Kremlin, or Detinets, always was dear to Veliky Novgorod as its core. Referenced in the Chronicles since 1044, it was a religious, political, and cultural center of Novgorod Lands for centuries. Here, the VEche (People's Assembly) and the elections of Posadnik (city governor) were held; it was from here that the Prince Alexander Nevsky's armed forces marched off for the battle with the Swedes; the Kremlin's walls guarded the principal city cathedral - St. Sophia's - and the palace of Novgorod's archbishop; and it was Kremlin where the Cronicle was kept and the books were gathered and recopied.

The stone fortress was rebuilt at the end of the XV century in accordance with then advanced military requirements, schematically as an irregularlyshaped oval, stretched along the River Volkhov's bank.

Kremlin ensemble includes the most renowed Novgorod monuments: St. Sophia Cathedral (1045-1050), Archbishop's (Faceted) Chamber (1433), the church of St. Andreas Stratilates, the church of Sergiy Radonezhsky, Administrative Office building  and "Millenary to Russia" monument, as well as fortifications.

9 Kremlin's towers of 13 have survived until nowadays: Vladimirskaya, Fedorovskaya, Mitropolichya, Zlatoustovskaya, Preobrazhenskaya, Kokuy, Knyazhaya, Spasskaya, Dvortsovaya. The observation platform of the highest tower Kokuy provides a fascinating sight over the city and its environs.