Gorodskoy okrug city of Bor is one of the largest municipal districts in the Nizhny Novgorod Region by area.

Borsky District and its center — the city of Bor — are in many ways typical of the European part of Russia as a municipal formation comprising a city of district significance with fairly developed industry and a rural territory where the predominant sphere of employment is agricultural labor. The greater part of Russia consists of exactly such districts and small towns.

Location

The southern boundary of the district runs along the left bank of the Volga River River. To the south it borders Kstovsky District, to the north — Koverninsky District and Semyonovsky District Districts, to the east — Lyskovsky District, to the northwest — Gorodetsky District, and to the southwest — Nizhny Novgorod.

History of the District

The first settlements on the territory of present-day Borsky District appeared two to three thousand years before the common era. Archaeological findings indicate that ancient people inhabited the banks of the Vezloma River at that time, engaging in hunting and fishing. They belonged to tribes of the Finno-Ugric language group. Active Russian settlement of these lands began in the 12th century. At the point where the Vezloma River flows into the Volga River, the slobodas (settlements) of Vezlomskaya, Kopytovskaya, and Nikolskaya took shape — they are considered the ancestral home of Bor. In time they merged into the Nikolsko-Borovskaya sloboda, and from the 14th century the place was known as Borovskaya sloboda (after the forest that reached the Volga at this point). From 1659 it was a selo (from the records of the General Land Survey: "The selo of Bor, formerly the slobodas of Borovskaya, Vezlomskaya, and Kopytovka, 212 households, 488 male and 567 female inhabitants, total land 351 desyatinas"). Residents made their living through felt-making, river-crossing services, and cartage. From the 19th century, with the construction of a ship-mechanical plant, industry began to develop — aided by the favorable location. Alongside individual craftsmen, there was significant growth in factories owned by local entrepreneurs: the mills of Bugrov, Blinov, and Bashkirov; Sirotkin's Nizhny Novgorod Teplohod (steamship company); Sedlov's felt-boot factory, and others. In 1930, Bor merged with several villages and slobodas and received the status of a settlement, and shortly thereafter, in 1938, became a city. Today Bor is known for its glass plant (the country's largest supplier of automotive glass) and other major industrial enterprises.

Coat of Arms

The city's coat of arms was approved by the executive committee of the city Council of People's Deputies on June 27, 1979 (resolution No. 524).

The coat of arms displays, on a gold field, an emblem consisting of a sailing vessel, the letters "BOR," a wreath of grain, a conifer branch, and a cogwheel. The shield has a red-and-blue border; the upper right corner of the border bears the coat of arms of the city of Nizhny Novgorod.

Authors of the coat of arms: B. Bryzgalkin, V. Melnikov.

Sights

Museums

  • Borsky State Local History Museum
  • Museum of the History of JSC "Borsky Glass Plant"
  • Museum of the History of JSC "Nizhny Novgorod Teplohod" Shipbuilding Plant (Oktyabrsky settlement)

Historical Monuments

  • Fire watchtower (late 19th century)
  • Moskovtsev House with commercial premises (late 19th – early 20th century)
  • House of V.V. Sherstnev with commercial premises (second half of the 19th century)
  • Korolev House (early 20th century)
  • Uspensky Church
  • Sergievskaya (Preobrazhenskaya) Church (1757)
  • Znamenskaya Church (1794)

Located within Borsky District is the unique complex of Bugrov, comprising an Old Believer prayer house, an almshouse from the early 20th century, a student dormitory (1903), a service building, and a bathhouse. The complex is distinguished by its original architectural layout incorporating a special heating system.

Industry

Borsky District has developed glass, machine-building, fuel, and timber-processing industries, as well as light and food industries. The largest enterprises in the district are JSC "Borsky Glass Plant," JSC "Nizhny Novgorod Teplohod," JSC "Borsky Pipe Plant," JSC "Borsky Silicate Plant," and JSC "Borkhileb." The territory of Borsky District is home to more than 30 enterprises.

Websites

See also