NOVGOROD RAYON (DISTRICT). DESCRIPTION

Shortcuts:
Introduction
Location
Historical Background
Population and Demographic Situation
Novgorod Rayon Today
Local Government System
Education and Culture

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Location

Novgorod rayon as a part of Novgorod Oblast is located in the Northwest of Russia, and has an extremely favourable geographical position on all major transportation throughways.

Automobile, air, water and rail highways connecting St.Petersburg and Moscow cross through its territory. This is an important advantage for those who plan to do business in the two Russia's most important markets and who want easy communications with western regions of Russia, Belarus, Baltic countries and the West.

It is the biggest rayon in the Northwest group, covers a territory of 4.6 square kilometers and has a population of 55.4 thousand people.

Novgorod Rayon has a developed network of roads of both republican and local significance with capacity 11 thousand cars per day. The extension of roads of federal significance is 555 km, including 345 roads with hard cover. Two gas pipelines of high pressure are covering the rayon's territory.

Density of population is 12 people for one sq.km. The working population is 62% of the total population.

The rayon also has significant reserves of sand and gravel deposits (30), including fusible clay deposits (3), and peat (10). Currently the works had been undertaken to explore the mineralized chloride sodium underground water for disinfection of water in accordance with the Antichlor program.

223.7 thousand acres of land in the rayon are covered with forests of predominately, deciduous trees (68%). Total timber yield is 40175 thousand cubic meters, including 17274 thousand cubic meters of mature and overmature wood.

There is a variety of lakes in Novgorod Rayon (the biggest navigable lake is Ilmen), and rivers Volkov, Msta and Vishera.

Novgorod Rayon lies in the moderate continental climatic zone and has 4 distinct seasons, January being the coldest month and July the warmest month. Average rainfall during warm season is 80mm and the average snowfall is 30mm. Average annual temperature is +3°C: in summer +18°C, in winter - 8°C.

By the average temperature in July - up to 20°C - the Novgorod Rayon resembles many countries of Europe and of North America. Ottawa, Winnipeg, Seattle are close to this temperature belt. By the annual amount of precipitation Novgorod district concedes to many territories of England, France and Switzerland. Though, spring, autumn and even summer in the region happen to be rainy, so it makes sense to take an umbrella with you.

Summer usually is not hot, the season "of white nights" begins in May.

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Historical Background

Traditionally the history of Novgorod rayon just like other rayons is considered to begin in August 1972, the date when the decree of All-Union Central Executive Committee of RSFSR approved the final administrative and territorial division of Northwest Oblast, which included Novgorod province. But the idea of such division was suggested before the revolution. Actually the Rayon continued the history of Novgorod Uyezd that was established in XVI century.

Suburbs of Novgorod had been marked out as Novgorod okrug (district) more than a thousand years ago. More that a dozen of buried treasures had been found here containing coins of Eastern origin of IX-X centuries, a unique bronze ring of VIII century and iron articles of VIII IX centuries.

Novgorod, having managed to avoid devastation during the days of the Mongol invasion, preserved the greatest spiritual and artistic values claimed by Russian culture during the period of its new rise in 14th -15th centuries. They include Church of Our Saviour Transfiguration on Nereditsa (1198) - the architectural 'pearl' - the synthesis of architecture with the surrounding nature, Church of the Saviour on Khoutyn (1192), Church of Nikola on Lipna (1292) one of the first churches constructed in Russia after Baty invasion, Church of Assumption (1352), Church of the Saviour Transfiguration on Kovalev (1345), Our Lady Vladimir Cathedral (1554), St. Nicholas Cathedral of the Vyazhishchi monastery (1685).

Oneg estate where great Russian composer Rakhmaninov spent several years is another remarkable place of Novgorod rayon.

Villages of the Novgorod rayon were filled with wooden houses. Not for nothing did men of Novgorod have a reputation as carpenters and wood-workers in the old days. Not only did they use wood to make basins, pails, spoons, and combs, but also to build the boyar palaces, houses and churches. Many of these wooded constructions have been carefully collected and preserved in the Vitoslavlitsy, the open-air museum of Novgorod wooden architecture.

The history of the rayon is the history of villages and settlements. The transportation through Msta river by Bronnitsa village had been put under control of the Antoniev monastery by Alexander Nevsky and later by Dmitry Donskoy. The elite guards of Ivan III and Ivan the Terrible were stationed at that village. At the beginning of XVII century a desperate struggle with Swedes took place by Msta river. Ekaterina II visited the Bronnitsa Hill on her way back to Moscow. Vvedensky church with side-chapel of martyr Ekaterina was constructed there to commemorate that event.

Arakcheev cadet school was stationed at the Novoselitsi village. In 1501 Rakomo village was acknowledged to be the Czar's place and unlike all other villages having only a few houses, it had 47 houses.

In 1824 a famous "Blue Bridge" was constructed across Volhovets river, its wooden parts were painted blue. During the war the bridge had been destroyed, after that it was rebuilt but the name kept being the same. Siversov and Visherky channels were built connecting Msta and Volkhov rivers.

Novgorod uyezd (district) was detached in the XVII century and included almost a half of the modern oblast territory. Since 1708 Novgorod uyezd had been changing its territory for several times and in 1773 it was broken up into other smaller uyezds. In 1802 the size of the uyezd stabilized for more than a century.

In 1930 Novgorod okrug (district) was abolished and until 1944 Novgorod remained the district center of Leningrad oblast.

In August 1941 the city was seized by German forces and occupied for two and a half years. Novgorod was near the front line all that time and suffered much damages. There are a dozen of war memorials in Myasnoy Bor, Savino and Volotovo to commemorate the courage of killed Russian soldiers.

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Population and Demographic Situation

Population of Novgorod Rayon is 56.3 thousand people and for the last decade it has undergone little changes. The natural growth is characterized by negative parameters.

The working population is 33,1 thousand people; 22.7 thousand people live in urban sections of the rayon and 10.5 thousand people live in the cities. 17.4 thousand people are employed in national economy, including 14.2 thousand people working at the industry.

Employed population is 13.1 thousand people.

In 2001 the number of officially unemployed people was 227, the level of unemployment is 0.7% of working population.

The labour market in the rayon is influenced by the state of agriculture and industry. The professional structure of the unemployed is the following: drivers, mechanics, salesmen, electricians, seamstresses, plasterers, accountants, engineers, and economists.

Located far from "hot spots" and with a near-homogenous population (96% Russian), Novgorod Rayon is not troubled by national and ethnic conflicts.

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Novgorod Rayon Today

Novgorod Rayon has a status of independent municipal institution.

It consists of four villages: Pankovka, Proletary, Tesovsky, Tesovo-Netylsky and 23 rural districts: Borkovsky (village Borki), Bronnitsky (village Bronnitsy), Volotovsky (Volhovets village), Gostetsky (Gostsy village), Grigorovky (Grigorovo village), Dubrovsky (Dubrovka village), Zakharinsky (Zakharino village), Ermolinsky (Ermolino village), Ilmensky (Ilmen village), Krasnostansky (Kranie Stanki village), Lesnovsky (Lesnaya village), Novoselitsky (Novoselitsi village), Podberezsky (Podberezie village), Rakomsky (Rakomo village), Savinsky (Savino village), Selogorsky (Selo Gora village), Sergovsky (Sergovo village), Syrkovsky (Syrkovo village), Trubichincky (Trubichino village), Finevsky (Finev Lug village), Kholynsky (Kholynya village), Chastovsky (Chastova village), Chechulinsky (Chechulino village).

Nowadays the look of the rayon had undergone significant changes. A dozen of villages and settlements are decorated by modern solid houses of the rich middle-high class people. Probably these changes will facilitate other positive changes in other spheres of life.

Today Novgorod rayon means a quarter of all farm products produced in oblast and the seventh part of all rural population.

Villages Pankovka, Proletary, Tesovsky and Tesovo-Netylsky are famous by their enterprises. They produce construction materials, chinaware, peat, flour and many other products; the same goes to other districts and settlements like Podberezie. The industrial potential of the rayon is rather high.

There are 845 companies and enterprises in Novgorod rayon, among which 41 companies are involved in external economic activity. Additionally there are 1568 private entrepreneurs and 169 farms in the rayon.

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Government System

The rayon government system is based on three traditionally strong elements:

• Novgorod Rayon Council of Novgorod Oblast
• Novgorod Rayon Government
• Head of Rayon

The Head of Rayon is elected by the citizens every fifth year on the base of equal and direct suffrage by secret vote in accordance with the Federal Law "On the main guarantees of electoral rights and the right to participate at the referendum of Russian citizens" and Oblast Law "On election of the heads of municipal local governments".

Rayon Council is a representative body of local self-government. The Council consists of 10 deputies elected by the population for the period of 5 years on the base of equal and direct suffrage by secret vote in accordance with the Federal Law "On the main guarantees of electoral rights and the right to participate at the referendum of Russian citizens" and Oblast Law "On election of the heads of municipal local governments".

Rayon administration is the administrative machinery, which carries out assignments on behalf of the Head of Rayon. The Rayon administration is empowered to establish its territorial and branch bodies of management, like administrations of villages and rural districts, committees, departments, and sections.

Contact Information

Head of Novgorod Rayon Filippov Alexander Nikolaevich 78, Bolshaia Moskovskaia 173005 Velikii Novgorod, Russia tel: 7(81622) 32288

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Education and Culture

Modern Novgorod rayon is a stunning combination of old and new. One of the largest monuments complexes of Russia, totaling over 30 monasteries and 120 monuments of culture and history had been preserved in the rayon.

The well-developed connections of Novgorod, its central position in a vast territory and the unique combination of princely and democratic traditions in its social life… all these features contributed to the creation of a unique phenomenon we now call "the artistic culture of medieval Novgorod". All attributes of medieval Christian culture -- stone architecture, monumental and easel painting, applied arts and jewelry, the unique complex of Old Russian architecture of the XI - XVII centuries - were developed to demonstrate magnificent results.

Novgorod icon painting presents the greatest school of Old Russian monumental painting. Moreover the school of Novgorod architecture is the most significant in the history of Russian architecture.

The following educational institutions are situated in the rayon:

• 12 kindergartens
• 26 schools
• 3 high schools
• 11 infant schools
• 36 clubs
• 34 libraries

All educational institutions are staffed with qualified teachers. For the last few years five teachers had been conferred the honorary title "Honored school teacher of Russia". 30% of school graduates graduate from school with profession, 45% children start going to school at the age of 6.

Since 1994 the leading medical institution of the rayon is Central Rayon Medial Clinic, which occupies a new and modern building in Trubichino. Additional medical services are provided by 3 hospitals, medical assistant and obstetrical centers, 9 drugstores and 45 pharmaceutical centers. There are 61 doctors and 245 medical personnel in the rayon.

In 1995 for the first time the rayon participated at the second international Rachmaninov musical festival. 13 musical groups have the title "National". "Lubava" choir took part at the international festival of choral music in Malta. There is an ethnographical museum in Navolok village which in 1993 was conferred the honorary title "National".

It has become a tradition to organize folk and pop music festivals, sport holidays and youth amateur art days.

All folk groups demonstrate their artistry and techniques at the annual folklore and arts festival in Navolok village.

Since 1994 all villages of the rayon have been celebrating their anniversaries. The musical schools organize and conduct contests of young pianists, folk instruments' players, choirs, and others.

There are 11 social and cultural complexes established in the form of legal entities.

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