Encyclopedia
Pskov is an ancient
city, located in the north-west of
Russia about 20 km east from the
Estonian border, on the river
Velikaya. The city of Pskov serves as the administrative center of
Pskov Oblast. Population: 202,780 .
Early history
The name of the city, originally spelled Pleskov, may be loosely translated as "the town of purling waters". Its earliest mention comes in 903, which records that
Igor of Kiev married a local lady,
St. Olga. Pskovians sometimes take this year as the city's foundation date, and in 2003 a great jubilee took place to celebrate Pskov's 1,100th anniversary.
The first prince of Pskov was
St. Vladimir's younger son Sudislav. Once imprisoned by his brother
Yaroslav, he wasn't released until the latter's death several decades later. In the
12th century and
13th centuries, the town adhered politically to the
Novgorod Republic. In 1241, it was taken by the
Teutonic knights, but
Alexander Nevsky liberated it several months later during a legendary campaign dramatized in
Sergei Eisenstein's 1938
movie.
In order to secure their independence from the knights, the Pskovians elected a converted
Lithuanian prince, named
Dovmont, as their military leader and prince in 1266. Having fortified the town, Dovmont routed the knights at
Rakovor and overran much of Estonia. His remains and sword are preserved in the local
kremlin, and the core of the citadel, erected by him, still bears the name of
Dovmont's town.
Pskovian Republic
By the
14th century, the town functioned as the capital of a
de-facto sovereign republic. Its most powerful force were the merchants who brought the town into the
Hanseatic league. Pskov's independence was formally recognized by Novgorod in 1348. Several years later, the
veche promulgated a law code which was one of the principal sources of the all-Russian law code issued in 1497.
For Russia, the
Pskov Republic was a bridge towards
Europe. For Europe, it was a western outpost of Russia and subject of numerous attacks throughout the history. Unbelievably, the kremlin withstood 26 sieges in the
15th century alone. At one point, five stone walls ringed it, making the city practically impregnable. A local school of
icon-painting flourished, and local masons were considered the best in Russia. Many peculiar features of
Russian architecture were first introduced in Pskov.
Finally, in 1510, the city fell to
Muscovite forces. The deportation of noble families to
Moscow is a subject of
Rimsky-Korsakov's
opera Pskovityanka . As the second largest city of Muscovy, Pskov still attracted enemy armies. Most famously, it withstood
a prolonged siege by 50,000-strong
Polish army during the final stage of the Livonian War . The Polish king
Stefan Batory undertook some 31 attacks to storm the city, which was defended mainly by civilians. Even after one of the city walls was broken, the Pskovians managed to fill the gap and repel the attack. "It's amazing how the city reminds me of Paris", wrote one of the Frenchmen present at Batory's siege.
Modern history
Peter the Great's annexation of
Estonia and
Latvia in the early 18th century spelled the end of Pskov's traditional role as a vital border fortress and a key to Russia's interior. As a consequence, the city's importance and well-being declined dramatically, although it has served as a capital of separate government since 1777. It was here that the last Russian
tsar abdicated in March 1917.
During
World War I Pskov became the center of much activity behind the lines, and after the Russo-German
Brest-Litovsk Peace Conference , in the winter of 1917–1918, the
Imperial German Army invaded the area.
The medieval citadel provided little protection against modern artillery, and during
World War II Pskov suffered substantial damage during the
German occupation from July 9, 1941 until July 23, 1944. Many ancient buildings, particularly churches, suffered destruction before the
Wehrmacht could occupy the city. Though a huge portion of the population died during the war, Pskov has since struggled to regain its traditional position as a major industrial and cultural centre of Western Russia.
Landmarks and sights
Pskov still preserves much of its medieval walls, built from the 13th century on. The Krom, or medieval
citadel, looks as impressive as ever. Within its walls rises the 256-foot-tall Trinity Cathedral, founded in 1138 and rebuilt in the 1690s. The
cathedral contains the tombs of saint princes Vsevolod and Dovmont . Other ancient cathedrals adorn the Mirozhsky abbey , St. John's , and the Snetogorsky monastery .
Pskov is exceedingly rich in tiny, squat, picturesque churches, dating mainly from the 15th and the
16th centuries. There are many dozens of them, the most notable being St. Basil's on the Hill , St. Kozma and Demian's near the Bridge , St. George's from the Downhill , Assumption from the Ferryside , and St. Nicholas' from Usokha . The 17th-century residential architecture is represented by merchant
mansions, such as the Salt House, the Pogankin chambers, and the Trubinsky mansion.
Among the sights in the vicinity of Pskov are Izborsk, a seat of
Rurik's brother in the 9th century and one of the most formidable fortresses of medieval Russia; the
Pskov Monastery of the Caves, the oldest continually functioning monastery in Russia and a magnet for pilgrims from all over the country; the 16th-century Krypetsky Monastery; Elizarovo Monastery, which used to be a great cultural and literary centre of medieval Russia; and Mikhailovskoe, a family nest of
Alexander Pushkin where he wrote some of the best known lines in the
Russian language. The national poet of Russia is buried in the ancient cloister at the Holy Mountains nearby. Unfortunately, the area presently has only a very minimal
tourist infrastructure, and the historic core of Pskov requires serious investments to realize its great tourist potential.
Sister cities
Pskov is twinned with the following cities:
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