According to UNESCO, Nizhny Novgorod is included in the list of the most valuable cities in the world for the history. Founded in the 13th century as a reliable fortress, over the course of several centuries it turned into a rich prosperous settlement with strong merchant traditions. Everything here breathes history - the powerful Nizhny Novgorod Kremlin, mansions of old merchant families in the central squares, painted domes of Orthodox cathedrals.
One of the alternative ways to visit the city is to take a river cruise along the Volga. Almost all cruise routes are laid taking into account the entry of the vessel to Nizhny Novgorod. Exciting excursions and meals in traditional Russian taverns await travelers. It will also be interesting to come during one of the many fairs or ethnographic festivals that are held in Novgorod.
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What to see and where to go in Nizhny Novgorod?
The most interesting and beautiful places for walking. Photos and a short description.
Nizhny Novgorod Kremlin
An impregnable fort of the 16th century in the central part of Nizhny Novgorod, which no one could take. 13 towers and a fortress wall more than two kilometers long have survived to this day. The thickness of the wall at the base reaches 5 meters; the residences of the city and regional authorities are located behind the fortress fence. Exhibitions are located in the Kremlin towers; a section of the wall is open for tourists to visit.
Limpopo Zoo
A small private zoo with 230 animal species. Jaguar, ostriches, cougars, cranes, bears, Amur tigers and other representatives of the fauna live here. In 2009, a petting zoo was opened on the territory, stylized as a Russian peasant farmstead. New animals are purchased at the expense of the owners of the menagerie, as well as gifts from some patrons of the arts.
Nizhne-Volzhskaya embankment
It is laid along the Volga coast between the Kanavinsky bridge and the Kazan congress. For 10 years, until 2018, reconstruction was carried out, and the embankment was closed with a large construction fence. It is currently divided into two levels, including a driveway and pedestrian zones, as well as bike paths. The length is 3 km. The main attractions are the Chkalovskaya stairs and the river station.
Verkhne-Volzhskaya embankment
It stretches in the historical part of Nizhny Novgorod between the Minin and Pozharsky and Sennaya squares. The construction was initiated by Nicholas I: during his visit to the city, the emperor was dissatisfied with the state of the territories adjacent to the coast. Devastation and shacks spoiled the impression of walking and observing the Volga. Architectural landmarks are located along the embankment.
Chkalovskaya stairs
A staircase with more than 500 steps that leads from the Volga embankment to Minin and Pozharsky squares. The building was built in honor of the victory in the Battle of Stalingrad. The work was completed in 1949. The staircase looks like a giant number "8". Due to its monumental size, it can be clearly seen from the opposite bank of the river. There is a monument to the pilot V. Chkalov at the top.
Fedorovsky embankment
Equipped promenade with a magnificent view of the Oka River, Kanavinsky Bridge and Stroganov Church. This is one of the city's best observation decks. A monument to Maxim Gorky is erected on the embankment. The newlyweds have chosen the place for a long time, they constantly arrange photo shoots and launch pigeons. Anyone can find peace and solitude among the alleys of the embankment.
Bolshaya Pokrovskaya Street
The main street of Nizhny Novgorod, built up with noble mansions of the past centuries. A large part of Bolshaya Pokrovskaya is reserved for the pedestrian zone. There are many interesting sights here: the Verkhne-Posad chambers of commerce, drama and puppet theaters, the House of Trade Unions. The street became the main city alley in the 18th century. At first, only representatives of noble families walked here.
Technical museum
In 2014, an exhibition of mechanisms of the 19th – 20th centuries was opened in 3 halls on an area of 3 thousand square meters. Later, more ancient artifacts appeared. Some of them, like the steelyards or the gear drilling machine, are no longer used, so it will not be easy for visitors to understand what is in front of them without prompting. You can look around the museum on your own, or book a guided tour accompanied by a research assistant or an audio guide.
Nizhny Novgorod State Art Museum
Created on the initiative of the painter A. Karelin and professor of the Academy of Arts N. Koshelev. The opening took place in 1896. The collection is based on canvases donated by Repin, Makovsky, Bogolyubov and other painters. After the Revolution of 1917, works of art removed from the nobility's collections and private collections migrated here. Many of the paintings were obtained by the museum staff themselves.
Nizhny Novgorod Drama Theater
The city academic theater of the late 18th century, one of the oldest in Russia. The first performance for the general public was staged based on the work of D. Fonvizin. At first, serfs played in the troupe. The first building was not distinguished by elegance, and contemporaries described it as "a gloomy and awkward structure." However, as a result of numerous reconstructions, the theater acquired an attractive appearance.
Nizhny Novgorod Opera and Ballet Theater
At the time of its opening in 1935, the theater was called a musical theater. He received the title of Academic only in 1994. Business cards - performances "Prince Igor", "Lakme", "Judith". A distinctive feature of the theater is the search for new forms of interaction with the audience. There are always classical works in the repertoire, but there are also enough innovative ones. For almost 30 years, the theater has been holding the Boldinskaya Autumn festival.
Museum of the history of OJSC "GAZ"
The museum houses expositions telling about the history and development of the Gorky Automobile Plant. Here is a collection of vintage cars (all cars are in working order) and archival materials of the enterprise. Visitors can look at the famous models: "Chaika", "Volga", the Soviet truck "GAZ-51" and many others. In addition to preserving the exhibits, the museum is trying to form a positive public opinion about the company.
Museum "Locomotives of Russia"
Located on the territory of the village of Sortirovochny. The locomotives that plowed the railways at the beginning of the last century are assembled here in the open air. 15 exhibits have been carefully restored and are ready for inspection. They were released not only in the USSR, but also in other countries, for example, in Germany and Sweden. Some cabins can be entered and even climbed a special ladder to the roof of the P36-0071 steam locomotive.
Russian Museum of Photography
The former photo pavilion was converted into a museum not so long ago. Photographers Maxim Dmitriev and Andrey Karelin worked here in the past. The equipment and personal belongings of the craftsmen are the basis of the collection. Visitors will learn about the details of the process of taking pictures in the last century, look at rarities and pictures taken with this technique. On the basis of the museum, there are two photo clubs, as well as photo exhibitions.
Literary Museum. Gorky
A collection illuminating the life and work of M. Gorky. The museum was opened for the 60th anniversary of the writer on the initiative of the townspeople. The archives contain manuscripts of local authors of the 19th century, as well as those writers whose creative activity was associated with Nizhny Novgorod. The building has preserved the unique interior of the early 20th century.An exposition dedicated to the Monk Seraphim of Sarov is also open here.
Alexander Nevsky New Fair Cathedral
The 19th century temple, erected on the site of the Nizhny Novgorod fair at the expense of the merchants. The merchants wanted to perpetuate the visit of Emperor Alexander II with this. During the Soviet period, the temple was neglected and deprived of all its values. The interior decoration was finally destroyed by fire. Restoration work began in 1983, and 10 years later the building was returned to the Church. In 2009, the cathedral received the status of a cathedral.
Michael the Archangel Cathedral
The chronicle of the cathedral begins at the beginning of the 13th century, when a church was built on this site. The current version of the temple appeared 4 centuries later. At the same time, the architects chose not the most typical style for that period - hipped roof. In Soviet times, the building was given as a branch of the historical museum. In our time, the temple was returned to its former status and even 9 bells were installed. The largest weighs more than 500 kg.
Christmas (Stroganov) Church
An elegant temple, which bears the name of the famous Russian industrialist Grigory Stroganov (it was with his funds that the construction was carried out). The external decoration of the church is an elegant white stone carving, which looks favorably against the background of red brick walls. The temple underwent a major restoration in 1913. The church managed to avoid destruction during the Soviet era, as its abbot was able to prove to the new government the historical value of the building.
Church of the Nativity of John the Baptist at the Auction
The church of the 16th century, famous for the fact that from its steps Kuzma Minin urged local residents to organize and move towards the liberation of Moscow (this was during the Time of Troubles). At first, on the site of the church, there was a wooden building dedicated to the future heir to Tsar Vasily III. Later, the church was rebuilt from stone, as the wooden building was exposed to fires. The holy relics of Nicholas the Wonderworker and John the Baptist are kept inside.
Spassky Old Fair Cathedral
The oldest building of the Nizhny Novgorod fair. Auguste Montferrand, the architect of St. Isaac's Cathedral, was responsible for the project for its creation. Interior and exterior decoration is characterized by a large number of decorations and small interior details. During the Soviet era, services were not carried out, and the premises were used for other purposes. In the early 90s, the temple was returned to the diocese, and in 2009 it received the status of a cathedral.
Pechersky Ascension Monastery
Monastery on the banks of the Volga, founded in the XIV century by a monk from the Kiev-Pechora Lavra. In the Middle Ages, it was considered an important spiritual center of Orthodoxy in the Volga region. In the 16th century, as a result of a strong landslide, the monastery was destroyed, but the monks managed to save the church values and property. The monastery was moved upstream of the river. The architectural complex that has come down to us is the buildings of the 17th century.
Annunciation Monastery
Founded in the XIII century, but the surviving buildings of the architectural complex are dated to a later period. For example, the five-domed cathedral was erected in 1649. The monastery underwent the first scientific restoration in Russia in the 70s of the XIX century. Since in the 50s of the last century a planetarium worked on the territory of the monastery, and a number of buildings were changed, already in our time the complex needed restoration.
Main Fair House
A unique building that adorns the central part of Nizhny Novgorod, where for many years the Nizhny Novgorod Fair, the largest in the Russian Empire, was held. After the fire of 1816, the emperor personally ordered funds to be spent on the restoration of the Fair House. The money was “torn off” from the restoration of the Winter Palace. The building is a national historical monument.
The Rukavishnikovs' estate
A 19th century cultural heritage site. The mansion was owned by the family of the industrialist Rukavishnikov, who turned an ordinary merchant's house into a real city palace. The facade was lavishly decorated with bas-reliefs and figures, and elegant ceiling and wall paintings appeared in the halls. At the end of the 19th century, the mansion was the most luxurious house in Nizhny Novgorod. During a tour of the building, you can learn the history of the Rukavishnikov family.
Sirotkin's house
The mansion of the merchant Sirotkin is located at the intersection of the Verkhne-Volzhskaya embankment and the Nizhny Novgorod Slope. It was built in 1916 according to the project of three Vesnin brothers - architects from the capital. After nationalization, the building was transferred to the art museum. One of the main exhibits is a huge canvas called Minin's Appeal. Its author Makovsky depicted a complex historical plot using about 100 portraits.
State Bank building
A whimsical structure of the early XX century in the style that is commonly called "neo-Russian". It was erected to commemorate the 300th anniversary of the reign of the Romanovs. Emperor Nicholas II even visited it. The interiors are made in the imperial palace style, as was the custom in the late tsarist era. The building has survived to this day and is used as a bank office.
Monument to Minin and Pozharsky
The site near the Kremlin was chosen as the site for the erection of the monument to the leaders of the people's militia of the early 17th century. The attraction appeared in 2005 and completely repeats the Moscow original, albeit of a smaller size, and also without specifying the date. The author of the project is Zurab Tsereteli. To complement the composition and give it historical accuracy, an alarm bell was placed next to it.
Monument to Valery Chkalov
The first pilot who made a non-stop flight across the North Pole was born in the Nizhny Novgorod region. In 1938, after the death of Valery Chkalov, the local authorities decided to perpetuate the memory of their fellow countryman. The bronze figure of the Hero of the Soviet Union is installed on a gentle one, exactly where he liked to walk during his visits to the city. There is an observation deck nearby, from where you can see the Strelka.
Monument to Maxim Gorky
Although the monument to the writer was opened only in 1959, plans for its creation were hatched for several decades. Even before the war, a competition was held, where the winner was the project of Vera Mukhina, the sculptor who presented the country with the “Worker and the Collective Farm Woman”. A seven-meter bronze statue was erected in the city square. The image of the young Gorky is conveyed with documentary accuracy, which disposes tourists to the monument.
Nizhny Novgorod ropeway
Cable car over the Volga River, connecting Nizhny Novgorod with the city of Bor. This structure is the longest aerial road in Russia. Thanks to this project, a convenient passenger crossing appeared between settlements. You can cross the cable car from one bank to the other in 12.5 minutes. Up to 500 people can cross both directions in an hour.
Nizhny Novgorod Stadium
Built for the 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia. Strelka was chosen as the site for the stadium, where the Oka flows into the Volga. The capacity is 45 thousand people. The sports complex is multifunctional: some of the premises are planned to be leased out for commercial purposes, fairs will be held in the foyer, and on the field itself, in addition to matches, concerts and major cultural events will be held. A park is set up nearby, replacing the old cargo port.
Victory Park
In 1985, a park was laid out on the Nizhnevolzhskaya embankment for the next anniversary of the Victory. In 2012, it was supplemented with an open-air exhibition, where military equipment and samples of the defense industry are presented. A standard excursion includes a tour and a guide about all 34 exhibits. On the basis of the museum, Zarnitsa and a game of "Gorodki" are held, registration for which is carried out in advance.
Shchelokovsky farm
One of the most interesting museums in the city is spread over 38 hectares of the forest park of the same name. It opened in 1973, and was renamed and transformed into a museum-reserve in 2014. The exposition is dedicated to the architecture and everyday life of the peoples of the Nizhny Novgorod Volga region. The buildings date back to the period from the 17th to the 19th century.Among them are several barns, huts, wells, churches. A total of 16 objects were collected in a state close to perfect.
Park Switzerland
A large park in the Prioksky district of Nizhny Novgorod. It is a large forest area - an oasis of freshness and greenery in the middle of a bustling industrial city. The territory is equipped with walking paths and benches, so it is quite comfortable to spend a weekend here. The park has attractions, a cinema, a go-kart area and even its own zoo.
Volga river
The Volga is the main river of the European part of the Russian Federation and its most important waterway. There are many ancient cities along the river, one of which is Nizhny Novgorod. Here the Volga merges with the Oka and forms wide picturesque floods. The confluence of the rivers is called the Arrow. This bend is considered the symbol of the city. There is a river station nearby, from where you can go for a walk along the picturesque Volga and admire the banks.
