Several chapters of city history come together in Borovichi: a museum devoted to peasant life, a bridge dating from 1905 that makes a striking architectural statement, and a weaving center focused on traditional crafts. If you would like to make culture a focus of your stay, these themes offer different ways to discover the city—from its history to practical craft workshops.
City history and peasant life
The Borovichi Museum of City History and the History of the Borovichi Region was founded in 1918 under the name “Museum of Proletarian Science, Art and Industry named after Comrade Reppo.” It is located in the historic center. An ethnographic hall illustrates peasant life through folk trades and crafts. The museum thus brings together the history of a city institution and insights into rural ways of life and work. Those interested in local history will find a different focus here from that of the city’s historic buildings.
The bridge and monastery church as historic buildings
The N. A. Belelyubsky Arch Bridge was built in 1905 to a design by Russian engineer and professor N. A. Belelyubsky. It is regarded as Russia’s first single-span bridge and is distinguished by its light, delicate arch. A single-span design has one bridge span; together with the arch, this makes the structure a distinctive architectural feature. Its year of construction, design and form give the bridge a clear place in Borovichi’s engineering and urban history.
A much older building is the stone cathedral church of the Monastery of the Holy Spirit. It was built in 1676 on the site of two earlier wooden churches and is the oldest stone building in the city still standing today. The monastery’s history also includes a later turning point: on September 14, 2000, it was returned to the Orthodox Church. The church and monastery therefore offer a way to explore both early architectural history and a dated event from more recent history.
Weaving, spinning and local design
At the “TKUTTUT” weaving center, visitors can take master classes or in-depth courses in weaving, spinning and other crafts. Check with the center in advance to confirm current course availability. Handwoven one-of-a-kind pieces are also available to buy or order there; contact the center directly before your visit to ask about these as well. This offers a chance to pair an interest in craft techniques with the opportunity to discover woven works.
Another artistic feature can be found on the facade of Secondary School No. 2: the mural “Bumazhnye zhuravliki” depicts paper cranes. It was created by Alexander Morsin from Moscow. The mural adds a concrete example of public art in Borovichi to the city’s historical and craft-related themes.
More to explore in the wider destination of Novgorod Oblast
Novgorod Oblast also offers natural and cultural attractions that extend the view beyond Borovichi. Valdai National Park covers 159,100 hectares and spans the Valdaysky, Demyansky and Okulovsky districts. Mount Ryzhokha is the park’s highest point. A 25-meter-high observation tower stands on it, with views of the taiga, Lake Velyo and other bodies of water. A circular trail in the Bor area passes through typical taiga forests on hilly terrain and varied wetlands in the hollows between the hills.
Another cultural highlight in Novgorod Oblast is in Valday. The Bell Museum Center displays bells from around the world, ranging in form from those dating to the 3rd century BCE through medieval bells to modern souvenir bells. Staff demonstrate bell-ringing techniques that visitors can try for themselves. An exhibition opened in 1998 at the Museum of the County Town covers the everyday lives of the town’s residents, the development of local trades, and the lives of individual Valday families and well-known summer visitors. These regional themes complement Borovichi’s own focus on city history, architecture and crafts.
Discover more destinations: Molochkovo, Malaya Vishera, Vzvad, Veryassko, Retle, Staraya Russa, Volna, Krivoye Koleno.
See the overview of the wider destination: Novgorod Oblast.
