Vitoslavlitsy Museum of Folk Wooden Architecture

Vitoslavlitsy is a unique village four kilometers south of Veliky Novgorod that looks like an illustration to Russian folk tales. Nobody lives here, but it is usually noisy, crowded and cheerful. In this ancient corner, near the lake Myachino and next to the chronicle river Volkhov, unique monuments of Russian wooden architecture of XIV-XIX centuries are collected, found and brought here from all corners of the ancient Novgorod land.

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Video: Vitoslavlitsy

Contents

History

The museum owes its name to a village with a melodious and life-affirming name “Vitoslavlitsy”. It is known that back in the XII century it stood between Novgorod and the Yuriev Monastery, the first Orthodox monastery in the Novgorod land. Over time, this settlement was surrounded by several other small monasteries: Panteleimon, Annunciation, Arkazhsky. Time has not spared neither the village itself, nor most of the monastery buildings, but has preserved the magnificent natural landscape, which in ancient times inspired Novgorod masters to build villages and religious buildings in this area.

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‘ Veliky Novgorod was the work of folk carpenters whose names history has not preserved. In this forest-rich region, wood was the most accessible material: pine and spruce were mostly used for construction, oak and hardwood trees were used less frequently. Among tools they favored axe and chisel. From ancient times Novgorod craftsmen were known and saw (during archaeological works in layers of X-XIII centuries. were found hacksaws, beam saws), but such tools were used in carpentry.

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Erecting wooden structures, folk masters did not limit themselves in fantasy, invention, ingenuity, but time and nature have always been ruthless to buildings made of wood. Today only thanks to the studies of historians, archaeologists and ethnographers one can get an idea of the former splendor of wooden Novgorod and its surroundings. The work carried out by specialists in the Novgorod region for more than half a century led to the discovery of the most interesting wooden monuments of history – churches, chapels, terems, farm buildings. They were mostly located in remote villages and hamlets, which left them no chance to survive.

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‘ Novgorod, in the area where the village of Vitoslavlitsy once stood, is an open-air museum complex. The wooden structures were carefully dismantled and carefully transported to the created museum, which was named after the ancient village.

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The inspirer and one of the executors of this idea was a talented architect-restorer Leonid Krasnorechiev. It was under his leadership that the main restoration works in the museum were carried out. Today there are more than 20 unique buildings in Vitoslavlitsy. They are repaired and renovated from time to time, and they always look smart and attractive.

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‘Izba-Vasiliya-Arsenevicha-Tunitskogo-iz-derevni-Pyrishchi-Krestetskogo-rayona.jpg” alt=””/>‘ The hut of Vasiliya Arsenievicha Tunitskogo from the village of Pyrishchi-Krestetskogo raion.
‘ The izba of Maria Dmitrievny Ekimova from the village of Ryshevo, Novgorodsky district