The President went for a walk around the city, visited churches and cathedrals from the XI-XIII centuries, and attended the ceremony consecrating the new bell at the Novgorod Kremlin’s St Sophia Cathedral (1045–1050). Mr Medvedev congratulated hundreds of local people gathered at the cathedral, on the city’s anniversary.
At the Novgorod Kremlin, the President laid a wreath at the Eternal Flame commemorating all those who sacrificed their lives liberating Novgorod from the Nazi invaders, and visited an exhibition, Novgorod and the History of the Russian State, organised to mark the city’s 1150th anniversary.
Mr Medvedev held a meeting with Governor of Novgorod Region Sergei Mitin, with whom he discussed the social and economic situation in the region and preparations for the anniversary celebrations.
At a meeting with cultural sector workers in the city, the President discussed tourism development in Russia, the issues facing arts patronage, and also the work of the Presidential Commission to Counter Attempts to Falsify History to the Detriment of Russia’s Interests.