Sineus and Truvor were the brothers of Rurik, a chieftain of the Varangian Rus tribe considered to be the founder of the Rurik dynasty, which ruled the Kievan Rus. According to the Russian Primary Chronicle, the town of Izborsk was the seat of Truvor from 862 to 864. Although his burial mound is still shown to occasional tourists, archaeological excavations of long barrows abounding in the vicinity did not reveal the presence of the Varangian settlement at the site, which indicates that Izborsk was an important centre of the early Krivichs.

Truvor's gorodishche is a settlement about half a kilometer north from the fortress that came about in the late 7th and early 8th century, and proceeded to grow twice in size in the 10th and 11th centuries. It was the predecessor of the Izborsk Fortress, protected by an oakwood wall which was later upgraded to stone, 3 meters in height by 3 meters in width in the 12th century. Though Truvor's gorodishche is mostly destroyed, a small part of the wall remains today.

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Izborsk, Russia
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Founded: 9th century AD
Category: Prehistoric and archaeological sites in Russia

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4.8/5 (based on Google user reviews)

User Reviews

Olga Ivlieva (2 years ago)
From here, amazing! Already captures the spirit! The only downside is that you need to go here through the existing cemetery.
Aleksei Pollitruk (2 years ago)
One of the important places in the history of Russia, which is associated with the legendary Varangian Truvor, one of the Rurik brothers. Visually it looks like a pointed triangular cape, all excavations have been mothballed, only the old wooden gates have been restored. On the territory of the settlement is the Church of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker of the 17th century. Near the settlement there is an ancient cemetery with preserved stone crosses from the 15th century. One of the crosses, taller than a human being, is known as the Truvor cross.
Корсун Лариса (2 years ago)
For a whole year and a half I was going to go on an excursion to the Pskov region. And here I am as part of a pilgrimage group ... Be prepared to walk from the parking lot of buses or cars in comfortable shoes. What a blessed place. Stunning view of the area. The site on Zheravya Gora, on which the ancient settlement was located (the settlement was first mentioned in the Laurentian Chronicle in 862), which gave rise to the modern city of Izborsk, is located approximately 45 m above the Gorodishchenskoye Lake, where seagulls circle, and swans glide along its water surface surrounded by wild ducks. Here you feel your part in history. At the entrance to the settlement, you can see the remains of ancient burials. Among them, two stone slabs stand out, with symbols of geometric shapes carved into the limestone. The so-called Truvor cross (Truvor's grave) is installed on one of the slabs. It is a sculpture carved out of limestone in the shape of a Christian cross with the ends widened and resembling the blade of an ax. The cross bears the inscription "King of Glory, Jesus Christ Nika", which is quite typical for the crosses of the northwestern part of Russia. Legend has it that this cross marks the grave of the Varangian Truvor, who was called to rule by Russia in 862. On the territory of the settlement is the Church of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker of the 17th century. Under Catherine the Great, this church became a parish church after the closure of the monastery. Today it is a rectangular building of three basic ones, the central part is covered with a hipped roof and topped with a small drum with a bell head. A belfry with two tiers and three spans is installed on top of the roof, crosses made of stone slabs were embedded in the walls of the church, and narrow vertical stripes can be seen in the north and south walls. I recommend everyone to visit the Trugorovo settlement with its unique monuments.
ЛАПТА ТРАДИЦИОННАЯ (3 years ago)
To be honest, we expected to see a real excavated settlement. It turned out that it was filled up, mothballed by archaeologists, so there is nothing there except an empty site, a reconstruction of the city gates and an abyss rampart.
David Karlsson (5 years ago)
Very interesting place with the Old Viking from Roslagens grave.
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