Kresttsy () is an urban locality (a work settlement) and the

administrative center An administrative centre is a seat of regional administration or local government, or a county town, or the place where the central administration of a commune, is located. In countries with French as the administrative language, such as Belgiu ...

of Krestetsky District of

Novgorod Oblast Novgorod Oblast () is a federal subject of Russia (an oblast). Its administrative center is the city of Veliky Novgorod. Some of the oldest Russian cities, including Veliky Novgorod and Staraya Russa, are located in the oblast. The historic m ...

Russia Russia, or the Russian Federation, is a country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia. It is the list of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the world, and extends across Time in Russia, eleven time zones, sharing Borders ...

, situated on the M10 highway connecting

Moscow Moscow is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Russia by population, largest city of Russia, standing on the Moskva (river), Moskva River in Central Russia. It has a population estimated at over 13 million residents with ...

and St. Petersburg, east of

Veliky Novgorod Veliky Novgorod ( ; , ; ), also known simply as Novgorod (), is the largest city and administrative centre of Novgorod Oblast, Russia. It is one of the oldest cities in Russia, being first mentioned in the 9th century. The city lies along the ...

. Kresttsy is also located on the Kholova River. Municipally, it is incorporated as Krestetskoye Urban Settlement, the only urban settlement in the district. Population:

History

Kresttsy (Krestetsky Pogost) was first mentioned in 1393. At the time, it was a part of Derevskaya Pyatina of the

Novgorod Republic The Novgorod Republic () was a medieval state that existed from the 12th to 15th centuries in northern Russia, stretching from the Gulf of Finland in the west to the northern Ural Mountains in the east. Its capital was the city of Novgorod. The ...

. In the end of the 15th century, together with Novgorod, it became a part of the

Grand Duchy of Moscow The Grand Principality of Moscow, or Muscovy, known as the Principality of Moscow until 1389, was a late medieval Russian monarchy. Its capital was the city of Moscow. Originally established as a minor principality in the 13th century, the gra ...

. In the course of the administrative reform carried out in 1708 by

Peter the Great Peter I (, ; – ), better known as Peter the Great, was the Sovereign, Tsar and Grand Prince of all Russia, Tsar of all Russia from 1682 and the first Emperor of Russia, Emperor of all Russia from 1721 until his death in 1725. He reigned j ...

, the area was included into Ingermanland Governorate (known since 1710 as

Saint Petersburg Governorate Saint Petersburg Governorate was a province (''guberniya'') of the Russian Empire, with its capital in Saint Petersburg. The governorate was composed of of area and 2,112,033 inhabitants. It was bordered by Governorate of Estonia, Estonian and G ...

). In 1727, separate

Novgorod Governorate Novgorod Governorate was an administrative-territorial unit (''guberniya'') of the Russian Empire and the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic, Russian SFSR, which existed from 1727 to 1776 and from 1796 to 1927. Its administrative cent ...

was split off. In the 18th century, Kresttsy was an important trading settlement, which lied on the road connecting Moscow and Saint Petersburg. In particular, it operated a yam station which also served as a postal service station. In 1776, it was chartered and became the administrative center of

Krestetsky Uyezd Krestetsky Uyezd (''Крестецкий уезд'') was one of the subdivisions of the Novgorod Governorate of the Russian Empire. It was situated in the southwestern part of the governorate. Its administrative centre was Kresttsy. Demographics ...

of Novgorod Viceroyalty. In 1796, the viceroyalty was transformed into Novgorod Governorate. Between 1796 and 1802 the uyezd was abolished, and it was re-established in 1802. In 1851 the Saint Petersburg–Moscow railway was opened, which bypassed Kresttsy. This undermined the importance of the area, which became a backwater. In 1922, Krestetsky Uyezd was abolished, and in 1926, Kresttsy lost the town status and became a '' selo''. On August 1, 1927, the uyezds were abolished, and Krestetsky District was established, with the center in Kresttsy. Novgorod Governorate was abolished as well, and the district belonged to Novgorod Okrug of

Leningrad Oblast Leningrad Oblast (, ; ; ) is a federal subjects of Russia, federal subject of Russia (an oblast). The oblast has an area of and a population of 2,000,997 (2021 Russian census, 2021 Census); up from 1,716,868 recorded in the 2010 Russian census ...

. On July 23, 1930 the okrugs were abolished, and the districts became directly subordinate to the oblast. On November 9, 1938 Kresttsy was granted an urban-type settlement status. On July 5, 1944, Krestetsky District was transferred to newly established Novgorod Oblast and remained there ever since. Kresttsy was not occupied during the Second World War, though it was located close to the front line.

Economy

Industry

The industry in Krestetsky district is mainly represented by timber industry enterprises. In Kresttsy, there is a factory producing traditional New Year decorations and a factory related to traditional handicrafts.

Transportation

The M10 highway which connects Moscow and Saint Petersburg runs through Kresttsy. A road connection to Malaya Vishera branches off north. Kresstsy is connected to Valday by a railway. There is no passenger traffic, but the railway is in use for cargo traffic.

Culture and recreation

Kresttsy contains seventy-nine objects classified as cultural and historical heritage of local significance. Most of these are tombs of Soviet soldiers fallen in the Second World War. The Krestetsky District Museum is located in Kresttsy.

References

Notes

Sources

* * * {{Authority control Urban-type settlements in Novgorod Oblast Krestetsky Uyezd