Novgorod. Nothern Russian city.

There is another interesting city in the north of Russia: Novgorod. From the 12th to 14th centuries, Novgorod was both a city and a state unto itself, carrying the titles Veliky Novgorod ("Great Novgorod") and Gospodin Veliky Novgorod ("Lord Novgorod the Great"). At a time when Moscow was still an unknown village, Novgorod controlled an enormous territory. For five hundred years it carried on in this role of independent city-state. By maintaining a very profitable trade with the largest cities of Europe, Novgorod became the richest and the mightiest city in Russia.

Although it is now only a small provincial town, Novgorod has retained its beauty both in its nature and its art. Located on the banks of the Volkhov River and not far from Lake Ilmen, everything outside of the city is extremely beautiful. In Novgorod itself, you can visit the Novgorod Kremlin and the main cathedral of old Novgorod — St. Sophia's Cathedral. Within the old Novgorod Kremlin you will also find a monument that was opened in 1862 to celebrate Russia's 1,000th anniversary. Bearing over one hundred figures, this sculpture commemorates a long list of politicians, poets, artists, tsars, and even ordinary citizens — everyone who over time has nurtured Russia in some crucial way.

Many tourists therefore find it surprising that Tsar Ivan the Terrible cannot be found on the monument. To understand why, one must remember that it was Ivan the Terrible who gave the order to seize Novgorod and annex it to the principality of Moscow. Novgorod resisted for a long time, but when the Tsar finally seized the city, the nearby Volkhov River turned red with the blood of the city's inhabitants. Of course, the people of Novgorod have never forgotten this, and for that very reason the Tsar's figure does not appear on the monument.