The Nizhny Novgorod Kremlin ( rus, Нижегородский кремль, Nizhegorodskiy Kreml') is a fortress in
Nizhny Novgorod
Nizhny Novgorod ( ; rus, links=no, Нижний Новгород, a=Ru-Nizhny Novgorod.ogg, p=ˈnʲiʐnʲɪj ˈnovɡərət ), colloquially shortened to Nizhny, from the 13th to the 17th century Novgorod of the Lower Land, formerly known as Gork ...
, the
historic city center.
History
![Dmitrievskaya Tower of Nizhny Novgorod Kremlin 1896](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/2b/Dmitrievskaya_Tower_of_Nizhny_Novgorod_Kremlin_1896.jpg)
The first attempt to replace the wooden fort with a stone
kremlin was recorded in 1374, but construction was limited to a single tower, known as the Dmitrovskaya Tower (this has not survived). Under the rule of
Ivan III
Ivan III Vasilyevich (russian: Иван III Васильевич; 22 January 1440 – 27 October 1505), also known as Ivan the Great, was a Grand Prince of Moscow and Grand Prince of all Rus'. Ivan served as the co-ruler and regent for his bl ...
, Nizhny Novgorod played the role of a guard city, having a permanent garrison; it served as a place for gathering troops for Moscow’s actions against the
Khanate of Kazan
The Khanate of Kazan ( tt, Казан ханлыгы, Kazan xanlıgı; russian: Казанское ханство, Kazanskoye khanstvo) was a medieval Tatar Turkic state that occupied the territory of former Volga Bulgaria between 1438 and 1552 ...
. In order to strengthen the defenses of the city, construction works on the walls began again.
Construction of the stone Kremlin of Nizhny Novgorod began in 1500 with the building of the Ivanovskaya Tower; the main work commenced in 1508 and by 1515 a grandiose building was completed. The oak walls that formed the old fortifications were destroyed by a huge fire in 1513. The two kilometer wall was reinforced by 13 towers (one of them – Zachatskaya – was on the shore of the Volga; not preserved, but was rebuilt in 2012). This “Stone City” had a permanent garrison with solid artillery weapons. With the fall of Kazan, Nizhny Novgorod Kremlin lost its military significance, and later it housed the city and provincial authorities.
![Gorky City](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/de/Gorky_City._Nizhny_Novgorod_Kremlin.jpg)
During the
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...
, the roofs of the Taynitskaya, the Severnaya, and the Chasovaya Towers were dismantled and anti-aircraft machine guns were installed on the upper platforms. Thus, the fortress defended the airspace of the city from the
Luftwaffe
The ''Luftwaffe'' () was the aerial-warfare branch of the German ''Wehrmacht'' before and during World War II. Germany's military air arms during World War I, the ''Luftstreitkräfte'' of the Imperial Army and the '' Marine-Fliegerabtei ...
. The Luftwaffe
bombed the Kanavinsky Bridge and the
Fair, but the Kremlin's air defense defended these objects.
The Council of Ministers of the
RSFSR issued an order on January 30, 1949 for the restoration of the Nizhny Novgorod Kremlin.
In October 2018, archaeologists discovered the remains of a medieval settlement and cemetery on the site of the destroyed church of
St. Simeon Stylites. The finds belong to the 13th century, and the most ancient cultural layer - to 1221, when Nizhny Novgorod was founded. After all the excavations, the exhibits will be museified, and the church of St. Simeon the Stylite will be recreated at this place.
In 2021, before the 800th anniversary of Nizhny Novgorod, a major restoration was carried out. Under its terms, the most important thing was the restoration of the historic "battle road" inside the Kremlin wall. The city had been waiting for this event for 230 years. Since August 2021, locals and tourists can walk a full circular route along the large fortress wall while inside it. Its length is 2 km.
Towers
The following 13 towers survive. Counter clockwise:
![Nizhny Novgorod Kremlin (scheme eng)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/df/Nizhny_Novgorod_Kremlin_%28scheme_eng%29.svg)
# Georgievskaya Tower (')
# Borisoglebskaya Tower ('; destroyed by a landslide in the 18th century, rebuilt in 1972)
# Zachatskaya Tower ('; destroyed by a landslide in the 18th century, rebuilt in 2012)
# Belaya Tower (')
# Ivanovskaya Tower (')
# Chasovaya Tower (')
# Severnaya Tower (')
# Taynitskaya Tower (')
# Koromyslova Tower (')
# Nikolskaya Tower (')
# Kladovaya Tower (')
#
Dmitrievskaya Tower (')
# Porokhovaya Tower (')
File:St. George's Tower of the Nizhny Novgorod Kremlin.jpg,
File:Borisoglebskaya Tower - 2018-08-23 (1).jpg,
File:NN 28-08-2021 22.jpg,
File:Belaya Tower - 2019-06-08.jpg,
File:NN 07-08-2020 29.jpg,
File:File-Nizhny Novgorod Clock Tower 4.JPG,
File:NN Kremlin 08-2016 img2.jpg,
File:Тайницкая башня Нижегородского кремля, май 2015г.jpg,
File:NN 30-06-2022 Koromyslova tower of Nizhny Novgorod Kremlin.jpg,
File:NN 07-08-2020 34.jpg,
File:NN 07-08-2020 36.jpg,
File:NN 28-08-2021 06.jpg,
File:NN 07-08-2020 01.jpg,
Other buildings and constructions
![NN 01-09-2021 14](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/24/NN_01-09-2021_14.jpg)
The Kremlin contained many churches, but the only survivor is the Michael the Archangel Cathedral (the 'Archangel Cathedral'), built no later than the middle of the 16th century and rebuilt in 1628-1631. It is the oldest surviving building in the Kremlin. The cathedral contains the tomb of Kuzma Minin.
In 1828, an obelisk in honor of
Kuzma Minin
Kuzma (Kozma) Minin (; full name Kuzma Minich Zakhariev-Sukhoruky, born late 1570s - died 1616) was a Russian merchant from Nizhny Novgorod, Russia, who, together with Prince Dmitry Pozharsky, became a national hero for his role in defending th ...
and
Dmitry Pozharsky
Dmitry Mikhaylovich Pozharsky ( rus, Дми́трий Миха́йлович Пожа́рский, p=ˈdmʲitrʲɪj mʲɪˈxajləvʲɪtɕ pɐˈʐarskʲɪj; 17 October 1577 – 30 April 1642) was a Russian prince known for his military leadersh ...
was constructed in front of the Archangel Cathedral (architect Melnikov and Martos).
The house of the military governor was built in 1837-1841; it is now the Museum of Art.
The Arsenal was built in 1840-1843 at the direction of
Nicholas I.
In 1931, the Transfiguration Cathedral was replaced by the House of Soviets; that building is now the City Council building.
In 1965, a memorial complex in honor of Nizhny Novgorod citizens who died in World War II was created, near the obelisk of Minin and Pozharsky; this included an
eternal flame
An eternal flame is a flame, lamp or torch that burns for an indefinite time. Most eternal flames are ignited and tended intentionally, but some are natural phenomena caused by natural gas leaks, peat fires and coal seam fires, all of which can ...
.
![NN 01-09-2021 21](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/fa/NN_01-09-2021_21.jpg)
Since 1980, the military-patriotic memorial “Gorky for the front!” Has been located on the territory of the Kremlin. It presents the military equipment that Gorky supplied the
Soviet army
uk, Радянська армія
, image = File:Communist star with golden border and red rims.svg
, alt =
, caption = Emblem of the Soviet Army
, start_date ...
to the
Eastern Front of
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...
to fight the
Nazi troops. At the entrance to the memorial there is a memorial sign faced with granite slabs. On one of the plates, the text is engraved: “''From generation to generation, words will be passed on about those who defended the Soviet
Motherland
A homeland is a place where a cultural, national, or racial identity has formed. The definition can also mean simply one's country of birth. When used as a proper noun, the Homeland, as well as its equivalents in other languages, often has ethni ...
with weapons in their hands in a time of terrible trials, and about those who forged weapons, who built tanks and planes, who cooked steel for shells who, with their labor exploits, were worthy of the military valor of soldiers.
Pravda
''Pravda'' ( rus, Правда, p=ˈpravdə, a=Ru-правда.ogg, "Truth") is a Russian broadsheet newspaper, and was the official newspaper of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union, when it was one of the most influential papers in the ...
, June 8, 1942.''” On another granite slab, the words are engraved: “''2,360
tank
A tank is an armoured fighting vehicle intended as a primary offensive weapon in front-line ground combat. Tank designs are a balance of heavy firepower, strong armour, and good battlefield mobility provided by tracks and a powerful engi ...
s, 1,500
aircraft
An aircraft is a vehicle that is able to fly by gaining support from the air. It counters the force of gravity by using either static lift or by using the dynamic lift of an airfoil, or in a few cases the downward thrust from jet engine ...
, 9,000
self-propelled guns, 10,000
mortars
Mortar may refer to:
* Mortar (weapon), an indirect-fire infantry weapon
* Mortar (masonry), a material used to fill the gaps between blocks and bind them together
* Mortar and pestle, a tool pair used to crush or grind
* Mortar, Bihar, a villag ...
have been delivered to the front. The city's enterprises produced
Katyusha combat vehicles and other military equipment.''”
Also, on the territory of the memorial on July 2, 2020, a monument was erected to “Gorky residents - valiant workers of the rear” and the city was awarded the title “
City of Labour Valour”.
References
External links
Nizhny Novgorod KremlinArchangel's Cathedral, Cathedral of St. Michael the Archangel (Nizhny Novgorod)
{{Authority control
Kremlin
Kremlins
Buildings and structures in Nizhny Novgorod
Castles in Russia
Cultural heritage monuments of federal significance in Nizhny Novgorod Oblast