Novgorod

City on the Volkhov River in the northwest Russian Federation and capital of Novgorod oblast, 500 km/311 mi northwest of Moscow; population (1990) 232,000. Novgorod is one of the oldest cities in Russia, and was the capital of the Russian state before the ascendancy of Moscow. Chemicals, clothing, electrical goods, furniture, and beer are manufactured.

Novgorod is thought to have been founded in the 6th century, and was first chronicled in 859. It was settled by Vikings (Varangians) under their chieftain Rurik in 862. Norse merchants who went there quickly became fully assimilated into the native Slav population. In 882 the capital of the principality moved to Kiev, but Novgorod retained a strong municipal government run by the leaders of the craft guilds. The city became an independent city-state in 1136 and until the 13th century, flourished as a major commercial centre for trade with Scandinavia, the Byzantine empire, and the Muslim world.

The Russian hero Alexander Nevski ruled Novgorod (1238–63). From c.1200 until 1494, it was one of the principal members of the Hanseatic League, but its economy declined sharply in the 15th century under the rule of the boyars, nobles who had seized power from the guilds in 1416. Novgorod came under the control of Ivan III (the Great) of Muscovy in 1478 and was sacked by Ivan the Terrible in 1570. The city's commercial importance further waned with the founding of St Petersburg in the early 18th century. It was systematically destroyed by retreating German troops in 1944.

Novgorod was popularly known in medieval Russia as ‘Lord Novgorod the Great’ because of its key position on the trade route between the Baltic and Black Seas. In particular, it had a monopoly on the Russian fur trade at this period. The city lies some 6 km/4 mi north of Lake Ilmen on the main Moscow–St Petersburg highway, and has many outstanding examples of architecture from the 11th–19th centuries. The earliest buildings are the citadel (Kremlin) and the Cathedral of St Sophia. There are also several fine churches of the Novgorod School (12th–16th centuries), which contain a number of well-preserved frescoes and icons. Extensive archaeological excavations have been undertaken here since 1932.

Novgorod

Oblast (region) of the northwest European Russian Federation; area 55,300 sq km/21,351 sq mi; population (1996) 743,000 (71% urban). The capital is Novgorod. There are engineering, metal- and woodworking, peat extraction, and linen-milling industries. Grain, flax, and potatoes are grown, and there is dairy farming.

The region consists of marshy lowland around Lake Ilmen in the west, morainic Valdai Hills in the east, and large areas of mixed forests. Mineral deposits include lignite, fire-clays, and extensive peat deposits (over 11% of the total area). Cities include Borovichi and Staraya Russa.

The Novgorod area was the core of the vast territories in northern Russia dominated by the city-state of Novgorod in the Middle Ages.