Year of foundation-1221
Number of Universities-11
Population-1.3 million people
Subsistence minimum-10,500 rubles (105 euros)
Average temperature: -8 degrees Celsius in Winter and +18 degrees Celsius in Summer
Average cost of dormitory-3,000 rubles (30 euros)
Average cost of one-room apartment rent- 13,000 rubles (130 euros)
Previous name of Nizhny Novgorod was Gorky from 1932 to 1990. The city is located in the central part of Russia at the confluence of two rivers: Oka and Volga. It was founded in 1221. It is the administrative center of the Volga Federal District. The main attraction of the city is its centuries-old history which is personified by the famous Nizhny Novgorod Kremlin. It was built in the early 16th century. It is a two-kilometer brick fortress with 13 towers. Nizhny Novgorod Kremlin is the most unique in relation to other Russian Kremlins: it was built according to the schemes of Leonardo da Vinci. Mikhail-Arkhangelsk Cathedral is located on the territory of the Kremlin. Various excursions, theatrical performances, quests are held here. By the way, the Kremlin in Nizhny Novgorod has never been captured by enemies. Moreover, the historical spirit of the city has been preserved on one of the central streets of the city – Rozhdestvenskaya which has preserved houses of the XVIII-XIX centuries. Also famous street of the city is Pokrovskaya. It connects four squares: Minin and Pozharsky, Theater, Gorky and Lyadov. Earlier the city was called Gorky in honor of its resident and popular writer Maxim Gorky. The writer spent his childhood in this city. Now in Nizhny Novgorod the Gorky State Literary Museum which stores more than 100,000 exhibits. Nizhny Novgorod is associated with the names of two other Russian writers. One day, Alexander Pushkin came to Nizhny Novgorod and was accepted as an inspector. After Pushkin told this story to another famous Russian writer Nikolai Gogol he took this story as the basis of his world-famous masterpiece «Revizor».
Nizhny Novgorod is a city of unusual art objects and galleries. For instance, a bench of bloggers is a monument to the blogosphere equipped with Wi-Fi. In the center of the city there is an art gallery «Kladovka» which regularly hosts cultural events, exhibitions, performances, concerts, master classes, lectures and much more. In Nizhny Novgorod music concerts are held on a daily basis, live music is performed in local cafes, famous musicians, singers and DJ’s often come to the city.
Sport in the city is also developed: in Nizhny Novgorod there are 5 cultural and recreational complexes, more than 300 gyms, about 380 sports grounds. In addition, the city has yacht clubs, equestrian schools, a complex of ski jumps, as well as sports stadium and sports palace. Cycling is also developing in the city: several cycling stations have already been opened, the development of cycling routes is being discussed nowadays. Residents of Nizhny Novgorod like to call their home city «Russian Hollywood». This is due to the fact that in Nizhny many famous Russian films and series were shot. For instance, Nizhny Novgorod became a filming site for such paintings as «Zhmurki», «Ovsyanki», «Miss Millionaire», «Ekaterina Voronina», «Esche ne vecher», «Siberian Barber», «Chernovik». Also in Nizhny Novgorod was filmed the famous series «Method» in which Konstantin Khabensky played the main role.
The city is known for its Nizhny Novgorod Fair, the history of which began more than four centuries ago. It was the largest fair in the Russian Empire, selling goods from all regions of the world and setting prices for the next year. The buildings of the fair were built by renowned architects Augustine Betancourt and Auguste Montferrand. Other their masterpieces adorn Moscow and Saint Petersburg. Now on the territory of the Nizhny Novgorod Fair a modern exhibition complex is located, where fairs, exhibitions, congresses and conferences of various subjects are held. In addition, there is a multimedia park «Russia - my history» telling about the history of the country from ancient to modern times. Nizhny Novgorod is about 200 km from Moscow, so you can always quickly get to the capital and spend an interesting weekend.
In addition, there are many beautiful natural places in the surroundings of the city. For example, the largest lake in the region is Svetloyar which is more than 33 meters deep. The legend about the sunken city named «Russian Atlantis» is connected with this lake. In 170 kilometers from the city a protected forest area Ichalkovsky Bor is situated which currently possess more than a 1000 caves, funnels, rocks, grottos. In 230 kilometers from Nizhny Novgorod there is the village Bolshoye Boldino which is the museum-estate of Alexander Pushkin. The poet loved to spend autumn in this place. Also in the region is the city of Semenov which is the capital of the Khokhloma painting. It is often organized student tours with a visit to the doll production factory.
There are more than 50 higher education institutions in Nizhny Novgorod. Of these: eight universities, three academies, one conservatory and more than five institutes. The largest higher education institution is the Lobachevsky University where more than 40 thousand students study. Moreover, this university is the third organization in the city by the number of employees. Nizhny Novgorod throughout its history was considered a city of Russian merchants. Nowadays trade in the city is more present in the retail sector. In addition, Nizhny Novgorod in 2019 became the best city in terms of quality of life in Russia and the 109th city in the world, according to the website numbeo.com.
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