Novgorodsky District () is an administrative and municipal district (raion), one of the twenty-one in Novgorod Oblast, Russia. It is located in the southwest of the oblast and borders with Tosnensky District of Leningrad Oblast in the north, Chudovsky District in the northeast, Malovishersky District in the east, Krestetsky District in the southeast, Shimsky District in the southwest, Batetsky District in the west, and with Luzhsky District of Leningrad Oblast in the northwest. In the south, the district is limited by Lake Ilmen. The area of the district is . Its administrative center is the city of Veliky Novgorod (which is not administratively a part of the district). Population: 58,622 (2002 Census); In terms of both area and population, this is the largest district in Novgorod Oblast.
Geography
The district is located in the Ilmen Lowlands and is crossed by the Volkhov River from southwest to northeast, dividing the district into approximately equal areas. All rivers in the district drain into Lake Ilmen or into the Volkhov River and its main tributaries, including the Polist (left), the Vishera (right), and the Tigoda (left). A large portion of the Lake Ilmen coast belongs to Novgorodsky District. The biggest tributary of Lake Ilmen within the district is the Msta.
Woods occupy the area of , which is more than a half of the total area of the district.
History
The Volkhov River served as a major waterway, a part of the trade route from the Varangians to the Greeks, since medieval times. The city of Novgorod was one of the leading political, trading, and cultural centers of East Slavs since the 9th century, and its immediate vicinities were within the current boundaries of the district. Novgorod lands extended far to the north and to the northeast to the Arctic Ocean. In the end of the 15th century, Novgorod was defeated and annexed by the Grand Duchy of Moscow. From that time, Novgorod lands were subdivided into , and the banks of the Volkhov, including the current area of the district, were a part of Vodskaya Pyatina.
In the course of the administrative reform carried out in 1708 by Peter the Great, the territory was included into Ingermanland Governorate (known since 1710 as Saint Petersburg Governorate). In 1727, separate Novgorod Governorate was split off. In 1776, the area was transferred to Novgorod Viceroyalty. In 1796, the viceroyalty was abolished and renamed Novgorod Governorate. The area was a part of Novgorodsky Uyezd.
In the 1810s and 1820s, military settlements were organized in Novgorod Governorate, in accordance with the project designed by Aleksey Arakcheyev, an influential statesman. The first area transferred to the military administration (in 1816) was Vysotskaya Volost of Novgorodsky Uyezd. Later, some other areas of Novgorodsky Uyezd were transferred to the military administration as well. The military settlements, however, were proven inefficient; in 1831 in particular, the local population participated in the Cholera Riots. The military administration was abolished in 1856.
In 1922, Krestetsky Uyezd of Novgorod Governorate was abolished and split between Novgorodsky, Malovishersky, and Valdaysky Uyezds. In 1927, a number of ethnic German and Latvian selsoviets were created in the uyezd.
In August 1927, the governorates and uyezds were abolished. Novgorodsky District, with the administrative center in the city of Novgorod, was established within Novgorod Okrug of Leningrad Oblast effective October 1, 1927. It included parts of former Novgorodsky Uyezd. On July 23, 1930, the okrugs were abolished, and the districts were directly subordinated to the oblast. The city of Novgorod was a part of the district until August 1930, when it was elevated in status to that of a city of oblast significance. On September 20, 1931, Medvedsky District was abolished and merged into Novgorodsky District. On January 1, 1932, a part of abolished Mstinsky District was merged into Novgorodsky District. On February 15, 1935, parts of Novgorodsky District were transferred to newly established Shimsky District. On March 11, 1941, parts of previously abolished Mstinsky District, which was merged into Novgorodsky District in 1932, were returned to Mstinsky District.
Between August 14, 1941 and February 3, 1944, parts of Novgorodsky District was occupied by German troops. On July 5, 1944, Novgorodsky District was transferred to newly established Novgorod Oblast, where it remained ever since. On February 1, 1963, the district was transformed into Novgorodsky Rural District in the course of the Nikita Khrushchev's abortive administrative reform. This was reverted on January 12, 1965.