Waldai

city Valdai Валдай flag coat of arms Federal district Northwest Russia Oblast Novgorod Rajon Waldai First mention 1495 City since 1770 surface 24  km² population 16,098 inhabitants (as of Oct. 14, 2010) Population density 671 inhabitants / km² Height of the center 210  m Time zone UTC + 3 Telephone code (+7) 81666 Post Code 175400-175405 License Plate 53 OKATO 49 208 501 Website http://valday.com/ Geographical location Coordinates 57 ° 58 ′  N , 33 ° 15 ′  E Coordinates: 57 ° 58 ′ 0 ″  N , 33 ° 15 ′ 0 ″  E

Location in the western part of Russia

Location in Novgorod Oblast

List of cities in Russia

Waldai ( Russian Валдай ) is a Russian city ​​with 16,098 inhabitants (as of October 14, 2010) and the center of the raion of the same name in Novgorod Oblast .

geography

Waldai is located in the southern part of the Novgorod Oblast near the administrative border with the Tver Oblast , around 400 kilometers northwest of Moscow and 140 km southeast of the regional capital Veliky Novgorod . The nearest town is Okulowka 46 km north of Valdai. The location of the city on the wooded plateau of the Waldai heights and on the west side of the seven kilometer long and four kilometer wide Waldai lake is very scenic and attracts those seeking relaxation, especially in the summer months. The Iwersky Monastery is located on an island in this lake .

history

Trinity Cathedral

Trinity Cathedral, interior view

The city emerged from the village called Waldaiskoje Selishche , literally "Waldai settlement", which was first mentioned in 1495. Originally the village belonged to the Novgorod boyar Vasily Jessifow, in 1654 it became the property of the Iversky Monastery and remained its property until 1764, when all the landed property of the Russian Orthodox monasteries of the Russian Empire was nationalized. This fact also promoted the development of the place, as the monastery advocated the settlement of craftsmen and traders there in the 17th century and in 1694 had the first brick building built in Valdai with the Trinity Church. A road laid along the lakeshore enabled trading activities with Novgorod, Tver and Saint Petersburg .

In 1770 the place was declared a city as part of a territorial reform by Tsarina Catherine II . Waldai became a district town and received its own city coat of arms.

From the end of the 18th century, the bell- making trade developed in Valdai to a large extent . As early as the 19th century, bells called the “gift from the Valdai” and small bells for horse-drawn teams were well known throughout Russia. Trade with other regions of Russia was initially facilitated by the paved road between Moscow and Petersburg, built in 1834 and passing through Valdai. However, its importance declined after the construction of the Nikolaus Railway , which bypassed Valdai. Despite the resulting economic decline, bells were cast in Valdai well into the 1920s. A large number of historically valuable merchant houses in the old town remind us of the heyday of handicrafts in the 19th century.

Population development

year	Residents
1897	2,907
1939	8,324
1959	10,603
1970	14,118
1979	17,897
1989	19.173
2002	18,703
2010	16,098

Note: census data

Economy and Transport

Jupiter plant, aerial view

Today's Waldai is best known as a tourist center. Industry only plays a relatively minor role: the Jupiter optics factory , a mechanical engineering factory and companies in the food industry should be mentioned.

The most important road connection to Waldais is the M10 main road , which is part of the European route 105 . In addition, Waldai has a regional station on a branch line of the Nikolaibahn leading from Bologoje via Staraya Russa to Dno .

Individual evidence

1. ↑ ^{a b} Itogi Vserossijskoj perepisi naselenija 2010 goda. Tom 1. Čislennostʹ i razmeščenie naselenija (Results of the All-Russian Census 2010. Volume 1. Number and distribution of the population). Tables 5 , pp. 12-209; 11 , pp. 312–979 (download from the website of the Federal Service for State Statistics of the Russian Federation)

Web links

Commons : Waldai  - collection of images, videos and audio files

• Unofficial website (Russian)
• Unofficial German language website
• Valdai on mojgorod.ru (Russian)