History and culture: The “Gnezdovo” archaeological reserve to host the interactive Old-Russian city

The museum-reserve “Gnezdovo” in the Smolensk region, one of the archaeological monuments of Russia, will host the interactive Old-Russian city. This year will be constructed the first building – “the house of administration”, said the deputy director of the Gnezdovo reserve Roman Anoshkin.

At the heart of the historical concept of the “museum under the open sky” – is the creation of the multiethnic trade and craft center, which Gnezdovo was thousand years ago. In the settlement then were lived mostly Slavs and Scandinavians, who were a part of the upper class of the local society.

According to Anoshkin, the organizers of the construction will try to recreate as the Slavic and Scandinavian way of life.

The main construction will be unfolded in the next year. It is planned to recreate a city with towers and palisade, as well as the princely house. In addition plans include the construction of the lists, guilds – pottery, blacksmithing, jewelry; total – more than 30 different facilities. Everything will be made with old technology – without chain saws and nails. 

It is assumed that all infrastructure of the museum will be involved in the program of festivals of the historical reconstruction, which for several years are held on the territory of the Gnezdovo archaeological complex.  Next year the management of “Gnezdovo” plans to hold master-classes in the built workshops for the festival.

The Gnezodovo archaeological complex – is Russia’s largest historical monument of the era of Vikings and the period of the formation of the Old-Russian state. On the territory is found a large number of burial mounds and the city of the IX-X centuries, as well as a number of treasures. The famous route from “the Varangians to the Greeks” passed through the settlement.