Mr Mitin said that industrial growth came to 112 percent in 2015. One of the region’s biggest enterprises, the Akron plant, will launch Russia’s biggest ammonia production facility this year. In the sport sector, the region opened the Whitewater Slalom Centre last year and built a football stadium.
Mr Mitin noted that the estate where Sergei Rachmaninov (1873–1943) was born was located 30 kilometres from Novgorod. The composer’s mother and grandmother are buried in the region, and his name has been given to streets, a college, and an international music festival held in Novgorod. The region has now proposed establishing an international Rachmaninov centre near the composer’s birthplace. Many Russian musicians have expressed their support for the idea.