More about bout Staritsa
A town of 10 thousand in the Upper Volga hills, Tver region, 250km north-west from Moscow, about 1/3 of your way to St. Petersburg.
Staritsa was founded in the 13th century to serve the needs of a monastery, and to these days it remains a city of churches. Some are functioning, others are still in ruins, but the trend is to repair the decades of neglect.
Ancient routes connecting the state of Moskovia with Northern Europe passed through Staritsa. These roads are still there, many reduced to trails, other serving local needs. Yet Staritsa remains a natural stopover point if you are travelling from Moscow to St. Petersburg or the Baltic region.
There is almost no industry in Staritsa, and cars are few, which makes it of the the most ecologically clean places between Moscow and St. Petersburg. The population is sparse, and 40% of the territory of the district is covered with forest.
In addition to history, architecture, and natural beauty of the area, Staritsa is famous for its extensive system of caves and catacombs. The nearest two are a couple of miles from the dacha of this site's owner.
Culturally, Staritsa stands out as a city of letters, and presently many of its first citizens, women especially, write poetry. Alexander Pushkin would stay in Staritsa for days or even weeks when travelling between Moscow and St. Petersburg or Pskov. Some of his friends' estates survived nearly a century of turbulence and neglect, and now allow us a glimpse into the life of old Russian aristocracy.
Staritsa is the only Russian town I've seen where the main square does not have a statue of Lenin. Instead, a bronze "babushka" with a walking stick welcomed you to the city. "Staritsa" may mean "wise old woman" as well as "old river bed" but most residents prefer the first interpretation. One of the storeis is that she saved Staritsa's children during one of the Mongol raids by hiding them in a cave.
The Trinity Convent around which the town was built.
Nov. 4, 2004
The main street
Small-town and rural Russia is great for hikers, cyclists, or horse riders. You can go anywhere where there are no fences, and fences are very few. You will not see barbed wire around fields or "No Trespassing" signs so common in North America.
Be prepared to see a variety of authentic Russian faces, full of Dostoyevsky-type passion and out-of-this-world rage. Welcome to the land of saints and axe-murderers.
Some of the local population bears signs of inter-breeding with wolves. Offering of food and especially good red wine, semi-sweet, will usually save you from this creature's fangs.
