Nizhny Novgorod is one of the oldest cities in Russia. Founded in 1221 as a Russian outpost, growing, it acquired political and economic significance in the state. Almost from the very beginning of the development of residential and public buildings in the city, the main street of Nizhny Novgorod, Bolshaya Pokrovskaya, was formed.
History
The street appeared along with the city and at first was a highway towards Moscow, later it was called Bolshaya Nikolskaya, about which there is a corresponding entry in the scribe book of 1621-1622. It is believed that the first name was given in honor of the Nikolskaya tower of the Kremlin. During the time of Catherine II, a plan for the regular development of cities was created, maps appeared where the main street of Nizhny Novgorod was designated as Bolshaya Pokrovskaya. The name was given to her by the lost church of the Protection of the Holy Virgin.
With the beginning of the construction of stone houses, the street was populated by nobles, arranging noble estates very reminiscent of country houses. With the development of infrastructure, development gradually became denser, and by the beginning of the 20th century, both sides of the city promenade represented an almost continuous line of houses. People began to call her “Pokrovka” and “Noble Nest”.
After the revolution, the main street of the city of Nizhny Novgorod began to bear the name of Jacob Sverdlov, a native of the city, at the same time the name "Sverdlovka" appeared. In the 80s, fate changed at the highway - it became a pedestrian. At the present stage, city authorities are paying much attention to preserving the historical part of the city, which includes Bolshaya Pokrovskaya Street. Since 2006, it has been adorned with the widespread urban types of past centuries, cast in bronze.
Near the City Council on a permanent shift there was a city guard, a postman cyclist was seen near the post office, a bronze goat grazed near the actor’s house, and Evgeny Evstigneev was sitting on a bench near the drama theater. On the walking route of Bolshaya Pokrovskaya Street, you can meet many heroes and heroines. Not all townspeople like sculptures, but they noticeably enliven the street, attracting tourists and photography enthusiasts.
Description
Today Bolshaya Pokrovskaya Street (Nizhny Novgorod) connects four city squares - Minin and Pozharsky, Lyadov, Theater Square and M. Gorky Square. The length of the pedestrian part is 2230 meters.
In 2004, the city authorities carried out a complete reconstruction of the street, paving it with cobblestones and installing sculptures on both sides. Facades of buildings facing the main street were carefully restored, equipped with commemorative plaques describing the architectural monument.
Here are houses of pre-revolutionary and later construction. Recently, local historians have begun to worry about the safety of historical buildings, as there is a tendency to demolish them. For example, in order to find a place for the hotel, which they decided to build for the World Cup, the house that was at the stage of restoration was demolished, the same threat hung over the Oktyabr movie theater.
Until now, the problem of the complete prohibition of the passage of vehicles along Bolshaya Pokrovskaya has not been completely resolved - motorists occasionally violate it, but it is difficult to punish them because cameras have not been installed to record violations, traffic police officers are not involved in patrolling here. But the main street of Nizhny Novgorod remains attractive to residents and tourists. Offices, boutiques, places of rest, cafes, restaurants and, most importantly, historical sights are concentrated here.
City Council
The first house, from which begins Bolshaya Pokrovskaya street in Nizhny Novgorod, once belonged to the Bugrovy dynasty of bread magnates. The founder of the dynasty himself lived in this house, and after his death the building was transferred to the municipal economy, and a theater was located in it. In 1879, the heir appealed to the City Duma with a request to sell his grandfather's house along with the adjacent plot. The request was granted, and a week later N. A. Bugrov presented the land and the house to the city with the only condition - it would never accommodate entertainment venues.
Nikolai Alexandrovich belonged to the Old Believers, and therefore in his system of moral coordinates there was no place for such institutions. Having accepted the gift, the authorities decided to build a building for the City Duma on the ground, approaching the issue on a grand scale and with some chic.
The project was created by St. Petersburg architect V.P. Zeidler, construction was completed in 1904. The main entrance is located on the side of Minin and Pozharsky Square, from Bolshaya Pokrovskaya the first floor was reserved for shops, and on the embankment side, the judicial services were located in the rooms. For interior decoration, the interiors of the royal pavilion from the All-Russian Exhibition were partially brought.
In 1916, the People's University of Nizhny Novgorod was opened in the City Duma building. After the revolution, the premises were occupied by the regional committee of trade unions, and the whole building became known as the Palace of Labor. Today, on the facade of the architectural monument is the historical coat of arms of the city, which shows a red deer on a white background. Local wits argue that the sculpture "Goat", which is installed on Pokrovka, is a humorous replica of a deer.
Shopping arcade
On the opposite side of the City Council, the main street of Nizhny Novgorod is decorated with a two-story old, but unpretentious building built in the mid-19th century. It was intended for shopping arcades, which were located on the ground floor, and on the second floor it was given to the State Property Chamber and municipal authorities. Today, in the old rooms, the Exhibition Center, the Russian Century Picture Gallery and several cafes adjoin.
In 1904, part of the shopping arcade underwent reconstruction to accommodate a public library there. The architects chose the Art Nouveau style, in the upper part of the facade niches were arranged where busts of great Russian writers were installed, they are still there today.
House of Kostromin and Kulibin
The oldest house on Bolshaya Pokrovskaya is located at number 4, it was erected in 1770, the architect was Y. Ananyev. The house belonged to the merchant M. A. Kostromin, who discovered and supported the talent of the great self-taught inventor Ivan Kulibin. Kostromin himself was not a hereditary merchant, he came out of the peasantry among merchants, and in order to establish himself in the rank and make a name for himself, he brought craftsmen Ivan Kulibin from the village, setting himself the task of surprising the Empress on the day of her visit to Nizhny Novgorod.
The idea was as follows - it was necessary to make a strange little thing for the empress, so that it was no worse than foreign ones. During the implementation of the task, the patron took the family of assistants to the master for maintenance, and also provided him with all the necessary materials. It took Ivan Kulibin two years to make tools, after which he set to work, planning to create a unique work of art.
The “Egg Figure Clock” produced music, and the beat-off of the hour accompanied the opening of the door and moving figures played a religious-themed scene. At exactly noon, the clock played a hymn composed by the master himself. By the time the empress arrived in the city, work could not be completed, so the master and philanthropist went to Moscow to present a gift in 1769. For Kulibin it was a pass into the world of his dreams. He was appointed mechanic of the Academy of Sciences, lived 30 years in St. Petersburg, where he was engaged in invention.
Kostromin received a silver mug with a gift inscription, one thousand rubles and the empress’s mercy as a gift. The descendants of Kostromin represented the city elite for several generations and were regularly elected to the City Duma, and the son was elected mayor in 1798. Today in this building lives and creates the Training Theater of the Nizhny Novgorod Theater School. E. Evstigneeva. On the facade is a sculptural group of pigeons and cats hunting them.
Nizhny Novgorod Theater
The main street of Nizhny Novgorod - Bolshaya Pokrovskaya - will invariably lead a curious tourist to Theater Square, where the tone is set by the A. Gorky Academic Theater (building No. 13). The construction of the theater was timed to the opening of the industrial and art fair (1896). The project was developed by the chief architect of the imperial theaters V. I. Schreter, and the construction was supervised by P. P. Malinovsky from Nizhny Novgorod.
At the time of the fair, the stage was rented by the troupe of Savva Mamontov, who gave the opera to M. I. Glinka “Life for the Tsar” on the opening day of the theater. The Nizhny Novgorod troupe opened the season on September 1 with the performance of Sumbatov-Yuzhin "Leaves rustle." Today, the buildings of the theater have been restored, and the performances are popular and are accompanied by frequent full houses.
central bank
The main pedestrian street of Nizhny Novgorod almost entirely consists of architectural attractions, but even among this host of beautiful objects there is one unconditional leader, a favorite of citizens and tourists. This is a complex of buildings of the Central Bank of the Russian Federation, which are located on the corner of Bolshaya Pokrovskaya and Georgian Streets. The architect of the project was V. A. Pokrovsky. The buildings are designed in the style of Russian neoclassicism, the complex consists of a main building with a transition to a residential building and adjacent outbuildings, a “chime” and a fence with gates.
For the right to build a house for the bank in Nizhny Novgorod, eminent architects competed - A. V. Shchusev, N. M. Veshnyakov, A. I. Fon-Gauguin and others. Professor Pokrovsky won. Over the entire construction period, he repeatedly had to defend all the ideas laid down in the project, since the bank's council demanded a cheaper budget. Difficulties accompanied all the stages of construction and decoration.
The exterior cladding of the building was completed in 1912, then the interior decoration began. Sketches were provided by I. Ya. Bilibin, the walls were painted by Palekh icon painters. The furniture was made according to Pokrovsky’s design. The main work was completed in the spring of 1913, in May the building was consecrated and received with a visit of Emperor Nicholas II. The idea of the architect was embodied to the last letter of the project, and the house itself became the pearl of Nizhny Novgorod and is very similar to the ancient Russian fortress. However, it is not only similar - during the Civil War, half of the country's gold reserves were stored in the basements here.
A two-headed eagle flaunts on the facade of the tower; the arm didn’t raise it even during the most severe struggle against the autocracy. Today you can get into the building with an excursion on certain days. Visitors there talk about the extraordinary beauty of the interior.
Art Nouveau
Bolshaya Pokrovskaya is the amazing and main street of Nizhny Novgorod. Sights on it surround the pedestrian from all sides and form a single historical complex. In the pre-revolutionary years, the Art Nouveau style became popular, several of its architectural representatives are on Pokrovka. The tourist’s sight will certainly attract the house of the merchant girl Ostashkova. Today its originality is difficult to see behind many signs, but the entrance will not go unnoticed.
Surrounded by intricate stucco molding, in the upper part it is crowned with a symbolic owl. The author of the project was architect Werner. They say that the interior was no less stylish, but numerous repairs did not save the design. A little food for the fantasy of decoration gives only one original column.
Number 38 is the trading wing, which once belonged to the merchant Kameneva. During the construction, it was one-story, with wide windows, but by 1915 the second floor was completed, and the facade was decorated with fabulous griffins. Today in the building is a children's clinic.
Walking Tour
Nizhny Novgorod is good at any time of the year and in any weather. Spread on the banks of two rivers, it is cozy for residents, and guests are happy to tell their stories. A walking tour of Nizhny Novgorod will certainly lead to Bolshaya Pokrovskaya, where the number of facts is much greater than the number of houses and monuments.
Many will be interested in the story of the apartment house of the Princes Yusupov, the house of the Noble Assembly or the apartment house of the Frolov brothers, as well as about any other building on this street. You can sign up for a tour right in the pedestrian zone and learn about the famous natives of the city, such as Maxim Gorky, Yakov Sverdlov, Nikolai Dobrolyubov and many others. The guides will tell about each house on the street, simultaneously devoting to the vicissitudes of the life of the owners of the mansions, their secrets and destinies.
Slowly moving from one story to another, feeling the beating of life and the fickleness of fate, the traveler falls in love with the city. Here, industrial centers coexist with places that have left their mark on the whole of Russian history, and the city is represented by the ancient Kremlin and Bolshaya Pokrovskaya Street (Russia, Nizhny Novgorod).