Borovichi is the second largest town in Novgorod Oblast

Novgorod Oblast

Novgorod Oblast is a federal subject of Russia , located between Moscow and Saint Petersburg. Its administrative center is the city of Veliky Novgorod. Some of the oldest Russian cities, including Veliky Novgorod and Staraya Russa, are located there...

, Russia

Russia

Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...

. Population:

Geography

The town is located in the northern spurs of the Valdai Hills

Valdai Hills

The Valdai Hills are an upland region in north-west of central Russia running north-south, about midway between Saint Petersburg and Moscow, spanning the Novgorod, Tver, Pskov, and Smolensk Oblasts....

, 194 kilometres (120.5 mi) east of Veliky Novgorod

Veliky Novgorod

Veliky Novgorod is one of Russia's most historic cities and the administrative center of Novgorod Oblast. It is situated on the M10 federal highway connecting Moscow and St. Petersburg. The city lies along the Volkhov River just below its outflow from Lake Ilmen...

. It stands upon the Msta River

Msta River

Msta is a river in Tver Oblast and Novgorod Oblast of Russia. Msta starts from the Mstino Lake in the Valdai Hills north of the town of Vyshny Volochyok and flows into Lake Ilmen. Up to mid-19th century, Msta had been a part of an important water trade route connecting the Baltic and Black seas...

. Just upstream Borovichi there are the famous rapid

Rapid

A rapid is a section of a river where the river bed has a relatively steep gradient causing an increase in water velocity and turbulence. A rapid is a hydrological feature between a run and a cascade. A rapid is characterised by the river becoming shallower and having some rocks exposed above the...

s of Msta popular among tourists.

History

The settlement was first mentioned in 1495. It was granted town status in 1770 by Catherine the Great. 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

Baltic Sea

The Baltic Sea is a brackish mediterranean sea located in Northern Europe, from 53°N to 66°N latitude and from 20°E to 26°E longitude. It is bounded by the Scandinavian Peninsula, the mainland of Europe, and the Danish islands. It drains into the Kattegat by way of the Øresund, the Great Belt and...

 (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 of Volga-Baltic Waterway

Volga-Baltic Waterway

The Volga–Baltic Waterway, formerly known as the Mariinsk Canal System , is a series of canals and rivers in Russia which link the Volga River with the Baltic Sea...

 and the Moscow-Saint Petersburg Railway

Moscow-Saint Petersburg Railway

The Moscow to Saint Petersburg Railway is a railway running between the two largest Russian cities of Moscow and Saint Petersburg, and through four oblasts: Moscow, Tver, Novgorod and Leningrad...

, the significance of the Msta River as a transport route has decreased.

Sources of fire clay

Fire clay

Fire clay is a term applied to a range of refractory clays used in the manufacture of ceramics, especially fire brick.High grade fire clays can withstand temperatures of 1775°C , but to be referred to as a "fire clay" the material must withstand a minimum temperature of 1515°C...

 were discovered near the town in the 19th century, and the first fire brick

Fire brick

A fire brick, firebrick, or refractory brick is a block of refractory ceramic material used in lining furnaces, kilns, fireboxes, and fireplaces. A refractory brick is built primarily to withstand high temperature, but will also usually have a low thermal conductivity for greater energy efficiency...

 manufacturing plant opened in the region in 1855. In 1878, a railway branch connected the town to Uglovka

Uglovka

Uglovka is an urban locality in Okulovsky District of Novgorod Oblast, Russia, located on the Moscow-Saint Petersburg Railway. Population: A railway line going east of Uglovka connects it to Borovichi....

 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

Arch bridge

An arch bridge is a bridge with abutments at each end shaped as a curved arch. Arch bridges work by transferring the weight of the bridge and its loads partially into a horizontal thrust restrained by the abutments at either side...

 in Russia was built in Borovichi across the Msta.

Twin towns/sister cities

Borovichi is twinned

Town twinning

Twin towns and sister cities are two of many terms used to describe the cooperative agreements between towns, cities, and even counties in geographically and politically distinct areas to promote cultural and commercial ties.- Terminology :...

 with: Binghamton

Binghamton, New York

Binghamton is a city in the Southern Tier of New York in the United States. It is near the Pennsylvania border, in a bowl-shaped valley at the confluence of the Susquehanna and Chenango Rivers...

, New York

New York

New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...

, United States

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 Haapsalu

Haapsalu

Haapsalu is a seaside resort town located on the west coast of Estonia. It's the administrative centre of Lääne County and has a population of 11,618 ....

, Estonia

Estonia

Estonia , officially the Republic of Estonia , is a state in the Baltic region of Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by the Gulf of Finland, to the west by the Baltic Sea, to the south by Latvia , and to the east by Lake Peipsi and the Russian Federation . Across the Baltic Sea lies...

 Suolahti

Suolahti

Suolahti was a former town and municipality of Finland. It is located next to Lake Keitele in the province of Western Finland and is part of the Central Finland region...

 (consolidated in 2007 with Sumiainen

Sumiainen

Sumiainen is a former municipality of Finland.It is located in the province of Western Finland and is part of the Central Finland region. The municipality had a population of 1,293 and covered an area of 307.93 km² of which 77.34 km² is water...

 to make Äänekoski

Äänekoski

Äänekoski is a town and municipality of Finland.-Geography:It is located in the province of Western Finland and is part of the Central Finland region. It is neighboured by Kannonkoski, Konnevesi, Laukaa, Saarijärvi, Uurainen, Vesanto and Viitasaari. The town has a population of and covers an area...

), Finland (status unknown) Pereira

Pereira

Pereira is a common surname in the Portuguese language.It may also refer to:-Places:*Brazil**Pereira Barreto, municipality in São Paulo**Pereiras, municipality in São Paulo*Colombia...

, Colombia

Colombia

Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia , is a unitary constitutional republic comprising thirty-two departments. The country is located in northwestern South America, bordered to the east by Venezuela and Brazil; to the south by Ecuador and Peru; to the north by the Caribbean Sea; to the...