Staraya Ladoga Staraya Ladoga Staraya Ladoga (); ; ) is a rural locality (a "selo") in Volkhovsky District of Leningrad Oblast, Russia, located on the Volkhov River near Lake Ladoga, north of the town of Volkhov, the administrative center of the district. It used to be a prosperous trading outpost in the 8th and 9th centuries. A multi-ethnic settlement, it was dominated by Scandinavians who were called by the name of Rus'. For that reason, it is sometimes called the first capital of Russia. Dendrochronology suggests that Ladoga was founded in 753. Until 950, it was one of the most important trading
Novaya Ladoga rights were granted to it in 1704. The newly founded town grew in importance in connection with construction of the Ladoga Canal and Volga-Baltic Waterway in the 18th and 19th centuries. In 1719, Novaya Ladoga was included to St. Petersburg Governorate. In 1727, separate Novgorod Governorate was split off, and in 1773 Novoladozhsky Uyezd, with its seat in Novaya Ladoga, was established. In 1776, the area was transferred to Novgorod Viceroyalty and in 1781, it was moved back into St. Petersburg Governorate. On December 9, 1922, the administrative center of the uyezd was moved to the "selo" of Gostinopolye, which