Veche

thumb|250px|Pskov Veche by Apollinary Vasnetsov (1908–1909)

A veche was a popular assembly among some Slavic peoples during the Middle Ages. The veche is mentioned during the times of Kievan Rus', and it later became a powerful institution in Russian cities such as Novgorod and Pskov. In these cities, the veche acquired great prominence and was broadly comparable to the Norse thing or the Swiss Landsgemeinde. The last veche meeting was held in Pskov in 1510, when the institution was abolished as part of the growing centralization of power in Russia.