Новгород (Novgorod)

Новгород (Novgorod) is the capital city of its oblast, located on both sides of the Volkhov¹ River, just north of Lake Il'men', in the Northwest Federal District of Россия (Rossiya²). In 2010 it had a population of 219 thousand.³ The city rose to prominence in the 14th century as the capital of a tributary of the Ulus of Jochi (Golden Horde). While in that status it expanded to include what is now mainland Arkhangelsk⁴ Oblast and the Komi Republic. It was annexed by the Velikoye Knyazhestvo of Москва (Moskva⁵) in 1478 and in the following century many of its citizens were slaughtered by Ivan the Terrible. In 1941 the Germans sacked the city and destroyed all its monuments, although the central ones were restored after World War II.⁶ They are now honored as a UNESCO World Heritage Site and include the Kremlin's 15th century fortifications; the mid-11th century Church of St. Sophia, which is also a tourist attraction⁷; the 14th century frescoes of the Church of the Transfiguration; and the Church of St. John the Baptist.⁸ The tallest buildings are the three Bolshaya Saint-Peterburgskaya towers (185 feet, 2013), though the tallest structure is the Proletariy TV Mast (wired, 1991, 1138 feet).⁹

The non-Euclidean geometer, Nikolai Ivanovich Lobachevsky, was born here.

Historical Maps

External references

Kremlin, Novgorod, Novgorod Oblast, Northwest Federal District, Rossiya

Footnotes