Valaam Monastery
The area was populated by the Finno-Ugric peoples, and later, since it was on one of the main waterways connecting Novgorod with the Russian North, it became a part of the Novgorod Republic. In 1478, Alexander Svirsky, a monk formerly at the Valaam Monastery, founded Alexander-Svirsky Monastery not far from the mouth of the Svir. In the 15th century, the area, as a part of Novgorod, was annexed by the Grand Duchy of Moscow.