Encyclopedia
Velikiy Novgorod is the foremost historic city of North-Western
Russia. It is situated on the M10 federal highway connecting
Moscow and
St. Petersburg. "Novgorod" is the Russian word for "new city", whereas "Velikiy" means "the Great". The administrative centre of
Novgorod Oblast, the city lies along the
Volkhov River just below its outflow from Lake Ilmen. Population: 216,856 .
History
Notwithstanding its name, Novgorod is the most ancient Slavic city recorded in Russia. The chronicle first mentions it in 859, when it was already a major station on the trade route from the Baltics to Byzantium. The
Varangian name of the city
Holmgard is mentioned in Norse Sagas as existing at a yet earlier stage, but historical facts cannot here be disentangled from legend. Originally, Holmgard referred only to the stronghold southeast of the present-day city, Riurikovo Gorodishche . Archeological data suggests that the Gorodische, the residence of the Knyaz , dates from the middle of
9th century, whereas the town itself dates only from the end of the 9th century, hence the name Novgorod, "new city". By the mid-
10th century, however, Novgorod had become a fully developed
medieval city.
In 882, Rurik's successor,
Oleg of Novgorod, captured
Kiev and founded the state of
Kievan Rus. In that state Novgorod was the second city in importance. According to a custom, the elder son and heir of the ruling Kievan monarch was sent to rule Novgorod even as a minor. When the ruling monarch had no such son, Novgorod was governed by posadniks, such as legendary Gostomysl, Dobrynya, Konstantin, and Ostromir. In Norse sagas the city is mentioned as the capital of Gardariki . Four
Viking kings —
Olav I of Norway,
Olav II of Norway,
Magnus I of Norway, and
Harald Haardraade — sought refuge in Novgorod from enemies at home.
Of all their princes, Novgorodians cherished most the memory of
Yaroslav the Wise, who promulgated their first written code of laws and sponsored construction of the great St Sophia Cathedral, standing to this day. As a sign of gratitude for helping him to defeat his elder brother and obtain the Kievan throne, Yaroslav conferred numerous privileges on the city. On the other hand, Novgorodians named their central square after Yaroslav.
In 1136, Novgorod merchants and
boyars seceded from
Kiev, banished their prince and proclaimed the
Novgorod Republic. The powerful city state controlled most of Europe's North-East, from today's Estonia to the Ural Mountains. The most important figure in Novgorod was the Posadnik, an official elected by the popular assembly from the city's aristocracy. The Novgorod court was formally presided over by the Prince , but his verdicts had to be confirmed by the Posadnik to become binding. In the 13th century, the city joined the
Hanseatic League.
Throughout the Middle Ages, the city thrived culturally. Most of the population was literate and used
birch bark letters for communication. It was in Novgorod that the
oldest Slavic book written north of Bulgaria and the
oldest inscription in a Finnic language were unearthed. When
Paris and
London were drowning in mud, Novgorod was praised by foreigners for its paved embankments and clean streets. Some of the most ancient Russian chronicles were written in the city. The Novgorod merchant
Sadko became a popular hero of Russian folklore.
The city's downfall was a result of its inability to feed its large population, making it dependent on the
Vladimir-Suzdal region for grain. The main cities in this area,
Moscow and
Tver, used this dependence to gain control over Novgorod. Eventually
Ivan III annexed the city to
Muscovy in 1478. Novgorod remained the third largest Russian city, however, until
Ivan the Terrible sacked the city and slaughtered thousands of its inhabitants in 1570. The city's merchant elite and nobility were deported to Moscow,
Yaroslavl, and elsewhere.
During the
Time of Troubles, Novgorodians eagerly submitted to
Swedish troops led by
Jacob De la Gardie in summer of 1611. The city was restituted to Russia only six years later, by the Treaty of Stolbovo and regained a measure of its former prosperity by the end of the century, when such ambitious buildings as the Cathedral of the Sign and the Vyazhischi Monastery were constructed. The most famous of Russian patriarchs,
Nikon, occupied the metropolian see of Novgorod between 1648 and 1652.
In 1727, Novgorod was made an administrative centre of the Novgorod Governorate of the
Russian Empire, which was detached from
Saint Petersburg Governorate . This administrative division has existed until 1927. Between 1927 and 1944 the city has been a part of
Leningrad Oblast, and then became an administrative center of the newly formed
Novgorod Oblast.
During the
Second World War, on August 15, 1941 the city was occupied by the
German Army. Its historic monuments were systematically annihilated. When the
Red Army liberated the city on January 19, 1944, out of 2536 stone buildings less than 40 were still standing. After the WWII, the downtown has been gradually restored. Its chief monuments are declared the
World Heritage Site. In 1998, the city was officially renamed Velikiy Novgorod, thus partly reverting to its medieval title "Lord Novgorod the Great".
Sights
No other Russian or Ukrainian city may compete with Novgorod in the variety and age of its medieval monuments. The foremost among these is the
St Sophia Cathedral, built in the 1040s at the behest of
Yaroslav the Wise. It is the best preserved of 11th century churches, and the first one to represent original features of Russian architecture . Its frescoes were painted in the 12th century and renovated in the 1860s. The cathedral features famous bronze gates, made in
Magdeburg in 1156 and reportedly snatched by Novgorodians from the Swedish capital
Sigtuna in 1187.
Novgorod
kremlin, traditionally known as
Detinets, also contains the oldest palace in Russia , the oldest Russian bell tower , and the oldest Russian clock tower . Among later structures, the most remarkable are a royal palace and a bronze monument to the
Millennium of Russia, representing the most important figures from the country's history .
Outside kremlin walls, there are three cathedrals constructed during the reign of
Mstislav the Great, the last monarch of united Rus. , containing frescoes of Mstislav's family, graces Yaroslav's Court . The Yuriev Monastery contains a gloomy Romanesque cathedral from 1119. A similar three-domed cathedral , probably designed by the same masters, stands in the Antoniev Monastery.
There are numerous ancient churches scattered throughout the city. Some of them were blown up by the Nazis and subsequently restored. The most ancient pattern is represented by those dedicated to Sts Peter and Pavel , to Annunciation , to Assumption and to St Paraskeva . The greatest masterpiece of early Novgorod architecture is the Saviour church at Nereditsa .
In the 13th century, there was a vogue for tiny churches of three-paddled design. These are represented by a small chapel in Peryn and St Nicholas' on the Lipnya Islet . The next century saw development of two original church designs, one of them culminating in St Theodor's church , and another one leading to the Saviour church on Ilyina street . The Saviour' church in Kovalevo admittedly reflects Serban influence.
During the last century of republican government, some new temples were consecrated to Sts Peter and Paul , to Christ's Nativity , to St John the Apostle's , to the Holy Apostles , to St Demetrius , to St Simeon , and other saints. Generally, they are not thought so innovative as the churches from the previous epoch. Several 12th-century shrines were demolished brick by brick and then reconstructed exactly as they used to be.
Novgorod's conquest by
Ivan III in 1478 decisively changed the character of local architecture. Large commissions were thenceforth executed by Muscovite masters and patterned after cathedrals of
Moscow Kremlin: e.g., the Saviour Cathedral of
Khutyn Monastery , the Cathedral of the Sign , the Nicholas Cathedral of Vyaschizhy Monastery . Nevertheless, some parochial churches were still styled in keeping with traditions of local art: e.g., the churches of Holy Wives and of Sts Boris and Gleb .
In the village of Vitoslavlitsy, on the road from Novgorod to the Yuriev Monastery, a museum of ancient wooden art was established. Many wooden churches, houses and mills, some of the dating to the 14th century, were transported there from all around the Novgorod region.
Transport
Intercity transport
Novgorod has connections to
Moscow and
St. Petersburg by the federal highway M10.
There are public shuttle buses to Moscow, Petersburg, and other directions.
The city has direct railway passenger connections to Moscow , St. Petersburg and major cities of northwestern Russia such as
Pskov and
Murmansk.
The city's airports Yurievo and Krechevitsy do not serve any regular flights since the middle 1990s. The nearest international airport is St. Petersburg's Pulkovo, some 180 km north of the city.
Local transport
The local transport consists of a network of buses and
trolleybuses. The trolleybus network which currently consists of 5 routes started operation in 1995, and is the first trolley system opened in Russia after the fall of the
Soviet Union.
Education
Velikiy Novgorod is home to Novgorod State University established in 1993.
Sister cities
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UKSee also
References
- Yanin. The Archaeology of Novgorod, by Valentin L. Yanin, in Ancient Cities, Special Issue, , pg 120-127, c 1994. Covers, History, Kremlin of Novgorod, Novgorod Museum of History, preservation dynamics of the soils, and the production of Birch bark documents.
External links
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