History and Culture: Novgorod celebrates the “Day of Birch Bark”

Celebration of the “Day of Birch Bark” in Velikiy Novgorod is scheduled for July 24, 15.00 on the site of Troitsky archaeological excavation.

Here will gather heads of Novgorod archaeological expedition and the Academician of the Russian Academy of Sciences Valentin Yanin, who are going to tell residents of Novgorod about new finds and offer a tour to the archaeological excavation to all interested.

This year the holiday is called to mark 60 years since the discovery of first birch bark manuscript in Novgorod. Novgorod Regional Duma gave the “Day of Birch Bark” an official status of the holiday at the regional level.

Last summer saw the discovery of 42 birch bark documents, including the 1000th birch bark manuscript. The total number of birch bark manuscripts unearthed in Velikiy Novgorod has reached 1015.