Pskov is an ancient city, located in the north-west of Russia about 20 km east from the Estonian border, on the river Velikaya.
The name of the city, originally spelled Pleskov, may be loosely translated as "the town of purling waters". Its earliest mention comes in 903, which records that Igor of Kiev married a local lady, St. Olga.
In the 12th century and 13th centuries, the town adhered politically to the Novgorod Republic. In 1241, it was taken by the Teutonic knights, but Alexander Nevsky liberated it several months later during a legendary campaign dramatised in Sergei Eisenstein's 1938 movie.
By the 14th century, the town functioned as the capital of a de-facto sovereign republic. Its most powerful force were the merchants who brought the town into the Hanseatic league. Pskov's independence was formally recognized by Novgorod in 1348. Several years later, the veche promulgated a law code (called the Pskov Charter) which was one of the principal sources of the all-Russian law code issued in 1497.
For Russia, the Pskov Republic was a bridge towards Europe. For Europe, it was a western outpost of Russia and subject of numerous attacks throughout the history. Unbelievably, the kremlin (called by Pskovians the Krom) withstood 26 sieges in the 15th century alone. At one point, five stone walls ringed it, making the city practically impregnable. A local school of icon-painting flourished, and local masons were considered the best in Russia. Many peculiar features of Russian architecture were first introduced in Pskov.
Pskov still preserves much of its medieval walls, built from the 13th century on. The Krom, or medieval citadel, looks as impressive as ever. Within its walls rises the 256-foot-tall Trinity Cathedral, founded in 1138 and rebuilt in the 1690s. Other ancient cathedrals adorn the Mirozhsky abbey (completed by 1152), St. John's (completed by 1243), and the Snetogorsky monastery (built in 1310 and painted in 1313).
To find out more please visit Pskov's official website which provides a wealth of information and photos.
