Valday
Coordinates: 57°58′45″N 33°15′10″E / 57.97917°N 33.25278°E
Valday or Valdai (Russian: Валда́й) is a town in Novgorod Oblast, Russia, the administrative center of Valdaysky District. It lies on the federal highway M10 connecting Moscow and St. Petersburg, 386 km from Moscow and 140 km from Velikiy Novgorod. Population: 18,703 (2002 Census); 19,173 (1989 Census).
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History
The settlement was first mentioned in 1495 and received the status of a town from the empress Catherine II in 1770, when its population was about 2,000. The town became the leading center of bell manufacturing in Russia. The famous Iversky Monastery (built under the auspices of Patriarch Nikon in the 1650s) is located on one of the islands of the nearby Valday Lake.
Valday was on the eastern front for Russia during World War II.
Tourism
Valday is a popular tourist destination, situated in the middle of the Valdai Hills national park. Most people come to the lake and to the town during the summer. Valday features many resting homes and sanatoria, and many camping places are available around the lake.
Residence of President of Russia
Very near to the town on the cost of the lake there is a residence of the Russian president. The complex of buildings is highly secured and a large sector of the lake is closed for boats and swimmers. This place was a favorite of ex-presidents Eltsin and Putin.
See also
- Valdai Hills
- Valday (ship) - a class of freight ship
- Valdai International Discussion Club
- ^ Darby; Richard Brookes, William Darby (1827). . Original from the New York Public Library: Bennett & Walton. p. 837. http://books.google.com/books?id=NrsBAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA837&dq=%22Valdai+Lake%22&client=firefox-a.
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