Nizhny Novgorod Oblast.

History

Nizhny Novgorod was founded in 1221 by Prince Yuri of Vladimir at the confluence of the Oka and the Volga. Its red-brick kremlin went up in 1508–11 as a bulwark against raids. In 1612 Kuzma Minin and Dmitry Pozharsky raised the militia here that freed Moscow. From 1817 the Makaryev Fair moved to the city, making it Russia's leading trading hub. Between 1932 and 1990 both city and region bore the name Gorky.

Culture & traditions

The region is famous for its folk crafts. Khokhloma painting emerged in the second half of the 17th century in Koverninsky District: wood is coated with aluminium powder and varnish, and after firing the pattern of berries and grasses glows 'gold' without any gold. Gorodets painting also comes from here. Nizhny Novgorod has eight theatres and some 600 historic monuments, and its art museum holds more than 12,000 works of Russian and European art.

Nature

Forests stretch beyond the Volga: the Kerzhensky Nature Reserve, some 47,000 hectares of pine woods and wetlands in the Kerzhenets basin, is part of UNESCO's biosphere network. Nearby lies Lake Svetloyar, up to 33 metres deep with remarkably clear water, linked to the legend of the invisible city of Kitezh. One hypothesis holds that the lake was formed by a meteorite impact about 3,000 years ago.

Sport

Nizhny Novgorod is home to Torpedo in ice hockey, FC Nizhny Novgorod in football, BC Nizhny Novgorod in basketball and Start in bandy. In 2018 the Nizhny Novgorod Stadium hosted six matches of the FIFA World Cup.

Food & drink

In the 19th century the Nizhny Novgorod Fair was Russia's main marketplace, drawing goods from across the country. The local craft closest to the table is Khokhloma tableware: painted spoons and bowls are still made at factories in Semyonov and near the village of Khokhloma.

Practical information

Flights land at Strigino International Airport. Express trains from Moscow take under four hours, and the Gorky Railway links the city with Saint Petersburg and Siberia. A 3.5 km cable car crosses the Volga to Bor. The region is on Moscow time. The climate is humid continental, around −9 °C in winter and +19 °C in summer; May to September is the best time to visit.

What to see

• Nizhny Novgorod Kremlin — a 16th-century red-brick fortress above the meeting of the Oka and Volga.
• Chkalov Stairs — 560 steps, the longest staircase in Russia.
• Shukhov Tower — a 128-metre hyperboloid structure from 1929 near Dzerzhinsk.
• Seraphim-Diveyevo Convent — one of the largest convents in Russia.
• Makaryev Monastery — once the site of Eastern Europe's largest fair.
• Lake Svetloyar — clear water and the legend of Kitezh.

Cities on the map

• Nizhny Novgorod 1,228,199