Tver tourist information
Tver is over 800 years old. Its rich history dates back to Prince Vsevolod the Big Nest, who built a fortress at the mouth of the T'maka River in 1182. The famous Prince Mikhail of Tver (1271-1317) played a significant role in the unification of Rus' against the Mongol-Tatars. Tver used to be the capital of an unruly mini-state that was Moscow’s chief rival in the 14th and 15th centuries.
As Tver was quickly developing, it was often attacked by Tatar-Mongols. Besides, Muscovites who fought against Tver for the right to be the greatest city in Russia also presented a great threat to Tver.
The image of modern Tver comes from Catherine the Great’s times and is connected with the name of the famous Italian architect Rostrelli, who incorporated many of his ideas for the construction of St. Petersburg in rebuilding the city after the disastrous fire of 1763. Tver's clear and rational layout is a unique example of 18th century architecture and city planning.
By the end of that year the project of reconstruction of the city was adopted. Some young Russian architects, who became famous later, such as P.Nikitin, M.Kazakov and V.Obukhov designed many buildings.
Called Kalinin from 1931 to 1990, after Mikhail Kalinin, the president of the Soviet Union from 1919 to 1946, it was renamed to the pre-Revolutionary Tver.
Though Tver’s baroque and classical architecture doesn’t put it in the same league as some of the Old Russian towns of the golden Ring, it has a number of attractions worth seeing.
Classical 1700s/early 1800s town houses and public buildings are typical of modern Tver.
The early architectural monuments of Tver were almost all destroyed during the years of feudal wars, the rest were devastated by the great fire of 1763. But the White Trinity Church (built in 1563-64 by Tushinsky under the reign of Ivan the Terrible) is still working. The Transfiguration Cathedral (late-17th century) following the pattern of the Assumption Cathedral in Moscow has also survived; the belfry (18th century) recalls that of the Trinity Monastery of St. Sergius in Sergiyev Posad.
Tver is the place where many famous people were born and lived. Afanasiy Nikitin, Russian adventurer and explorer,was born here. You may see the famous Nikitin Monument, commemorating the Russian merchant and explorer who traveled to India in the mid-15th century and wrote about his trip. It is said that the monument was set not far from the place from whence he embarked for his trip. Nikolai Ostrovsky, Russian dramatist, lived here in 1856. In 1859 Fyodor Dostoyevsky spent a few months at No. I Pushkin Street. Saltykov- Shchedrin worked here as deputy governor of Tver in 1860-62, gathering material for several of his satirical works.
by Russia-IC
Tver aerial map
Please click on any icon on the Tver aerial tourist map, to find close by places, offering hotels and tourist information. You can zoom in and zoom out our touristical map as well as switch between satelite and map view of Tver.
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