←Staraya Ladoga: The First Capital of Rus

Staraya Ladoga: The First Capital of Rus

Photo of route “Staraya Ladoga: The First Capital of Rus”
11 points5 km2.5 hours

An ancient capital and an important town until the 18th century. Gradually Staraya Ladoga lost its status and became a village, an open-air monument to history. An ancient fortress and monasteries of the 12th–16th centuries survive here. They stand along the left bank of the Volkhov River, and the best views of them open from the right bank. The route was designed especially for the BelkaCar car-sharing service.

Route author

Susanin Team

Things to do

  • 📜 Learn the city's history
  • 🏛️🕰️ Compare the eras
  • 🏰🕵️‍♂️ Discover a legend

Route points (11)

  1. Pobedishche Tract — point on route “Staraya Ladoga: The First Capital of Rus”

    Pobedishche Tract

    📜 Historic site

  2. St. Nicholas Monastery — point on route “Staraya Ladoga: The First Capital of Rus”

    St. Nicholas Monastery

    🕍 Place of worship

  3. Staraya Ladoga Fortress — point on route “Staraya Ladoga: The First Capital of Rus”

    Staraya Ladoga Fortress

    📜 Historic site · 🏯 Fortress remains

  4. Staraya Ladoga Museum-Reserve — point on route “Staraya Ladoga: The First Capital of Rus”

    Staraya Ladoga Museum-Reserve

    🏛️ Museum

  5. Monument to Rurik and Oleg the Wise — point on route “Staraya Ladoga: The First Capital of Rus”

    Monument to Rurik and Oleg the Wise

    🗿 Monument

  6. Holy Dormition Convent — point on route “Staraya Ladoga: The First Capital of Rus”

    Holy Dormition Convent

    🕍 Place of worship

  7. Church of the Dormition of the Most Holy Mother of God — point on route “Staraya Ladoga: The First Capital of Rus”

    Church of the Dormition of the Most Holy Mother of God

    🕍 Place of worship

  8. Schwartz House — point on route “Staraya Ladoga: The First Capital of Rus”

    Schwartz House

    🕵️ Urban legend

  9. Cathedral of St. John the Baptist — point on route “Staraya Ladoga: The First Capital of Rus”

    Cathedral of St. John the Baptist

    🕍 Place of worship

  10. Holy Spring of St. Paraskeva Pyatnitsa — point on route “Staraya Ladoga: The First Capital of Rus”

    Holy Spring of St. Paraskeva Pyatnitsa

    🕵️ Urban legend

  11. Sopki Tract: Oleg's Grave — point on route “Staraya Ladoga: The First Capital of Rus”

    Sopki Tract: Oleg's Grave

    📜 Historic site

Staraya Ladoga Fortress in Staraya Ladoga

Point on route “Staraya Ladoga: The First Capital of Rus”

Staraya Ladoga Fortress — point on route “Staraya Ladoga: The First Capital of Rus”
Staraya Ladoga Fortress — point on route “Staraya Ladoga: The First Capital of Rus”
Staraya Ladoga Fortress — point on route “Staraya Ladoga: The First Capital of Rus”

Point 3

Staraya Ladoga Fortress

📜 Historic site • 🏯 Fortress remains

Historical Background

The first fortifications on the site of the present fortress were built in the 9th and 12th centuries, but the Staraya Ladoga fortress acquired its present appearance only by the 16th century. The last military event in which its walls took part was the Great Northern War of 1700–1721. After it the fortress was abandoned as a military site. Only in the 1960s did the Soviet authorities begin restoring the monument, and in 1971 a museum-reserve of history, architecture, and archaeology opened on the grounds of the Staraya Ladoga fortress.

Architectural Features

The fortress ensemble is made up of the Klimentovskaya, Gate, Strelochnaya, and Raskatnaya Towers, linked by the fortress wall, and on the southern edge of the fortress a fragment dating from the 12th century survives. On the bank of the Volkhov River lie the ruins of the Tainichnaya (Secret Passage) Tower, of which only the foundation remains.