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Novgorod Region (Russia)

Novgorodskaya oblasth

Last modified: 2021-07-24 by valentin poposki
Keywords: novgorod | velikiy novgorod | informal flag | no flag | fish (white) | fish: 4 | throne | coat of arms | mural crown: red | triangular | matvhenko (ûriĭ) | cleanliness | volqov |
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Новгородская область

image by Tomislav Šipek, 30 March 2020


See also:

Presentation of Novgorod Region

(Note: You need an Unicode-aware software and font to correctly view the Cyrillic text on this page. See here transliteration details).

  • Name (English): Novgorod Region • (Russian): Новгородская область | Novgorodskaâ oblasth
    Capital (Russian): Великий Новгород | Velikiĭ Novgorod • (English): Velikiy Novgorod • (former name): Novgorod | Новгород (< 199X)
  • Area: 55 300 km2 (~21 300 sq.mi.) • Population: 720 900 inhabitants in 2000
  • Status: Region (область | oblasth) within the Russian Federation
  • Federal District: Northwestern Region • Economic region: Northwestern Region
  • License plate code: 53 • Ham radio code: NV • ISO 3166-2 code: NGR
  • Flag adopted on 19 December 2007 • Coat of arms adopted on unkn. date

I’d like to once again stress the point that Novgorod and Niẑniĭ Novgorod are two completely different cities, both regional capitals. Novgorod was recently renamed Velikiĭ Novgorod; and Niẑniĭ Novgorod was named Gorhkiĭ | Горький (a.k.a. Gorky) from 1932 to approx. 1992.
António Martins, 21 February 1999

"Niẑni | Нижний" means "Lower", "Veliki | Велики" means "Great".
Gvido Pētersons, 22 February 1999


About the flag

On December, 19 2007 at the last session the Novgorod Regional Parliament (Duma) has accepted the regional law " About a flag of the Novgorod Region".
Sources: Jens Pattke, 21 December 2007

Previous unofficial flag

Informal flag of Novgorod region image by Pascal Gross, 31 May 1999

I have received information from Mr. Kopyl about flag of Novgorod oblast (regional) government. Novgorod oblast have not official flag. The Novgorod oblast have arms only. But you can use the flag with white-blue-white stripes with coat of arms at the center, as informal flag of Novgorod oblast.
Anatoly Nikiforov, by way of Pascal Gross, 31 May 1999


Standard of the Governor

At the end of 90 acceptance of standard the governor was extended. Such standards were accepted in the Novgorod area.
Sergey Filatov, 10 October 2005

Most of these flags are squarish (about 11:12), rigid and fringed variants of the region (Governors) or Republic (Presidents) flags with the regional emblem over all.
António Martins, 02 October 2005


Coat of arms

Argent a throne with three candles on chief and a sceptre and Episcopal cross in saltire all proper, dexter and sinister two bears respectant sable, on a base azure two fish naiant respectant argent.
Santiago Dotor, 04 December 1998


Historical flags

16th cent. military flag

Historical Novgorod battle flag image by António Martins, 15 November 1999

At the Novgorod city history museum I did saw a battle flag carried in the wars against Sweden in the early 1600’ies: It was a square canvas banner with a saltire and border, no fringe, and over all a much smaller red saltire. This latter element might have been added later, since it was rather coarsely stitched (while the other stitch lines were impeccable) and it’s color wasn’t faded out. The saltire and the border seemed to have the same color, while the background (four triangles) were of a second color: I reconstructed them as white and blue, but in the actual flag they are faded to two shades of very whitish brown. The explanation text wasn’t conclusive about all this.
António Martins, 15 November 1999

Historical flag of Novgorod

Historical flag of Novgorod image by António Martins, 28 February 1999

The historical flag of Novgorod is blue triangle with yellow vertical stripe in the hoist. Then the colors of Novgorod are historically yellow and blue, but in the current flag is white-blue-white.
Jaume Ollé, 07 November 1997

I was in the city history museum and I saw no evidence about this flag.
António Martins, 15 November 1999


Veliky Novgorod city
(Velikiĭ Novgorod | Великий Новгород, a county-status city)

Flag of Novgorod Region
image by Pascal Gross and António Martins, 10 November 2000

It is horizontally white-blue-white, with the coat of arms.
Jordi Pérez, 05 November 1997

The flag of Great Novgorod city was officially authorized by Decision of the Chapter of Administration of city of Novgorod from 14.04.1994 N 57 About the flag of Novgorod city. The author is architect Yuri Matvienko. Official symbolism:

  • White: symbol of cleanliness, colour of walls of the Novgorod orthodox temples;
  • Azur (light-blue): symbol of the River of Volkhov, on which coast was based and there is the city;
  • Red: fragment of a wall of Novgorod Kremlin
Michail Revnivtsev, 21 February 2002

This flag uses in the central stripe and on the coat of arms the same shade of (medium) blue used on the Russian national flag (and not light blue) and the three stripes are of equal width (and not “Spanish style”). The embattlements of the mural crown are "M" shaped and red (maybe with something yellow on them in some variations), simulating the looks of the local kremlh (citadel) walls. Please note the way the white field of the coat of arms fits on the central blue stripe.
António Martins, 15 November 1999

It looks like this coat of arms has lost the imperial crown, ribbon of the Order of St. Andrew and oak leaves wreath and has incorporated two more fish.
Santiago Dotor, 17 December 1998

The city flag is moderately used — I saw it in two locations on the city, flown along with the Russian flag (but it seemed to me that it was more decoration of touristic spots rather than official facilities), and also in tabletop small size, in the receptions of two hotels.
António Martins, 15 November 1999