Cultural tourism in Russia > Nizhny Novgorod

Nizhny Novgorod

Nizhny Novgorod is now the third oldest million-plus city in Russia. Located in the confluence of two great Russian rivers In the middle course ol the Volga river, Nizhny Novgorod is said the the capital of the Great Volga region. It is a cultural and business tenter. You can take an amazing tour from Nizhny Novgorod to Moscow, Saint Petersburg, Yaroslavl, Kazan, Astrakhan and other cities and towns on the Volga, Oka and Kama rivers and along the Volga-Haltlc Route. There is everything you need lor outdoor recreation aiid activities, like kayaking and mountain skiing, In Nizhny Novgorod - mountain ski resorts, over 200 country hotels, clubs and camps.

Nizhny Novgorod has hosted many different "regents of our dreams": Alexander Pushkin and Taras Shevchenko, Theophile Gautier and Alexandre Dumas, Fyodor Dostoyevsky and Vladimir Korolenko, Anton Chekhov and Alexander Blok, Julius Fucik and Theodore Dreiser, Vladimir Mayakovsky and Alexey Tolstoy. There are memorable places here related to the lives of Mily Balakirev and Boris Mokrousov, author of Dahl's Explanatory Dictionary and the brillant novels "In The Forests" and "On The Mountains", Pavel Melnikov-Pechyorsky, genius mathematician Nikolay Lobachevsky and the creator of hydrofoil boats Rostislav Alexeyev, philosopher Pavel Florensky and human rights advocate Andrey Sakharov. Nizhny Novgorod is also the birthplace of Maxim Gorky, a writer known all over the world. The city bore Gorky's name from 1932 until 1990.

The city has more than 60 museums and exhibition halls that can show visitors the city's illustrious past, its activists, the life and traditions of its inhabitants.

The Historical and Architectural Museum is the largest in the Nizhny Novgorod region, comprising in total seven museums. The traditions, lifestyle and culture of the region's people are represented at the Museum of Volga People's Architecture & Culture located in Shelkovsky Khutor. The history of folk arts and crafts is represented at the museum located on the main pedestrian street, Bolshaya Pokrovskaya.

Museum expositions are located within some of the Kremlin towers. The Nizhny Novgorod State Art Museum is situated inside the Kremlin, in a 19th century house that had once belonged to the military governor. Its collection has more than twelve thousand works of Russian and foreign art.

The museum's specialty is a huge collection of rare national Russian art, starting from Old Russian icons of the 14th century to the works of the late 20th century.

The Russian Intelligentsia Museum, Literature Museum of A.M.Gorky, the Memorial Museums of A.D.Sakharov, N.A. Dobrolyubov and others can show visitors the life of its famous local people: people of art, culture and science.

The Gorky Automobile Plant (GAZ) exhibits a large collection of vehicles that were produced there from the date of its opening.

The "Sokol" Plant Museum houses many unique models of MiG fighter aircraft, Yak aircraft, amphibious and air cushion boats as well as many other examples of secret Russian aircraft.

Travelers can enjoy comfortable and cozy hotels, numerous restaurants and cafes, street concerts and performances on Bolshaya Poskrovskaya or Rozhdestvenskaya streets, all located in the city center. Those who want to have a rest will be welcome in our theatres, circus, planetarium, cableway, multiplexes, cinemas, billiard rooms, bowling centers and nightclubs.

Nizhny Novgorod is always happy to hostnew guests.