Saint Petersburg (Russia) to Veliky Novgorod (Russia), 18th of May 2018
Daily number of km by train: 197km
Total number of km by train: 3607km
Total number of km: 4007km
Travel time: 2h51
On the 18th of May, I left the city of Saint Petersburg to go to the city of Veliky Novgorod (also known as Novgorod the Great or just Novgorod), via the brand new Siemens express train (average speed, 70km/h :-), but it’s express in Russia).
The city
Around 200,000 inhabitants are living in Novgorod which is one of the most important historic cities in Russia. Lot of the buildings (churches, palaces…) were built during the middle age or during the 16th and 17th centuries.
One of the most remarkable monuments in the city is the Kremlin which houses the Cathedral of St. Sophia built in the 11th century.
The city of Novgorod is built along the Volkhov River. On the opposite bank of the river (from the Kremlin), an area brings together dozens of churches and small typical Russian wooden houses.
Finally, the most remarkable monument is the Millennium of Russia (1862 – a bronze sculpture), representing the most important figures from the country’s history. It was erected to celebrate the millennium of Rurik’s arrival to Novgorod, an event traditionally taken as a starting point of the history of Russian statehood.
Life in Novgorod
Despite its beautiful historical areas, Novgorod is also a soviet style city where most of the inhabitants are living. I was sleeping in such and area. This place was previously an area with wooden houses that were destroyed to build apartments. I thank you Denis’ family for having hosted me!
