The Nizhny Novgorod Kremlin is the stone necklace of the city. The Kremlin in Nizhny Novgorod Project on the history of the Nizhny Novgorod Kremlin

Nizhny Novgorod is one of the most beautiful and historically valuable cities in Russia. The most important, most amazing and most popular attraction of the city is the Nizhny Novgorod Kremlin. For its sake, tourists come to the city not only from other Russian cities, but even from other countries. When visiting Nizhny Novgorod, the Kremlin is definitely worth seeing first. Nizhny Novgorod is simply a treasure trove of interesting places for the inquisitive traveler.

Historical reference

According to the chronicles, in 1221, at the request and order of Grand Duke Yuri Vsevolodovich, Nizhny Novgorod was founded. To protect the new territory, fortifications made of earth and wood were used. In 1374, the first attempt was made to replace the wooden fortification with a stone structure. It was this year that was remembered in the history of Nizhny Novgorod for the construction of the white stone Kremlin. During the reign of Ivan III, the city became a guard city. The military meets here to discuss Moscow's further actions against Kazan. Of course, the prince understood that the city’s defenses must be strengthened, which led to the start of work on the construction of fortress walls. The Kremlin in Nizhny Novgorod in the form that people can see now began to be founded in 1500, with the construction of the Tverskaya, now Kladovaya Tower. The raids of Muhammad-Amiin interrupted the work in 1505. And only in 1908 were other towers of the Nizhny Novgorod Kremlin built. All work on its construction was completed in 2016. The construction is supervised by an architect sent from Moscow, Pietro Francesco. Until 1697, the Nizhny Novgorod Kremlin (Nizhny Novgorod) was besieged several times, but it never surrendered. After this period it lost its military significance.

Nizhny Novgorod Kremlin: description

To build the Nizhny Novgorod Kremlin, the craftsmen had to spend a lot of time and effort. The structure was distinguished by its at that time unimaginable length of two kilometers. Along its entire length, the Nizhny Novgorod Kremlin (Nizhny Novgorod) had thirteen towers. Five of which were intended for passage and served as gates, while eight were blind. At that time, the Dmitrievskaya tower of the Kremlin was equipped with an unprecedented masterpiece of Russian architecture - a stone bridge with a branch tower. Despite the fact that the Kremlin had a protective function, it, in turn, was also covered by a special structure - a dry ditch. This protective mechanism was from two and a half to four meters deep and in some places was filled with groundwater. The Nizhny Novgorod Kremlin (Nizhny Novgorod) had an army of permanent garrison soldiers. According to 1621, twenty-two cannons were installed on the territory of the Kremlin. The guns that were kept here were mainly small-caliber serf ones; serf rifles and edged weapons were also present.

The Kremlin today

After the collapse of the USSR, many cities were left without means of subsistence, much less development; a similar fate awaited Nizhny Novgorod. The Kremlin slowly began to collapse, and already in 2005 dangerous cracks were noticed on it. The brickwork also began to crumble, and the structure, in turn, began to be overgrown with moss and lichen. The start of restoration work was given in 2005. From that moment on, the main attraction began to decorate Nizhny Novgorod again. The Kremlin was restored to a truly high level. But, unfortunately, some alterations have modified the original appearance of the historical structure. Conducting excursion activities on its territory also negatively affected the quality of the building. Souvenir shops, shopping pavilions - all inappropriate uses of the Kremlin led to its gradual destruction. The pantry and Dmitrievskaya tower were given over to public catering places; gatherings of informals were often held in Nikolskaya. As a result, the walls were subject to vandalism and lost their historical charm. The Conception Tower of the Kremlin (Nizhny Novgorod) was recreated in 2012. Since then, the ring of walls has closed.

Thirteen is a lucky number

Today, tourists who follow the route Nizhny Novgorod - the Kremlin - its towers can see all thirteen of them with their own eyes. A brief description of each of the towers is given below. These are towers such as:

1. Georgievskaya- owes its name to the nearby St. George Church. It has retained its unique square shape, unlike many towers modified during the restoration process. In the past, it was equipped with a drawbridge, like in the most elite castles of the feudal lords.
2. Borisoglebskaya- named after the neighboring church of Boris and Gleb. Over the entire period of its existence, it was destroyed and recreated more often than others.
3. Zachatievskaya- named after the Conception Monastery, a two-tier tower in the shape of a square.
4. White- according to its name, the tower, in the best traditions of modernism, is finished with white brick on the outside.
5. Ivanovskaya- the nearby Church of John the Baptist gave the tower its corresponding name.
6. Sentinel- the most technically equipped tower with a built-in chronometer of gigantic size.
7. Northern- this tower is located closest to the North Pole than all the others.
8. Taynitskaya- the main citadel of the Kremlin's defense. Important things were stored in it, and it also contained a secret underground passage.
9. Koromyslova- the name of the tower is associated with a favorite Novgorod legend, according to which a girl, fleeing from adversaries, fought off with a yoke.
10. Nikolskaya- currently it and the Zelensky Congress are connected by a very useful pedestrian bridge.
11. Pantry- storage tower for all kinds of supplies.
12. Dmitrievskaya- the first stone tower of the Nizhny Novgorod Kremlin, named in honor of Prince Dmitry Konstantinovich. After multiple restorations, its appearance is significantly different from the original creation of antiquity.
13. Gunpowder- a place to store gunpowder and other weapons and supplies.

Favorite legends of Novgorodians

The most beloved and often discussed legend has a direct connection with the Rocker Tower. Historically, in 1520, Nizhny Novgorod came under siege by the Astrakhan Tatars and their leader Said Giray. In order to capture the Kremlin, they approached the walls of the treasured fruit. At that time, one of the local residents went to fetch water and, seeing the invaders, entered into an unequal battle with them. The woman had a yoke in her hands, with which she beat ten Tatars to death. As a result, one of the survivors killed the woman with a saber, but this battle gave the Tatars pause. They decided that since the girls here are so brave and strong, it would be better not to mess with men at all. They thought and went home. The second legend says that this tower was built first. And in order to make it stronger, it was necessary to close at its base any living creature that would be the first to set foot on this territory. This creature turned out to be a girl with a rocker, going to fetch water. At first the builders closed it at the base, but then they took pity and replaced it with a dragonfly so that the custom would still be observed.

Museum on the territory of the Kremlin

The museum in the Kremlin (Nizhny Novgorod) is one of the oldest public museums in Russia. The decision to open it came in 1894 from the City Duma. On the occasion of the opening of the museum, the country's leadership dedicated the issue of twenty-five silver and three hundred bronze commemorative medals to this event. They were solemnly presented to the direct participants in the creation of the museum and the sponsors of the project. Emperor Nicholas II and his wife Alexandra Fedorovna were among the first to visit the museum. It happened on the nineteenth of July 1896. For such important guests, the museum has prepared a gift in the form of two gold medals of an exclusive cast. Initially, its location was the Dmitrievskaya Tower of the Nizhny Novgorod Kremlin. At this time, the museum included two departments - historical and artistic. In parallel with the work of the museum, an exhibition was held here, organized by the Society of Artists of Historical Painting. Subsequently, part of the exhibits was donated to the museum. In the museum you can see unique works of great artists, including F. S. Rokotov, I. E. Repin, K. P. Bryullov, I. I. Shishkin, I. I. Levitan.

Extant buildings

The territory of the Kremlin was dotted with a huge number of structures for various purposes. The luxurious mansions of the princely family and all kinds of temples were located here. Many of them were seriously damaged or completely disappeared from the face of the earth after the Red Guard raids. Inside the Kremlin there were buildings of the barracks, the House of Soviets, the government, the philharmonic and the art museum and others. But after a while, only a few of them survived:

1. The most ancient building of the Kremlin is St. Michael the Archangel Cathedral. The date of its foundation is considered to be the sixteenth century. It was here that the ashes of Kozma Minin were buried at one time.
2. Immortalized by the obelisk and monument Minin and Pozharsky.
3. Monument in honor of the founder George and St. Simon.
4. Memorial Eternal Flame.
5. A modern art museum, the building of which in the past was a provincial house.
6. A former weapons arsenal, which today has become a state center for contemporary art with the same name “Arsenal”.
7. Stretching from the Kremlin's Dmitrievskaya Tower is the Walk of Fame, displaying vehicles and military weapons dating back to the Second World War.

In addition to these buildings, tourists can visit the Kremlin walls. You can get there through the Dmitrievskaya Tower, having previously paid a nominal fee.

1. When creating the legendary Kremlin, the architects took as a basis the work on the construction of casemates by Leonardo da Vinci. Nowhere in the country were there artillery and defense systems similar to those installed in the Nizhny Novgorod Kremlin.
2. 2015 was an anniversary year for the Kremlin - it turned five hundred years old. Due to a strong fire, the entire fortress wall was destroyed in 1513. And only two years later, instead of a wooden structure, a brick building was erected on the ashes.
3. The scale of the structure is striking in its grandeur. The length of the Kremlin is two kilometers, while its height reaches twenty-two meters.
4. Throughout the five centuries of its existence, the Kremlin has repeatedly experienced attempts to besiege it, but none of them were successful.
5. In the nineteenth century, the walls of almost every Nizhny Novgorod house contained bricks from the Kremlin. This is due to the fact that no one looked after the structure, and for local residents this was an additional way to save on building materials. And only Alexander the Second was able to stop so much barbaric behavior of the Nizhny Novgorod residents by issuing an order for the restoration of a historically significant cultural monument.
6. Archaeologists consider the fortress towers to be one of the most mysterious and mysterious places. In their opinion, true treasures and important documents are hidden here. But excavations cannot be carried out here due to the risk of triggering landslides and the critical proximity of groundwater.

New Year tree in the Kremlin (Nizhny Novgorod)

On the eve of the New Year holidays, a children's party is organized on the territory of the Nizhny Novgorod Kremlin, which is similar in scope to the main Christmas tree of the country. The Christmas tree in the Kremlin (Nizhny Novgorod) is held from the twenty-sixth of December to the sixth of January. The venue for a joyful family holiday is the Kremlin Concert Hall, located in the Philharmonic building. Usually the event is attended by more than a thousand Nizhny Novgorod children. The festive tree in the Kremlin (Nizhny Novgorod) is a bright and colorful event, during which guests are entertained by philharmonic and theater artists. In honor of the holiday, funny songs are played, funny games are played, good music is played, and all the guests unanimously lead a traditional magic round dance. The most beautiful and bewitching highlight of the holiday is a musical fairy tale. A ticket to a festive event costs from three hundred to three hundred and thirty rubles. Those wishing to receive a children's gift must pay an additional three hundred and fifty rubles to the cost of the entrance ticket.

How to get there and where to stay

Tourists who want to mainly visit the Nizhny Novgorod Kremlin should try to ensure that the chosen hotel is located near the historical center of the city. Nizhny Novgorod (the Kremlin) is visited by inquisitive tourists who want to immediately go on an excursion after the hotel. Thus, in order for the historical landmark to be within walking distance, you should choose the Nikola House Hotel, located four hundred meters from the Kremlin, or the Monarch Hotel, which is only a hundred meters further. As for those city guests who need to get to the Kremlin by transport, there are a huge number of minibus taxis operating in the city. The most important thing is that they indicate that the route goes through Minin and Pozharsky Square. The Nikolskaya Tower can be reached by minibuses 6, 41, 47, 71 and 72 and by bus number three. It is available for visiting daily from ten to sixteen hours. The ticket office, as in all excursion places, stops working forty minutes before the end of the entire historical center. There are 34, 54, 81, 134 and other minibuses going to the Dmitrievskaya Tower. You can also use them to get to the Ivanovo Tower. Tickets to visit the exhibition halls of the towers cost from forty to one hundred and fifty rubles per adult. The cost of children's tickets is approximately two times lower. For foreign tourists the pricing system is different. Therefore, to clarify prices, it is best to contact the Kremlin administration by phone (the number is on the official website). You can see the Kremlin from the side from Bolshaya Pokrovskaya Street (Nizhny Novgorod). The Kremlin, the address of which is very easy to remember, is located in Nizhny Novgorod on Minin Square and Pozharsky 6a.

Continuation of New Year's walks around Nizhny Novgorod. .

The Nizhny Novgorod Kremlin, standing high above the Volga at the top of the Dyatlov Mountains, is more modest than the Moscow one. But there is much less officialdom in it. The Kremlin is considered the main attraction of Nizhny Novgorod. Therefore, without stopping at the hotel, we immediately went to the Kremlin.

I was counting on parking under the eastern wall of the Kremlin on Minin and Pozharsky Square, but it was banned. Having somehow parked the car in one of the neighboring courtyards (thanks for the fact that they had not yet managed to install a barrier there), we went to the monument to Valery Chkalov.
The monument to the famous Soviet pilot of the 30s was erected in 1940, shortly after his death. The author of the statue, sculptor I. Mendelevich, was a friend of V. P. Chkalov.
Valery Chkalov was born on Nizhny Novgorod soil in the village of Vasilevo (since 1937 Chkalovsk). Set up in his father's house. Nizhny Novgorod residents are proud of their legendary fellow countryman.

The pedestal depicts flight diagrams of Chkalov, Baidukov and Belyakov to Udd Island and through the North Pole to Vancouver. Let's not forget that the pilots were flying a single-engine (!) aircraft with a conventional gasoline engine, an unpressurized cabin, and no radar or satellite navigation. For the first time in the history of aviation, they flew to America not across the Atlantic Ocean, but through the North Pole.

From the monument to Chkalov, the colossal Chkalov or Volga staircase descends down the slope. Probably, this landmark of Nizhny Novgorod is more famous than the Nizhny Novgorod Kremlin itself.
In 1939, the chairman of the Gorky City Executive Committee, Alexander Shulpin, proposed building a grand staircase that would surpass the famous Potemkin Staircase in Odessa. The grandiose plan was postponed due to the outbreak of war and was returned to it only in 1943. According to the project of Leningrad architects Lev Rudnev and Vladimir Muntz, the staircase began from the building of the Rossiya Hotel, but Shulpin ordered it to be moved to the monument to Chkalov. Nizhny Novgorod architect Alexander Yakovlev received second prize in the competition for designs for a future staircase. It was he who linked the project to the area, carried out design supervision and is deservedly considered the creator of the staircase, together with Rudnev and Muntz.
Initially, the staircase was called Stalingrad in honor of the famous battle on the Volga. It was built by German prisoners of war and city residents using the “people’s construction” method common in Soviet times. Construction lasted six years and was completed in 1949. The staircase cost the budget 7 million 760 thousand rubles. Shulpin was later accused of embezzlement of public funds, convicted and exiled to Siberia. He was rehabilitated after Stalin's death.

The staircase consists of 442 steps. Sometimes the number is called 560 steps. But in this case they are considered on both sides of the “eight”, in the form of which the Chkalov Stairs are built.

The Chkalov staircase has long become the most memorable symbol of Nizhny, but the Kremlin itself is much older and more interesting.
Construction of the Nizhny Novgorod Kremlin began in 1500 and was completed 11 years later. It was erected by Russian masons with the participation of the Italian architect Pyotr Fryazin (Pietro Francesco), who worked on the construction of the Moscow Kremlin.
We will start at the St. George Tower, closest to the Chkalov Stairs and the monument to the pilot. Its name was given after the non-preserved Church of St. George the Victorious. This corner square tower was once a gateway, i.e. travel card However, already in the 20s of the 17th century the gates were “closed with iron bars and there was no bridge from the city.” The tower looks too squat, because it was half covered with earth during the construction of the Chkalov Stairs.

Let's go along the south-eastern part of the Kremlin wall to the breach gate located between the St. George and Porokhovaya (Arsenal) towers. The classical palace is clearly visible from the breached gate. In 1834, Nicholas I, during a visit to Nizhny Novgorod, supported the idea expressed by local authorities of building a new governor's house with special chambers for the visits of members of the reigning dynasty and dignitaries. The palace was built in 1841 according to the design of the St. Petersburg architect I. Charlemagne.
It was here in 1858 that the governor of Nizhny, Alexander Nikolayevich Muravyov, a former member of the Union of Welfare, exiled to Siberia in the Decembrist case, introduced Alexandre Dumas to the heroes of his novel “The Fencing Teacher” Ivan Annenkov and his wife Praskovya, née Polina Gebl. Whether the “spreading cranberries” under which Dumas drank tea while in Russia grew in the governor’s garden, history is silent. 🙂

The palace has housed the Nizhny Novgorod Art Museum since 1991.
The main tower of the Nizhny Novgorod Kremlin is called Dmitrievskaya. This tower has long been considered the main symbol and main attraction of Nizhny Novgorod. The tower was named after the Church of Demetrius of Thessalonica, which, alas, was lost. In the 18th century, the Kremlin finally lost its defensive significance and the ditch in front of the tower was filled up along with its lower tier. The Dmitrievskaya Tower differs from the others in its spectacular, even fabulous appearance. This is the result of reconstruction at the end of the 19th century, carried out by an expert on Russian antiquity, architect N. Sultanov. The tower was adapted as a city museum for the opening of the All-Russian Industrial and Art Exhibition in 1896.

Having passed the Dmitrievskaya Tower, we leave the Kremlin through another breach gate, built in the southern part of the wall.

The Zelensky Congress goes down from the broken gate (from the distorted “potion”, i.e. gunpowder), and the boulevard runs along the Kremlin wall. It passes by the round Storage Tower to the Nikolsky Gate. The Nikolskaya passage tower is named after another temple. The ancient church has not survived; in Soviet times, the site was needed for the Moscow Hotel. The hotel, in turn, was demolished in 1997. At the very end of 2015, at this place we saw the new St. Nicholas Church, slightly stylized as ancient Russian architecture of either the 12th or 15th centuries. He looks quite good.

The Nikolskaya Gate Tower managed to serve as a provisions store, a military warehouse, and now it is an exhibition hall of the Nizhny Novgorod Museum.
On the southwestern corner of the Kremlin there is a round Koromyslov tower. The Nizhny Novgorod legend tells about a girl who went by water to Pochaina and met an enemy detachment. The girl scattered all the enemies with her yoke, and when a new horde came running, she killed him too. Only when her strength ran out did she fall dead. The enemy commander decided that if the women of Nizhny Novgorod were so strong and brave, then what kind of men would be warriors and ordered a retreat. And the girl was buried with honors under the tower, which has since been called Koromyslova.

There is another, sad legend that explains the name of the tower. When the craftsmen began to build the tower, they did not succeed. Everything that was erected during the day was destroyed by the next morning. Then the masons remembered an ancient custom: in order for the building to be strong, a living person who would be the first to appear in that place must be walled up in its foundation. This turned out to be a young woman named Alena. She took buckets and a rocker and set off on the water. When, having collected water, it began to climb the mountain, the craftsmen grabbed it and walled it up at the base of the tower along with the rocker. That’s why it’s called the Koromyslova Tower.
The neighboring round tower is called Tainitskaya. It is named after the secret passage that led to Pochayna. In the old days, every fortress had underground passages so that the besieged could take water. However, this name appeared only in 1765. Previously, the tower was called Mironositskaya “on the green,” i.e. gunpowder. During World War II, the tower's tent was dismantled and anti-aircraft machine guns were installed. Gorky, being the center of the military-industrial complex, was seriously damaged by Nazi air raids.

From the western side of the Kremlin wall there are wonderful views of Zapochainye with the churches of Elijah the Prophet and the Kazan Icon of the Virgin Mary

and on the spit of the Volga and Oka with the Alexander Nevsky Cathedral.

The next round tower is called North. It really stands on the northern corner of the fortress. Previously, it was called Ilyinskaya (after the Church of Elijah the Prophet), Naugolnaya, Zelenskaya. In the 19th century, it was supposed to house state chambers for the highest persons visiting Nizhny Novgorod. But instead, the tower was abandoned - in 1881 there were no more floors inside, only load-bearing beams remained. The northern tower, like the neighboring Taynitskaya, was used as an air defense firing point during the war.

Wonderful views open from the North Tower. First of all, this is a view of “Skoba”, of which only the “back” remains - a red two-story building behind the trees in the depths of the square.

From the North Tower you can clearly see the Church of the Nativity of John the Baptist in Nizhny Posad. How much better is the original Russian name “Skoba” than the deliberate “National Unity Square”.

From the North Tower to Nizhny Posad you can go down a multi-flight staircase, which is very dangerous in winter. Since the author had already chosen his norm of falls and subsequent injuries, instead of going down he went to the next arch in the Kremlin wall between the North and Clock towers.

The Clock Tower is perhaps the most remarkable after Dmitrievskaya, although it stands in the far corner of the Kremlin, where not everyone can reach. The brick tower is topped with a wooden frame “clock hut”, over which a guard tower is built. In the old days, a log cabin housed a clock mechanism, and dials were mounted on the outer walls. The inventory of 1621 says: “and on the tower there is a fighting clock,” that is, a striking clock that chimes every hour.
The dials were divided not into the usual 12, but into 17 o'clock. In pre-Petrine Rus', daytime and nighttime hours were counted separately. The dial is designed for maximum daylight hours. In June it just reaches 17 hours. The watch was supervised by a special master “watchmaker”. The clock was lost because in 1807 there was a strong fire in the tower and the wooden parts were burned. From the Clock Tower you can clearly see the Ivanovo Tower below.

The Ivanovo Tower is the largest in area in the Nizhny Novgorod Kremlin.
Svyatoslav Leonidovich Agafonov, an outstanding architect, historian and restorer who saved the Nizhny Novgorod Kremlin from destruction, believed that it was from the Ivanovo Tower that the construction of the Kremlin began in 1500. It was the most important defense center on the most accessible side of the mountain.
The legend about the famous gunner Fyodor Litvich is associated with the Ivanovo Tower.
In 1505, the Kazan Khan Muhammad-Emin approached the unfinished Kremlin with a huge horde of Tatars and Nogais and stood on the opposite bank of the Pochaina. There was no large army in Nizhny, and there were few weapons. No help was expected from Moscow. The Nizhny Novgorod residents had several arquebuses with cannonballs, but no one knew how to shoot from them. Then the governor remembered the Lithuanian prisoners languishing in the casemates of the Ivanovo Tower. He invited them to deal with the arquebuses, promising freedom in return. The most skilled gunner Fedya Litvich volunteered to fire the first cannonball at the Kazanians. Yes, he demolished the khan’s own tent with the first shot. The Tatars and Nogais began to fight each other and left Nizhny with nothing.
The Nizhny Novgorod governor kept his word. Some of the Lithuanians wanted to go home, but some stayed and settled in the so-called “Pansky Hills”. This name was in use until recently.

The tower stands at the Ivanovo Congress. In this place in 1611, Kuzma Minin-Sukhoruk addressed the residents of Nizhny Novgorod with his famous appeal:

We want to help the Moscow state, so we don’t spare our property, don’t spare anything, sell yards, pawn our wives and children, beat with our foreheads the one who stood up for the true Orthodox faith and was our boss.

S.M. Soloviev. “History of Russia from ancient times.”

A wonderful painting by the artist Konstantin Egorovich Makovsky, known as “Minin’s Appeal to the People of Nizhny Novgorod,” is dedicated to this most important episode of the Time of Troubles. This monumental painting was created in 1896 and presented at the All-Russian Art and Industrial Exhibition in Nizhny Novgorod.

The full title of the painting is “Minin on Nizhny Novgorod Square, calling on people for donations.” The painting was acquired by the Ministry of the Court and in 1913, in honor of the 300th anniversary of the House of Romanov, presented it to the city. Since 1972, the creation of Konstantin Makovsky has been presented at the Art Museum in the annex to the mansion of the merchant Dmitry Sirotkin.

However, we have strayed somewhat from the topic. Let's return to the Clock Tower and enter the Kremlin again.
Unfortunately, the inside of the Nizhny Novgorod Kremlin looks rather empty. There are quite a lot of official administrative buildings in it, but few churches and monuments have survived. Taking photographs of the Kremlin from the inside is not very interesting. The gaze lingered on the former banknote office, where in Catherine’s times gold and silver were exchanged for banknotes. The house then served as a police station, a fire brigade and a lamp brigade, and about a hundred years ago it was rebuilt as a telephone exchange. Since then, the facades in the rational modern style have been preserved (architect N. Veshnyakov). It all started with money and ended with money. For the last 20 years, the building has belonged to the treasury department of the Nizhny Novgorod province of the region.

The government building of government offices, although it was built by F.B. Rastrelli’s student Yakov Ananin, does not evoke enthusiasm. The only thing that makes this building remarkable is the fact that Pyotr Nikolaevich Nesterov, the son of the teacher of the Arakcheevsky Cadet Corps, the famous Russian aviator, who performed the first loop and air ram in the history of aviation, was born here in 1887.

But nearby stands the real pearl of Nizhny - the Archangel Cathedral - the only surviving of the three Kremlin churches. This is the oldest building of the Nizhny Novgorod Kremlin, not counting the walls and towers, and one of the most striking attractions of the city.

The Archangel Cathedral traces its history back to the founding of the city in 1221. Here, by order of Yuri Vsevolodovich, Grand Duke of Vladimir, a wooden church of the same name was erected.
The current tented temple dates back to the time of Mikhail Fedorovich, the first Tsar of the Romanov Dynasty. The cathedral was built by architects Lavrentiy and Antipas Vozoulin in 1628-31. It served as a tomb for the Nizhny Novgorod princes, and in 1962 Kozma Minin, the organizer and leader of the 1612 militia, was reburied there.

In 2008, a monument to the founder of the city, Prince Yuri Vsevolodovich, and his spiritual mentor, Bishop of Vladimir and Suzdal Simon, was erected to the south of the cathedral.
The monument is quite standard. Similar monuments appeared in large numbers in Russian cities in the first years of the 21st century.

The second most important monument within the walls of the Nizhny Novgorod Kremlin is an obelisk in honor of Kozma Minin and Dmitry Pozharsky, created by the architect Abram Ivanovich Melnikov and the sculptor Ivan Petrovich Martos.

According to legend, the famous monument to Minin and Pozharsky in Moscow, created by Ivan Martos and Samsosn Sukhanov, was intended for Nizhny Novgorod. However, Emperor Alexander I ordered it to be installed on Red Square. Only 10 years later, a much more modest obelisk, made in St. Petersburg, was installed in the Nizhny Novgorod Kremlin. During transportation, the upper part of the obelisk split. The cracks are still visible to this day.

Two gilded bronze bas-reliefs adorn the base of the obelisk. They were carried out by I.P. Martos. On the bas-reliefs, the geniuses of glory crown Russian national heroes with laurel wreaths - Kozma Minin

and Dmitry Pozharsky

Among the state-owned buildings of the Nizhny Novgorod Kremlin, the former regional committee of the CPSU looks especially shabby. Moreover, it was stuck in the place where the Assumption Cathedral stood. Another heavy box in the style of “victorious socialism” resembles the Palace of Congresses of the Moscow Kremlin. The signs, of course, were changed, but the regional committee is the regional committee, whatever you call it. This Soviet chest came into the frame completely by accident; in fact, I was photographing the obelisk for Minin and Pozharsky.

Concluding our acquaintance with the bureaucratic and official component of the Nizhny Novgorod Kremlin, let's look at the house of the vice-governor, which until 1917 housed the local Presence and garrison barracks. Both buildings were built by the provincial architect Ananyin. The barracks were used as the headquarters of the Nizhny Novgorod garrison, and now they are also occupied by numerous officials.

Looking at the local bureaucratic structures, you involuntarily remember the great scoffer A.K. Tolstoy

I noticed that yellow is the color
It especially flatters the heart of a patriot;
Coat a house or an infirmary with vokha
The Russian hunt is irresistible;
The bosses have also been in this for a long time
The well-intentioned sees something
And they will swarm in the provinces shoulder to shoulder
Chambers, temple, prison and tower.
At my age it was good form
Imitate barracks taste,
And four or eight columns
It was my duty to hang around in a line
Underneath the inevitable Greek pediment.
There is such grace in France
He brought, in his age, warlike plebeians,
Napoleon, - in Russia, Arakcheev.

Nevertheless, there is an amazing feeling in the Kremlin - you are in the center of a city of one and a half million people and, at the same time, close to nature. From the edge of the hill there is a view of the Volga and the Trans-Volga region. The landscape is by no means urban; on the contrary, it is almost unspoiled by human presence.

Ivanovo Descent goes down from the regional committee.

Next to the Ivanovskaya Tower there is another breached gate overlooking Nizhny Posad, directly to the place of Minin’s appeal. But before we leave the Kremlin again, it’s worth paying attention to a fragment of the western wall, descending in ledges from the Clock Tower along the steep slope of the Dyatlovy Mountains.

At the foot of the hill next to the Ivanovskaya Tower there is an “epic stone” made in 1976 by the sculptor Bebenin, dedicated to the first residents of Nizhny Novgorod. The fact that the city will not be overcome by enemy forces is understandable, but why is this city of stone if we are talking about the year 1221?

The most inaccessible tower of the Kremlin is called the Belaya. I just can't imagine how to get to her. The photo was taken from Kozhevennaya Street into the gap between the houses. The tower is called White because its base is made of white stone, not brick.

The last two towers of the Kremlin - Zachatskaya (Zachatievskaya) and Borisoglebskaya - have not survived to this day. Both were destroyed by landslides in the 18th century and later restored. The Conception Tower was rebuilt quite recently according to the design of S.L. Agafonov. The photo clearly shows that the masonry of the tower and the adjacent sections of the wall is completely fresh. The brick has not yet had time to darken. The tower houses the Nizhny Novgorod residence of Father Frost.

In front of the residence of Father Frost there is a monument to Peter I. I wonder when Russian governors command something, what do they think? Is it really a stuffed head? Still, Peter the Great is too large a historical figure to be confused with Santa Claus. The monument to Peter I was erected in 2014 in honor of the 300th anniversary (again!) of the formation of the Nizhny Novgorod province. The statue of Peter resembles a “standard project” created by Mark Antokolsky and replicated many times in Arkhangelsk, Taganrog, St. Petersburg and, in my opinion, in Petrozavodsk and Voronezh. Modern sculptor Alexander Shchitov, instead of a cane, handed the bronze emperor a scroll with a decree and “took away” the spyglass.

The Borisoglebskaya tower, like the Zachatievskaya tower, was rebuilt more than 40 years ago in the 70s of the last century. Fragments of the original tower have been preserved at its base.

We walked around the Kremlin in a circle and returned to the foot of the Chkalov Stairs and the St. George Tower standing at the top of the slope.
It remains only to recall that the Nizhny Novgorod Kremlin was built in 1500-1511, its area is almost 26 hectares, and the perimeter of the walls is slightly less than 2000 meters. The Kremlin lost its defensive significance at the beginning of the 18th century; in 1736, the last three cannons were taken to Moscow and melted down into coins.
Renovations from the time of Catherine II distorted the appearance of the ancient fortress. The main damage to the Kremlin was caused by the Soviet comrades, who considered the Kremlin a monument to the “damned feudal past.” The Assumption and Spaso-Preobrazhensky Cathedrals (the latter housed the ashes of Kozma Minin) were demolished, most of the walls and towers fell into a catastrophic state.
The salvation of the Nizhny Novgorod Kremlin is the work of the great restorer Svyatoslav Leonidovich Agafonov, who spent his life preserving a unique monument of ancient Russian serf architecture. The restoration began in 1949 and ended in 2012 with the restoration of the Zachatskaya (Zachatievskaya) tower.

XVI-XVII centuries

Soviet period

Modernity

Towers of the Nizhny Novgorod Kremlin

Cathedrals of the Nizhny Novgorod Kremlin

Monuments

Other buildings

Lost buildings and monuments

Nizhny Novgorod Kremlin- a fortress in the center of Nizhny Novgorod and its oldest historical part, the main socio-political and historical-art complex of the city.

The official residence of the Plenipotentiary Representative of the President of Russia in the Volga Federal District, the Governor of the Nizhny Novgorod Region and the Mayor of Nizhny Novgorod.

Located on the right high bank, at the confluence of the Volga and Oka rivers. The northwestern part of the Kremlin descends almost to the foot of the slopes, the southeastern part overlooks Minin and Pozharsky Square, and the southwestern part rises above the deep Pochainsky ravine and People's Unity Square.

History of the Kremlin

XIV century

As the chronicle testifies, in 1221 Nizhny Novgorod was founded by the Grand Duke of Vladimir Yuri Vsevolodovich, protected by wooden and earthen fortifications. The first attempt to replace the wooden fortress ([colloquial] fortresses) with a stone kremlin dates back to 1374. At this time, Prince Dmitry Konstantinovich founded the white stone Kremlin.

XVI-XVII centuries

Under Ivan III, Nizhny Novgorod played the role of a guard city, having a permanent army, and served as a military gathering place for Moscow's actions against Kazan. In order to strengthen the city's defense, work began again on the construction of fortress walls. The construction of the stone Nizhny Novgorod Kremlin began in 1500 with the foundation of the Tverskaya (now Kladovaya) tower in the upper part of the city. The work was interrupted by a raid by the horde of Khan Muhammad Emin in 1505. Construction was resumed in 1508. At the same time, the preserved old oak Kremlin was destroyed in a strong fire in 1513. Construction is believed to have been completed sometime after 1516. The main work on the construction of the Kremlin was carried out under the leadership of the architect Pietro Francesco (Peter Fryazin) sent from Moscow. In the 16th century, the Kremlin was repeatedly subjected to sieges and attacks (in 1521, 1536 and 1574), but was never surrendered to the besieging army. By 1697, the Kremlin had lost its military significance.

Fortification and weapons

The two-kilometer wall had 13 towers: 5 - rectangular in plan - are roadways or gates and 8 towers - round, blind. In front of the Dmitrov Tower there was an outrigger fortification - a stone bridge with an outfall tower, which was a novelty in Russian fortress architecture.

On the mountain side, the Kremlin was surrounded by a so-called “dry ditch” with a depth of 2.5 to 4 m and a width of approximately 25-30 m. It is believed that the ditch could have separate deepened areas filled with groundwater. This applies to the Dmitrov Tower area. But the Scribe Book of 1622 talks about digging a ditch 1 fathom deep (about 2.5 m) and about 4 fathoms wide (10 m) opposite the entire line of walls in the upper part. In any case, it may be a ditch within a ditch ( ditch), since a dry moat was not enough. This new ditch could contain groundwater. But there could be no water in the dry moat, since the towers were immersed in it for an entire tier. Loopholes on this level, together with loopholes in additional side casemates spun(walls), represented the lower or plantar fight. (In the 17th century, a ditch also appeared in the foothills - in a small area in front of the Ivanovo Tower).

"Stone City" had a permanent garrison. About the Kremlin artillery in the 16th century. nothing is known. Although the structure of the fortress made it possible, if necessary, to increase the artillery many times over, in the 17th century. The artillery armament of the Nizhny Novgorod Kremlin was relatively small, since after the capture of Kazan by Russia in 1552, its military and defensive importance decreased significantly. In 1621, the Kremlin had 22 cannons, in 1663 - 20, in 1619 - 19. Most of its guns were small-caliber zatinnye(that is, serfs) “squeakers of a small outfit” - wolves and there were much fewer medium- and large-caliber arquebuses. There were also isolated mattresses, shooting shot. Most of the cannons were copper and only a few were made of iron. Some of the guns stood on stands - “dogs”, some - on wheeled carriages. In addition to artillery, of course, hand-held firearms were also used in defense, for example, squeak- gakovnitsy(serf guns), and in the basements of the towers, along with a supply of gunpowder, all kinds of edged weapons were stored.

XVIII century

In January 1714, Peter I formed the Nizhny Novgorod province. From that time on, the Kremlin became the administrative center of the Nizhny Novgorod province and the center of Nizhny Novgorod.

Under Catherine II, in 1785-1790, the Kremlin was repaired, during which the roof that lay on the battlements of the wall was dismantled, and the battlements themselves were shortened by more than half. After the roof was removed, under the influence of precipitation, the masonry of the Kremlin walls began to gradually collapse. The outrigger fortifications of the main tower were dismantled, and in 1834-1837. The moat was filled in, which lowered the height of the Kremlin by about 4 m. At the same time, the lower tiers of the towers were underground, which led to their flooding with groundwater and gradual destruction. At the same time, the entire Kremlin was whitewashed, and its roofs were repainted red.

19th century

For a long time, the Kremlin was not properly maintained. When the Patriotic War of 1812 began, the Nizhny Novgorod militia left its walls. At this time, the Kremlin was not a defensive structure, but in 1894 the reconstruction of the Dmitrievskaya Tower began. The author of the project and the head of the reconstruction was the architect Nikolai Sultanov. He was tasked with converting it into an art and historical museum. To do this, it was necessary to return the tower to its leading position in the Kremlin. The museum was opened in 1896. At the same time, the Dmitrievskaya Tower was again greatly transformed, acquiring an appearance unusual for the Nizhny Novgorod Kremlin. On the top of the roof was placed a double-headed eagle - the coat of arms of the Russian Empire. The entire Kremlin was again completely whitewashed.

In order to get to the Kremlin, a funicular was built from Rozhdestvenskaya Street in 1896. With its help, visitors climbed from Skopa to the territory of the fortress. But he lived relatively short. In 1926, the funicular was closed, as a tram line was built along the Zelensky Congress, connecting Rozhdestvenskaya Street and Bolshaya Pokrovskaya.

With the Bolsheviks coming to power, significant changes took place in the Nizhny Novgorod Kremlin. It was again repainted red, and the roofs on the towers became green. Also, the double-headed eagle was removed from the Dmitrievskaya Tower; Instead, the new Soviet authorities hung the USSR flag. Then a sad fate befell the Kremlin territory: the Bolsheviks demolished the Transfiguration Cathedral and built the House of Soviets in its place. All exhibits from the Art Museum (Dmitrievskaya Tower) were taken out and distributed in museums around the city, and some were simply destroyed, as a sign of the former government.

In 1935-1937, a new threat loomed over the Kremlin. The authorities decided to expand Sovetskaya Square. And for this it was necessary to demolish part of the wall and 3 towers of the Kremlin: Kladovaya, Dmitrievskaya and Porokhovaya. According to the project of the Leningrad Institute "Giprogor", the square was supposed to run through the Kremlin territory to the House of Soviets. The Kremlin was perceived in those years as “a monument to greedy feudalism and tsarist autocracy, a witness to the terrible pages of the bloody past.”

The architect of Giprogor Nikolai Ushakov wrote:

But the outbreak of the Great Patriotic War prevented the implementation of this plan. On June 22, 1941, a meeting of the Gorky Regional Committee was held in the Kremlin. On Sovetskaya Square that day, a rally of many thousands took place, at which the chairman of the CPSU (b) spoke and appealed to Gorky residents to stand up for the defense of their Motherland from the Nazi invaders. Later, the Gorky division gathered near the walls of the Kremlin and went to the front.

The Kremlin occupied a significant place in Gorky's defense at that time. During the war, the roofs of the Tainitskaya, Northern and Chasovaya towers were dismantled and anti-aircraft machine guns were installed on the upper platforms. This is how the fortress protected the city’s airspace from the Nazi Luftwaffe. Nazi pilots tried to bomb the Kanavinsky Bridge, but met Kremlin anti-aircraft fire as they approached it.

After the end of the war, near the walls of the Kremlin, on Minin and Pozharsky Square (renamed Sovetskaya Square), a grand Victory Parade was held, ending with a large fireworks display.

On January 30, 1949, a decree was issued by the Council of Ministers of the RSFSR on the restoration of the Nizhny Novgorod Kremlin. The restoration, led by Svyatoslav Agafonov, continued until 1981: all the remaining walls and towers were put in order, wooden tents were recreated on them (except for Dmitrievskaya), and the Borisoglebskaya tower, previously destroyed by a landslide, was rebuilt. Subsequently, everything was limited only to areas of re-faced masonry.

Since 1973, the beginning of the practice of transferring the premises of the fortress for commercial purposes has been noted (the tasting room in the Pantry Tower). On May 8, 1975, the exhibition “Gorky Residents to the Front” was inaugurated in the Kremlin, dedicated to the memory of the labor exploits of Gorky residents during the Great Patriotic War. In 1979, the Gorky City Executive Committee decided:

Modernity

After the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, restoration work stopped altogether. Around 2005, the Kremlin wall showed dangerous cracks in several places. In addition, in many places the brickwork is crumbling and covered with moss and lichen. Since 2005, restoration work has resumed in the Kremlin. However, not everything was done at the proper level. There are examples of intensive alterations that significantly distorted the appearance of the fortress.

The use of fortifications as a tourist attraction has also only worsened in recent decades. This is a consequence of its misuse and the transfer of towers to third parties. In many niches of the Kremlin wall, under the guise of the “City of Masters” organization, trade pavilions were equipped for the sale of souvenirs. Souvenir shops are also located in the passage of the Dmitrievskaya Tower and in other most unexpected places. There are food establishments in the converted Kladovaya Tower and in the niches near the Dmitrovskaya Tower. For a long time, the Nikolskaya Tower was a gathering center for various informal groups, as a result of which it was severely disfigured by inscriptions and the actions of vandals.

In 2012, the Conception Tower was reconstructed, after which the ring of the Kremlin walls became closed. At the same time, on the territory of the Kremlin, on the site of archaeological excavations (which could be museumized), next to the existing Legislative Assembly of the Nizhny Novgorod Region, another government building is being built.

Legends

One of the legends associated with the name of one of the towers - Koromyslova - is noteworthy. In 1520, the Astrakhan Tatars, led by Said Giray, besieged the city. The Tatars tried to take over the Kremlin by cunning and at night approached its walls. And early in the morning one of the Nizhny Novgorod women walked into the water. Seeing the Tatars, she accepted an unequal battle with them and beat 10 of them with a yoke, until one of them managed to kill her with a blow from a saber. The Tatars began to think: what kind of warriors are there if their girls are so brave? And they slowly moved away from the Nizhny Novgorod walls.

According to another legend, the construction of the Kremlin began with this tower. To strengthen the structure, it was customary to place the living creature that would be the first to come to this place at the base of the tower. A girl came with buckets on a yoke, walking to the Pochaina River to fetch water. They buried her along with buckets and a rocker. However, there are other legends regarding the name of the tower. Such legends are not uncommon not only in Europe, but also in the Nizhny Novgorod region. However, another Nizhny Novgorod legend says that the builders allegedly took pity on the girl and buried a dragonfly (“insect rocker”) instead of her in order to observe the ancient custom.

Kremlin architecture

Towers of the Nizhny Novgorod Kremlin

To date, all 13 towers of the Kremlin have been preserved or restored. Counterclock-wise:

• St. George's Tower- named next to the Posad St. George Church. Square 4-tier tower, up to the 17th century - with a drawbridge.
• - named after the church in honor of Saints Boris and Gleb, which stood below the Kremlin, on the banks of the Volga. By 1622 it was rebuilt again. As a result of constant ground movements, the tower collapsed and was finally dismantled in 1785. In 1966, the remains of the Borisoglebskaya Tower were excavated, and in 1972 the tower was re-erected in its original location.
• Zachatievskaya (Zachatskaya) tower- named after the nearby Conception Monastery. Sometimes referred to as Zhivosnovskaya tower (after the church and monastery in honor of the Life-Giving Spring) or White(by analogy with the neighboring one). Two-tier square tower with gates. Destroyed by a landslide in the 18th century, restored in 2012.
• White Tower- named after the white stone cladding of the lower part of the outer facade. A later name of the 17th-18th century - Simeonovskaya, according to the Simeonovsky Monastery, located next to it inside the Kremlin. Round 4-tier tower.
• - next to the Posad Church of John the Baptist.
• Clock tower- according to the clock installed on it in the 16th century.
• North Tower- in its northern position relative to other Kremlin towers; was also known as Ilyinskaya due to its location opposite the Posad Church of Elijah the Prophet in Zapochainye.
• - along the “secret passage” in the wall near it to the Pochaina River. Also called Mironositskaya- at the Church of the Myrrh-Bearing Women on the other side of the Pochainsky ravine, - and On Zelena- in the ravine under the tower there was a “green yard” - a gunpowder factory with a water mill, also Pochainskaya.
• - according to the legendary girl with a rocker allegedly buried under it.
• - next to the Posad Church of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker. The tower is reached by a pedestrian bridge over the Zelensky Congress, built in the 1980s.
• Pantry tower- served as a storage place. Also called Round, Tseykhgauznoy(zeichhaus - German. military storeroom) And Alekseevskaya- Nearby was the Alekseevskaya Church.
• Dmitrovskaya (Dmitrievskaya) tower- named after the Grand Duke of Nizhny Novgorod Dmitry Konstantinovich. According to another version, the name is associated with the church in the name of the Holy Great Martyr Demetrius of Thessalonica, built by Prince Dmitry in front of the tower in 1378. It was first mentioned in 1372-1374, being considered the oldest tower, but it received its modern appearance in 1895 when it was adapted for the Art Museum (it currently houses an exhibition hall). The city's coat of arms and the gate icon of the city's canonized founder, Prince Yuri Vsevolodovich, are installed on it.
• Powder Tower- used for storing gunpowder and other ammunition. Later titles - Spasskaya(located next to the Transfiguration Cathedral) and Streletskaya(next to Streltsy Sloboda). Round 4-tier tower. There are no frontal loopholes in the lower tiers, that is, the tower plays the role of a caponier for conducting base fire along the adjacent fortress walls.

Cathedrals of the Nizhny Novgorod Kremlin

There were many churches on the territory of the Nizhny Novgorod Kremlin, but at the moment only the St. Michael the Archangel Cathedral, built no later than the mid-16th century and rebuilt in 1628-1631, has survived. - the oldest surviving building in the Kremlin. The cathedral contains the grave of Kuzma Minin.

Monuments

• Obelisk to Minin and Pozharsky
• Monument to Prince Yuri Vsevolodovich and Bishop Simon of Suzdal
• Memorial complex in honor of Gorky residents who fell in the Great Patriotic War and the Eternal Flame
• Memorial "Gorkovites to the Front"

Other buildings

At the end of the 18th century, a celebration square (parade parade ground) was laid out in the center of the Kremlin. The buildings of government offices (1782-1785), the palace of the vice-governor (1786-1788) and the garrison house (1791-1801) were erected on the square.

In 1837-1841, the house of the military governor was built (now the building houses the Art Museum); in 1840-1843, on the instructions of Nicholas I, the Arsenal building was built. In connection with the reorganization of the Kremlin territory, only in 1837-1841 all private buildings were finally removed from the fortress.

At the end of the 19th century, for the All-Russian Industrial and Art Exhibition of 1896, 2 funiculars were built, named Kremlevsky and Pokhvalinsky; in the city they were called elevators.

In 1931, the House of Soviets was built on the site of the Transfiguration Cathedral. The building is made in the constructivist style and resembles an airplane from above. Now the building houses the City Duma and the administration of Nizhny Novgorod.

In 1965, next to the obelisk of K. Minin and D. Pozharsky, the Eternal Flame was lit and a memorial complex was opened in honor of the Gorky residents who died in the Great Patriotic War.

From 1928 to 1968, there was a tram depot on the territory of the Kremlin in the building of the former Manege.

In 2012, the Spasskaya Chapel was built. It was erected opposite the Nizhny Novgorod administration building in memory of the Transfiguration Kremlin Cathedral of the Nizhny Novgorod diocese, which was destroyed in Soviet times.

Squares and gardens of the Nizhny Novgorod Kremlin

• Minin and Pozharsky Square
• Nizhnevolzhskaya embankment
• Mininsky garden
• National Unity Square

Lost buildings and monuments

• Spaso-Preobrazhensky Cathedral (destroyed in 1929-1930)
• Military Cathedral of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary (destroyed; located on the site of the building of the regional committee of the CPSU)
• Church of St. Simeon the Stylite (former Simeon Monastery) (destroyed; reconstruction planned)
• The arena building (in disrepair; restoration proposed)

Organizations that operate in the Kremlin

On the territory of the Nizhny Novgorod Kremlin there are:

1. Legislative Assembly of the Nizhny Novgorod Region
2. House of Soviets - administration and City Duma of Nizhny Novgorod
3. Arbitration Court of the Nizhny Novgorod Region
4. Arsenal of the Nizhny Novgorod Kremlin - exhibition center.
5. The Kremlin Concert Hall is a venue for various events.
6. Nizhny Novgorod State Historical and Architectural Museum-Reserve "Nizhny Novgorod Kremlin"
7. Nizhny Novgorod State Art Museum (house of the military governor)
8. Russian Orthodox Church - St. Michael the Archangel Cathedral.

Nizhny Novgorod is a city with almost eight hundred years of history rich in various events. Located at the confluence of the Volga and Oka, it has always been one of the largest cultural, economic and transport centers in Russia. More than once the city served as a stronghold of statehood, defending the country from external enemies. All this contributed to the fact that at present Nizhny Novgorod is rich in interesting memorable places and attractions. One of them is the famous ancient Kremlin.

Story

The Nizhny Novgorod Kremlin began to be built around 1500. It was finally erected in 1515. The structure was a two-kilometer wall, which was supported by thirteen towers. One of them - Zachatskaya - has not survived to the present day.

The Nizhny Novgorod Kremlin, which was also called the stone city, had its own permanent garrison, as well as impressive artillery weapons. The Volga fortress was created by the Moscow state as the main stronghold designed to resist the Kazan Khanate. During its military service, the Nizhny Novgorod Kremlin withstood numerous attacks and sieges.

The last page in the military record of the Volga fortress was written at the beginning of the 17th century. This was a period of foreign intervention and great exploits of the Nizhny Novgorod militia, which was led by Dmitry Pozharsky.

Description

The Nizhny Novgorod Kremlin is a defensive medieval structure. It is located partly on the flat top of Chasovaya Mountain, as well as on its slopes (from the northwestern part).

The Nizhny Novgorod Kremlin (you can see the photo below) is located on an area of ​​22.7 hectares. The so-called stone city has quite impressive dimensions. Its perimeter is 2045 meters. The walls, impregnable to enemies in the past, range in height from twelve to fifteen meters. Moreover, they are also very wide.

The thickness of the walls ranges from three and a half to four and a half meters. Defensive towers were erected along the perimeter of the stone city. How many towers are there in the Nizhny Novgorod Kremlin? At first there were thirteen of them. Currently, twelve remain. The names for the towers were chosen according to their use and purpose or the names of nearby buildings.

The next tower - Koromyslova - is presented to us by a diagram on which the Nizhny Novgorod Kremlin is indicated. The history of this structure tells the story of a legendary young woman with a rocker who was allegedly buried in this place. The fifth tower is Tainitskaya. The tower got its name because of the secret passage located in it leading to the Pochaya River. The northernmost tower is Ilyinskaya.

Not far from it there is a church. This tower is also called the Northern Tower due to its geographical location. On the Clock Tower in the 16th century. the clock was set.

The Ivanovo Tower was adjacent to the now destroyed Church of John the Baptist. The defensive tower was named Belaya because of its white stone cladding, which lined the outer façade below. The St. George Tower was erected not far from the now defunct St. George Church, and gunpowder and various ammunition were stored in Porokhovaya.

The purpose of the Nizhny Novgorod Kremlin

After Kazan fell, the Volga fortress lost its military significance. Later it became the administrative center for a vast area. On its territory there was an official hut. The viceroyal and provincial government was located in the stone city.

And today the Nizhny Novgorod Kremlin is the cultural and administrative center of the city. On its territory there are buildings of the regional and city administration, as well as the representative office of the President of Russia in the Volga Federal District. Visitors to the former fortification are offered excursions to the Art Museum, as well as to the Nizhny Novgorod Kremlin Museum. Located on the territory of this ancient stone city and the Center for Contemporary Arts.

Dmitrievskaya Tower

The main defensive tower of the Nizhny Novgorod Kremlin was erected in the central part of the mountainous area. Its façade faces the semicircular part of the square, named after Minin and Pozharsky.

From the moment of its construction, the Dmitrievskaya Tower of the Nizhny Novgorod Kremlin played the role of the main entrance to the fortress. It was also the central point of defense for the entire mountainous area. The leading role of the tower is confirmed by the radial-concentric layout of the city. The fact is that from the very entrance to the Dmitrievskaya Tower the streets radiate in different directions. Among them are Ulyanova, Alekseevskaya, Varvarskaya and Bolshaya Pokrovskaya.

The Nizhny Novgorod Kremlin, whose history is contained in the most ancient chronicles, began its existence with the construction of this particular tower. This is confirmed by documentary sources that have survived to this day.

In the 17th century The Dmitrievskaya Tower had significant armament. It outnumbered all other defensive towers. Military equipment existed until 1705. Subsequently, at the end of the 18th - beginning of the 19th centuries. The Dmitrievskaya Tower served as a building for the garrison school. Then it housed the provincial archive, and from 1896 to 1919 - a museum with artistic and historical exhibits. During the period of Soviet power, a workshop producing scenery for ballet, theater and opera operated in the tower for a considerable time.

In 1965, a significant event occurred. A gilded coat of arms of the city, depicting a walking deer, was installed on the roof spire of the tower.

Pantry tower

At the very beginning of the Zelensky Congress there is a round tower of the Nizhny Novgorod Kremlin. They call it the Pantry. Previously it was used as a storage space. In the 17th-18th centuries. the tower was called Alekseevskaya, as was the church located nearby.

Currently, the tower is a four-tier structure. In its lower part there are underground rooms in which there are side combat chambers with embrasures. Restoration work, which was carried out in 1953, made it possible to restore the semicircular extension of the Storeroom Tower. This structure, erected in the 19th century, is designed to create air ventilation in the storerooms of the lower tier, where the burning oil used to illuminate the city streets was stored.

In the second tier of the tower there are similar chambers in the side walls. The third level is a “stone tent” without ceilings. The fourth tier is a walking platform around the tower. Its wall is a parapet with battlements.

Nikolskaya Tower

After the Storeroom tower on the map of the Nizhny Novgorod Kremlin there is Nikolskaya. Its name was taken from the nearby Church of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker.
In ancient times, this tower played the role of the second most important defense unit. In its importance it was inferior to the Dmitrievskaya Tower. Currently, with the help of restoration work, the original appearance of the structure with a driveway gate has been restored.

During the 17th-19th centuries. the tower was used as a warehouse, significantly changing its internal layout. The restoration work carried out in 1959-62 not only restored the interior rooms. The facade of the tower also returned to its original historical appearance. During the same period, the roof of the tower was restored, having the shape of a tent with a watchtower.

Rocker tower

In the chain of walls located on the mountainous site, the corner tower is a round tower, which has a unique name. The history of the name Koromyslovaya Tower is associated with two versions of legends about a woman who was buried in this place. According to some sources, she was killed to give the walls strength, as required by popular belief. The second legend talks about the courage of a woman who killed several invaders with her yoke and was buried near the tower.

A distinctive feature of the Rocker Tower is its cladding with white stone. In the 18th-19th centuries. the tower housed an archive, and since 1886 various warehouses have been built in it.

Taynitskaya tower

This round tower is located above the very slope of the steep bank of the Pochainsky ravine with the Pochainaya River flowing along the bottom. This structure owes its name to a hiding place - an underground passage. This path led from the tower down the slope of the ravine to the river itself. The trench also had walls, and the upper part was hidden from prying eyes by turf. In the 80s of the last century, the discovered remains of the cache were destroyed.

Historical documents dating back to the 17th century introduce us to another name for the tower - Mironositskaya, which comes from the church of the same name located on the opposite bank of the ravine.

Northern tower

The tower, located in the northwestern corner of the mountainous part of the Nizhny Novgorod Kremlin, faces the Pochainsky ravine. This is the Northern Tower, which got its name from its geographical location. However, this happened at a later time. Documents from the 17th century. they call it Ilyinskaya, like the church of the same name, which was located on the opposite side of the ravine. In some documents the tower was listed as Naugolnaya (corner).

The design of this tower was no different from the layout of Taynitskaya and Koromyslova. There are only minor differences in some details. In the 19th and early 20th centuries. the tower was used as a warehouse.

Clock tower

This structure is located at the slope of the Volga River at the very top of the fortress hill. It is the only tower of the Kremlin located with a ledge inward. In former times, it did not play a combat role. Its main purpose is to create an artistic and aesthetic composition. The ensemble of the North and Clock towers was designed exceptionally well by the architects. At the same time, the most beautiful place in the Kremlin are the giant steps that descend from a high steep slope from the wall of the tower. At the top of the tower there is a special wooden room - a “clock hut”. This is where the name of the structure came from.

Ivanovskaya tower

The building received its name from a previously located nearby church named after John the Baptist. The Ivanovo Tower of the Nizhny Novgorod Kremlin on its inner side had a staircase extension along which the defenders of the stone city climbed the walls. There was also a cell for criminals and prisoners. The Ivanovo Tower was equipped with a gate and was the main one in the foothill area of ​​the Kremlin.

White tower

This building is located opposite the turn of the exit called Kremlevsky. This is the only round tower that has survived on the foothills of the fortress. On the field side, the façade of the tower is lined with white stone. This is where its name comes from. The tower was used as a warehouse in times of peace, and before the fire that occurred here in 1924, archival documents were stored in the premises of the tower.

Georgievskaya tower

A rectangular structure that was previously a roadway. The St. George Tower of the Nizhny Novgorod Kremlin is located above the very steep bank of the Volga. Not far from it there is a monument to V.P. Chkalov. There are two versions of the origin of the name of the structure. According to one of them, a church of the same name was located nearby. According to the second, in this place stood the St. George's Tower - a palace built by the founder of the city, Yuri Vsevolodovich.

In its appearance and layout of the interior, the modern rectangular tower differs significantly from similar structures in the Kremlin.

Powder tower

The round tower of the Nizhny Novgorod Kremlin is named after the nature of its use. Ammunition was stored in it. Based on the name of the nearby cathedral, documents from the 17th century. This tower is called Spasskaya. In the chronicles of the 18th century. it is referred to as Streletskaya, because not far from it there was a Streletskaya settlement.

Currently, the Powder Tower has been covered with a roof and partially restored. The structure of the tower is similar to the Storeroom. These two towers differ from the others in the absence of frontal loopholes in the lower tiers.

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The Kremlin is the heart of the ancient Russian city. This is where its story begins; enemies are trying to capture this place and the defenders are desperately defending it. Nowadays, tourists strive to get here. And today my story will be about one of the most beautiful Russian strongholds - about Nizhny Novgorod Kremlin. During my trips to Nizhny Novgorod, I visited here, and every time I discovered something new for myself.

In 1221, the Vladimir-Suzdal prince Yuri Vsevolodovich founded Nizhny Novgorod. It was as if nature had specially created the place most favorable for construction: a high hill above the Volga near the confluence of the Oka River. From here there is a magnificent view of the Trans-Volga region, and the presence of two great rivers connected the new city with other cities of Vladimir-Suzdal Rus'. Initially, the city was surrounded by ditches and ramparts made of earth and wood. In 1225, the first stone cathedral was laid - the Transfiguration Cathedral. And in 1227 - Mikhailo-Arkhangelsk, also made of stone. Rarely was a Russian city in those days rich enough to build two stone cathedrals at once.

In the middle of the 14th century, when Nizhny Novgorod became the capital of an independent appanage principality, an attempt was made to build a stone wall. Alas, nothing from it has survived to this day. At the end of the 15th century, the Russian state faced several tasks - strengthening its eastern borders and developing territories down the Volga. And in 1500, when “a tailed star appeared, which was visible for 33 days,” new stone walls were laid. In 1505, towers with artillery were built. In 1508 or 1509, Pyotr Fryazin, a famous Italian architect who took part in the construction of the Moscow Kremlin, arrived at the construction site. Therefore, it is no coincidence that the Nizhny Novgorod Kremlin is so similar to the Moscow one. Since 1515, the Kremlin in Nizhny Novgorod became the main outpost of the Muscovite kingdom against the Kazan Khanate.

The Nizhny Novgorod Kremlin was surrounded by a 2-kilometer wall with 13 four-tiered towers (now 13 have survived). In addition, the entire urban area was surrounded by a 7-kilometer earthen rampart, reinforced with a log wall. A dry ditch was dug in front of the Kremlin walls. It is not surprising that despite the fact that in the 16th century enemies besieged the Kremlin more than once, they were never able to take it.

In 1612, the people's militia, led by Minin and Pozharsky, began their journey to Moscow from here.

The Nizhny Novgorod Kremlin looks majestic. If you approach it from the side Pochainskaya street, then two round towers will appear before your eyes: Tainitskaya and Ilyinskaya. The Kremlin looks like an impregnable stronghold from here.

Tainitskaya and Ilyinskaya towers of the Nizhny Novgorod Kremlin

Sights of National Unity Square

And we will begin our path to the Kremlin from the other side - from Rozhdestvenskaya Street.

Here on National Unity Square was installed in 2005 Monument to Minin and Pozharsky- a copy of what stands on Red Square in Moscow near St. Basil's Cathedral.

National Unity Square

Stands out in the square Church of the Nativity of John the Baptist. Her fate is difficult. It is one of the oldest in Nizhny Novgorod and was first mentioned in records of the 15th century. Then it was wooden. In 1612, from her porch, Kuzma Minin called on the people of Nizhny Novgorod to go liberate Moscow from the Poles: “Don’t spare your property, but rescue the Fatherland.”

In 1676, construction of a stone temple began at the expense of the merchant Gavriil Stepanovich Dranishnikov. In 1814, a church building was added. In 1855, the tent chapel of Alexander Nevsky was added to the church, and in 1870 the bell tower was rebuilt. In the 80-90s of the 19th century, the building required major renovations.

In 1937, the temple was closed and rebuilt almost beyond recognition. Divine services were resumed in 1994, and in 2004 work began to restore the original appearance of the temple.

Rozhdestvenskaya Street here goes uphill, towards the Ivanovo Tower of the Kremlin.

Ascent to the Kremlin

It got its name from part of the Church of the Nativity of John the Baptist, which we just passed by. It was important and was designed to protect trade and piers. That's why it's more powerful than the others. On the outside there was a so-called “stump”, where large-caliber long-range arquebuses stood. On the inside of the Kremlin, in an extension there was a weapons warehouse. In the southern part a prison was set up for prisoners and criminals. In 1531, an explosion of gunpowder stored in the tower damaged it, so the western wall had to be strengthened with buttresses (dismantled during restoration).

Now the tower houses the museum exhibition “Feat of National Unity”, dedicated to the events of 1612. Open daily from 10.00 to 17.00, except Monday.

Almost from the Ivanovo Tower, a pedestrian road goes up to the right, along which you can climb to the walls of the Nizhny Novgorod Kremlin. Halfway up the road stands a chapel containing alarm bell, cast by Moscow craftsmen. Its height is 2.5 meters. It also recalls the events of 1612.

The hill on which the Kremlin is built cuts through cable car line, built in 1895 to make it easier to climb up.

The funicular runs almost at the base clock tower. Since ancient times, the surrounding area has been observed from here. The tower also housed the city clock.

Clock tower of the Nizhny Novgorod Kremlin

Panoramas of Nizhny Novgorod

As you climb up to the Kremlin wall, more and more panoramas of the city and its surroundings begin to unfold in front of you. Here, from behind the houses, the mouth of the Oka, Strelka, and the majestic Volga appear... Now, behind the ancient houses, modern multi-story buildings rise. And in the past, most likely, suburbs were already visible there.

Nearby you can see a snow-white Church of the Holy Prophet Elijah, built in 1655 on the site of an older wooden one and partially rebuilt in 1874.

Finally, we climb to the top of the Kremlin hill and find ourselves at the very walls of the fortress. This is not visible from a distance, but up close it turns out that many of the bricks are decorated with inscriptions. Most of them are made by lovers. Apparently, Nizhny Novgorod newlyweds have such a tradition. However, there are others, like “Vasya was here.”

Walk through the Kremlin territory

At the Ilyinskaya Tower we notice a staircase, and then a balcony that runs along the wall. There are crowds of people there. And we, naturally, also rush there. It turns out that this is the entrance to the Kremlin territory.

From the inside of the Kremlin you can see a wall that goes down in steps. You can’t help but feel respect for this fortress, built according to the latest engineering ideas of that time.

We're going sideways Observation deck And Memorial to those killed in the Great Patriotic War. There is something very symbolic about this - a memorial on the high bank of the Volga, with a wide view of the Trans-Volga region. On the pedestal stands the legendary “thirty-four” - tank T-34-85, built on April 13, 1945 at the Krasnoye Sormovo plant and took part in the battles for the liberation of Vienna.

Monument to the T-34-85 tank in the Nizhny Novgorod Kremlin

Next to the Memorial there is an Observation Deck. The views from there are amazing: panoramas of Nizhny Novgorod, the Volga and Oka Spit, the Trans-Volga distances... It seems to me that you can stand here endlessly, contemplating the beauty.

Behind the memorial rises Cathedral of the Archangel Michael, founded along with the foundation of the Kremlin in 1221 and rebuilt in stone in 1227. The existing tented temple was built on the foundation of 1359. It is a temple-monument - it was erected by personal decree of the first of the Romanov dynasty, Tsar Mikhail Fedorovich, in memory of the people's militia of Minin and Pozharsky. Despite the fact that the temple was built in the 17th century, it largely copies the features of earlier tent-roofed churches that appeared in Rus' in the 16th century. Its height is 39 meters, but it seems smaller and more compact than it actually is.

Further our path lies past buildings No. 1 and No. 7 of the Nizhny Novgorod Kremlin, where the authorities of the Nizhny Novgorod region are located. And then we go out to the big one Memorial "Gorky People to the Front" near the fortress walls. The memorial was opened on May 8, 1975, on the 30th anniversary of Victory in the Great Patriotic War, and since then has been a permanent exhibition.

On the memorial sign at the entrance to the memorial, on one of the granite slabs, the words are engraved:

From generation to generation, words will be passed on about those who, in times of terrible trials, defended the Soviet Motherland with arms in hand, and about those who forged weapons, who built tanks and airplanes, who welded steel for shells, who, through their labor exploits, were worthy military valor of the fighters. Pravda, June 8, 1942

Another -

2,360 tanks, 1,500 aircraft, 9,000 self-propelled guns, 10,000 mortars were delivered to the front. The city's enterprises produced Katyusha combat vehicles and other military equipment.

During the Great Patriotic War, a variety of military equipment was produced in Gorky. Its samples are presented here: the T-34-85 tank, Zis-2 and Zis-3 guns, self-propelled art. installation SU-76, BM-13 "Katyusha", La-7 fighter, cabin of the submarine "S-13", light all-terrain vehicle Gaz-67, truck GAZ-AA.

Model of the cabin of the submarine S-13

The Nizhny Novgorod Kremlin has many interesting historical buildings built at the end of the 18th century. Interesting, for example, building No. 2, erected in 1782-1785 according to the design of the architect Ya.A. Ananyin, a student of B. Rastrelli. Now the Legislative Assembly of the Nizhny Novgorod Region, the offices of the Administration of the Nizhny Novgorod Region, the Nizhny Novgorod State Academic Philharmonic named after. M. Rostropovich, Kremlin Concert Hall, Small Philharmonic Hall. The building is also interesting because on May 22, 1887, the pilot P.N. Nesterov, the first to make a “loop” and the author of the world’s first aerial ram, was born there.

In the park near St. Michael the Archangel Cathedral we see monument to the founders of Nizhny Novgorod- Prince Yuri Vsevolodovich and Bishop Simon of Suzdal.

Then we go out again to the Observation Deck and the Memorial. In my opinion, this is one of the most beautiful places not only in the Kremlin, but also in Nizhny Novgorod as a whole.

We leave the Kremlin in the same way - through the passage in the Fortress Wall near the Clock Tower and go further along the fortress wall. We admire the Zelensky Congress.

Let's approach Nikolskaya Tower. A bridge was built from it across the Zelensky Congress in 1984. In ancient times, there was a wooden bridge “on cages” at this place, leading to the gates of the Nikolskaya Tower.

More than once during our walks around Nizhny Novgorod we will approach the Nizhny Novgorod Kremlin. And every time we will admire its power.

Nizhny Novgorod Kremlin on the map

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