Veliky Novgorod has located 190 km from St. Petersburg on the banks of the Volkhov River. The history of Veliky Novgorod has more than 1200 years. It is one of the oldest cities in Russia. For the first time in written sources, it is mentioned under the year 859. Its territory stretched from the Grand Duchy of Lithuania to the Ural Mountains, from the White Sea to the upper Volga. The closest trade contacts were with German merchants who had their own great trading yard in the city. Veliky Novgorod was the easternmost settlement of the Hanseatic League.
Since its foundation, Novgorod has been the most important outpost on the northwestern borders of the Russian possessions. From the XII to the XV centuries, it was the capital of the largest European state – the Novgorod Veche Republic, the center of the political, economic, cultural and religious life of medieval Russia.
Today Veliky Novgorod is a museum city, on the territory of which there are dozens of monuments of architecture and art of the XII–XVII centuries. It is one of the centers of spiritual life in modern Russia. Within the city there are three active Orthodox monasteries, the oldest of which is the St. George Monastery, founded in 1030 by Prince Yaroslav the Wise. The main cathedral of the Novgorod diocese - St. Sophia, built in the middle of the XI-th century, is located on the territory of the Kremlin. The Vitoslavlitsy open-air museum is very popular among Novgorodians and guests of the city, where residential huts, churches, chapels, outbuildings – monuments of wooden architecture of the XVII–XIX centuries are collected.

About the city of Veliky Novgorod
In these places, they did not wear bast shoes, but walked in leather boots, on the streets since ancient times, commoners designed decking, conducted interesting correspondence, could choose princes for themselves and drive them away when they wanted to. Swimming in the lake is possible here, merchant Sadko sang fascinating songs on the shore of this lake, to be present at the very place from where, according to legend, the bloodthirsty pagan god Perun was thrown into the river, to participate in the lists of the Novgorod knights of modernity. And also there will be a full sense of the connection of times with the primordial Russian Land. The oldest city in Russia, the center of trade and crafts of the Middle Ages, the largest partner of the Hanseatic League in the 12th and 17th centuries, the cradle of Russian democracy, the link between medieval Europe and Russia, also a frontier on the border of two civilizations, and all this is Veliky Novgorod.
Veliky Novgorod is one of the most ancient cities of Russia, with a huge number of attractions. The city was founded near the Volkhov River, about 6 km away. from Lake Ilmen in 859. Today Veliky Novgorod is the center of the Novgorod region and is located in the northwestern part of Russia.

The history of Veliky Novgorod is closely connected with important stages of the development and life of the Russian state. Novgorod can be called a center of enlightenment and a reliable fortress, an artistic center of culture, which for centuries stood on the protection of the western and northern borders of Russia. In 2008, on October 29, a decree of the President of Russia was issued, and the city was awarded the honorary title "City of Glory to Wars", this was originally done in honor of the memory of the defenders of the Motherland from the German occupiers during the Great Patriotic War. Veliky Novgorod was founded as a New City, then became known as Novgorod.
The name Veliky Novgorod was approved from the 10th to the 11th centuries, recognition of the importance of the city as the cultural and economic development of Russia. When the period of development came, especially St. Petersburg, the significance of Novgorod decreased and the name changed. The historical name of the city was Veliky Novgorod and it was decided to return it only by 1999. On the left bank of the Volkhov River, the center of the city is and was located on a high hill of the Kremlin and the Sofia (western) side of the city.
The symbols of Veliky Novgorod were the coat of arms and the flag. The coat of arms for the city became historically significant, the official heraldic description was issued by Empress Catherine II, in her decree in 1781. The flag is decorated with red prongs on the Kremlin wall in the center of Veliky Novgorod, on a tricolor background. Each color has its own symbolic meaning: red symbolizes the walls of the Kremlin, blue is exactly like the Volkhov River, and white is the walls of Orthodox churches and cathedrals.

Veliky Novgorod is located in the Moscow time zone, the distance from Moscow is approximately 600 kilometers in a north-westerly direction. The geographical coordinates of the city are 58°31' north latitude and 31°17' east longitude. The city is located on the Priilmen lowland, at an approximate height of 25 meters above sea level. The total area of the city, which stretches on both banks of the Volkhov River, is about 90 square kilometers. The phone area code is 8162 plus a six-digit phone number.
The city is located in the northwest of the European part of Russia, 524 km from Moscow and 180 km from St. Petersburg, Veliky Novgorod is located on the main highway of Russia (St. Petersburg - Moscow), and this makes it possible to provide fairly easy transport access. Thanks to the developed direct railway connection between the two major megacities, Veliky Novgorod is very accessible to tourists.
Veliky Novgorod is considered a port city and a railway hub. There are a huge number of hotels and inns in the city. The airport is located in the city, the Moscow – St. Petersburg highway passes through the city. This place is considered one of the largest and most comfortable recreational regions of Russia. The city is also considered a place of pilgrimage for tourists who want to get acquainted with the monuments of Ancient Russia. The Kremlin, the famous monument dedicated to the Millennium of Russia, Orthodox churches, archaeological sites are located on the territory of Veliky Novgorod.
The population of Novgorod is approximately equal to 216,200 thousand people. The population of such nationality as Russians predominates the most and in percentage ratio, they make up 96%, which significantly affects the absence of any problems of an inter-ethnic nature. The number of able-bodied population is 400 thousand people, and the average age of working Novgorodians is 39 years. More than half of the city's residents have secondary or higher education.

Hospitality has always been one of the traditional features of Novgorodians. Thanks to this quality, the city was able to develop and strengthen itself as an economic and cultural center. Russian hospitality has always been considered a traditional feature of the Russian people, and a large number of Novgorodians are ethnic Russian citizens, so we can come to the conclusion that the Russian environment can guarantee the guests of Veliky Novgorod such a reception that everyone would definitely want to return. Veliky Novgorod has a lot of entertainment for every taste.
Novgorodians honor their traditions, and in 2007 a regional public organization "Assembly of Indigenous Novgorodians" was formed in Novgorod, which considers its goal to support the initiative for the sake of preserving the city as a national treasure of Russia.
The municipal formation of Veliky Novgorod is an urban okrug that is part of the Novgorod Region. The administrative boundaries of Veliky Novgorod include the territory of the city, and since 2004 - two former urban-type settlements, and now the micro districts of Volkhovsky and Krechevitsy. Traditionally, the territory of Veliky Novgorod is divided along the Volkhov River into the western Sofia and eastern Trade.
The city is managed by the Administrative Department, that is, the mayor of the city, as well as the highest official, the head of the administration. The mayor is, according to the City Charter, an elected position. And also the Mayor proposes the structure of the Administration, then everything goes to the Duma for consideration. To date, Yuri Ivanovich Bobryshev has been appointed to the post of Mayor of the city. The Duma of Novgorod is the representative body of the city, which consists of 25 deputies. Deputies to the Duma are elected based on the results of municipal elections, by a simple majority of votes on a 25-point scale in single-mandate electoral districts. Deputies are elected for a term of 5 years. The powers of the Duma also include approving the structure of the Administration of Novgorod.

The Chairman of the Duma of Veliky Novgorod is currently Sergey Valeryevich Zolotarev. The Duma of Novgorod is located at 4 Bolshaya Vlasevskaya Street.
In the power of the City Administration, the occupation of the executive and administrative body of city self-government, as well as the resolution of issues of local importance and accountable to the Duma, in part, is the execution of powers for the population and the resolution of various issues of local significance only. The head of the Administration is the Mayor of Novgorod on the principles of unity of command. The address of the Administration is Bolshaya Vlasevskaya Street, house 4. The Control and Accounting Chamber is a control collegial body of the city and is formed by the Duma of Veliky Novgorod.
The administrative structures of Novgorod have the right to ensure political stability, which subsequently contributes to the economic prosperity of the city and the development of investment programs. In particular, the government is monitoring the stabilization of the starting conditions for working citizens on the Novgorod land of investors, as well as the possibility of providing tax benefits, has organized four economically stable zones.
Chemical, food, woodworking, pulp and paper, machine-building and metalworking, electrical engineering, and many other industrial industries are intensively developing in Veliky Novgorod. Commercial and state organizations for the development and support of small businesses have been established in the city.

Veliky Novgorod has a favorable geographical location and a stable socio-economic situation, as well as developed transport infrastructure, it can be concluded that the city is attractive to investors. As a result, the most favorable investment climate was created and investment legislation was adopted, subsequently, foreign and domestic ones began to grow rapidly only since 1996.
A positive trend began to emerge in the construction complex and new enterprises were erected, as well as social, cultural and household facilities, sports, and recreation complexes, offices, and large shops were built, as well as administrative buildings,. The plans for the development of Novgorod already include the construction of a more voluminous residential area in the area of the Derevyanitsky district, which is the northern part of the Trading Side. It is planned to increase the total area of the building to 206 hectares and place more than 1 million square meters of housing there, as well as objects of socio-cultural and household purposes.
