Staraya Ladoga Museum Preserve: the Oldest Fortress in Russia

The center of the Staraya Ladoga Museum Preserve is an impregnable Staraya Ladoga Fortress. It stood guard over the northern borders of ancient Russia for many centuries. On three sides it is surrounded by water, as it stands at the confluence of the rivers Volkhov and Ladozhka. The stone Kremlin in its modern form was built in the 15th century. Earlier defensive structures of the 9th-12th centuries were located on this site. The fortress in Staraya Ladoga is the oldest in Russia sample of stone defense architecture. At the end of the 20th century two towers were reconstructed in the fortress — Klementovskaya and Vorotnaya, as well as a section of the wall. The museum exposition is located in the Vorotnaya Tower. Here one can get acquainted with the history of the southern shore of Lake Ladoga from the most ancient times to the 18th century. There are also two churches on the territory of the fortress, named in honor of the patrons of soldiers — Church of St. George the Victorious and Church of St. Dmitry Solunsky. In summer the fortress hosts the annual military-historical festival.Staraya Ladoga Museum Preserve also includes the sights of the neighboring villages of Chernavino, Lopino and Vasilevsky Pogost. All of them are on the opposite bank of the Volkhov River opposite Staraya Ladoga. These are churches and burial mounds which are perfectly visible from the river. One can get to them either by boat or by a bridge in the city of Volkhov.