General Information

Nizhny Novgorod (sometimes called Nizhny for short) is the administrative center of Nizhny Novgorod region. The region is situated in central part of Russia and is a part of the Volga-Vyatka economic region. Nizhny Novgorod region stretches for more than 250 miles from the north to the south, and 190 miles west to east. The population of the region is 3.6 million people.

Novorogod is the third largest city in Russia after Moscow and Saint-Petersburg. It is located at the confluence of Volga and Oka Rivers. The area of the city is 260 square miles. The city has advantageous geographical location for economic and social development. The population of the city is 1.4 million people. The city has 8 administrative districts. Satellite towns are Dzerzhinsk, Kstovo, Bor, Gorodets, Zavolzhye, Balakhna and Pavlovo. Nizhny Novgorod is located 250 miles (or 400 km) east of Moscow.

City telephone code: +7 8312

Time: Moscow time

Distance from Moscow: 250 miles or 400 km

Climate

The climate in the region is continental. Winters are quite cold and last from late November till late March. In winters, there is a permanent snow cover. The average temperature in January is -10C. The average temperature in July is +19C.

History

Nizhny Novgorod was founded by Prince Yuri in 1221 as a fortress to defend Russian borders from Mordvinians and Tatars. It was called Nizhny (Lower) Novrogod, because there was already the town of Veliky Novgorod in ancient Russia. The location was extremely favorable, so the settlement was developing rapidly. During the first years two stone cathedrals were built in the Kremlin.

After the Mongol-Tatar Yoke and after the conquest of Kazan and Astrakhan in 1552 by Ivan the Terrible, Nizhny Novgorod became a strong political and economical centre of north-eastern Russia.

In 1612 Nizhny Novgorod people fought against foreign intervention. In 1714, Nizhny Novgorod became the principal town of the province. By the XIX century Nizhny Novgorod was a major commercial center in Russia.

 In 1932, the Novgorod was renamed Gorky after the Soviet writer Maxim Gorky who lived in the city. Active industrial growth of the city began after the revolution. By the middle of the XX century, it became the center of scientific research and production of tanks, guns etc. Because of this, the city has been closed for foreigners for a long time.

Culture

Nizhny Novrogod boasts more than 600 unique historic and architectural sights and cultural establishments. There are 8 theatres and 8 museums, 5 concert halls, Glinka State Conservatory, Philharmonic Society, 97 libraries etc.

Among the theatres of Nizhny Novrogod, there are the Opera and Ballet Theatre, Drama Theatre for Young Spectators, Comedy Theatre, Puppet Theatre, Gorky State Academic Theatre established in 1798 and others.

The main museums of Nizhny Novgorod are the Art Museum, Literary Museum, Historical and Architectural Museum and others. The Art Museum houses, among the others, more than 10 thousand pictures of outstanding Russian artists of XVIII-XX centuries. There is also an open-air museum that houses pieces of Russian wooden architecture. Nizhny Novgorod Historical and Architectural Museum was established in 1958.

The main place to see in Nizhny Novgorod is the Kremlin. Inside the Kremlin, local and regional government buildings are situated. There is also the Picture Gallery, the Concert Hall of the Philharmonic Society. Eternal fire is burning in the Kremlin in the memory of the soldiers killed in the Second World War.

There are 14 higher education establishments, 10 scientific research institutes working in the fields of physics, chemistry, radio-electronics etc.

As Nizhny Novgorod has many unique historical, architectural and cultural monuments, UNESCO included the town into the list of the 100 cities of the world’s greatest historical and cultural value.

Economy

Nizhny Novgorod is an important industrial center. The main industries include metal production, machine-building, agriculture, weapons production. Nuclear research is carried out in the region. There is famous Gorky Automobile Plant that produces cars popular in Russia.

Smaller towns of Nizhny Novgorod region, namely Vyksa, Arzamas, and Sarov, are known for metal production, machine-building, and nuclear research. The city of Semyonov, to the north of Nizhny Novgorod, is a craft center for Khokhloma wood painting.

Transportation

Nizhny Novgorod is an important transport hub. It is a junction of airways, railways and motorways that connect Moscow with the Urals and provides communication of north and south of the country. The length of highways in the region is 8,100 miles, railroads - 750 miles, and waterways - 500 miles.

Nizhny Novgorod airport carries out regular flights to major Russian destinations.

In summer, tourists may travel to Nizhny Novgorod from Moscow and St-Petersburg by passenger boats.

Hotels

Airport Hotel. Address: Strigino Village, Nizhny Novgorod. Phone: +7 8312 596 422.

Alexandrovsky Sad Hotel****. Address: Georgievsky Sezd, 3. Phone: +7 8312 778 141, +7 8312 778 144, +7 8312 778 150, +7 8312 778 140.

Avtozavodskaya Hotel. Address: Molodezhny Av., 6. Phone: +7 8312 923 501.

Bereg Hotel. Address: Chukotskaya Str., 32A. Phone: +7 8312 171 220, +7 8312 170556.

Central Hotel**. Address: Sovetskaya Str., 12. Phone: +7 8312 775 500, +7 8312 775600, +7 8312 775916.

Chernorechye Hotel. Address: Uritsky Str., 8. Phone: +7 8313 336 344.

Kommunalnik Hotel. Address: Nartov Str., 23. Phone: +7 8312 657 682.

Kosmos Hotel. Address: Tsyolkovskogo Ave. 71. Phone: +7 8313 524 921.

Na Ilinke Hotel. Address: Krutoi Pereulok, 6B. Phone: +7 8312 397 221, +7 8312 397 222.

Nika-Service Motel. Address: Zelenaya Str., 10. Phone: +7 8313 598 142.

Nikola House Hotel****. Address: Pozharskogo st. 18. Phone: +7 8312 193 939.

Oka Hotel. Address: Gagarin Ave., 27. Phone: +7 8312 759449, +7 8312 759475.

Oktyabrskaya Hotel***. Address: Verkhne-Volzhskaya Nab., 9a. Phone: +7 8312 320 670, +7 8312 321124.

Strigino Hotel. Address: Gnilitskaya Str., 139. Phone: +7 8312 542 081.

U Domika Petra Hotel. Address: Pochainskaya Str., 14. Phone: +7 8312 332576, +7 8312 341489, +7 8312 332317, +7 8312 332446.

Volna Hotel***. Address: Lenin Avenue, 98. Phone: +7 8312 961 900, +7 8312 961 438.

Volzhsky Otkos Hotel. Address: Verkhne-Volzhskaya Naberezhnaya, 2a. Phone: +7 8312 391641, +7 8312 391971.

Zarechny Hotel. Address: Lenin Ave., 36. Phone: +7 8312 524 940.

Evgeniya Stroganova