya Russa. The pride of the museum is the saltworks.
You will see:
- a cooking place consisting of a unique working bakery with a wood stove;
- cooling tower (device for salt extraction by evaporation, thickening the salt solution);
- a functioning barn with a cattle pen;
- a complex of residential and outbuildings.
Souvenir salt, which is sold in the manor, is also evaporated from Old Russian mineral water in an old-fashioned way.
Return to Veliky Novgorod.
Dinner at the hotel restaurant.
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