Lyubsha

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Lyubsha is an ancient Slavic fort site on the right bank of the Volkhov River, about 1.5 km downstream from Staraya Ladoga. Excavations in 1997 showed it was one of Russia’s oldest Slavic forts, built in the first half of the 8th century, before Ladoga. Its layout resembles the hill forts of Great Moravia. The fortress was burned and destroyed in the late 9th century. Historian Constantine Zuckerman links its destruction to Vadim’s uprising and the fall of the Rus Khaganate. The Norse name for Lyubsha is unknown. Just north of Lyubsha is the village of Gorchakovshchina, a former trading post near the river’s entry into Lake Ladoga. Archaeologist Dmitry Machinsky counts Lyubsha among the most important Rus Khaganate centers, along with Ladoga and Alaborg. Location: 60°00′00″N 32°19′00″E.