Pskov Oblast.

History

Pskov first appears in the chronicles under the year 903, in the story of Prince Igor of Kiev marrying a local woman who became Saint Olga. In the Middle Ages the city was the capital of the independent Pskov Republic and traded with the Hanseatic League. In 1510 the troops of Vasili III ended its independence and Pskov joined Muscovy. Nearby Izborsk had a fortified settlement as early as the late 8th century. The present oblast was formed on 23 August 1944.

Culture & traditions

The heart of Pskov is the Krom, its kremlin, with the Trinity Cathedral founded in 1138 and rebuilt in the 1690s. The Transfiguration Cathedral of the Mirozhsky Monastery preserves 12th-century frescoes. In 2019 the Churches of the Pskov School of Architecture were added to the UNESCO World Heritage list. The Pskov-Caves Monastery is one of the few Russian monasteries never to have closed, even in Soviet times. Pushkin is buried at the Svyatogorsky Monastery in Pushkinskiye Gory, next to the Mikhailovskoye museum reserve.

Nature

Most of the border with Estonia is formed by Lake Peipus, the largest transboundary lake in Europe, made up of Lake Peipus proper, the Warm Lake and Lake Pskov. It is shallow, no deeper than 15 metres, and rich in fish. On its ice in 1242 Alexander Nevsky's Novgorod troops defeated the Teutonic Knights in the Battle on the Ice. In the south, by the Latvian and Belarusian borders, Sebezhsky National Park has protected lakes, pine and spruce forests, bears, lynx and some two hundred bird species since 1996.

Sport

Outdoor life here revolves mostly around water. Lake Peipus matters not only for commercial fishing but also for recreation and angling, while Sebezhsky National Park invites visitors to lakes and forests home to moose, roe deer and wild boar.

Food & drink

Local food is closely tied to the lake, where perch, pike-perch, bream, roach, whitefish and smelt are caught. Farming in the oblast centres on dairy and beef cattle, and food production is one of the region's main industries.

Practical information

Princess Olga Airport lies 6 km from Pskov and handles domestic flights. The M20 highway between Saint Petersburg and Vitebsk passes near Pushkinskiye Gory. The region is on Moscow time. The climate is humid continental, with winters around −5 °C and summers around 18 °C. The best time to visit is late spring to early autumn, ideal for touring fortresses, monasteries and the Pushkin estates.

What to see

• Pskov Krom — the kremlin and Trinity Cathedral above the Velikaya River
• Mirozhsky Monastery — 12th-century frescoes in its Transfiguration Cathedral
• Pskov-Caves Monastery — caves and fortress walls of a monastery that never closed
• Izborsk — the fortress on Zheravya Hill and Truvor's hillfort
• Mikhailovskoye — Pushkin's estate and the poet's grave at the Svyatogorsky Monastery
• Sebezhsky National Park — lakes and forests where three borders meet

Cities on the map

• Pskov 185,486