This is the first public park in the city, it is located between the Upper and Lower Volga embankments, on the banks of the great Russian river. Today the park occupies an impressive territory - about 35 hectares.
From the history
Until the 19th century, on the slopes and cliffs of the Woodpeckers one could see very unsightly huts with baths, sheds, cesspools. They did not adorn the city view from the river. Chopped houses, Pyatnitskaya and Peter and Paul churches stood on some terraces.
In the first half of the 19th century, Emperor Nicholas I ordered to demolish all these buildings to equip the park. The slopes were sod and cropped. The work was led by architect Academician I.E. Efimov and engineer of communications, Colonel P.D. Gotman. The project involved the creation of a wide and straight stone-paved street along the edge of a slope, which was called the Upper Volga Embankment. It was allowed to build only houses made of stone, with facades facing the Volga. Thus the face of the city was formed.
According to the idea of urban planners, the slopes should become the natural background and pedestal for the newly created city according to the European model. They pitched a public park, which was called the Alexander Garden. Nizhny Novgorod has found its first park, designed to relax citizens.
The park is named after the wife of Emperor Nicholas I. Thus began the story of the Alexander Garden. Nizhny Novgorod was not the only city in Russia that had a park with that name - in those days in Russia, many landscaping objects received this name. For example, Alexander Park in Moscow.
In 1836, Nicholas I sent to Novgorod a court gardener, the then famous Karl Petzold, for a detailed study of the garden project. The Russian emperor drew attention to this specialist in the city of Weimar, where he created the Belvedere Park.
K. Petzold was a master of romantic compositions, which in Europe are called English. Particularly successful are its park landscapes on complex terrain, with ponds and many species points.
Start of construction
In October 1836, Petzold's project was sent to the governor of Nizhny Novgorod Buturlin. The next year, the assistants of the famous gardener Fedor Murashkin and Ivan Liberty arrived in the city. For two years, the territory was leveled, serpentine paths were built, trees and shrubs were planted in separate groups. Arrays of oak, holly maple, poplar, elm were planted with significant spatial gaps. Thus, a harmonious alternation of indoor and outdoor spaces was created.
The Alexander Garden was not just created. Nizhny Novgorod needed a park, so special attention was paid to its creation. The difficulties were primarily associated with the complexity of the terrain. But the creators of the park coped with their task brilliantly.
The garden was created as a series of species points. From them one could admire magnificent views of the Volga, the Upper Volga embankment.
In 1841, the Alexander Garden was fully formed. Park (Nizhny Novgorod) fully justified its purpose. After finishing work, he quickly became very popular among the townspeople. Here Novgorodians had a good rest, played several orchestras, gypsy and Russian songwriters performed, visitors were entertained by magicians and acrobats. F.I. Chaliapin, A. M. Gorky and other famous people of that time.
Alexander Garden (Nizhny Novgorod) in the Soviet years
Further development of the park continued after the Second World War. According to the project of academician L.V. Rudnev, architects A.A. Yakovleva and V.O. Munts in 1940, the Chkalov staircase was built in honor of the famous Soviet pilot. A monument to him was erected on the slope by the stairs. Around the same time, terraces were formed. They became an ideal place where in the 60s blue spruces and small-leaved lindens were planted in rows . On one of the terraces a “shell" was built - an open concert venue. It has become a place where concerts and music festivals have been held for many years.
Alexander Garden - reconstruction
In the late sixties, Valentina Vasilievna Baulina developed a project for the reconstruction of the park. There were additional areas for recreation and paths. The slopes were strengthened by retaining walls and improved the drainage system. New benches, gazebos, rain awnings, original lighting elements appeared in the garden. In the lower part of the park, tennis courts were created on flat areas, volleyball and basketball courts were built. At the top of the slope there was a viewing platform with a pool and a small cafe "The Seagull". Weeping willows and birches betrayed this place with romance.
In the 80s, the restaurant “Burlatskaya Sloboda” began its work in the park, which was stylized as a wooden ship.
Period of decline
Unfortunately, the Alexander Garden (Nizhny Novgorod), the photo of which you see in our article, was completely abandoned in the 90s. The maintenance of the territory stopped, in some places the turf fell out, the storm and drainage systems partially collapsed, erosion appeared on the slopes, the species points were closed by overgrown trees. In 2004, a hotel, or rather, a hotel complex with a restaurant, bowling alley and office buildings, was built on the site where sporting grounds used to be.
"Alexander Garden" - hotel (Nizhny Novgorod)
This is a modern hotel complex located at the address: Georgievsky congress, building 3. The hotel is located on the banks of the Volga in the park of the same name. It includes a restaurant and a bar, a wellness center, a Strike bowling alley, two conference rooms for 50 and 150 people, parking, an underground garage (free of charge for guests of the complex). Located five kilometers from the main train station.
According to guest reviews, the Aleksandrovsky Sad Hotel (Nizhny Novgorod) is a great place for a comfortable stay. There are 49 rooms of various levels of comfort. All of them are equipped with wide comfortable beds, a desk with a table lamp, satellite TV, a minibar, Internet access, and a personal safe. On the fourth floor there are non-smoking rooms.
Hotel "Alexander Garden" (Nizhny Novgorod) has a level of 4 *. Unfortunately, many tourists and people who came to the city on business believe that it does not correspond to this class. There are many complaints about the work of the staff, there are complaints about the work of the declared Internet, many guests consider the cost of rooms unreasonably high.
"Alexander Garden" - restaurant
Located in the park of the same name. There is one, but very comfortable room, designed for 70 guests. Gourmet European cuisine is offered. The restaurant is suitable for business meetings, friendly gatherings or a romantic date. Great weddings are held here.
Marina "South"
In June 2014, the first river passenger transport began operating in the city. Transportation is carried out by two boats along the route "Alexander Garden" (Nizhny Novgorod) - pier "South" (microdistrict "South"). The trip takes fifty minutes, its cost is forty rubles. During the summer season, the demand for this route will be analyzed. If the need arises, the number of river buses will increase. Although already the first analytical studies show that the demand for walks far exceeds the supply. Many Novgorodians and guests of the city with pleasure walk along the Volga river bus to the Alexander Garden station (pier).
Nizhny Novgorod is a city standing on the river bank, so the development of passenger river transport is quite natural.
Park revival
Recently, many local historians and architects tried to convey to the Novgorod authorities the special significance of the park for the city. Finally, their appeal was heard, and now the city administration has begun discussing the project of landscaping the park.
The works will cover the entire area of the park to make it modern, well-groomed, pleasant for the rest of the townspeople. The project includes landscaping, renewal and rehabilitation of green spaces, restoration of species sites and the famous "shell". In addition, work plans for strengthening slopes and restoring drainage systems were thought out.
The main objective of the reconstruction project is not to harm the old park. The developers of the reconstruction project see the main goal - to revive the Alexander Garden, but at the same time preserve its historical layout. Therefore, the mayors urge all Novgorodians to join this work, send their reconstruction options to the architecture department.