How many ‘great’ cities are there in Russia?

1. Veliky Novgorod

Nowadays, Veliky (Russian word ‘veliky’ means ‘great’ in English) Novgorod is a rather small city on the bank of the Volkhov River, 552 km northwest of Moscow, with a population of just over 224,000 people. But, once, it was the capital of the mighty Novgorod Republic, which, at its height, stretched from the Baltic Sea to the Ural Mountains.

Founded in 859, Novgorod is one of the oldest cities in Russia. The oldest surviving Orthodox church in the country, St. Sophia Cathedral (built before 1050) can be found there.

For several centuries, Veliky Novgorod was the biggest trading center of Ancient Russia, with strong economic ties with the countries of Western and Northern Europe. In 1478, the republic was swallowed up by the expanding Moscow principality, marking the end for the city of its great times.

Novgorod did lose the designation ‘Great’ in its name and it was not officially returned to it until 1999. Today, it helps to distinguish the city from its other namesake - Nizhny (‘Lower’) Novgorod on the Volga.

2. Rostov Veliky

Like Novgorod, Rostov has long lost its political significance. Located 186 km northeast of Moscow, on the shores of Lake Nero, the city is home to only 30,000 people.

In the Middle Ages, Rostov was the capital of the principality of the same name and an important religious center of ancient Russia. The Rostov clergy continued to be one of the richest and most influential in the state even after the princedom was annexed to Moscow in 1474.

The official name of the city is Rostov, but people call it with its historical name Veliky, to distinguish it from the huge southern megapolis with one million population Rostov-on-Don, which is unofficially known as the southern capital of Russia.    

3. Veliky Ustyug

Like Rostov, Veliky Ustyug (930 km north-east of Moscow) today has a population of just over 30,000 people. Although the city was for a time the capital of a small principality, it never played an important political role in the history of ancient Russia.

In the 16th century, as part of the Moscow state, Ustyug grew into a major trading center. Due to the considerable income which the town began to bring to the state treasury, Tsar Ivan IV the Terrible ordered to add ‘Veliky’ to its name.

Today, every child in Russia knows this city. Since 1999, Veliky Ustyug is officially considered the home of Ded Moroz - the Russian version of Santa Claus.

4. Velikiye Luki

There have long been disputes among researchers about the peculiar name of this small town in Pskov Region on the border with Belarus. According to one of the most reliable versions, Velikie Luki is called so, because of the great bends of the Lovat River, on the banks of which it is located.

Unlike other “great” cities of Russia, Velikie Luki has never been the capital of a principality (or republic). Its task was to protect the Novgorod lands from invasions of Lithuanians and German crusaders from the Baltic. 

The city continued to fulfill its important defensive role during World War II. For more than a month in the Summer of 1941, it successfully held out against overwhelming German troops. In 2008, Velikiye Luki was awarded the honorary title ‘City of Military Glory’ for the displayed courage, resilience and heroism of its defenders.