Veliky Novgorod (Великий Новгород), Russia

Khutynsky Monastery in Veliky Novgorod, Russia
Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Hytynsky_monastery.JPG
Author: Дар Ветер


Veliky Novgorod (Russian: Великий Новгород) is a city in northwestern Russia, on the M10 federal highway between Moscow and St Petersburg. Located on the Volkhov River, just north of Lake Ilmen, Veliky Novgorod covers 90.08 sq km (34.78 sq mi) and has a population of 219,000 people (2012 estimate).

Saint Sophia Cathedral, Veliky Novgorod, Russia
Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Saint_Sophia_Cathedral_in_Novgorod.jpg
Author: UserNo101


The history of Veliky Novgorod is traced to the Sofia First Chronicle which mentions it in AD 859. This makes Veliky Novgorod one of the oldest cities in Russia. Archaeological evidence however goes back to the late 10th century, a century after it was said to have been founded.

Ancient texts such as the Norse Sagas called the city Holmgård. However the name refers to the old neighborhood to the southeast of the present city, which was given the name Novgorod to mean "new city". Novgorod was neither a member of the Hanseatic League (though it benefited from trades with it) nor was it ever conquered by the Mongols. The discovery of large quantities of birch bark letters from the Middle Ages, including the oldest Slavic book and the oldest inscription in a Finnic language, suggested that the city held a high population of scribes, though the population remained largely illiterate.

Novgorod was absorbed into the Grand Duchy of Moscow in 1478. It was the third largest city in Russia until the 1560s, when it was hit by famine. Then in 1570 Ivan the Terrible sacked the city, slaughtering thousands of its inhabitants and deporting the elites to Moscow. It was captured by Swedish troops in 1611, and was under Swedish rule for six years before restituted to Russia.

During the Second World War, Novgorod was occupied by the Nazis from 15 August, 1941 until 19 January, 1944, when it was liberated by the Red Army. By then, the whole city was almost wiped out, with only forty out of some two thousand stone buildings still standing. A restoration effort managed to rebuilt many of the city's principal monuments, and in 1992, the heritage sites of Novgorod was designated a World Heritage Site by UNESCO. In 1999 the city was officially renamed Veliky Novgorod, meaning "Great Novgorod".

Visiting Veliky Novgorod

The airport at Veliky Novgorod is not operational, so the main form of transport to reach it is by train. There are regular train services from Moscow and Saint Petersburg. There are also bus services from Saint Petersburg. The journey takes three and a half hours.

Places of Interest in Veliky Novgorod

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