Nov. 4, 2004

About 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 is certainly good.

Ancient routes connecting Moskovia with Northern Europe passed through Staritsa. These roads are still there, making Staritsa a natural stopover point if you are travelling from St. Petersburg or the Baltic region to Moscow.

There isn't much industry in Staritsa and the surrounding region, making it of the the most ecologically clean places between Moscow and St. Petersburg. The population is sparse, and 40% of the territory 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.

Culturally, Staritsa stands out as a city of letters, and 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, Staritsa has a bronze "babushka" with a walking stick. "Staritsa" may mean "wise old woman" as well as "old river bed" but most residents think the name means "old woman" who, the story goes, hid in a cave and saved Staritsa's children during one of the Mongol raids.

The Trinity Convent around which the town was built.

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 rage that is out of this world. While caution is advised, remember that many of them find a safe and even productive outlet for their emotions. The one above, with a face of Rasputin and or an axe murderer, finds peace in promoting rural tourism and maintaining sites such as the one you are seeing right now. The young woman below learned to control and transform her frenzy, and is now doing civilized work in Moscow. Care of course is advised but don't let fear keep you from mutually enriching contact with endogenous people and  exploring the real Russia beyond tourist brochures, Golden Rings, or similar tourist traps.

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.