One of the really interesting parts of my job as Consul General in the North West Federal District of Russia is that I get to visit many fascinating places filled with rich history. It’s a very large and diverse geographical area with a population of around 13.6 million. St Petersburg is the largest city and the administrative capital of the district. It’s a beautiful place filled with rich history and culture but it is also important to get out and visit other areas.
I recently visited Veliky Novgorod, which is one of the most historical centres of all Russia, being the site where the Varangian chieftain Rurik settled in the 9th century. The city has a rich and bloody past with its people suffering at the hands of Ivan the Terrible and others over the centuries. More recently, the city was occupied by the German army between August 1941 and January 1944. Today, Veliky Novgorod is a city of around 220,000 people (635,000 in Novgorod region) with many wonderful historical sites, including the Kremlin and St Sophia Cathedral.
Veliky Novgorod lies about 200 kms south of St Petersburg, about three hours by car or train. I took the train there and returned by car. The train is a great way of getting around this huge country, particularly during the white nights of summer when Russian people like to get out of the cities to enjoy the countryside and their dachas.
I met the Governor of Novgorod Region, Sergey Mitin, who has been governor since 2007. Governor Mitin recalled the former Cadbury chocolate factory, which had been opened back in 1997. Agriculture and food processing, timber processing, mining and fertilisers were priority sectors for the region. One of Governor Mitin’s colleagues told me she had just returned from the Milan Expo and had been extremely impressed by the UK pavilion. I also visited the chamber of commerce, a metallurgical plant producing copper, and a large mineral fertiliser plant (the largest enterprise in the region). Both plants were impressive and have links with the UK. Outside one of the plants was one of the most interesting monuments I have seen on my travels in Russia, the first train used by the plant with a statue of Lenin standing inside.
Veliky Novgorod established a formal twinning relationship with Watford in 1984. There is also the Watford Novgorod Friendship Society which works to strengthen links at community level. The Governor of Novgorod region was pleased to hear that Watford had just been promoted to the English Premier League. Veliky Novgorod is busy building a new stadium for its own football team.
I had time for a short tour of the Kremlin which hosts St Sophia Cathedral and other fine churches and smaller buildings. The Kremlin sits on the bank of the Volkhov river and really is an impressive and imposing site. There is much more to see in Veliky Novgorod and the wider region, but this brief visit gave me a good insight into one of the most important historical sites in Russia. I look forward to returning and also to sharing my impressions of future visits to other parts of Russia.