The fortress of Ladoga was built in stone in the 12th century and rebuilt 400 years later.

Staraya Ladoga (Russian: Ста́рая Ла́дога), or Aldeigjuborg of Norse sagas, is the first capital of Russia, now the village on the Volkhov River near Lake Ladoga. Staraja Ladoga: Fortress (Staroladozhskaja krepost). Shot made by Vladimir V. Medeiko. ... Staraja Ladoga: Fortress (Staroladozhskaja krepost). Shot made by Vladimir V. Medeiko. ... The Norse sagas or Viking sagas (Icelandic: sögur), are stories about ancient Scandinavian and Germanic history, about early Viking voyages, about migration to Iceland, and of feuds between Icelandic families. ... Volkhov River (Волхов in Russian) is a river in the Novgorod Oblast and Leningrad Oblast in Russia. ... Map of Scandinavia Lake Ladoga (Russian: Ладожское озеро, Finnish: Laatokka) is the largest lake in Europe, located in Karelia and Leningrad Oblast in northwestern Russia (since WWII), near the border to Finland. ...

Origin and name

Dendrochronology reports that Ladoga was founded in 753. Until 950, it was one of the most important trading ports of Eastern Europe. Merchant vessels sailed from the Baltic Sea through Ladoga to Novgorod and then to Constantinople or the Caspian Sea. This route is known as the Trade Route from the Varangians to the Greeks. Tellingly, the oldest Arabian Middle Age coin in Europe was unearthed in Ladoga. Pinus taeda Cross section showing annual rings, Cheraw, South Carolina Pine stump showing growth rings Dendrochronology or tree-ring dating is the method of scientific dating based on the analysis of tree ring patterns. ... Events Synod of Constantinople called by Emperor Constantine V. Samarkand conquered by Arabs. ... Events Duke Boleslav of Bohemia is subjugated. ... Pre-1989 division between the West (grey) and Eastern Bloc (orange) superimposed on current national boundaries: Russia (dark orange), other countries of the former USSR (medium orange) and other former communist regimes (light orange). ... The Baltic Sea is located in Northern Europe, bounded by the Scandinavian Peninsula, the mainlands of Northern Europe, Eastern Europe, Central Europe, and the Danish islands. ... Velikiy Novgorod (Но́вгород) is the foremost historic city of North-Western Russia, situated on the highway (and railway) connecting Moscow and St Petersburg. ... Map of Constantinople. ... Caspian Sea viewed from orbit The Caspian Sea or Mazandaran Sea is a landlocked sea between Asia and Europe (European Russia). ... The Trade Route from the Varangians to the Greeks (Путь «из варяг в греки» in Russian) was a trade route, which connected Scandinavia, Kievan Rus and the Byzantine Empire. ... The Arabian Peninsula The Arabian Peninsula is a mainly desert peninsula in Southwest Asia at the junction of Africa and Asia and an important part of the greater Middle East. ... Middle age is a non-specific age when a person is not old, not young, but somewhere in the middle. ... World map showing location of Europe When considered a continent, Europe is the worlds second-smallest continent in terms of area, with an area of 10,600,000 km² (4,140,625 square miles), making it larger than Australia only. ...

Old Ladoga's inhabitants were Vikings, Finns, and Slavs, hence different names for the city. The original Finnish name, Alode-joki (i.e., "lowland river"), was rendered as Aldeigja in Norse language and as Ladoga (Ладога) in Old East Slavic. The name Viking is a loan from the native Scandinavian term for the Norse seafaring warriors who raided the coasts of Scandinavia, Europe and the British Isles from the late 8th century to the 11th century, the period of European history referred to as the Viking Age. ... The Slavic peoples are the most numerous ethnic and linguistic body of peoples in Europe. ... A North Germanic language is any of several Germanic languages spoken in Scandinavia, parts of Finland and on the islands west of Scandinavia. ... Ladoga may refer to one of the following. ... Note: This page contains phonetic information presented in the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA) using Unicode. ...

Ladoga under Rurik and Rurikids

St. George's church contains magnificent frescoes painted in 1167.

In 862, the legendary Varangian leader Rurik arrived to Ladoga and made it his capital. Rurik's successors later moved to Novgorod and then to Kiev, thus laying foundations for the powerful state of Kievan Rus. There are several huge kurgans, or royal funerary barrows, at the outskirts of Ladoga. One of them is said to be Rurik's grave, and another one—that of his successor Oleg. St. ... St. ... Events Rurik gained control of Novgorod. ... The Varangians or Variags were Scandinavians who travelled eastwards, mainly from Sweden. ... This article is about a real person named Rurik. ... A monument to St. ... Kievan Rus′ (Ки́евская Ру́сь, Kievskaya Rus in Russian; Київська Русь, Kyivs’ka Rus’ in Ukrainian) was the early, mostly East Slavic¹ state dominated by the city of Kiev (ru: Ки́ев, Kiev; uk: Ки́їв, Kyiv), from about 880 to the middle of the 12th century. ... Kurgan (кургáн) is the Russian word (of Turkic origin) for tumulus, a type of burial mound or barrow, heaped over a burial chamber, often of wood. ... Prince Oleg (Old Norse name Helgi, Khazarian form: Helgu) was the Varangian ruler who moved the capital of Rus from Novgorod the Great to Kiev. ...

Ladoga's next mention in chronicles is dated to 1019, when Ingigerd of Sweden married Yaroslav of Novgorod. Under the terms of marriage settlement, Yaroslav ceded Ladoga to his wife, who appointed her father's cousin, the Swedish earl Ragnvald Ulfsson, to rule the town. This information is confirmed by sagas and archaeological evidence, which suggests that Ladoga gradually evolved into a primarily Varangian settlement. At least two Swedish kings spent their youths in Ladoga, king Stenkil and Inge I, and possibly also king Anund Gårdske. Events Toi invasion: Jurchen pirates invade Kyushu. ... Ingegerd Olofsdotter, born 1001 in Sigtuna, Sweden, was the daughter of Swedish King Olof Skötkonung. ... Velikii Kniaz Yaroslav I the Wise (978?-1054) (Russian: Ярослав, Christian name: Yury, or George) was thrice prince of Novgorod and Kiev, uniting the two principalities for a time under his rule. ... An Earl as a member of the British peerage ranks below a Marquess and above a Viscount. ... Ragnvald Ulfsson the Old, Jarl of Westrogothia ca 1010-1020, and later of Staraja Ladoga and Ingria. ... Stenkil (1028–1066) was a Jarl and King of Sweden from 1060 to his death. ... ... Anund GÃ¥rdske came from Kievan Rus, but is only mentioned by Adam of Bremen. ...

In the 12th and 13th centuries, Ladoga functioned as a vital trade outpost of the powerful Novgorod Republic. The Novgorodians built there a citadel with five towers and several churches. The fortress was rebuilt at the turn of the 15th and 16th centuries, while the mid-12th-century churches of St. George and of Mary's Assumption stand in all their original glory. Inside St. George's, some magnificent 12th-century frescoes are still visible. (11th century - 12th century - 13th century - other centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 12th century was that century which lasted from 1101 to 1200. ... (12th century - 13th century - 14th century - other centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 13th century was that century which lasted from 1201 to 1300. ... Medieval walls of Novgorod City The Novgorod Feudal Republic (Новгородская феодальная республика in Russian, or Novgorodskaya feodalnaya respublika) was a powerful medieval state which stretched from the Baltic Sea to the Ural Mountains between the 12th and 15th century. ... This article is about a type of fortification. ... (14th century - 15th century - 16th century - other centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 15th century was that century which lasted from 1401 to 1500. ... (15th century - 16th century - 17th century - more centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 16th century was that century which lasted from 1501 to 1600. ... A XIV Century fresco featuring Saint Sebastian Note: Fresco is the NATO reporting name of the Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-17. ...

Sights and landmarks

View of Old Ladoga in 1911.

In 1703, Peter the Great founded the town of New Ladoga closer to the bank of Lake Ladoga. The ancient fortress thenceforth declined and came to be known as Old Ladoga, in order to distinguish it from the new town. Events February 2 - Earthquake in Aquila, Italy February 4 - In Japan, the 47 samurai commit seppuku (ritual suicide) February 14 - Earthquake in Norcia, Italy April 21 - Company of Quenching of Fire (ie. ... Portrait of Peter by Paul Delaroche Peter I (Пётр I Алексеевич in Russian, or Pyotr I Alexeyevich) (10 June 1672–8 February 1725 [30 May 1672– 28 January 1725] O.S.) ruled Russia from 7 May (27 April O.S.) 1682 until his death. ...

The heart of Staraya Ladoga is an old fortress where the Yelena River flows into the Volkhov River. In earlier times, it was a strategic site because it was the only possible harbour for sea-vessels that could not navigate through the Volkhov River.

Apart from the churches mentioned above, there is a mid-12th century church of St. Climent, which stands in ruins. There is also a monastery, dedicated to St. Nicholas and constructed mainly in the 17th century. Buddhist monastery near Tibet A monastery is the habitation of monks. ... Saint Nicholas, also known as Nikolaus in Germany and Sinterklaas (a contracted form of Sint Nicolaas) in the Netherlands and Flanders, is the common name for the historical Saint Nicholas of Myra, who lived in 4th century Byzantine Anatolia, (now in modern Turkey) and had a reputation for secret gift... (16th century - 17th century - 18th century - more centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 17th century was that century which lasted from 1601-1700. ...

See also

• Mounds in Staraya Ladoga. The shot was taken during the 1,250th anniversary celebration, so people are in historical clothes.

External links

• History of Old Ladoga
• Detailed info on the fortress

Fortresses of Western Russia

Gdov | Ivangorod | Izborsk | Kirillov | Koporye | Korela | Kronstadt | Ladoga | New Dvina Fort | Novgorod | Oreshek | Porkhov | Pskov | Smolensk | Solovki | St Petersburg | Vyborg | Yamburg Kremlin (Кремль) is the Russian word for citadel or castle and refers to any major fortified central complex found in historical Russian cities. ... Koporye Fortress near St Petersburg Photo courtesy of www. ... Gdov (Гдов) is a both a Russian district, found in the north of the Pskov Oblast, and a town within it, which stands on the river Gdovka. ... Ivangorod Fortress is a castle constructed near the town of Ivangorod, Russia. ... Izborsk (И́зборск in Russian, Irboska in Estonian) is an old Russian town to the west of Pskov and just to the east from the Estonian border. ... Kirillo-Belozersky Monastery, properly translated in English as The Assumption monastery of St Cyril, has always rivalled the Solovetsky Monastery as the strongest fortress and the richest landowner of the Russian North. ... Koporye Fortress near St Petersburg Koporye (Russian: Копорье) is a historic village in Russia, about 100 km to the west of St Petersburg, which contains some of the most impressive medieval ruins in Russia. ... Korela Fortress, at the town of Priozersk, was founded by the Karelians who named the place Novogorodian chronicles refer to it as It was first mentioned in a Novgorodian chronicle of 1143 and archeological digs have revealed a layer belonging to the 12th century. ... 1888 map of Kronstadt bay Kronstadt (Russian: Кронштадт; also Kronshtadt, Cronstadt) is a strongly fortified Russian seaport town, located on Kotlin Island, near the head of the Gulf of Finland, at 59° 59′ 30″ N 29° 46′ 30″ E. It lies 20 miles west of Saint Petersburg, of which it is... Ladoga may refer to one of the following. ... A 19th-century view of Arkhangelsk port. ... Velikiy Novgorod (Но́вгород) is the foremost historic city of North-Western Russia, situated on the highway (and railway) connecting Moscow and St Petersburg. ... Orechovets is an island with the fortress Oreshek (Nöteborg in Swedish, given the name Schlisselburg/Schlüsselburg after its re-conquest by Peter the Great in 1702). ... Porkhov (Порхов in Russian) is a town in the Pskov Oblast in Russia. ... 10-ruble Russian coin of 2003 in the Ancient cities of Russia series - commemorating Pskov Pskov (Псков, ancient spelling Пльсковъ, also Pihkva (Estonian), Pleskau (German) and Psków (Polish)) is an ancient Russian city, located in the north-west of Russia near the present-day border with Estonia, on the river... A view of Smolensk in 1912 Smolensk (Russian: Смоленск;, Belarusian: Смаленск) is a city in western Russia, located on the Dniepr river at 54. ... Solovetsky Monastery Solovetsky Monastery (Соловецкий монастырь in Russian), a monastery on the Solovetsky Islands in the White Sea. ... The Peter and Paul Fortress (Петропавловская крепость) is in St. ... Vyborg from the tower of the castle Vyborg (transcription of Russian Выборг , finnish Viipuri) is a town with 70,000 inhabitants at Russias border to Finland, on the Karelian Isthmus, close to Saint Petersburg. ... St Catherine Cathedral of Yamburg was built in 1764-1782 to a late baroque design by Antonio Rinaldi. ...