Khilovo is a village in the Velikoselskoe rural settlement of Starorussky District in Novgorod Oblast. It lies on the left bank of the Snezha River. The places relevant to the cultural part of a trip are in the surrounding area, in Staraya Russa, and therefore outside Khilovo. If you choose Khilovo as your base, you can consider the sights in Staraya Russa as a separate addition to your itinerary.
Staraya Russa: nearby sights
Nearby sights in Staraya Russa include the Dostoevsky House Museum, the spa resort with the Muravyov Fountain, the Spaso-Preobrazhensky Monastery, and the Resurrection Cathedral. The selection ranges from a house museum and a spa resort with a fountain to two religious buildings. The monastery and cathedral offer a sacred-architecture focus; the house museum and spa resort appeal to other visitor interests.
The tourist offerings in Staraya Russa also include bathing in salt lakes and sampling mineral water in a drinking gallery. These two water-related activities differ from visiting the monastery and cathedral: the focus here is on salt lakes and the drinking gallery. If you plan to take part in these activities, check in advance that they are currently accessible.
Novgorod Oblast: a regional perspective on Valday
In the wider destination of Novgorod Oblast, Valday National Park covers 159,100 hectares and spans Valdaysky, Demyansky, and Okulovsky districts. Its area and three districts give the national park a distinctly regional dimension. In Novgorod Oblast, the national park and Valday’s museums represent different themes: the natural environment and the town’s history offer different regional perspectives.
Valday offers other cultural attractions in Novgorod Oblast. The Museum of Bells displays bells from around the world, bell forms dating from the 3rd century BC through the Middle Ages, and modern souvenir bells. Staff demonstrate bell-ringing techniques and let visitors try them out for themselves. A collection with a broad geographical and historical range sits alongside the hands-on experience of bell-ringing techniques.
Another perspective on Valday is offered by the Museum of the County Town. Its exhibition, which opened in 1998, explores the daily lives of the town’s residents, the development of local trades, and the lives of individual Valday families and well-known summer visitors to Valday. The museum also preserves the memory of local craftspeople: stonemasons, carpenters, blacksmiths, bubliki bakers, soapmakers, and bell founders. In contrast to the Museum of Bells, the focus here is on urban life and the various trades.
The monument “Kuznetsam i kolokolnym masteram Valdaya,” erected in Valday in 2017, offers another connection to craftsmanship. From Valday’s waterfront promenade, you can see Iversky Monastery. These offer different ways to plan your visit: trying bell-ringing techniques, exploring town history and trades, or visiting a waterside viewpoint.
Discover more destinations: Chudovo, Staraya Russa, Luka, Trubichino, Polnovo, Molochkovo, Myasnoy Bor, Malaya Vishera
For the wider travel overview: Novgorod Oblast.
