Novgorod is traditionally considered to be a cradle of Russian statehood. The Charter of Veliky Novgorod recognizes 859 as the year when the city was first mentioned. The Sofia First Chronicle makes initial mention of it in 859, while the Novgorod First Chronicle first mentions it in 862, when it was purportedly already a major Baltic-to- Byzantium station on the trade route from the Varangians to the Greeks. See also: Rurikovo Gorodische Novgorod Kremlin The 'Veliky' ('great') part was added to the city's name in 1999. Īt its peak during the 14th century, the city was the capital of the Novgorod Republic and was one of Europe's largest cities. The city has a population of 224,286 ( 2021 Census).
UNESCO recognized Novgorod as a World Heritage Site in 1992. The city lies along the Volkhov River just downstream from its outflow from Lake Ilmen and is situated on the M10 federal highway connecting Moscow and Saint Petersburg. It is one of the oldest cities in Russia, being first mentioned in the 9th century. Veliky Novgorod ( Russian: Великий Новгород, lit.'Great Newtown', IPA: ), also known simply as Novgorod ( Новгород), is the largest city and administrative centre of Novgorod Oblast, Russia.
