Velikiy Novgorod

Velikiy Novgorod was the place on everyone's lips back at the end of the 9th century AD, when Prince Rurik declared the formation of Russia as we know it today. This Birthplace of Russia also gained prominence as a centre of literacy, trade, art and Christian orthodoxy, and surprisingly, democracy. Fast forward more than a millennium, and the status of this city on the meanders of the Volkhov River has been elevated to nothing short of mythic. Grand statue works like the Millennium of Russia command the squares (a celebration of 1,000 years since Rurik's arrival); the redbrick walls of the Novgorod Kremlin look down the hillsides; Yaroslav's Court belies the princely history of the place and the Vitoslavlitsy ethnographic museum showcases the town’s old architecture. The zeitgeist of the town however awaits at the glimmering Cathedral of St Sophia, with its gold-topped onion domes, mystical icons and medieval murals from as far back as the 11th century. Velikiy Novgorod tour guides recommend a visit as a great weekend getaway; it sits conveniently on the highway between the two great cities of the modern Russian state; Petersburg in the north and Moscow in the south.