Nizhny Novgorod 3-4 days

Nizhny Novgorod is a city where I studied at the University 🙂 The city is situated on the confluence of 2 great Russian rivers, Oka and Volga.

It has a red-brick Kremlin like in Moscow 🙂

A truly old, beautiful and historical Russian city, worthwhile spending a weekend at 😉

Day 1 

Departure from Moscow with a quick train ( 7h and 11h arrival into Nizhny Novgorod)

Check-in the Hotel

Lunch at the restaurant in the city centre; Nizhny Novgorod «Arbat» ( I mean the main pedestrian street) is called «Pokrovka»

After we replenished our forces we will visit a very special museum, devoted to various old and unusual technical devices and curiosities.

The exposition covers various topics, from wheels & bikes to old musical boxes 🙂

We will then walk up towards one of the main squares of the city, Gorky Square.

The famous writer came from here. In Soviet times Nizhny Novgorod used to be called Gorky, after him (like St Petersburg used to be «Leningrad») and older people still use those names sometimes. Many names of the cities, streets, squares were changed at the Soviet Union time and then changed back after the collapse of the country.

As Nizhny Novgorod is situated on the confluence of 2 great Russian rivers, we will of course, take a boat ride.

In the evening we will walk along the embankment to enjoy the views of the city in the sunset.

Dinner at the restaurant.

Back in the Hotel.

Day 2 

We will walk down the main pedestrian street of Pokrovka to stop at one of the cosy cafes of our choice to enjoy our breakfast.

As you have probably noticed from the picture, the street leads you right to the Kremlin walls, which is our next stop.

Nizhny Novgorod Kremlin was built in 1508, which makes it the same age as the red-brick Moscow Kremlin. Last year Nizhny Novgorod celebrated its 800 years anniversary, so everything in the city is nicely repaired and beautiful.

We will have lunch of pelmeni at a cafe, that can offer you a thousand recipes of this dish. Well, I exaggerate, but only a little bit 🙂

We will then touch the topic of Nizhny history prior to the Revolution, visiting one of the most beautiful estates of the time. Being situated on the confluence of 2 big rivers (Oka & Volga), Nizhny Novgorod was a merchant city. Rukavishnikov who build his house (palace) in 1877, was a merchant-millionaire.

We then will go to Chkalovskaya Stairs. It has several observation platforms and allows magnificent view over the river.

 

Closer to the evening, especially in summer, people come to the embankment to ride bikes and enjoy the ambiance.


The second most beautiful and historical street of Nizhny Novgorod is called Rozdestvenskaya.

The church bearing the same name is on most of the post cards when you are looking for the views of the city.

Dinner at a place that makes you feel you are invited to a traditional merchant house; the restaurant uses old recipes as in pre-revolutionary Russia.

Before going back to the hotel, we will see a monument to Minin & Pozharsky. Does it seem somehow familiar? You are right! You have seen this monument on the Red Square in Moscow! There is a copy in Nizhny. Can you guess why?

Day 3 

Breakfast at the hotel

Suburban train to the town of Semenov. Despite being a small provincial place it boats several good museums and a couple of factories devoted to traditional Russian folk crafts of making khokhloma and matreshkas ( Russian Dolls).

Khokhloma is well-recognised pattern of painting; it is known across the whole country and in the world. If you are interested in purchasing an original traditional souvenir, go for a «khokhloma» item.

Originally it was used only for tableware, especially for the spoons. Semenov supplied wooden khokhloma spoons across Russia ( which is why we will also learn to paint on a wooden spoon in one of our master-classes); however time is moving ahead rapidly and Semenov designers put khokholma patterns on flash sticks, on thermoflasks  and box gloves, so you probably can find something useful and appropriate for your family and friends.

Semenov is also a centre of Matreshka making. Russian Dolls don’t need an introduction. However, Semenov Matreshka is different from Sergiev Posad one as the colours and the style of the artists here is not the same. I would recognize it and I am able to tell one from another 🙂

Our first stop was Khokhloma and Matresha factory where we had a spoon master-class. So, in the next Museum we will see some giant exhibits they are making for the festivals and have a Matreshka master-class! 🙂

After that we will visit the factory shop and have lunch in a Khokhloma cafe.

Having replenished our forces, we will have a tour of Semenov as we will need some fresh air after the factory and the museum visits.

It’s a small place that preserved Russian traditions and historical lifestyle much better than big mega polis cities.

When I speak of traditional life style it’s not just beautiful words. These lands attracted old believers when Patriarch Nikon (serving 1652-1666) introduced some church reforms. This period was known as Raskol (schism); it lasted for many years afterwards and had a big influence of many peoples lives. Quite a number of people disagreed. They had to run and find some further away places where they could preserve their original belief and keep their traditions. Nizhny Novgorod deep forests  were a safe place for them at the time. So, the History and Art Museum will tell us more of the local crafts ( as you imagine, old believers had to be self-sufficient and learn to make many things with their own hands) and the history of these people.

17.35h commuter bus to the village of Voskresenskoe.

Staying in a village house.

Banya

Dinner

Day 4 

Visiting a «Know your region» Museum located in a beautiful from the point of view of wooden architecture building. As the Second World War didn’t get up to here, a lot of wooden architecture master pieces are preserved as you go East. Everything before Moscow, closer to the Western borders, was burnt down during the war…

This part of the program is to see a remoted Russian village and see how do non-Muscovites live 🙂

A walk along Vetluga river. Lunch. Heading back to Nizhny Novgorod (2,5-3h) and catching a train to the capital 🙂

PS. I tried to make the program varied, covering many topics and time periods so that you get a good understanding of what the life used to be in this area of Russia for people coming from different backgrounds. I hope you enjoy! 🙂

A quick train departing at 17.55h brings you back into Moscow at 22h.

Good bye, Nizhny Novgorod! You will stay in our memories! 🙂