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Staraya Russa
Overview
Staraya Russa (Russian: Старая Русса, IPA: [ˈstarəjə ˈrusːə]) is a town in Novgorod Oblast, Russia, located on the Polist River, 99 kilometers (62 mi) south of Veliky Novgorod, the administrative center of the oblast. Its population has steadily decreased over the past years, going from 41,538 recorded in the 1989 Census to 35,511 in the 2002 Census to 31,809 in the 2010 Census.
Wikivoyage guide · 17 sections
▸Introduction450 chars
Staraya Russa (Russian: Ста́рая Ру́сса, STAH-rah-yuh ROOH-suh) is a small, historic town in the center of Novgorod Oblast, long famous domestically for its balneologic mineral waters resort, but much more famous among international travellers as Dostoyevsky's summer retreat, and the basis for the fictional town of Skotoprigonievsk in The Brothers Karamazov. It is part of the Silver Ring of cultural and historical centers of Northwestern Russia.
▸Understand2,230 chars
Staraya Russa is one of the oldest cities in Russia, founded in the tenth century as one of the principal cities of the then-powerful and wealthy trading nation of the Novgorod Republic. It gained greatly in prestige with the establishment of the Monastery of the Transfiguration in the twelfth century. Its salt works made it the regional leader in salt and brine production, driving its economy, and leading to the growth of the town to nearly 5,000 inhabitants by the fifteenth century, when it was incorporated along with Novgorod into the Princedom of Muscovy.
Owing to its northwestern location, Staraya Russa has seen many battles. Well after its wooden walls had been burnt down and later replaced by stone fortifications, the town fought bloody battles against Swedish invaders for centuries, but the most devastating years of its history would come after the reign of Ivan the Terrible, during the Russian "Time of Troubles" in the early 17th century. Until the establishment of the Romanov Dynasty, the surrounding area was under the control of armed gangs and brigands, and the once-important city dwindled to a mere 38 people. Over time Staraya Russa recovered, but its fate as a town on the invasion route would come back to haunt it one last time in the twentieth century, when Hitler's forces invaded during World War II and virtually levelled the historic town.
Despite the destruction throughout the years, though, many old wooden houses (including the Dostoevsky residence) and several important churches remain intact, and other institutions, like the balneologic resort, have been rebuilt. Following the collapse of the Soviet Union, the town's population is shrinking (along with the rest of rural Russia), and feels a sleepy backwater—actually, a great change of pace for travellers who have been spending most of their time in Saint Petersburg or Moscow. The residential areas near the rivers are quite peaceful, the locals are friendly and laid-back, and there is a lot to see with all the Dostoevsky sights. Better still, despite the Dostoevsky connection, the place is pretty much devoid of any international travellers outside of the high tourist season in summer, so you'll have the place to yourself.
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Source
WBP almanac
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