STARAYA RUSSA, a district town of Russia, in the government of Novgorod, 62 miles to the south of that city, on the river Polist, by means of which and Lake Ilmen it is brought into easy steamer communication with St Petersburg. Some brine springs, of no great strength, on the eastern side of the town, were used as a source for the supply of salt as late as 1865, yielding about 50,000 cwts. annually; at present they are used only as mineral waters, having a great resemblance to those of Kreuznach. Some thousands of visitors resort to them every summer, and owing to this circumstance Staraya Russa is better built and kept than any other town in Novgorod. The 13,100 inhabitants are supported chiefly by the summer-visitors. About 100 individuals in all employ themselves in brick-making, tanning, and sawing timber, and there is a trade in rye, oats, and flax shipped to St Petersburg to the value of about £50,000 per annum.

The name of Staraya Russa occurs in the Russian annals as far back as 1167. It was one of the minor towns of the republic of Novgorod, and suffered continually in the wars for possession of the region between Russia, Lithuania, and Livonia. It was afterwards annexed to Moscow.