Overview

This is a former commercial and political stronghold, lying south of St Petersburg. In the 10th century Novgorod was a thriving town exploiting its position on a trade route running from Scandinavia to Greece and beyond. Though initially the center of a principality that withstood Mongol domination, Novgorod was gradually subordinated to rule by emergent Moscow in the fifteenth century. Though the town has been repeatedly sacked by the Swedes and Germans, the central Old Town and the Kremlin were always carefully restored by authorities mindful of the city's historical importance. To confirm this, check out the Millennium Monument, a huge iron structure incorporating representations of various notable Russians and built to commemorate the supposed 1000-year anniversary of the founding of the Russian state.