aurora.nn.ru is a Nizhny Novgorod domain under which the web archive preserved the sites of two entirely different establishments sharing the same name. In 2002 this address hosted the page of the multi-specialty medical center "AVRORA" at 11/13 Rozhdestvenskaya Street, with the phone numbers (8312) 34-46-47 and 34-46-49[1]. Already by February 2004 the domain was occupied by the site of the Nizhny Novgorod shopping center "Avrora"[2], which held it until 2009 and gave in its footer the address "Russia, Nizhny Novgorod, 12 Sovetskaya Street, tel./fax: (831) 277-62-29" and the email avrora@nn.ru[3]. How the domain passed from one owner to the other is not visible from the snapshots.

Medical center "AVRORA", 2002

The snapshot from June 5, 2002 shows a single page laid out like a business card. The browser window title read "Medical center 'AVRORA' (8312) 34-46-47, 34-46-49"; the page itself opened with the word "Hello!" and, as the home page announced, promised: "For the first time in Nizhny Novgorod, a multi-specialty medical center"[1]. Next came an invitation that "with serious doctors you can resolve many health problmes, address any delicate question, put your oral cavity in order, receive rejuvenating and health-improving procedures, an attentive psychologist will help" — with the typos preserved in the snapshot[1].

Under the heading "At your service" nearly two dozen specialties were listed: dentists, cosmetologists, a gynecologist, a cardiologist, a gastroenterologist, a general practitioner, a pediatrician, a traumatologist-orthopedist, an oncologist, an anonymous venereologist's appointment, a dermatologist, a psychologist, a clinical immunology laboratory, an endoecologist, a physiotherapist, an andrologist, a treatment room, and, on a separate line, "deep intestinal irrigation"[1]. The address was spelled out down to the office: "Rozhdestvenskaya, 11/13, (Dom Modeley [Fashion House]). floor 2, office 200"[1]. At the bottom of the page was the maker's signature — "Hand made by 'Gruppa setevykh resheniy' [Network Solutions Group]"[1].

Shopping center "Avrora", 2004–2009

In the snapshot from February 4, 2004, the medical center's site had been replaced by that of the "Avrora" shopping center. The menu was divided into the blocks "Please note," "Current life of the center," and "Sections of the server"; a separate line announced: "We work for you from 10 am to 8 pm, no lunch break, no days off"[2]. The news column was New Year-themed: "New Year at Avrora Mall!", "Children's New Year program at Avrora Mall!", "New Year discounts in the Adidas department!"[2]. The site's sections listed everything expected of an early-2000s shopping center website: "For shoppers," "For tenants," "Products of 'Avrora' Mall," "Discount center," "Trading floors," "Special offers," "Photo gallery," "How to find us...", "Forum," as well as a block "5 reasons to visit the 'Avrora' Shopping Center"[2].

By June 2009 the home page had turned into a showcase of tenants. The "Worth knowing!" block featured the "VKO Club" chain of travel agencies, a branch of "VTB24" bank with "consumer loans, credit cards, and deposits," and the "FIXPRICE" store — "a chain of retail stores offering a unique assortment of goods at a single price"[3]. Below, in the "Stores" section, were advertised the new collection at the Mascot store, the evening-wear salon "VIVIANO" with "evening, prom, and cocktail dresses," the "INTER-BOSKO" salon on the first floor with men's suits by "BoSko," "Mak-Duglas," and "Bernardo-Bellotto," and the "Ostin-Lastochka" fashion salon[3]. The description of "INTER-BOSKO" specified the mall's own location — "in 'Avrora Mall' (1st floor) on Lenin Square"[3].

The "What's new with us?" section rested on the center's internal life rather than on discounts. The first item was "Best sellers of April" — "for excellent customer service, compliance with internal labor regulations and trading rules"[3]. Next to it was a note titled "7 star years" about the "SUCCESSFUL PURCHASE" promotion, with which the center marked its birthday[3], and a March greeting for International Women's Day[3]. In the footer, besides the address and phone number, was a postal code "6003002" — with an extra digit[3].

Place in the Nizhny Novgorod internet

In the Nizhny Novgorod Internet the site was not a notable presence: in the Archival study of the Nizhny Novgorod internet from the counter.nn.ru rating the domain appears only as a directory listing on nn.ru, without a ranking on Counter.nn.ru and without votes at the Nizhny Novgorod Internet Day in 2004. The directory listing, meanwhile, described the domain as medical: it listed the dentist, cosmetologist, gynecologist, and the other specialists of the "AVRORA" center — that is, the site preserved only in the 2002 snapshot. The center's mailbox — avrora@nn.ru — was also registered on the city portal[3].

How it closed

The last snapshot of the home page in the web archive is dated June 19, 2009[3]; in all, the archive preserved about three dozen visits to the address for 2002–2009. What happened to the site afterward the snapshots do not say: there are no further copies, and the domain aurora.nn.ru itself did not exist at the time of our census of defunct Nizhny Novgorod sites. The material confirms neither the closing of the shopping center nor the site's move to another address.

Sources

  1. web.archive.org — Home page, 2002 (archive)
  2. web.archive.org — Home page, 2004 (archive)
  3. web.archive.org — Home page, 2009 (archive)