Novgorod Oblast () is a federal subject of Russia (an oblast). Its administrative center is the city of Veliky Novgorod. Some of the oldest Russian cities, including Veliky Novgorod and Staraya Russa, are located in the oblast. The historic monuments of Veliky Novgorod and surroundings have been declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Population: 583,387 (2021 Census).
Geography
Novgorod Oblast borders with Leningrad Oblast in the north and in the northwest, Vologda Oblast in the east, Tver Oblast in the southeast and in the south, and Pskov Oblast in the southwest, which coincidentally has a similar amount of land area as Novgorod Oblast.
The western part is a lowland around Lake Ilmen, while the eastern part is a highland (northern spurs of the Valdai Hills). The highest point is in the Valdai Hills (). In the center of the oblast is Lake Ilmen, one of the largest lakes in Central Russia. The major tributaries of Lake Ilmen are the Msta, which originates in the east of the Valdai Hills and collects the rivers in the east of the oblast, the Lovat, the Pola, and the Polist, which all flow to the lake from the south, and the Shelon, flowing from the southwest. The only outflow of the lake is the Volkhov, a major tributary of Lake Ladoga. Almost all of the oblast belongs to the river basin of the Volkhov. The exceptions are the northwest, which belongs to the river basin of the Luga, a tributary of the Baltic Sea, the north, belonging to the basin of the Syas, another tributary of Lake Ladoga, the east, which belongs to the basin of the Mologa, a tributary of the Volga, and the south, belonging to basins of various tributaries of the upper Volga River. Sorted by the discharge, the biggest rivers of the oblast are the Volkhov, the Mologa, the Msta, the Lovat, the Syas, and the Shelon.
The south and the southeast of the oblast contain one of the largest lake districts in European Russia. The biggest lake in the area, Lake Seliger, is divided between Novgorod and Tver Oblasts. Other big lakes in the area include Lake Valdayskoye, , , , and .
Two areas in Novgorod Oblast have been designated as protected natural areas of federal significance. These are Valdaysky National Park in the southeast of the oblast, protecting the lake district and related ecosystems and cultural landscapes, and Rdeysky Nature Reserve in the southwest of the oblast, which protects the Polist-Lovat Swamp System and is adjacent to Polistovsky Nature Reserve in Pskov Oblast.
History
Novgorod is one of the oldest centers of Russian civilization. It lay on the historical trade route from the Varangians to the Greeks, which followed the Volkhov upstream to Lake Ilmen and then followed the course of the Lovat before eventually reaching the Dnieper River. Novgorod is indicated in the chronicles as the site where Rurik settled and founded the Rurik Dynasty in 862. Subsequently, Rurik's successor, Oleg, moved the capital to Kiev, but Novgorod continued to play an important role until the 15th century. In 1136, Novgorod evicted the prince and became the center of the Novgorod Republic, which included the major part of what is currently northwestern Russia. It was an example of a medieval republic, in which decisions were taken by veche—a meeting of the city population—and the prince was elected. (The only other Russian city with a similar organization was Pskov.) Novgorod linked the river routes of Baltic, Byzantium, Central Asian regions, and all parts of European Russia and flourished as one of the most important trading centres of eastern and northern Europe. It was part of the Hanseatic League which connected it to Central and Northern Europe. Novgorod was one of the few areas of Rus not affected by the Mongol invasions. It was also an important cultural center, and the majority of monuments preserved in Russia from the 11th through the 14th century are those standing in Veliky Novgorod.
Towards the end of the 15th century Novgorod was defeated by the army of Ivan III, the prince of Moscow, and was included into the Grand Duchy of Moscow. In 1560, Ivan the Terrible, fearing treason, sent his army to sack the city. This event, known as the Massacre of Novgorod, had catastrophic consequences for the city, which lost the majority of its population and never recovered. Additionally, in the beginning of the 17th century, during the Time of Troubles, Novgorod was plundered by the Swedish army.
, 1708 Tsar Peter the Great issued an edict which established seven governorates.Указ об учреждении губерний и о росписании к ним городов The present area of Novgorod oblast was a part of Ingermanland Governorate, which was renamed Saint Petersburg Governorate in 1710. In 1727, a separate Novgorod Governorate was established. It was subdivided into five provinces, and the current area of Novgorod Oblast was split between two of them—Novgorod and Velikiye Luki Provinces. In 1772, Velikiye Luki Province was transferred to newly established Pskov Governorate. In 1775, Novgorod Governorate was transformed to Novgorod Viceroyalty, and in 1777, Pskov Governorate was transformed to Pskov Viceroyalty. In 1796, both governorates were re-established. By the 1920s, most of the area of current Novgorod Oblast belonged to Novgorod Governorate.
Before the 19th century, the areas around Novgorod were considerably better developed than the areas which are currently located in the center and the east of the oblast. In 1851, Moscow – Saint Petersburg Railway, the first long-distance railway in Russia, opened. It bypassed Novgorod as it was built on a straight line between Moscow and Saint Petersburg. The railway construction lead to the development of the adjacent areas and eventually to creation of new towns such as Malaya Vishera, Okulovka, and Chudovo. Later on, the railroads between Sonkovo and Saint Petersburg, as well as between Bologoye and Pskov, and a number of connecting lines, were constructed.
On August 1, 1927 the governorates were abolished, and merged into newly established Leningrad Oblast. Between autumn of 1941 and spring of 1944, during World War II, western parts of the current area of Novgorod Oblast, including the city of Novgorod, were occupied by German troops. Novgorod Oblast was an area of long and fierce battles, such as, for example, the Demyansk Pocket, or the Leningrad–Novgorod Offensive in 1944, when the Soviet troops crossed the Volkhov River. After the liberation, on July 5, 1944, Novgorod Oblast with the center in the city of Novgorod was established.
In 1999, the city of Novgorod was renamed Veliky Novgorod.
Politics
During the Soviet period, the high authority in the oblast was shared between three persons: The first secretary of the Novgorod CPSU Committee (who in reality had the biggest authority), the chairman of the oblast Soviet (legislative power), and the Chairman of the oblast Executive Committee (executive power). Since 1991, CPSU lost all the power, and the head of the Oblast administration, and eventually the governor was appointed/elected alongside elected regional parliament.
The Charter of Novgorod Oblast is the fundamental law of the region. The Legislative Assembly of Novgorod Oblast is the province's standing legislative (representative) body. The Legislative Assembly exercises its authority by passing laws, resolutions, and other legal acts and by supervising the implementation and observance of the laws and other legal acts passed by it. The highest executive body is the Oblast Government, which includes territorial executive bodies such as district administrations, committees, and commissions that facilitate development and run the day to day matters of the province. The Oblast administration supports the activities of the Governor who is the highest official and acts as guarantor of the observance of the oblast Charter in accordance with the Constitution of Russia.
First secretaries of the Novgorod Oblast CPSU Committee In the period when they were the most important authority in the oblast (1944 to 1991), the following first secretaries were appointed: 1944–1948 Grigory Kharitonovich Bumagin 1948–1951 Mikhail Nikolayevich Tupitsyn 1951–1954 Alexander Grigoryevich Fyodorov 1954–1956 Terenty Fomich Shtykov 1956–1958 Tikhon Ivanovich Sokolov 1958–1961 Vasily Andreyevich Prokofyev 1961–1972 Vladimir Nikolayevich Bazovsky 1972–1986 Nikolay Afanasyevich Antonov 1986–1991 Ivan Ivanovich Nikulin
Governors Since 1991, governors were sometimes appointed, and sometimes elected: 1991–2007 Mikhail Mikhaylovich Prusak, head of the administration, appointed; then governor, elected 2007–2017 Sergey Gerasimovich Mitin, governor, appointed, then elected 2017–present Andrey Nikitin, appointed in 2017, then elected
On 13 February 2017, by decree of the President of the Russian Federation, Andrei Nikitin was appointed Acting Governor of the Novgorod Oblast. In the elections on 10 September 2017, Nikitin was elected head of the Oblast, and on 14 October 2017, he took office as governor of the Novgorod Oblast.
+Results of the election of the Governor of the Novgorod OblastCandidateElection resultsA. Nikitin (United Russia)67.99%O. Yefimova (Communist Party of the Russian Federation)16.17%A. Morozov (Liberal Democratic Party of Russia)7.51%N. Zakharov (Patriots of Russia)4.09%M. Panov (A Just Russia)1.71%Turnout28.35%
In the elections on 11 September 2022, Nikitin was re-elected for a second term. +Results of the election of the Governor of the Novgorod OblastCandidateElection resultsA. Nikitin (United Russia)77.03%O. Yefimova (CPRF)10.99%A. Chursinov (LDPR)4.43%A. Prokopov (Party of Pensioners)2.56%S. Shrub (A Just Russia – For Truth)2.50%Turnout32.81%
End of term is September 2027.
Novgorod Oblast Duma
The Novgorod Oblast Duma consists of 32 deputies elected by a mixed electoral system for a term of 5 years: 16 deputies are elected in a single constituency, 16 in single-member constituencies.
The last elections of deputies of the Novgorod Oblast Duma took place on 19 September 2021.
+Results of the elections of deputies of the Novgorod Oblast Duma of the VII convocationPolitical partyElection results, %United Russia29.46CPRF19.81A Just Russia — For Truth15.76LDPR8.99New People8.37Party of Pensioners5.80Turnout40.29
There are 6 factions formed in the Novgorod Oblast Duma: United Russia — 22 deputies, CPRF — 2 deputies, LDPR — 1 deputy, A Just Russia — For Truth — 3 deputies, New People — 1 deputy, Party of Pensioners — 1 deputy, Independent — 1 deputy.
The current Chairman of the Novgorod Oblast Duma - Yuri Bobryshev (United Russia).
Political parties As of 14 January 2019, 35 regional branches of political parties were registered in the Novgorod Oblast.
The leading political force in the Novgorod Oblast is the regional branch of the United Russia party. The secretary of the Novgorod Oblast branch of the party is Sergey Fabrichny. Local branches have been established in all municipal districts and city districts of the Oblast.
The first secretary of the regional branch of the CPRF is Valery Gaidim. Local branches of the party have been established in all municipal and urban districts of the Oblast.
The Chairman of the Council of the Oblast branch of the A Just Russia party is Alexei Afanasyev. Local branches of the party have been established in all municipal districts and urban districts of the Oblast.
Alexey Chursinov coordinates the work of the Novgorod Oblast Branch of the LDPR. Local branches of the party have been established in all municipal districts and urban districts of the Oblast.
Sergey Mitin is the member of the Federation Council of the Federal Assembly from the executive body of the Novgorod Oblast. The member of the Federation Council of the Federal Assembly from the legislative body of the Novgorod Oblast is Elena Pisareva.
Economy Industry