Novgorod

Velikiy Novgorod is one of the oldest Russian cities, a real treasury of national culture and arts.  It is impossible to imagine the history of Russian without Novgorod.  The people say:  “Novgorod is the father, Kiev is the mother, and Moscow is the heart of all old Russian cities". 

The history of Velikiy Novgorod dates back over 1200 years.  It was first mentioned in the chronicles in 859.  Due to its favourable geographical location the city was developing as a commercial centre of Old Russia and fantastic treasures were accumulated here.  In the XII-XV centuries, Novgorod is the capital of Novgorod Feudal Republic, which was the largest state formation in medieval Europe.  It stretched from the Great Duchy of Lithuania to the Urals, and from the White Sea to head of Volga.  The closest commercial connections were with German merchants who had their own merchant house in the city.    Up to 200 German merchants were able to stay in Novgorod for a long period of time.  Velokiy Novgorod is most Eastern settlement of the Hanseatic League. 

None of the other Russian cities have so many historic architecture and arts monuments of the X-XVII centuries.  Since 1992, all Novgorod monuments are under UNESCO protection as a part of world cultural heritage.