Church construction, an ancient burial mound, and a nearby memorial marker give Nikolskoye a distinct historical perspective. The village’s story centers on buildings from different periods and the establishment of a church in part of a building intended for a shop; the memory of the Battle of the Neva adds another dimension between Nikolskoye and Ulyanovka.

Churches and local history

The wooden St. Nicholas Church was built in 1718 and dismantled in 1812. A stone church was built between 1800 and 1805 with funds provided by the merchant P. S. Rubtsov; it was designed by V. Suranov. Wood and stone represent different forms of construction in the village’s history.

Between 1999 and 2001, a church dedicated to St. Nicholas the Wonderworker was established at a new location at 17 Oktyabrskaya Street. It was set up in a prefabricated-panel extension to an apartment building that had originally been intended for a shop. The history of church construction thus encompasses both traditional materials and the use of a part of a building that had initially been planned for a different purpose.

Burial mound and remembrance on the Tosna

The remains of an ancient burial mound lie beside a bridge in Nikolskoye. Another memorial site is nearby: between Nikolskoye and Ulyanovka, a memorial marker stands on a hill on the right bank of the Tosna, commemorating the 770th anniversary of the victory in the Battle of the Neva.

The site is described as the camp of Alexander Nevsky’s retinue before the battle against the Swedes; his prayer before the battle is also said to have taken place there. Each year, participants from military history clubs set up a camp from the time of Alexander Nevsky in the field beside the memorial marker, then stage a reenactment of events from that period. The memorial marker and the reenactment offer two different ways to engage with the past: one commemorates the site’s historical connection, while the other recreates events from that time. If the reenactment is important to your travel plans, check the event date in advance.

Regional natural setting: Leningrad Oblast

Beyond Nikolskoye, Leningrad Oblast offers a distinctive natural landscape. In the far east of the oblast lies the Vepsian Forest Nature Park, which includes seven nature reserves with particularly strict protection rules. The park has numerous lakes; the largest is Lake Lerinskoye, in the reserve of the same name.

Among the nature park’s special features are well-preserved old spruce and pine forests in the Vepssky Les and Ashchozersky reserves. They are important for numerous organisms that can survive only in forests undisturbed by economic activity. The Veps, a small people of Russia with their own culture and traditions, have traditionally lived in the nature park. Wildlife also shapes the region: brown bears are relatively numerous there, and the wolverine, which is extremely rare in the region, has also been recorded.

Discover more destinations: Gorlovshchina, Slavyanka, Primorsk, Peski, Agalatovo, Brigadnoye, Markovo, Rappolovo.

For the broader travel overview: Leningrad Oblast.