The
Volkhov River served as a major waterway, a part of the
trade route from the Varangians to the Greeks, since medieval times. The city of
Novgorod was one of the leading political, trading, and cultural centers of
East Slavs since the 9th century, and its immediate vicinities were within the current boundaries of the district. Novgorod lands extended far to the north and to the northeast to the
Arctic Ocean. In the end of the 15th century, Novgorod was defeated and annexed by the
Grand Duchy of Moscow. From that time, Novgorod lands were subdivided into , and the banks of the Volkhov, including the current area of the district, were a part of
Vodskaya Pyatina. In the course of the
administrative reform carried out in 1708 by
Peter the Great, the territory was included into Ingermanland Governorate (known since 1710 as
Saint Petersburg Governorate). In 1727, separate
Novgorod Governorate was split off. In 1776, the area was transferred to
Novgorod Viceroyalty. In 1796, the viceroyalty was abolished and renamed Novgorod Governorate. The area was a part of
Novgorodsky Uyezd. In the 1810s and 1820s,
military settlements were organized in Novgorod Governorate, in accordance with the project designed by
Aleksey Arakcheyev, an influential statesman. The first area transferred to the military administration (in 1816) was
Vysotskaya Volost of Novgorodsky Uyezd. Later, some other areas of Novgorodsky Uyezd were transferred to the military administration as well. The military settlements, however, were proven inefficient; in 1831 in particular, the local population participated in the
Cholera Riots. The military administration was abolished in 1856. In 1922,
Krestetsky Uyezd of Novgorod Governorate was abolished and split between Novgorodsky,
Malovishersky, and
Valdaysky Uyezds. In 1927, a number of ethnic German and Latvian selsoviets were created in the uyezd. In August 1927, the governorates and uyezds were abolished. Novgorodsky District, with the administrative center in the city of Novgorod, was established within
Novgorod Okrug of
Leningrad Oblast effective October 1, 1927. It included parts of former Novgorodsky Uyezd. The city of Novgorod was a part of the district until August 1930, when it was elevated in status to that of a city of oblast significance. On January 1, 1932, a part of abolished
Mstinsky District was merged into Novgorodsky District. On February 15, 1935, parts of Novgorodsky District were transferred to newly established
Shimsky District. in the course of the
Nikita Khrushchev's abortive administrative reform. This was reverted on January 12, 1965. After a sequence of administrative reforms, the area of former Mstinsky District was split between Novgorodsky and Krestetsky Districts when Novgorodsky Rural District was abolished on January 14, 1965. ==Administrative and municipal status==