Rurik's Hillfort, located in Veliky Novgorod, 2 km south of the city center, is an important archaeological monument from the 9th century. It is situated at the source of the Volkhov River from Lake Ilmen, opposite the Yuriev Monastery, and is known as a trade, craft, and military-administrative center of the Ilmen region. This site also served as the residence of Novgorod princes associated with notable political figures of Ancient Rus.

Until the 19th century, this place was simply called the Hillfort, and the prefix "Rurik's" appeared in the early 19th century to connect it with the legend of the calling of the Varangians in 862. Archaeological research has confirmed this legend.

In the 9th century, here, on the right bank hill at the source of the Volkhov, with the participation of the Varangians, the first political, administrative, and military center of the Slavic and Finno-Ugric tribes of Ilmen emerged. The favorable location on a hill surrounded by water barriers contributed to the rapid development of the settlement.

Although the first mention of the Hillfort in chronicles dates back to 1103, archaeological excavations show that the settlement arose here several centuries earlier. In 2015, traces of an 8th-9th century settlement were found, confirming its existence before the calling of the Varangians.

In the 9th-10th centuries, the Hillfort was a fortified wooden fortress with extensive settlements. Archaeologists found remnants of ancient fortifications dating back to the second half of the 9th century, making them some of the oldest in Rus.

By the end of the 10th century, the Hillfort ceded its role as the socio-economic center to Novgorod, which actively developed after the adoption of Christianity. After the Novgorod uprising of 1136, it housed the residence of the prince, subordinate to the Novgorod posadnik.

Here, Alexander Nevsky spent his childhood, and here stopped Dmitry Donskoy, Vasily the Dark, Ivan III, and Ivan the Terrible. During the time of the Novgorod Republic, the Hillfort housed the princely palace, administrative and economic premises, craft workshops, princely churches, and an archive. The Hillfort lost its significance in the 16th century after the defeat of Novgorod by Ivan IV the Terrible. At different times, there were the garden of the Iversky Monastery, the estate of Menshikov, and merchant courtyards. By the 19th-20th centuries, only the village of Gorodishche remained on the hill, with the last houses adjacent to the ruins of the Annunciation Church. In 2012, Rurik's Hillfort became the center for the celebration of the 1150th anniversary of Russian statehood.

On September 22, a "Prince's Stone" was installed here, a huge boulder weighing about 40 tons, brought from the Batetsky district of the Novgorod region. A quote from the Radziwill Chronicle is engraved on the stone, emphasizing the significance of the hillfort in the history of Ancient Rus. At that time, plans were announced to create a museum complex, but due to lack of funding, work did not begin.

The issue of developing Rurik's Hillfort as a tourist center is periodically discussed in the press and by authorities. In 2014, the territory was offered to investors as a project for investment. Ideas were considered to connect Rurik's Hillfort with the Yuriev Monastery via a bike-pedestrian bridge or cable car, as well as to build a "Viking Village" and a hotel and entertainment complex. Italian designer Marino Novello was invited to create a landscape park. The future of these projects remains unknown.