Veliky Novgorod



Veliky Novgorod

Name: Irina Mordasova & Konstantin Chalabov

Age: 31

Profession: Journalist

City: Novgorod

How long have you been doing photography? Since I was in school.

What style or genre most interests you? I love landscapes.

Can you give us a short description of your city? Where is it located? What is it famous for? Veliky Novgorod is a small city in northwest Russia, located between the two capitals of Moscow and St. Petersburg. The city was founded in 859. Later, from this very spot, the Varangian prince Rurik was summoned, setting in motion the foundation of Russian statehood and Kievan Rus. Everyone knows about the famous Novgorod People's Veche. In the Middle Ages, Veliky Novgorod was one of the main cities of the Hanseatic League and played a far from insignificant role in European trade. After the unification of Russian lands about Moscow, the two capitals began to develop, and Novgorod began to wane in significance, taking on a more provincial character. The city now has about 220,000 residents.

What are some things that only locals would know about the city? 

1. When you meet someone and tell them you are from Novgorod, they always nod their head and say, "Oh, from Nizhny?" Veliky Novgorod is constantly confused with Nizhny Novgorod, which is located closer to Moscow and was previously known as Gorky. Both Novgorodtsy and Nizhegorodtsy have no patience with this error. Well, what are you going to do? With each passing year the number of people who have no understanding of even the rudiments of our history grows...

2. Near the city is Lake Ilmen (often incorrectly pronounced by foreigners, with the accent on the second syllable). It is similar to the famous Lake Baikal in that many rivers flow into it and just one flows out.

3. The city sits on the Volkhov River and is divided into two halves: Sofiyskaya and Torgovaya. Locals call them "that" and "this" («та» и «эта») "Where are you?" "I am on that side." This means the speaker is on the Torgovaya side (та), which is the smaller of the two halves of the city.

4. Among the cities innumerable historical monuments is "The Bra." This is the name that locals gave to the iron and cement art construction "The Sail," located in the kremlin park.

Which places or sites are a must for someone to see if they visit your city? The city has more than 20 monuments that are on the UNESCO list. Among them are Russia's oldest church, Sofia Cathedral, which was build in 1045-50. The main focal point for monuments is the fourteenth century stone kremlin, inside which is located the "Thousand Years of Russia" monument, Yaroslav Palace and its dozen churches – where the ancient Hanseatic League trading took place. 

Near the city is a working monastery: Yuriev Monastery, which is also near the museum of wooden architecture, Vitoslavlitsa, housing things built without a single nail. And on the other side of the river Volkhov is Rurik's Settlement, with the ruins of an ancient church. According to legend, it was here that Rurik established his first settlement. 

Anything else?: I truly love my city. I would love it if more tourists saw it. Our city is very beautiful and truly radiates history.

 



Like this post? Get a weekly email digest + member-only deals

Some of Our Books

A Taste of Russia

A Taste of Russia

The definitive modern cookbook on Russian cuisine has been totally updated and redesigned in a 30th Anniversary Edition. Layering superbly researched recipes with informative essays on the dishes' rich historical and cultural context, A Taste of Russia includes over 200 recipes on everything from borshch to blini, from Salmon Coulibiac to Beef Stew with Rum, from Marinated Mushrooms to Walnut-honey Filled Pies. A Taste of Russia shows off the best that Russian cooking has to offer. Full of great quotes from Russian literature about Russian food and designed in a convenient wide format that stays open during use.
Marooned in Moscow

Marooned in Moscow

This gripping autobiography plays out against the backdrop of Russia's bloody Civil War, and was one of the first Western eyewitness accounts of life in post-revolutionary Russia. Marooned in Moscow provides a fascinating account of one woman's entry into war-torn Russia in early 1920, first-person impressions of many in the top Soviet leadership, and accounts of the author's increasingly dangerous work as a journalist and spy, to say nothing of her work on behalf of prisoners, her two arrests, and her eventual ten-month-long imprisonment, including in the infamous Lubyanka prison. It is a veritable encyclopedia of life in Russia in the early 1920s.
The Samovar Murders

The Samovar Murders

The murder of a poet is always more than a murder. When a famous writer is brutally stabbed on the campus of Moscow’s Lumumba University, the son of a recently deposed African president confesses, and the case assumes political implications that no one wants any part of.
A Taste of Chekhov

A Taste of Chekhov

This compact volume is an introduction to the works of Chekhov the master storyteller, via nine stories spanning the last twenty years of his life.
22 Russian Crosswords

22 Russian Crosswords

Test your knowledge of the Russian language, Russian history and society with these 22 challenging puzzles taken from the pages of Russian Life magazine. Most all the clues are in English, but you must fill in the answers in Russian. If you get stumped, of course all the puzzles have answers printed at the back of the book.
Jews in Service to the Tsar

Jews in Service to the Tsar

Benjamin Disraeli advised, “Read no history: nothing but biography, for that is life without theory.” With Jews in Service to the Tsar, Lev Berdnikov offers us 28 biographies spanning five centuries of Russian Jewish history, and each portrait opens a new window onto the history of Eastern Europe’s Jews, illuminating dark corners and challenging widely-held conceptions about the role of Jews in Russian history.
Driving Down Russia's Spine

Driving Down Russia's Spine

The story of the epic Spine of Russia trip, intertwining fascinating subject profiles with digressions into historical and cultural themes relevant to understanding modern Russia. 
Survival Russian

Survival Russian

Survival Russian is an intensely practical guide to conversational, colloquial and culture-rich Russian. It uses humor, current events and thematically-driven essays to deepen readers’ understanding of Russian language and culture. This enlarged Second Edition of Survival Russian includes over 90 essays and illuminates over 2000 invaluable Russian phrases and words.
The Frogs Who Begged for a Tsar

The Frogs Who Begged for a Tsar

The fables of Ivan Krylov are rich fonts of Russian cultural wisdom and experience – reading and understanding them is vital to grasping the Russian worldview. This new edition of 62 of Krylov’s tales presents them side-by-side in English and Russian. The wonderfully lyrical translations by Lydia Razran Stone are accompanied by original, whimsical color illustrations by Katya Korobkina.
The Little Humpbacked Horse

The Little Humpbacked Horse

A beloved Russian classic about a resourceful Russian peasant, Vanya, and his miracle-working horse, who together undergo various trials, exploits and adventures at the whim of a laughable tsar, told in rich, narrative poetry.
Maria's War: A Soldier's Autobiography

Maria's War: A Soldier's Autobiography

This astonishingly gripping autobiography by the founder of the Russian Women’s Death Battallion in World War I is an eye-opening documentary of life before, during and after the Bolshevik Revolution.

About Us

Russian Life is a publication of a 30-year-young, award-winning publishing house that creates a bimonthly magazine, books, maps, and other products for Russophiles the world over.

Latest Posts

Our Contacts

Russian Life
73 Main Street, Suite 402
Montpelier VT 05602

802-223-4955