Cultural code of Veliky Novgorod: Preservation, revival and transmission. Expert interview

The presented expert interview is devoted to identifying key aspects of the cultural code of Veliky Novgorod and is one of the results of the expert survey of 2024, involving people who live in the city and participate in its modern development. The interview was conducted with an expert in the field of municipal government, who is involved in the processes of cultural policy of the city and the management of cultural memory of the city. During the interview, the expert was asked not only questions related to the interpretation of the concept of ‘cultural code’, but also a set of questions revealing the real practices and ways of manifesting and preserving the cultural code of Veliky Novgorod. The structure of the expert interview also included questions related to the issues of urban identity, the formation of which is connected to understanding and positioning of the cultural code of the city among the citizens. The expert pays special attention to the memory structures of Veliky Novgorod, which define the framework of the cultural code of the city. The expert believes that despite the very rich cultural and historical heritage of Veliky Novgorod, its cultural code does not fully reflect the unique images of the city's past. The narrative ‘Veliky Novgorod is the homeland of Russia’ plays a key role in the formation and promotion of the unique cultural code of Veliky Novgorod. This thesis can be revealed in a number of aspects: ‘the homeland of Orthodoxy’, ‘the homeland of Russian geniuses’, ‘the homeland of education and enlightenment’, since each of them is based on significant events in the history of Veliky Novgorod, certain images and memorable places.