Pskov Krom

Pskov sits on the western frontier and was fought over constantly, which is why its walls are what they are - the Krom stands on a spur where the Pskova joins the Velikaya, in grey limestone, with the Dovmont town below it and further circuits beyond, and the city withstood repeated sieges including a famous one by Stefan Batory in 1581. Until 1510 Pskov was a republic governed by a veche, a citizens' assembly that met in the Krom square and elected its officials, and the Trinity cathedral was where its charters were kept. The present cathedral of 1699 is the fourth on the site, with a seven-tier iconostasis, one of the tallest in Russia. Pskov's church architecture - small, thick-walled, asymmetric, with belfries built as walls rather than towers - is distinctive enough that ten of the city's churches were listed by UNESCO in 2019 as their own architectural school.

The main sights

• The Krom - grey limestone walls on the spur above two rivers.
• The veche square - where the Pskov republic's citizens' assembly met until 1510.
• The Trinity cathedral - the 1699 building with a seven-tier iconostasis.
• The Pskov school - ten churches listed by UNESCO in 2019 for their own architecture.

When to go

May to September. Two to three hours for the Krom, longer with the UNESCO churches around the city.

Good to know

The listed churches are scattered across the city and many are locked, working parishes rather than museums. The Krom interior is largely open ground. Pskov is a working provincial city with modest facilities.

Nearby

Izborsk and the Pechory monastery are west; Mikhailovskoye is south.

Key facts