60 years of heritage preservation: Vitoslavlitsy received a prestigious award for saving wooden architecture

The Museum of Folk Wooden Architecture “Vitoslavlitsa” became the winner of the professional award of the Ivan Grishmanov Russian Engineering Academy in 2026. This was reported by the press service of the Novgorod Museum-Reserve.

The prize is awarded for achievements in the field of science, technology and the construction industry, and for the museum this award is an official recognition of many years of work to save and preserve monuments of folk architecture.

The history of Vitoslavlitz began on June 5, 1964. The museum was created according to the project of architect-restorer Leonid Krasnorechev. For more than 60 years of work, the museum has protected monuments of wooden architecture of the XVI-XX centuries, many of which were under threat of loss in their historical places.

An important stage in the preservation of the heritage was the comprehensive restoration of 2017-2022. Within its framework, specialists restored 21 monuments of wooden architecture and two objects of the Orlova-Chesmenskaya estate complex. Work on the maintenance and restoration of monuments continues today.

In addition, in the autumn, the repair of the windmill - an exhibit of the Vitoslavlitsy Museum, brought from the village of Ladoshchino, was completed. In April, the hurricane seriously damaged the monument: the mill lost its blades, and the wooden elements and mechanism received significant damage.

The restorers not only returned the object to its former appearance, but also took care of its performance: the blades took their place, the lost parts were restored, and the internal mechanism was repaired and put in order. Now the historical site is again available for inspection and remains a clear example of traditional wooden architecture.