Borovichi

Borovichi churchyard is first mentioned in a census tax book of the Derevskaya Pyatina around 1495. By 1564 it appears as the trading and industrial settlement Borovichsky Ryadok. A traditional occupation was guiding vessels through the Msta rapids, reflected in the city coat of arms granted by Catherine II. By her decree, Borovichi became a town in 1770. Old merchant houses decorated with colourful Borovichi ceramics and fine woodcarving, together with cobbled pavements, recreate the atmosphere of the 19th and early 20th centuries. The historic railway station has preserved its character and has been used in films including The State Counsellor, White Horse and Still Waters. The village of Opechensky Posad, 30 kilometres from Borovichi, was once a pilots’ settlement whose residents expertly guided vessels through the Msta rapids. Today, visitors can tackle the most dangerous section of the rapids with experienced instructors by raft or kayak. The only A. V. Suvorov estate museum in Russia is 35 kilometres from Borovichi, in the village of Konchanskoye. The commander lived here in exile from 5 May 1797 to 6 February 1799 and left from here for his famous Alpine campaign. Industrial growth began in the 70s of the 19th century with refractory-brick production. Local clay deposits attracted entrepreneurs from the capitals and Europe. In 1786, Russia’s first adit for brown-coal extraction was driven at the mouth of the Krupa, a tributary of the Msta. In 1855, Nobel founded the first refractory-products plant near Borovichi. Modern Borovichi has a population of 49 thousand, developed industry and trade, and serves as a cultural and tourist centre. It holds the title “City of Labour Valour”.