Almost all of the area of the district belongs to the basin of the Pola River and only minor areas in the western part of the district are in the basin of the Lovat. The district is located on the northern slope of the western part of the Valdai Hills, and the rivers mostly flow from south to north. The Pola crosses the district, and its biggest tributary within the district is the Maryovka River.
History
Maryovo was mentioned in a chronicle in 1495. The area was a part of Derevskaya Pyatina of the Novgorod Republic. Between 1612 and 1617, during the Ingrian War, it was occupied by Polish and Swedish troops. By 1620, the area became completely depopulated and had to be repopulated again. In the course of the administrative reform carried out in 1708 by Peter the Great, the area was included into Ingermanland Governorate. In 1727, separate Novgorod Governorate was split off. Until 1824, Maryovo was a part of Starorussky Uyezd of Novgorod Viceroyalty. In 1824, the area was transferred to Demyansky Uyezd, which was split from Starorussky Uyezd. In August 1927, the governorates and uyezds were abolished. Molvotitsky District, with the administrative center in the selo of Molvotitsy, was established within Novgorod Okrug of Leningrad Oblast effective October 1, 1927. It included parts of former Demyansky Uyezd. On July 23, 1930, the okrugs were abolished, and the districts were directly subordinated to the oblast. On September 6, 1941, Molvotitsky District was occupied by German troops. It was partially liberated on January 15, 1942 and fully liberated on February 15, 1943. On February 19, 1944, the administrative center of the district was transferred from Molvotitsy to the selo of Maryovo. On July 5, 1944, Molvotitsky District was transferred to newly established Novgorod Oblast. On July 22, 1961, a part of abolished Zaluchsky District was merged into Molvotitsky District. On February 1, 1963, the district was abolished in the course of the Nikita Khrushchev's administrative reform. On December 30, 1966, the district was re-established as Maryovsky District. It included the part of the former Molvotitsky District which was previously transferred to Demyansky District.
Abolished districts
Effective October 1, 1927, Zaluchsky District with the administrative center in the selo of Zaluchye was established as well, as a part of Novgorod Okrug of Leningrad Oblast. It included parts of Starorussky Uyezd. Between August 1941 and February 1943, Zaluchsky District was occupied by German troops. On July 5, 1944, Zaluchsky District was transferred to newly established Novgorod Oblast. On July 22, 1961, Zaluchsky District was abolished and split between Starorussky and Molvotitsky Districts.
The agriculture of the district is in a deep recession. As of 2010, only 9% of available fields were used for agricultural purposes. Other agricultural specializations in the district are cattle and swine breeding.
Transportation
Maryovo is connected by roads to Demyansk and Kholm. Through these localities, it has access to Veliky Novgorod and also to M10 Highway connecting Moscow and St. Petersburg. There are also local roads.