Novye Eltsy can be explored through two historical layers: the history of Yeltsy Estate and the 1957 World Youth Tourist Gathering. The gathering took place in Novyye Yeltsy; delegations from 27 countries came to Lake Seliger. The estate’s history and a unique international event are thus at the heart of the village’s history.
Two chapters in tourism history
The 1957 gathering included tourist competitions, relay races and campfire gatherings with concerts. It was a unique event. Participants built a pavilion in Novyye Yeltsy at the time, featuring symbols of the World Festival of Youth; it still stands today.
An earlier chapter began in 1946: the Seliger tourist base opened in Novyye Yeltsy on an all-Union tourist route. It operated year-round from 1968. This chronology highlights two distinct chapters: a tourist base on a route and, eleven years after its opening, an international gathering with competitions and concerts.
Yeltsy Estate and its building history
Yeltsy Estate was the manor of the Tver branch of the Tolstoy family. It is located in Novye Eltsy on the southern shore of the Yelets Strait on Lake Seliger. In the 18th and 19th centuries, the estate was one of the large and prosperous properties in the Lake Seliger area. The complex includes buildings from both centuries. The estate, its buildings and the adjoining grounds are classified as cultural heritage of federal significance in Russia.
The main house was built by Nikolai Yakovlevich Tolstoy around the turn of the 18th and 19th centuries, when he was marshal of the nobility of Ostashkov District; the house has survived to this day. The estate’s manor house was destroyed during the Great Patriotic War and later rebuilt with substantial structural changes. The history of the complex thus spans both its construction around 1800 and its subsequent reconstruction.
Nature experiences in Tver Oblast
For those wishing to include nature experiences in their travel plans beyond Novye Eltsy, there are more options in the wider destination of Tver Oblast. The Central Forest State Nature Biosphere Reserve offers guided tours along the “Tainy Okovskogo lesa” and “Lesnaya azbuka” ecological trails. Another excursion goes to the “Staroselskiy mokh” raised bog; visitors use their own vehicle for this excursion. The educational trail through the raised bog crosses vast, open areas completely covered in moss and featuring unusual plants.
At the Central Forest Reserve, the hike to the “Barsuchikha” cordon can be taken as a day trip or with an overnight stay in a forest hut. Along the way, visitors see southern taiga forest and a raised bog. The nature experiences therefore differ in focus and duration: the bog trail highlights open bog areas and plants, while the hike combines forest and bog.
The reserve’s central estate also has a visitor center with information about the organization’s history and structure, a regular exhibition of children’s artwork, and a souvenir shop. The reserve’s nature museum showcases its main ecosystems and the species that live there; one room is dedicated to scientific research. These additional destinations are in Tver Oblast and offer a distinct regional focus alongside the estate history of Novye Eltsy.
Discover more destinations: Tverdyakino, Konets, Nepriye, Glubochitsa.
Go to the broader travel overview: Ostashkovskiy rayon.
