Veliky Novgorod  is situated in the north-west of the European part of Russia, 180 kilometers to the south of  St Petersburg and 520 kilometers from Moscow. The history of this old Russian town goes back to over 1000 years ago. The date of the town`s foundation was determined based on ancient chronicles. However according to some records, the Novgorod settlement was founded in 854 and according to others it did not existed until 859. Eventually the latter date was assumed to be the accurate date. The oldest stone medieval castle in Russia - the Kremlin - is situated in Novgorod. Located inside the Kremlin is St Sophia Cathedral - the most ancient cathedral in Novgorod eparchy.

The Kremlin Wall	St Sophia Cathedral

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	In the central square of the Kremlin one can see the bronze monument "The Millennium of Russia" (1862), designed by Mikhail Mikeshin. It commemorates outstanding politicians of Russia who greatly contributed to the development of the country
The Millennium of Russia

Located just outside of Novgorod is the Vitoslavlitsy Museum of Wooden Architecture which has a collection of 22 wooden structures all constructed without the use of nails. The open-air architectural-ethnographic museum provides a whole complex of genuine  wooden folk architecture, including ancient churches of the 16th - 18th centuries and peasant houses of the 19th - early 20th centuries as well as exhibitions of folk art and the everyday possessions of Novgorod peasants of the same period.
  

	The Vitoslavitsy Museum of Wooden Architecture

    Yuriev Monastery is a functioning male monastery with a dome-cathedral, several buildings, and a wall which surrounds the grounds. The monastery is situated at the source of the Volkhov River on the left bank. Due to the height of the bank the monastery dominates a grand countryside panorama which is enlivened by small stone churches. The Yuryev Monastery has enriched national culture with its numerous objects of outstanding historical and artistic value. These include two very ancient icons, St George and The Annunciation of Ust'lug, dating from the early twelfth century. In the center of the monastery stands the Cathedral of St George, similar because of its mighty shapes to the city's main church, the Cathedral of St Sophia. The Cathedral of St George was the burial place of princes, noted boyars and other outstanding figures of the Novgorod state. The elder brother of Prince Alexander Nevsky, Fiodor, and his mother Feodosia, were buried there.

Yuriev Monastery	Inside the St Georges Cathedral

Modern Novgorod is a center of Russian domestic and international tourism. In the city there are a number of hotels ranging from budget accommodations (two-star hotels "Sadko" and "Intourist") to the four-star Best Western Beresta Palace Hotel.

The modern cultural life of the town is rich in events including International folklore festivals and festivals in the Wooden Architecture Museum "Vitoslavlitsy" with bell chimes, folk gatherings, "skomorokhs'" songs and dances. Novgorod also holds the only Musical Antiquities Center in Russia, where one can listen to the music and see the instruments of the ancient Slavs.