Izborsk. The Necklace of Russian Fortresses

Near Pskov lies the small town of Izborsk. It is one of the oldest Russian towns; the first mentions of it date back to 862. The town's name comes from the Slavic male name Izbor — this was the name of the son of Sloven who founded the town.

Originally the Izborsk fortress was located on the Truvor hillfort. Various crafts flourished among the town's inhabitants. Archaeologists have discovered traces of blacksmithing, jewelry making and bronze casting, woodworking, and carving in stone and bone. The products were sold within ancient Rus and to other countries. Today the craftsmen's works can be seen in the town museum.
From the 13th century attacks by German knights on the Izborsk fortress became more frequent. Repeated sieges and enemy arson led to the fortress being moved to a location more favorable from a security standpoint. Today, on the site of the original fortress at the Truvor hillfort stands the Church of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker, founded in the 16th century.

By 1330 a new fortress was established on Zheravya Hill. It was also attacked, but until the 15th century it successfully withstood eight sieges. Izborsk, having endured a powerful onslaught from enemies, gained the rank of a stronghold of the Novgorod and Pskov republics, and its foes nicknamed it the "Iron City".
The area enclosed by the fortress walls was 2.4 hectares, with a total length of stone walls of 850 m, and their thickness in places reaching 3 meters. The ensemble of the Izborsk fortress includes the Bell Tower, Talavskaya (Ploskuška) Tower, Lukovka, Vyshka, Ryabinovka, and Temnushka. On the Lukovka tower there is a platform for viewing the territory and surroundings.

View of St. Nicholas Church from the Wall

In 1964, at the initiative of concerned local residents, a museum was created in the fortress.
For the opening, the residents of Izborsk began to bring the first exhibits — archaeological finds, various ancient household items, manuscripts and books.
Today the collection of the State Historical-Architectural and Natural Museum-Reserve "Izborsk" numbers 63,682 storage units, and the area of the museum-reserve covers 7,734 hectares. The territory of the museum-reserve contains 181 monuments of history and archaeology, of sacred and secular architecture, twelve of which have federal significance. Among them is an architectural monument of the 14th century — the St. Nicholas Cathedral.

The museum's exhibition — a collection of archaeological items from the 7th–8th centuries up to the 17th century — acquaints visitors with the history of Izborsk and its surroundings from the time the town was founded. Items of interior decoration, furniture, clothing, utensils, decorative and applied arts, and agricultural tools tell about the culture, traditions and the everyday life of Izborsk residents.

The genuine spirit of the Middle Ages has been preserved in the Izborsk fortress. Visitors can not only walk around the grounds and view the exhibitions, but also climb the towers and walk along the wall.
From the ancient towers there is a wonderful view over the boundless expanses of hills and plains, small houses in the distance, and fields and forests stretching away.

In 1903–1904 Nikolai Roerich and his wife made a journey through ancient Russian towns, during which they studied architectural monuments, frescoes and icons. Roerich was enchanted by the beauty of Izborsk. Here he painted several pictures, among them "Towers" and "Cross on the Truvor hillfort".

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