The Nikolo-Medvedsky (St. Nicolas) Monastery stood on the site of the modern town since the 15th century, but the nearby settlement (sloboda) was long overshadowed by the first Russian capital, Staraya Ladoga, located just a few miles upstream. In 1702–1704, during the Great Northern War, Peter the Great established a shipyard there, fortified the monastery and ordered the population of Staraya Ladoga to relocate to the nearby village. 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.
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