Expert interview on the cultural code of Veliky Novgorod: The modernity of the historical city

DOI:  https://doi.org/10.34680/urbis-2024-4(1)-64-77

Alexey Gavrilov
Yaroslav-the-Wise Novgorod State University, Veliky Novgorod, Russia
[email protected]

ORCID: 0009-0007-9158-3561

Elizaveta Speshilova
Yaroslav-the-Wise Novgorod State University, Veliky Novgorod, Russia
[email protected]

ORCID: 0000-0002-7859-3526

ABSTRACT

The expert interview is devoted to the analysis of the cultural code of Veliky Novgorod and to the architectural techniques, which represent it in the urban environment. The expert considers the general concept of cultural code and examines the modern situation of Veliky Novgorod, where only a small part of authentic objects has been preserved, as most of the structures were destroyed during the Great Patriotic War. Also, the expert evaluates various city objects and projects in terms of combining Novgorod architectural motifs and modern solutions and emphasizes that the design code, which was introduced in Veliky Novgorod since 2024, is very poorly connected with the city's cultural identity. The key thesis of the interview is that all urban objects located outside the historic part of the city (outside the berm boundaries) should be resolved in a modern architectural language. In addition, creating new projects in contrast with the existing urban environment is described as one of the possible and productive strategies for working in the city's historical area. In this way, contemporary architects and urban planners can make their original, authorial contribution to the historical city and leave their mark on the urban texture.

KEYWORDS: cultural code, urban environment, historical city, design code, Novgorod architecture, public spaces, green areas, scale, visual links.

Information about the authors

Alexey M. Gavrilov
Cand. Sci. (Pedagogy), Associate Professor
Head of Design Department
Yaroslav-the-Wise Novgorod State University
41, Bolshaya Sankt-Peterburgskaya St.,
Veliky Novgorod, 173003, Russian Federation
ORCID: 0009-0007-9158-3561
e-mail: [email protected]

Elizaveta I. Speshilova
Master of Philosophy
Research Fellow of the Research and Educational
Centre for Humanitarian Urbanistics
Yaroslav-the-Wise Novgorod State University
41, Bolshaya Sankt-Peterburgskaya St.,
Veliky Novgorod, 173003, Russian Federation
ORCID: 0000-0002-7859-3526
Web of Science ResearcherID: AAH-4757-2019
Scopus AuthorID: 56786229400
e-mail: [email protected]

For citation:
Gavrilov, A. M., Speshilova, E. I. (2024). Expert interview on the cultural code of Veliky Novgorod: The modernity of the historical city. Urbis et Orbis. Microhistory and Semiotics of the City, 4(1), 64–77. https://doi.org/10.34680/urbis-2024-4(1)-64-77