Valday is located in Valdaysky District, which also includes Valdai National Park. For trip planning, the thematic scope therefore extends from protected-area landscapes to cultural sites in Valday. There you will encounter Baroque architecture, bell culture and monastic history; Novgorod Oblast broadens the perspective to a wider landscape and cultural context.

Protected Area and Water Landscape

Valdai National Park lies in the European part of Russia and extends across the three districts of Valdaysky, Demyansky and Okulovsky in Novgorod Oblast. Valdaysky District is therefore part of the protected area. In Novgorod Oblast, Valdai National Park covers 159,100 hectares. The park as a whole has around 200 bodies of water. Lakes are connected by rivers and canals to form an extensive lake-and-river system with complex shorelines. The area and water connections offer two different ways to appreciate the landscape: the park can be viewed both as a large protected area and through its interconnected lakes.

Architecture, Bells and Monastic History

The Holy Trinity Cathedral in Valday was built in the developed Baroque style. The Valdaysky Bell Museum presents material on bell founding in various countries and the history of the Valday bell. Visitors can hear bells ringing, watch bell-ringing techniques and ring the bells themselves. The bell theme thus combines history and bell founding with a hands-on activity, while the cathedral provides an architectural highlight.

The Valday Iversky Svyatoozersky Bogoroditsky Monastery for Men occupies an entire island in Lake Valday. On the occasion of the monastery’s founding, Lake Valday was renamed “Svyatoe” in 1654. The year places the renaming in the monastery’s history; the island location describes its geographical relationship to the lake.

Valday in the Context of Novgorod Oblast

In Novgorod Oblast, the Museum Bell Centre in Valday displays bells from around the world, bell shapes dating from the 3rd century BC to the Middle Ages, and modern souvenir bells. This complements the Valday-related history of bells with an international collection spanning a broad period. The exhibition at the Museum of the District Town in Valday, which opened in 1998, 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 to Valday. The museum also preserves the memory of local craftspeople, including stonemasons, carpenters, blacksmiths, bubliki bakers, soap makers and bell founders. The range extends from building trades, blacksmithing and bell founding to bubliki and soap making. A monument to Valday’s blacksmiths and bell masters was erected in Valday in 2017. The Valday waterfront offers a view of Iversky Monastery. Unlike the bell collections, the Museum of the District Town focuses on people, trades and urban life. Bell culture ranges from collections to craftsmanship.

Discover more destinations: Novaya Sitenka, Malovishersky District, Soletskiy District, Novgorodsky District, Valdaysky District, Malovishersky District, Starorussky District, Borovichsky District

For the main travel overview: Novgorod Oblast.