Varlaam Tower

About museum

Varlaam Tower is part of the 16th-century Pskov Fortress. It was built to observe the surrounding area and to defend the city. In 1615 a Swedish army approached Pskov and conducted a two-month siege, ultimately forcing the people of Pskov to accept the Treaty of Stolbovo. Over time Pskov ceased to be necessary for the state's defense, and its towers and walls began to fall into disrepair. In 1928 part of the tower's wall collapsed, and during World War II (the Great Patriotic War) the tower suffered damage from siege and occupation. Between 2017 and 2020 repair and restoration work was carried out to restore the tower, and inside you can see an archaeological monument—the remains of the original tower—and a panorama of the Velikaya River.