Vitoslavlicy, Open-air wooden architecture museum near Veliky Novgorod, Russia.
Vitoslavlicy is an open-air museum of wooden architecture near Veliky Novgorod in Russia, set on a large site by the shore of Lake Myachino. The grounds hold peasant houses, chapels, windmills, barns and several churches relocated here from villages across the region.
The open-air museum was founded in the 1960s as a project to save historic wooden structures that faced decay in their original villages. The name comes from a medieval village that once stood on this spot and belonged to the Panteleimon Monastery estate in the 12th century.
The historic buildings stand scattered across a lakeside meadow and recreate the feeling of a real rural settlement from centuries past. Inside several farmhouses, visitors can step into furnished rooms and see how craftsmen, fishermen and their families once lived.
The grounds are open daily and can be explored on foot, with sturdy shoes recommended for the unpaved paths. In summer, occasional demonstrations of old craft techniques take place, while winter months are quieter and fewer buildings may be accessible.
Some of the wooden churches here were built without a single metal nail and hold together only through precisely cut mortise joints. The oldest among them was raised over four centuries ago and still stands upright in its new location.
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