The first capital of Rus' is old. Staraya Ladoga is the ancient capital of Rus'. From the history of Staraya Ladoga

Staraya Ladoga- until 1704 - the city of Ladoga. A village in the Volkhov district of the Leningrad region. One of the oldest settlements in Russia, whose history goes back more than 1250 years, the ancient capital of Northern Rus'. Located on the left bank of the river. Volkhov. From Moscow - in a straight line - 567 km.

The population as of 2016 is 2,008 people.

Founded in 753.

The only one among the most ancient Russian cities, the history of which goes far into the past, even before the appearance of Rus' itself.

The oldest known buildings - production and ship repair workshops on the Zemlyanoy settlement, according to dendrochronology, were erected from logs cut down before 753.

Since the 780s, beads have been boiled in Ladoga using Arab low-temperature technology. “Eyes”, that is, eyed beads, are the first Russian money. Ladoga residents bought furs for them. And the furs were sold to Arab merchants for full silver dirhams.

Ladoga was the original residence of Rurik and Oleg for several years, and then the official political center of Northern Rus' was moved by them to the predecessor of Novgorod - Rurik's settlement.

When the daughter of the Swedish king, Princess Ingigerda, married the Novgorod prince Yaroslav the Wise in 1019, she received as a dowry the city of Aldeigyuborg (Old Ladoga) with adjacent lands, which have since received the name Ingria.

In 1116, Ladoga mayor Pavel founded a stone fortress.

Among the frequent attacks of the Swedes on Ladoga, the siege of 1164 was remembered for its heroic defense. Then the townspeople themselves burned their houses in the settlement and locked themselves in the fortress. The Ladoga residents repelled the assault and, when help arrived from Novgorod, they drove the enemy away.

It was especially difficult for the residents of Ladoga during the Time of Troubles. In 1610, Ladoga was captured by a French mercenary who was in the Swedish service, Pierre Delaville. On next year The French were knocked out, but in the fall of 1611 the Swedes occupied it. Apparently, the population left the city en masse, because a source from 1614 noted, “there are no Russian people in Ladoga.”
In 1617, under the terms of the Stolbovo Peace Treaty, the Swedes left Ladoga, but by this time it was completely ruined.

In 1704, Peter I founded Novaya Ladoga at the mouth of the Volkhov and renamed Ladoga “Old Ladoga”, depriving it of the status of a city and the right to have its own coat of arms, and ordered many Ladoga residents to move to live in Novaya Ladoga. It is difficult to say what motivated Pyotr Alekseevich; perhaps his dislike for the Swedes had an effect.

The only historical event of a political nature happened only in 1718, when the Ladoga Assumption Monastery became a place of imprisonment (until 1725) for the former queen and first wife of Peter I, Evdokia Fedorovna Lopukhina.

Staraya Ladoga is the first capital of Ancient Rus', an important point on the path “from the Varangians to the Greeks.” It was here that the Varangian prince Rurik was invited in 862, giving rise to the Rurik dynasty, which ruled Russia for the next eight centuries.

The Staraya Ladoga fortress stands at the confluence of the Ladozhka River and the Volkhov.

The first buildings of Staraya Ladoga - ship repair workshops - date back to the mid-8th century. That settlement consisted of only a few courtyards and was probably destroyed by the Slovenes in the 760s.

In 882, the Prophetic Oleg built the first stone-earth fortress, with the emergence of which Ladoga (that’s what the city was called until 1703) turned from a small craft settlement into a large trading city. This fortress was destroyed in 997 by the Norwegian Earl Eric.

The new stone fortress was founded by the Ladoga mayor Pavel in 1116, and for a long time played a vital role on the sea route through the Volkhov.

Ladoga remained a city until 1703, when Peter I founded Novaya Ladoga at the mouth of the Volkhov. Ladoga was renamed Staraya Ladoga and deprived of city status and the right to have its own coat of arms.

Some of the fortress walls were badly damaged in the past. Now they are slowly being reconstructed in a modern way. This is what the fortress looks like from the surrounding vegetable gardens of local residents.

View of the fortress courtyard through the bars of the Gate Tower.

Church of Demetrius of Thessalonica. The temple was first mentioned in 1646 as a “sovereign building”. Its rebuilt version from 1731 has miraculously survived to this day.

St. George's Church. Built around the 12th century. It is considered the oldest stone structure preserved in the Russian north.

View of the fortress courtyard from the Arrow Tower.

Once upon a time there was a gate with a descent to the river, where, most likely, there was a pier.

Gate tower. There is a local history museum inside.

Old fortress masonry.

The first tier of the Switch Tower.

Ruins of the Rolling Tower. The structure of the walls is clearly visible: inside there are boulders, outside there are hewn blocks of limestone.

Next to the stone fortress is the Zemlyanoye Settlement, another ancient fortification discovered during archaeological excavations. It is believed that this part of the fortress arose at the end of the 16th century.

The system of earthen ramparts has been preserved.

The settlement itself is densely overgrown with trees. Of interest are only the picturesque remains of several residential buildings.

View of the fortress from the Zemlyanoy settlement.

In addition to the fortress itself, there are several other interesting places in Staraya Ladoga.

According to legend, the founding of the monastery on this site was associated with the victory of Alexander Nevsky in the Battle of Neva in 1240, in which, among others, a detachment of Ladoga residents took part.

Everything inside the monastery is in a rather deplorable state.

Ivanovo Monastery

The Church of the Nativity of John the Baptist, located on Malysheva Gora, is the only building that remains from the monastery that was once located here.

Novaya Ladoga

About ten kilometers from Staraya Ladoga is Novaya Ladoga, a small city founded by Peter I at the confluence of the Volkhov River and Lake Ladoga.

I found two attractions here that deserve attention.

The first is the picturesquely overgrown Church of the Savior Not Made by Hands.

The second is an incomprehensibly neat building of a Soviet grocery store from the 1950s that has survived to this day.

In the Volkhov district of the Leningrad region there is an ancient village - Staraya Ladoga. Until 1704, when it was built, it was simply called Ladoga. Ladoga is the first capital of Rus'. In 2008, I had the opportunity to work here under the guidance of Professor Anatoly Nikolaevich Kirpichnikov.

It is the feeling of native antiquity that fills you when looking at Staraya Ladoga. Something is not remembered in the painting of Ladoga motifs, and yet how much beautiful and typical can be taken out of this forgotten corner - a fragment of antiquity, accidentally preserved among the surrounding garbage, and how easy and convenient it is to do it.

— Nicholas Roerich “On the way from the Varangians to the Greeks”

Gostomysl and Rurik

Many historians believe that Ladoga was the first capital of Rus': Rurik ruled here in 862-865, and then moved to. The Ipatiev list of the Tale of Bygone Years says: “ And the first one came to the Slovenes and cut down the city of Ladoga and Rurik became grayer than the elders in Ladoga". According to some sources - the Joachim Chronicle, the Novgorod Chronicles of the 15th century, “The Tale of Sloven and Rus and the City of Slovensk” of the 17th century and others, Rurik was the grandson of the elder of the Ilmen Slovenes Gostomysl.

Old Ladoga inspired the artist Nicholas Roerich to create famous painting“Overseas Guests” (1901, State Tretyakov Gallery, Moscow). The fortress depicted in the upper right corner of the picture is correlated by some researchers of the artist’s work with the fortress, discovered and explored by archaeologists only in the second half of the 20th - early 21st centuries

According to legend, the son of Burivoy was a wise ruler and a brave warrior. Gostomysl's four sons died in infancy or were killed in battle; Only three daughters survived, who were married to the rulers of neighboring countries. Finding himself without male heirs, one day in a dream Gostomysl saw that from the womb of his middle daughter Umila a huge tree had grown, covering a huge city with its branches. The sorcerers invited to interpret the dream decided that the next ruler would be Umila’s son Rurik.

Gostomysl died a very old man in 844. He was buried on Volotovo Field near Veliky Novgorod. As V.N. Tatishchev writes, after the death of Gostomysl, at the call “the elders of the earth from the Slavs, Rus', Chud, Vesi, Mers, Krivichi and Dryagovichi” Rurik appeared with two brothers - Sineus and Truvor. Rurik first reigned in Ladoga, and then moved to, reigned in, and Sineus reigned in Beloozero.

Gostomysl is not mentioned in the oldest Russian chronicles, so not all researchers consider it historical figure. However, his name is mentioned in the Xanten and Fulda annals, according to which Gostomysl was the leader of the West Slavic tribe of Wends and died in 844 in a battle against King Louis II of Germany.

Gostomysl, modern painting

There are many ambiguities and Rurik. A number of researchers identify Rurik with the “ulcer of Christianity” king Rorik of Jutland(Hrørek, d. before 882), who was in the service of the Carolingians, the ruler of Dorestad and a number of Frisian lands in 841-873. Supporters of the anti-Norman theory believe that Rurik came from Rügen Islands(cf. Buyan Island from Russian fairy tales) and came from the princely family of the West Slavic tribes of the Obodrits, Ruyans and Pomeranians. There are also those who consider Rurik to be a fictional character.

The sculpture “Attacking Falcon”, a symbol of Staraya Ladoga. Falcon is a totemic symbol of the Rurik dynasty, often found as heraldic symbol in culture Eastern Slavs. An attacking falcon, its appearance reminiscent of a trident, is depicted on the coat of arms of Staraya Ladoga

The place of Rurik’s death also remains unclear. According to one version, he died in 879 in Novgorod. But in (in the past - Korela) I happened to see a stone with a carved inscription that Rurik died in.

Rurik was the son Oleg, nicknamed Prophetic, Prince of Novgorod in 879-912, Grand Duke of Kiev in 882-912. According to the Novgorod Chronicle, he was buried near Staraya Ladoga in . However, the Tale of Bygone Years reports that he was buried in Kyiv on Mount Shchekovitsa. In 1820, the mound of Prophetic Oleg was opened using the “well” method. They found only a dart, charcoal and a piece of iron similar to a lock bolt. The funeral items themselves were not found in this or many other mounds.

Monument to Rurik and the Prophetic Oleg in Staraya Ladoga. Installed on September 12, 2015, sculptor Oleg Shorov

Origin of the name "Ladoga"

According to one version, the name “Ladoga” arose from the Ladozhka River flowing into the Volkhov. A fortress was erected at their confluence, which is sometimes called “Rurik’s castle.” Then this name spread to the entire Lake Ladoga. Most likely, the name of the river comes from the Finnish hydronym Alode-jogi (joki), which means "Lower River".

According to another version, the Scandinavians called this city Aldeigya, further - Aldeigjuborg, which over time transformed into the word “Ladoga”. Lake Ladoga was called in those days Aldek, Alda, Aldagen, Aldoga.

In the past, the water level in Lake Ladoga and, accordingly, in Volkhov and Ladozhka was higher than it is now.

History of Staraya Ladoga

Old Ladoga stands on the banks of the Volkhov, at the crossroads of several trade routes. The routes “from the Varangians to the Greeks” and “from the Varangians to the Arabs” went through it, as well as the route from Sweden through the Ladoga region to the Urals.

The area around Staraya Ladoga was developed back in the 4th-2nd millennium BC, during the Neolithic and Early Metal Ages. Life here never stopped. From the first centuries of our era, Finno-Ugric peoples settled in these areas, then Balts, Slavs, and Scandinavians. Thus, in, located on the other bank of the Volkhov almost opposite Staraya Ladoga, traces of Chud inhabitants of the 3rd-4th centuries were discovered (dated by radiocarbon dating, as well as individual finds from the Early Iron Age era).

According to dendrochronology data, the age of the first buildings in Ladoga dates back to 753 and earlier, up to 700. Apparently, they were erected by people from Northern Europe, Scandinavians, as evidenced by objects of material culture discovered during archaeological excavations. The archaeological season of 2010 brought interesting discoveries: under the cultural layer of one of the excavations, traces of ancient arable land were discovered, which dates back to the 6th century (radiocarbon).

In the 760s, the Ilmen Slovenes came to the southern Ladoga region. The fire that destroyed the Lyubsha fortress indicates that their arrival in these places was not peaceful.

Artistic reconstruction of an archaeological site. Museum-Reserve "Old Ladoga"

The settlement of the 8th-9th centuries occupied an area of ​​10-12 hectares. There were burial mounds around. One of them is Norman in tract Plakun on the opposite bank of the Volkhov. The second one is on the same bank, in Sopki tract. There were others too. Probably these mounds, clearly visible from the water, were objects of worship for dead ancestors.

The main occupation of the population was trade and related crafts. Back in the 780s, the production of eye beads using Arab low-temperature technology—the first Russian money—was established. In the 10th century, you could buy a slave or slave for such a “peephole”. There was an intense exchange on the banks of the Volkhov: furs were supplied from Scandinavia, which local residents sold to the Arabs for silver dirhams. This is evidenced by numerous finds of Arab coins and even entire treasures, the earliest of which dates back to 786.

Ancient beads, finds of the Staraya Ladoga archaeological expedition, archaeological season 2008

In the first third of the 9th century, Ladoga became the center of a large early state formation (Russian Kaganate, Ladoga Rus), which, along with Khazaria, was the largest Eurasian economic partner, trading along the Great Volga (“from the Varangians to the Khazars”) and the Dnieper (“from the Varangians to the Greeks”) ") ways. Around Ladoga, points arose for the inspection of cargo and collection of tribute, as well as fortified settlements, “small towns,” one of which was the already mentioned Lyubshanskaya fortress, and the other was fortifications in the area of ​​​​the village of Duboviki (now the New Duboviki microdistrict in Volkhov). Under Rurik and Oleg, economic ties of Ladoga are expanding significantly.

The attacking falcon is a unique find of the Staraya Ladoga archaeological expedition, season 2008, layer of the second half of the 10th century

Under Rurik, in Staraya Ladoga, to protect against Varangian raids and control trade routes, a wooden fortress was built on the cape formed by the confluence of Ladozhka and Volkhov. In 882 Oleg “starting to build cities”, that is, a stone fortress.

In Zemlyanoy Gorod, adjacent to the fortress from the south, in the layers of the 9th-10th centuries, remains were discovered large merchant houses. In 2008, I was just working on the excavations of one of them, the so-called “Viking house”. The house was at least 17 meters long and 10 meters wide, oriented along a west-east line. It consisted of a central heated room and a gallery adjacent to it along the perimeter.

The walls of the main part of the house had a frame-and-post structure. It was assembled from horizontally placed logs or blocks with a diameter of 20-25 cm, which fit into the grooves of pillars with a diameter of up to 45 cm. The distance between the pillars was 2.88 - 3.07 meters along the long side and 3.8 meters along the end side. The gable roof was supported on these pillars. In the western part of the central room there was a rectangular hearth measuring 1.2 x 3.6 meters, made of large limestone slabs. The floor was made from recycled ship planks. The area of ​​the heated room was approximately 104 sq.m. (8 x 13 meters).

The warm room was surrounded on four sides by a gallery, 1 meter wide on three sides and 3 meters wide on the end. The total area of ​​the house was about 175 sq.m.

Large house of the 9th-10th centuries in Staraya Ladoga, excavation in 2008. Fragment of the central heated room and gallery

Large house of the 9th-10th centuries in Staraya Ladoga, excavation in 2008

In the summer of 2018, I visited (Leningrad region) and was able to see the reconstruction of a house similar to which I had to dig 10 years ago.

Reconstruction of a large house in the Björkagard Viking Age Living History Museum in Berezovo (under construction)

The Norwegian Earl Eirik, who attacked Ladoga in 997, destroyed the stone fortress and the fan-shaped settlement surrounding it. There was a threat of constant raids from the Swedes, Danes and Norwegians. Therefore, in 1000, on the site of the destroyed fortress, construction of a new wood-earth fortress began.

In 1019, Yaroslav the Wise married Princess Ingigerda (baptized Irina), daughter of the Swedish king Olaf Shotkonung. Ladoga and the adjacent territories came into her possession. Since then, these lands began to be called Ingria (land of Ingigerda). In the lower reaches of the Volkhov, a Russian-Norman jarlship was formed, occupying vast territories, whose tasks included the defense of the northern borders of Rus'. After Irina's death in 1050, the Swedes refused to return Ingermanland and had to be recaptured by force. From that time on, the territory became disputed; the Swedes and the peoples subordinate to them (in particular, the Finns) more than once raided Ladoga.

The 12th century was marked by the rise of stone construction in Staraya Ladoga. It becomes one of the largest military-defense, trade and craft centers of Northern Rus'. In 1114, Prince Mstislav the Great and Ladoga mayor Pavel laid the foundation for a new stone fortress. The height of its walls reached 8 meters, the thickness was about 3 meters. The walls, made of limestone flagstone, fastened with cement mortar, stood “on the fill” - bulk soil. Some of the walls from that time have survived to this day.

The wall of the Ladoga fortress, facing Volkhov with the dilapidated Secret Tower. The “trading arch” for lifting water and cargo has been preserved. 12th century

In the second quarter of the 12th century, power in the city passed to the Novgorodians. As in Novgorod, urban areas - “ends” - appeared in Ladoga. By 1500 there were six of them, named after nearby churches: fortress, Nikolsky, Klimentovsky, Spassky, Simeonovsky and Bogoroditsky. Since that time, Ladoga has been reoriented from Eurasian to Baltic trade, trading with the countries of Northern and Western Europe.

In the second quarter of the 12th century it was built Church of the Assumption Holy Mother of God - the first stone church in Staraya Ladoga. Whether it existed at that time is unknown. Also built in the 12th century St. Nicholas Cathedral, the remains of which were discovered under the existing 17th-century Cathedral of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker in the St. Nicholas Monastery.

In 1153 a stone foundation was laid in Ladoga Church of Clement Pope, in 1161 - Church of the Savior Not Made by Hands. Both of them were destroyed during the Time of Troubles, then restored and in the 18th century moved to Novaya Ladoga.

In May 1164, the Swedes again attacked Ladoga. They arrived here on 55 ships. Despite the tenfold superiority of the attackers' forces over the fortress garrison, the defenders of Ladoga and the Novgorodians who came to their aid were able to capture 43 enemy ships. This is how this campaign against Rus' ended ingloriously.

In memory of this event, an elegant four-pillar Church of St. George, a striking example of ancient Russian pre-Mongol architecture. Inside, frescoes from the 12th century have been preserved, including “The Miracle of George on the Serpent.” In July 1240, 19-year-old Prince Alexander Yaroslavich, on the way to the mouth of the Izhora, prayed in this temple and consecrated his sword before the battle with the Swedes and their allies. After the victory in that battle, Prince Alexander received the nickname “Nevsky”.

Summer Church of St. George (late 12th century) and warm wooden Church of Demetrius of Thessalonica (1901) in the Ladoga Fortress

Fresco "The Miracle of George on the Serpent", photocopy in the Church of Demetrius of Thessalonica

On the way back, in the church founded, according to legend, by Alexander Nevsky, funeral services were held for the dead.

The area of ​​Ladoga Posad by that time was 14-15 hectares. Until the 14th century, Ladoga remained the northernmost trading and port city of Rus', protecting the northern borders of the Novgorod Republic. In 1313, the Swedes managed to briefly capture Ladoga. The next assault on the fortress took place in 1338.

At the end of the 14th - beginning of the 15th centuries, active construction of new monasteries, renovation and expansion of old ones began in Ladoga: John the Baptist on Malysheva Mountain, Uspensky, Simeonovsky, Vasilyevsky, Nikolsky. At the mouth of the Volkhov, where Peter I early XVII In the 1st century, New Ladoga will be founded, the Nikolo-Medvedsky (Nikolo-Medvedovsky) monastery will be built.

Restored section of the fortress wall and restored corner turnout tower

At the end of the 15th century, Ladoga, together with Novgorod, became part of the Moscow kingdom. In 1495, due to the spread of firearms, the fortress was rebuilt taking into account new realities. Five towers were erected from huge boulders (Klimentovskaya, Vorotnaya, Tainichnaya, Strelochnaya and Raskatnaya), which were lined with cut stone and flagstone. The thickness of their walls at the base reached 9 meters. The towers had several tiers of battle. In plan, the fortress was in the form of an elongated pentagon, repeating the original layout.

Despite its remoteness from Moscow, Ladoga continued to actively develop. In 1568, there were 126 households and over 1,100 inhabitants. The area of ​​the city was more than 18 hectares, about 70% of which were occupied by vegetable gardens. The main occupations of the townspeople were crafts, trade and fishing, and their secondary occupations were gardening.

Square Second house on the left - former house merchant P.V. Kalyazin, now the Archaeological Museum. Behind it is the house of merchant A.V. Kalyazin. Varyazhskaya Street, the oldest in Russia, appears between them in the 9th-10th centuries.

In 1570, a dark time began for Ladoga: oprichnina, famine, epidemics. In just two years, from 1570 to 1572, more than 2/3 of the households were lost. Part of the population died, others became impoverished, and others fled in search of better places. In 1580, 1581, 1582 and 1583, the Swedish king Johan III, considering the Russian kingdom an easy prey, appeared at the walls of Ladoga. And although he was unable to take the city itself, the entire area was burned and destroyed by his troops. Monasteries especially suffered.

In 1584-1585, to the south of the stone fortress, the Earthen City was built from wood and earth, which had three bastions. Apparently, this was one of the first fortresses of the bastion system in Russia. On a four-meter earthen rampart stood an oak palisade with three towers: Naugolnaya, Berezhnaya and Nadvratnaya. The stone citadel was further strengthened.

The Time of Troubles was especially difficult for Ladoga. In 1610, it was captured by the French expeditionary force of Jacob Delagardie. In January 1614, Ladoga was occupied by the Swedish regiment of Josper Kruus. After the conclusion of the Treaty of Stolbovo in 1617, Ladoga became part of Russia, but for almost a century it became a frontier - the border with Sweden was 40 kilometers away.

In 1617, Ladoga was a sad sight: only 35 inhabitants, 24 households. Six monasteries existing at that time were completely destroyed, and churches were destroyed. Only the St. George and Assumption churches survived. The city “ends” also disappeared. In fact, the city had to be populated and rebuilt. The Ladoga fortress, which stood without a roof, began to rot and collapse. In the middle of the century, it was redecorated; holes in the stone walls and towers were patched with wood.

Staraya Ladoga Fortress in 2008, before the reconstruction of the section of the wall between the Gate and Strelochnaya towers

Construction is gradually resuming in Ladoga. In 1695, on Malysheva Mountain, on the site of previous buildings, a five-domed stone Church of John the Baptist with the chapel of Paraskeva Friday.

Opposite the Ladoga Fortress, it is being rebuilt (now Vasilyevsky Pogost) in the village of Chernavino, abolished in 1764.

Vasilievsky Pogost in Chernavino: the Church of St. Basil of Caesarea (1686) and the Transfiguration Church (1871)

In the second half of the 17th century it was restored and rebuilt. In 1668, the four-pillar Cathedral of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker was rebuilt and consecrated there.

Nikolsky Monastery, view from Vasilyevsky Pogost

In 1702, after failure at Narva, Peter decides to take the Noteburg fortress () on Lake Ladoga. The Ladoga Fortress is being strengthened, Zemlyanoy City is being reconstructed. In August, over 16,000 soldiers moved from Ladoga along the old highway towards Lake Ladoga.

After the capture and founding of St. Petersburg, the border moved far to the west. Ladoga lost its military and economic significance. In 1704, at the mouth of the Volkhov near the Nikolo-Medvedsky Monastery, Peter I founded. Ladoga, which received the prefix “Old,” lost its status as a city and lost its coat of arms.

In 1718, Evdokia Lopukhina, the disgraced first wife of Peter I, was transferred from to. In 1754, the first wife of great-grandfather A.S. Pushkin, also Evdokia, became a prisoner of the Assumption Monastery.

In the 18th century, Staraya Ladoga turned into a quiet village with a measured flow of life. A whole necklace of estates and estates arose around it. Thanks to the efforts of the hero of the War of 1812, landowner Alexei Romanovich Tomilov (1779-1848), Staraya Ladoga turned into one of the centers of the arts. In his estate "Uspenskoe" in the very center of Staraya Ladoga, he collected a rich collection of sculpture and painting. The guests of “Uspensky” were many creative people, including O.A. Kiprensky, I.K. Aivazovsky, N.K. Roerich, B.M. Kustodiev. In 1917, Tomilov's collection was transferred by his heirs to the Russian Museum. The manor house burned down in 1928; only the former service house survived.

The construction of the Nikolaevskaya railway, which connected St. Petersburg and Moscow, caused enormous damage to the economy of Staraya Ladoga, which was cut off from trade and transport routes. The atmosphere of that time is well conveyed by the painting of the Itinerant artist Vasily Maksimovich Maksimov (1844-1911), who depicted his mother-in-law Nadezhda Konstantinovna Izmailova and the fading Lyubsha estate near the Vasilievsky churchyard and the seemingly forever forgotten Lyubsha fortress.

Vasily Maksimov. “Everything is in the Past”, 1889. Oil on canvas. State Tretyakov Gallery, Moscow

During the Great Patriotic War Staraya Ladoga becomes front-line: from 1941 to 1943, the front line was only 15 kilometers from it. The village was subjected to constant German bombing. The local population was evacuated. Separate military formations of the 54th Army of the Volkhov Front were located in Staraya Ladoga. Aviation workshops for the repair of English aircraft supplied to the USSR under lend-lease were opened in the Nikolsky Monastery. A rest home for the flight personnel of the 4th Guards Fighter Regiment and various services were organized in the Assumption Monastery. In the spring of 1942, Staraya Ladoga collective farms began to grow vegetables for supplies to besieged Leningrad.

Staraya Ladoga made an indelible impression on me. I've never seen this before small area in a very quiet place there is such a concentration of ancient monuments. During the archaeological expedition in 2008, we were able to “touch a lot with our hands” and touch more than a thousand years of history.

I came to Staraya Ladoga again in 2018, during the big one. New experience, new knowledge appeared. Over the past time, I have visited almost all of North-West Russia. Thousands of kilometers behind you Russian roads. The entire complex, tragic history of our country began to gradually take shape into a single picture. Staraya Ladoga gave me a lot in this regard. The ancient capital of Rus'. And that's it.

Literature:

• Kirpichnikov A.N., Sarabyanov V.D. Old Ladoga. The ancient capital of Rus'. St. Petersburg, 2013
• Kirpichnikov A.N., Gubchevskaya L.A.. Staraya Ladoga. History and sights. St. Petersburg, 2015
• Ryabinin E.A. Report on field research of the Lyubshan settlement in 1999
• Kasatkin V.V. Ladoga lake. Three fortresses, two monasteries, one city. 2017

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At the beginning of the 12th century, the ancient Russian chronicler wrote: “And Rurik, the oldest in Ladoga,” dated this event to 862.

RURIK was born in 780, died in 879.

RURIK united two Slavic-Russian lines; on the side of the father - the prince of the Bodrichi Slavs Godlav (or Godoslav) and on the side of the mother, Umila - the daughter of the Novgorod prince Gostomysl.

RURIK - a descendant of the famous Novgorod prince Slaven, created a new state - Rus'.

In the middle of the 9th century in the territory of Eastern Europe A new Slavic state emerged, which went down in history under the name Rus.

Around the core of the important trade route “from the Varangians to the Greeks,” East Slavic tribal unions united, large cities arose and took a dominant position.

The first capital of Rus' was the city of Staraya Ladoga.

Staraya Ladoga is an ancient city and fortress, founded in 753, already in the middle of the 9th century. was an important trade and craft center mentioned in chronicles. Twelve centuries of Russian history and art are concentrated in the heritage of Staraya Ladoga. About 160 monuments of architecture, art and archeology have been preserved here.

In 2002, V. Putin signed a decree “On the celebration of the 1250th anniversary of the founding of the village of Staraya Ladoga,” thanks to which Staraya Ladoga received the status of the economic and cultural capital of Northern Rus'.

Historically, the mother of Russian cities is Staraya Ladoga. It was here, in this village (and then it was the city of Ladoga) that Russian statehood was born, here were the world trade routes “from the Varangians to the Greeks”, “from the Varangians to the Arabs”, here the great cultures of the East and West met and here our current state became Russia.

It is here, along Volkhov, along Ladoga northern peoples traded with the south - there was no other way. And it was here that a united Russia was born. The Presidential Decree on the celebration of the 1250th anniversary of Staraya Ladoga was preceded by the painstaking work of historians and archaeologists, who proved that the year of the founding of Ladoga, conventionally determined as 753 after a study of the logs used in the construction of the city, can be called a unique starting point for the history of Russian statehood.

The location for the city was very convenient - Ladoga was placed on the banks of the mighty Volkhov, not far from its confluence with Lake Ladoga. According to one legend, the name of the river is associated with the beautiful and courageous Prince Volkhv, the son of the Grand Duke of the Ilmen Slavs, Sloven. In the old days, the current Volkhov was sometimes called Volkhova. On Old Slavonic language“Volkhv” means “Alder” and, therefore, Volkhov can be translated as “Alder River”. Until now, the coastal waters of the wayward and rapids river, originating in Lake Ilmen, shower the catkins of these trees. Our pagan ancestors also called magicians and sorcerers who served their numerous gods as Magi.

There were also women among the gods. The goddess of fertility Mother Rozhanitsa named Lada was very revered. Here is another version about the origin of the names of the lake, the city, and the land itself. Maybe this name came from the root “lad”? It is familiar and loved to our Slavic ears. It is always more pleasant to live in harmony with your neighbors and yourself. In our everyday life we ​​often find the words “establish”, “get along”, “okay”. And our great-grandmothers addressed their beloved husbands as “Lado,” and they, in turn, called their beloved “Lada.”

There are a few more words about the origin of the name Ladoga. They are in legends and traditions that still live on our land and are passed on from generation to generation. They are shrouded in legends historical events, specific people. And each of us is free to choose one or the other depending on our interests, views and even the momentary state of mind. The Ladoga land hides many more secrets from us: about our origin, about why our ancestors were called “Rus” or “Rus”. History was often rewritten to please the ruling authorities. It may very well be that we will still be surprised by the discoveries of Russian historians and their foreign colleagues. It was Ladoga that gave a new name to Lake Nevo, which the Finns called the Russian Sea. Today on all maps of the world this is Lake Ladoga. And it is absolutely certain that from the beginning of its existence Ladoga became the center of many Slavic and Finnish tribes. In it, our ancestors met the Scandinavians and other inhabitants of Europe. These were artisans, warriors, merchants, travelers, and settlers. Slavic Ladoga can rightly be called a city of international culture, a city where conflicts based on national prejudices have almost never arisen. About meeting here different peoples and culture, is convincingly proven by the finds of both individuals and archaeological expeditions. Shell coins and silver coins of Arab origin from the 7th century, i.e., from the pre-Rurik period, were found. The finds of the 70s of the 20th century tell about the prosperity of blacksmithing and jewelry art. Ship rivets, women's jewelry, jewelry hammers, anvils, and tongs were discovered in the excavation - all this speaks of the life of a civilized society. And this was also before Rurik came to Ladoga!

The works of archaeologists and historians convincingly prove that it was from Ladoga that Rus' moved along the waterways from the “Varangians to the Greeks” and from the “Varangians to the Arabs.”

Ladoga stood and stands in the same place that was pointed out in the first century after the Nativity of Christ as the site of the future city St. Apostle Andrew the First-Called, who traveled through our lands. The names of many exiled Norwegian kings are associated with the city on the Volkhov; here they found hospitality and the opportunity to prepare for the return of the crown.

It is known for certain that it was Rurik who would lay the stone fortress in Ladoga - a powerful defensive structure. The fortress stood on a cape where the Ladozhka River flows into the Volkhov. Until the beginning of the 18th century it was rebuilt and strengthened. From the 15th century to the mid-18th century, the St. George Walled Monastery existed in it. The monks of the monastery were also warriors.

The last time the Ladoga Fortress took part in hostilities was in 1701. And after Russia’s victory in the Northern War, it lost its military significance. The garrison abandoned the fortress, and it was forgotten for almost two centuries. Interest in Staraya Ladoga and its monuments arose at the end of the 19th century. The Russian Archaeological Society began a survey of ancient buildings. Archaeological work is carried out in Staraya Ladoga to this day. Every summer, an expedition led by Professor A.N. works in the now small village. Kirpichnikov. And every year new pages of the history of our first capital open.

Sopki tract. Under the largest mound lies a relative of Prince Rurik - Oleg. From us he received a mystical prefix - Prophetic (maybe it is connected with his victories and his foresight). He often visited Ladoga. He came here after the victorious completion of his next, but, alas, last campaign against Constantinople. And here he “received death from his horse.” The magicians predicted Oleg’s death not in battle or from old age, but from his beloved horse. The prince ordered to send the horse from Kyiv to Ladoga with the order to constantly take care of his beloved comrade-in-arms, with whom he participated in more than one battle. What happened next is known: upon returning from the campaign, having learned that the horse had died, the prince decided to look at its remains, a snake crawled out of the horse’s skull and... “the suddenly stung prince cried out.” Oleg the Prophet was buried on the steep bank of the Volkhov. A huge mound rose above the burial site. Even its modern size is impressive. Next to this grave there are several more mounds, albeit smaller ones. There are warriors there too.

Dying in 879, Rurik entrusted Oleg with raising his young son Igor until he came of age. Oleg kept little Igor in Ladoga. During the 32 years of Prince Igor's reign of Russia, Ladoga supplied him with soldiers, money, and equipment. Already at a very serious age, Igor and Olga in Ladoga had son Svyatoslav, future great warrior of Rus', orphaned in childhood (we all know the fate of Prince Igor and the name of his widow Olga, who temporarily became the ruler of Rus' with her young son). In Ladoga, Olga prepared her son for the future glorious reign, sharing her own state experience, talking about her predecessors - Oleg and Rurik.

Not far from Oleg’s grave, the labyrinths of Ladoga underground passages begin. People's memory claims that in one of the distant caves the legendary Prince Rurik sleeps on chains in a golden coffin. That his cave is filled with gold and jewels.

Staraya Ladoga is a small village in the Leningrad region with a great past.

If you are going to St. Petersburg for school holidays, then choose a time to visit Staraya Ladoga. The beauty of these places is certainly worth it, and so is the history... Staraya Ladoga is a small village in the Leningrad region with a great past; it was once one of the ten largest Russian cities. Today, it is distinguished from other villages by the ancient fortress standing on the high bank of the Volkhov, and several ancient monasteries and churches beyond its borders.

From the history of Staraya Ladoga

Staraya Ladoga is one of the oldest cities in Russia, first mentioned in 862. The chronicle tells about the calling of three Varangian brothers to reign in Rus': “And he chose three brothers from his birth and came to the glorious first and cut down the city of Ladoga and the oldest in Ladoz, Rurik.” It turns out that Staraya Ladoga, along with Kiev and Moscow, should be considered one of the capitals of Rus'. True, she remained in this capacity for a very short time. Geographical position Staraya Ladoga was very profitable. It is located at that point on the route from the “Varyags to the Greeks”, which is almost impossible to bypass. Even if the merchants sailed to the Volga through the Svir River, their path still lay along the southern shore of Lake Ladoga, that is, past Staraya Ladoga. Staraya Ladoga was shopping center. The elder Rurik understood this and planned the construction of fortifications in these places. On the other hand, this place was poorly suited to control the Slavs, that is, to fulfill the task assigned to Rurik. It is very far from the banks of the Volkhov to the central regions of the country - to Kyiv, Murom, Polotsk, Rostov. Apparently this was the reason for Rurik’s move to Novgorod.
And yet, the city quickly developed and grew rich. In 1144, construction of a stone Kremlin began here, and 20 years later the warlike Swedes sailed here on 55 ships. Local residents burned their houses and took refuge behind the wall. An interesting fact is that the wall was not only built over a cliff to the river, but the cliff itself was lined with stone. Therefore, from below, from the river, the walls seemed enormously tall. After failure in the assault, the Swedes went back to Ladoga, but there they were overtaken by the Novgorodians who came to the rescue. The second attempt to capture Staraya Ladoga was made in 1313. The Swedes, obviously alien to prejudices about the number 13, captured the fortress and burned the wooden buildings, but could not leave the fortress behind them.

Currently, Staraya Ladoga is a museum-reserve. The first exhibitions of the museum opened in 1971, and the ideas for its creation appeared at the beginning of the 20th century. The museum received the status of a historical and architectural museum in 1984, and in the same year it became known as a museum-reserve of federal significance.

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Old Ladoga Fortress

The Ladoga stone fortress of the late 9th century is unique and has no analogues in Russian defensive architecture. The fortress was built from limestone slabs laid on clay without the use of lime. The discovery by St. Petersburg scientists of the oldest stone fortress known in Rus' was an event of enormous importance. The beginning of the stone fortification construction of Kievan Rus was pushed back into the depths of centuries by at least a whole century and, possibly, two.

Similar structures became widespread in Rus' only in the 11th century. The ancient Ladoga fortress stands on a par with similar structures in Western Europe.

The walls, made of flagstone and lime mortar, reached a height of 8 meters. Among the wood-earth fortifications common at that time, the Ladoga stone fortress was an exception. She outlined the path in defense architecture that became widespread only a century later. The fortress has proven its reliability. It turned out to be invulnerable to the Swedes and Germans, who were well acquainted with advanced European siege technology, and throughout the 12th-15th centuries it reliably defended the northern Russian lands.

At the end of the 15th century, the Moscow government, taking into account difficult relations with Sweden, undertook a large-scale reconstruction of a number of northwestern fortresses. Ladoga was also rebuilt, becoming an important stronghold for the border defense of the Moscow state. The new fortress of the times of Ivan III was a powerful fortification structure.

Strongly extended to the side of the field. The towers of the Ladoga fortress were placed quite close to one another. Round Klimentovskaya was the most powerful. It had 14 loopholes - more than any other tower.

The only square gate tower was located in the middle of the western wall and was equipped with a cranked entrance, which, in addition to folding doors, was protected by a wooden lowering grating - a gersa and, probably, a ditch with a drawbridge. Later, already in the 17th century, the entrance was covered by a wooden fort. Directly above the entrance gate in the southern wall of the tower, there was a loophole (in total, the Gate Tower had at least eleven loopholes). A special role, as described above, was assigned to the Secret Tower, located in the middle of the eastern wall. In its first tier there was a well, which was connected by pipes to the Volkhov.

During its history, the fortress was besieged by the Swedes more than once and captured by them more than once. The fortress survived the last assault in 1701. In August 1702, from here the troops of Peter I headed to Noteburg. As a result of the capture of the fortress and the subsequent founding of St. Petersburg in 1703, the Swedish border was pushed far to the west. From that moment on, Ladoga lost its military significance. In 1703, Peter I also founded Novaya Ladoga at the mouth of the Volkhov and renamed Ladoga “Old Ladoga”, depriving it of the status of a city and the right to have its own coat of arms, and ordered many Ladoga residents to move to live in Novaya Ladoga.

"Ancient Ladoga - the first capital of Rus'" - historical museum

Currently, the fortress in Staraya Ladoga is protected by the state and operates as a historical museum. There is a local history museum in one of the buildings in the courtyard of the fortress. Today the Fortress is in a state of repair and restoration, and much has already been done. The formidable towers rise up to 19 meters, reaching a diameter of 24 meters, the western wall has been completely restored. The first wall, which was built back in the 12th century, in many places appears to be embedded in a later wall. Some sections of this wall are visible today. Particularly interesting are the not yet restored towers adjacent to the river. For example, Secret. Its internal structures are clearly visible, you can climb inside. From the walls there are picturesque views of both the northern part of Staraya Ladoga with the Assumption Cathedral, and the southern part, with St. Nicholas Cathedral. The territory of the fortress is occupied by a museum. Nowadays, Staraya Ladoga hosts historical reconstruction festivals every June-July, which I will definitely tell you about.

Staraya Ladoga - the spiritual center of Russia

There are two churches inside the fortress. The first is pre-Mongolian St. George's Church, one of the oldest stone buildings preserved in the north of Rus' and the oldest existing church in Staraya Ladoga, is a typical ancient Russian temple of the 12th century: a helmet-shaped dome, a mosquito-like covering, yellowish plaster on top of the plinth. There is a legend that it was built on the site of a former pagan temple. Perhaps the temple was built by order of Yaroslav the Wise during his reign in Novgorod. During the troubled era, it was completely ruined and only after the Stolbovo Treaty with the Swedes in 1618 it was consecrated again by Abbot Theocritus.
The painting of the temple is very interesting. The ceiling and side frescoes have been preserved from the time of construction of the temple. The temple was most likely painted by Greek masters, commissioned by one of the Novgorod princes.

This strict in outline, ancient white stone temple, crowned with a single dome, despite the simplicity of its forms, makes a strong impression and evokes the mood of a long-gone antiquity. Also impressive are the surviving fragments of frescoes from the St. George Church, which are among the earliest works of Russian painting that have survived to our time. The fresco that makes the temple so famous has been preserved - “The Miracle of George on the Serpent.” The fresco “The Miracle of George on the Dragon” is more than 800 years old. It survived the Tatar-Mongol invasion, several wars and miraculously survived the revolution.

Nearby there is a wooden Church of Demetrius of Thessalonica 1731 - one of the rare city wooden churches. The Church of Dmitry of Thessalonica was built in the form of “cage” buildings; it is based on the same constructive and compositional techniques as in an ordinary peasant hut. The Church of Dmitry of Thessalonica was built in the early 17th century, after the liberation of Ladoga from the Swedes. Saint Dmitry of Thessalonica, like Saint George the Victorious, has long enjoyed special veneration among the Slavs.

The first church was dismantled due to dilapidation, and on this site, at the request of parishioners, a new one was built, which is an exact copy of the previous one. Individual details that were preserved from the old building took their place in the new temple. There is an assumption that the Royal Doors were preserved from the first church of Demetrius of Thessaloniki, or were moved here from some ancient temple, since they date back to the beginning of the 16th century.

The entrance to the fortress and churches is officially open from 10:00 (at this time the gates are unlocked) until 17:00. You can get into the churches only after the fortress is opened. There is a very good archaeological museum in Staraya Ladoga. Among other exhibits, the museum exhibits jewelry and talismans with signs of the Rurik family. In many ways, it is on these finds that the Norman theory of the origin of the Slavs is built.

According to legend, under the Staraya Ladoga fortress in ancient times there was an extensive network of underground passages. The passages connected the churches, the fortress, and there was a passage to the other side of the Volkhov.

Staroladoga Holy Dormition Convent is located on the left bank of the Volkhov River, north of the stone fortress. The monastery ensemble was mentioned already in the 15th century; the date of its foundation is considered to be 1156. The buildings that have survived to this day date back to the period of intensive construction of the 19th century. It was at this time that a brick fence with three gates and four towers was erected along the road to Novaya Ladoga and Volkhov.

The main attraction of the monastery is Assumption Cathedral. This is a typical monument of Novgorod architecture, dating back to the time before the Mongol-Tatar invasion. It is located in the center of the ensemble and is oriented towards the main gate of the monastery. This monument belongs to the type of cubic, cross-domed churches of the 12th century. The walls of the cathedral are painted, but the painting is poorly preserved. Historians consider this temple to be a princely tomb. This is the oldest temple that has survived to its full height in the entire north-west of Rus'. The walls of the Assumption Church were decorated with frescoes. About 30 square meters of ancient mural painting have reached us - these are images of saints and the “Flourishing Cross” in the dome, the same as in the famous Dmitrov Cathedral of the 12th century in Vladimir. The builders of the temple were Novgorod masters, who created an architectural masterpiece, uniting around themselves all the buildings of the Assumption Monastery.

Opposite the Assumption Cathedral, in the old cemetery there is Church of St. Alexis, in its shape it resembles a park secular building. Erected in 1833, it is one of the latest architectural monuments of Staraya Ladoga. The history of the monastery is connected with the presence of famous women in Russia there. First it was the former Tsarina Evdokia Lopukhina, the first wife of Peter I. Her tonsured name was Elena, she lived in the monastery from 1718 to 1725. What remained from Lopukhina’s stay was a double wooden palisade and the “Three-Handed” icon, which she bestowed on the sisters who looked after her. After the monastic name of Lopukhina, the ancient river Ladozhka began to be called Elena, the embankment began to be called Eleninskaya, and Eleninsky Lane appeared on the settlement.

Here Evdokia Hannibal, the wife of A.P. Hannibal (“the blackamoor of Peter the Great,” the great-grandfather of A.S. Pushkin, served her sentence, and only later, during the reign of Nicholas I, a relative of the Decembrists. The donors of the convent were the well-known philanthropist in Russia Alexey Romanovich Tomilov .

Before the revolution, the monastery housed two miraculous icons: the Dormition of the Mother of God and the Great Martyr Barbara. Since the end of the 20th century, the monastery buildings have been empty and beyond a short time came to a bad state. Since 2004, the monastery has been operating again.

Between the Assumption and St. John the Baptist monasteries there are buildings of the former Uspenskoe gardens, built in the 1780s by Roman Nikiforovich Tomilov. The surviving buildings belong to 19th century and belong to the museum-reserve. Before the revolution, the estate belonged to Evgeniy Grigorievich Schwartz (the main house is now known as the “Schwartz House”), a former art collector (in 1918 the collection was confiscated and transferred to the Russian Museum). Therefore, Uspenskoye is associated with many names of artists who came here; known, for example, is the portrait of the Schwartz family by B.M. Kustodiev.

Nikolsky Monastery

It is located half a kilometer from the Staraya Ladoga Rurik Fortress, on the left bank of the Volkhov River. Nowadays it has a dual meaning: as a monastic monastery and as a historical monument testifying to the glory and piety of the Russian people.
The foundation of the monastery in Staraya Ladoga dates back to the 12th–13th centuries. Apparently, at the same time it was being built Cathedral of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker. In oral tradition, its foundation dates back to the victory of the Holy Prince Alexander Nevsky over the Swedes in 1240.
At the beginning of the 17th century, the relics of St. Sergius and Herman of Valaam were transferred here by monastics. Here they stayed until 1718, and then were transferred to the Valaam monastery.
In 1974, St. Nicholas Cathedral was classified as an architectural monument of federal significance, which did not prevent it from being in a dilapidated state. It is currently undergoing restoration. The monastery is surrounded by a low decorative wall with pointed corner towers, inside which there are residential buildings, and two churches - St. Nicholas Cathedral with an almost cubic volume and an almost perfectly spherical dome, which is in the process of restoration, and, which is a typical three-nave basilica in plan. This church is the only restored building of the monastery, and now its condition is ideal.

Church of John Chrysostom represents "a typical example of religious buildings of the mid-19th century." The stone church of St. John Chrysostom with the martyr's chapel on the site of a dilapidated temple of the 17th century. to his architectural solution The church building resembles a Romanesque basilica: three elongated naves, the central one, higher, illuminated by a series of upper windows and separated from the side columns. Paintings have been preserved on the vaults, walls and arches of the temple: evangelical scenes in the style of academic realism, geometric patterns of Byzantine design.
Between St. Nicholas Cathedral and the Church of St. St. John Chrysostom is dominated by a three-tiered stone bell tower.

Assigned to the Nikolsky Monastery Cathedral of the Nativity of John the Baptist with a chapel in the name of the Holy Martyr Paraskeva Friday and a bell tower.

Also assigned to the monastery: ancient and temple Transfiguration of the Lord, located in the village of Chernavino opposite the monastery on the other bank of the Volkhov. So, when going to Staraya Ladoga, you can drive across the bridge in the city of Volkhov and cross to the other side of the river. Firstly, there are interesting places there, and secondly, from there you can admire the fortress located on the western bank of the river.

Over its long history, the monastery's servants have seen a lot. In the 16th century, monks moved here from the island of Valaam, which was plundered by the Swedes. At the monastery there was a school where peasant children were taught to read and write, there was an icon-painting workshop, and there was its own brick factory and tile breaking.

Grave of Prophetic Oleg(hills of the 8th-9th centuries)

In ancient times, our ancestors buried their leaders in earthen mounds - mounds. A whole complex of such burials is located on the left bank of the Volkhova River in Staraya Ladoga, on the left bank of the Volkhova River.
The mounds are located at the highest point in the surrounding area, and even from their foot (and even more so from the top) a magnificent panorama of Staraya Ladoga opens up: a village stretching along the shore and the multi-colored domes of churches located almost at an equal distance, invariably catching the eye. The Volkhov Valley, powerful and wide, is also impressive.

There are only three mounds here: two small and one large. If you believe the legends, it was at this place that the Prophetic Oleg, the conqueror of the Khazar Kaganate, “accepted death from his horse.” These mounds are all that has survived from Staraya Ladoga of Varangian times.
Over the thousand years of existence, these mounds have been plundered more than once. The tops of almost all the hills have been excavated. The robbers were looking for valuables that were placed in the graves along with the deceased's relatives. This could be dishes, weapons, food, clothing, personal belongings of the deceased, and more.
However, archaeologists still manage to find interesting things. In 2008, archaeologists excavated a historical layer from the tenth century and found in it a mold for casting the coat of arms of the Rurikovichs, the founders of the dynasty of Russian tsars who ruled until 1533. This is a schematic representation of a falcon, the so-called trident. It is because of this find that it is quite possible that the Rurikovichs were buried somewhere in these mounds. And the largest mound, the guides call it, the grave of Prophetic Oleg. Perhaps this famous representative of the first Russian ruling dynasty really found his final refuge in it. You can climb the mounds, but descending from them is difficult and, due to the proximity of the steep bank (the height of which is a good 30 meters), unsafe.

Caves of Staraya Ladoga

Not far from the ancient mounds, downstream of the Volkhov, on the left bank there are abandoned mines. These caves were formed due to the mining of white quartz sandstones in the 19th century. The result was a long, intricate labyrinth with many corridors and forks. The place is not prepared for tourists. There is no lighting, the road is not marked, and in some places you will have to climb under low arches on your knees.
The dungeon was chosen by bats. During the day they sleep so that you can easily get closer to them and take a few photos.

How to get to Staraya Ladoga:

Staraya Ladoga is located 120 kilometers from St. Petersburg. I’ll say right away that trains and buses from St. Petersburg do not go to old Ladoga. Only to Volkhov, and from there to the ancient city you will have to travel a couple of tens of kilometers by bus. So, if you go to Staraya Ladoga, the trip, although difficult, will give you not only aesthetic pleasure from contemplating ancient beauties, but will also be very educational. You will see that Staraya Ladoga is perhaps the truly ancient capital of Rus'!

You can read about museums in St. Petersburg and the region in this article: