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)

Sopki Tract: Oleg's Grave in Staraya Ladoga

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

Point 11

Sopki Tract: Oleg's Grave

📜 Historic site

Historical Background

The Sopki (“Mounds”) tract is a complex of burial mounds in the north of the village, along the bank of the Volkhov River. The tallest of the mounds is called Oleg's Grave and is about 10 meters (33 feet) high. Legend has it that this is where Oleg was buried: the regent for Igor Rurikovich, who captured Kyiv and moved the capital of the Old Rus state there. This is how the northern and southern lands of the Eastern Slavs were united. The first archaeological investigations were carried out only in the 19th century. Excavations of Oleg's mound could not confirm the legend of a prince's burial: only burned bones, a spearhead, and a few iron parts of a lock bolt were found in the grave. The archaeologist G. S. Lebedev believed the site was not a prince's burial but the place of his ritual cremation. Memorial plaques and historical displays at the site tell the story of Oleg the Wise in detail. The Sopki tract and its features are protected monuments of federal significance.