- Borovichi
Borovichi ( _ru. Боровичи) is the second largest town in
Novgorod Oblast ,Russia , with a population of 57,755 (2002 Census).Geography
The town is located in the northern spurs of the
Valdai Hills , 194 km east ofNovgorod . It stands upon theMsta river. Just upstream Borovichi there are the famousrapid s of Msta popular among tourists.History
The settlement was first mentioned in 1495. It received the status of a town in 1770 from the empress Catherine II. The main occupation of the town's inhabitants was piloting ships through the rapids of the Msta river that used to be a part of an important waterway connecting Central Russia with the
Baltic Sea (hence a rudder appears on the town's coat of arms granted by Catherine II). However, by the middle of the 19th century, after opening ofVolga-Baltic Waterway and theMoscow-Saint Petersburg Railway , the significance of the Msta river as a transport route has decreased.Sources of
fire clay were discovered near the town in the 19th century, and the firstfire brick manufacturing plant opened in the region in 1855. In 1878, a railway branch connected the town toUglovka station of the Moscow-Saint Petersburg Railway, which allowed to establish several large fire brick plants in 1880. Now about half of the town's population is employed in fire brick industry.In 1905, the first
arch bridge in Russia was built in Borovichi across the Msta.Famous residents
Alexander Suvorov spent several years inKonchanskoye estate near Borovichi.Nicholai Miklukho-Maklai was born not far from Borovichi.ister cities
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Binghamton, New York
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