Staraya Russa, Historic town in Novgorod Oblast, Russia.
Staraya Russa is a settlement on the Polist River in Novgorod Oblast, located roughly 100 kilometers south of Veliky Novgorod. The area spreads along both banks of the waterway, with low residential buildings and several churches featuring onion domes.
Records from 1167 mention the settlement as part of the Novgorod Republic. During the Middle Ages it grew into a center for salt production, which shaped the local economy for centuries.
The house where Dostoevsky stayed preserves rooms filled with furniture and personal objects from the writer's time in the settlement. Visitors walk through the study where he drafted chapters and see manuscripts that document his creative process.
The spa facilities with mineral springs and mud treatments remain open throughout the year and offer therapeutic options for visitors. Some facilities have been renovated and focus on health applications.
The saltworks still employ methods rooted in medieval techniques, blending them with contemporary extraction processes. Visitors can spot traces of old brine wells that have marked the landscape for centuries.
The community of curious travelers
AroundUs brings together thousands of curated places, local tips, and hidden gems, enriched daily by 60,000 contributors worldwide.
