Gorodets

Gorodets was a fortified settlement on the Luga, guarding the western approaches to the Novgorod lands. Archaeological finds trace a community here to the early medieval period, when settlements spread through the Luga and Lake Ilmen country. It developed into a place of trade and crafts as well as a frontier stronghold. Its earthworks and the traces of fire left in the ground recall the dangers faced by a fort on the routes between Novgorod and its western neighbours.