Kanavino, archaic: Kunavino, the Town of Kunavin — the third-most-populous district of Nizhny Novgorod, located in the area of the historic Nizhny Novgorod Yarmarka. "The Town of Kunavin, formerly a sloboda, now a county town" — Nizhny Novgorod calendar-reference book, 1923.
The part of the city on the Zarechka side, adjoining the Cape Strelka on the left bank of the Oka. Old Kanavino is the part of the district between the Moscow Railway Station and the Oka.
Kanavinsky District covers an area of 47.5 sq. km, or 13% of the city's total territory. According to the 2002 census, the population is 160,600, of whom 98,400 are of working age. The district is home to 42,200 pensioners. Children under 18 number 24,400.
The total number of enterprises in the district is 4,868, of which 252 are large or medium-sized.
History
The site of present-day Kanavino has long attracted enterprising people. The exact date of the founding of the settlement of Kunavino is unknown. Its first recorded mention dates to the time of the census of Nizhny Novgorod residents in 1621–1622. What is known is that a monastic sloboda called Grivka already existed at the end of the 16th century. According to the 1621–1622 census, both slobodas together had 60 households, that is, somewhere between 300 and 350 residents. The inhabitants engaged in "handicrafts" and, presumably, trade. Together with the posad residents, they paid taxes. Later the two small slobodas were merged into one.
There is a theory that the word "Kunavino" derives from the name of a monetary unit, the kuna, which visiting merchants used to pay their dues. Another version traces the name Kunavino to the Mordva women's name Kunava, meaning "wife of a murza (a noble ruler)." In the Zarechka area, Kunavino was neighbored by other place names of similar origin: Ratmanikha, Burnakovka, Koposovo. There are also legends about a kuma (a woman innkeeper) who supposedly kept a tavern near the river crossing: from the middle of the Oka, people would shout to her: "Kuma, vina!" ("Godmother, wine!"), and this supposedly gave the place its name. Derivative names include: Kanavinsky metro station, Kanavinsky Street, Kanavinsky Bridge.
In the 18th century, as a result of the reforms of Peter I and Catherine II, warehouses for goods brought to the city began to be built along the banks of the Oka and the Volga.
A new period in Kanavino's history began in 1817 with the transfer of the all-Russian trade fair from Makaryev to Nizhny Novgorod, at the Strelka. Within 20 to 30 years, hundreds of fair pavilions had been built along the Oka's bank. Kanavino began to change as well — apartment buildings (hotels), taverns, and other entertainment establishments were constructed there. During the fair season, all manner of people poured in from across the empire, including prostitutes and criminals. Kanavino acquired an unfortunate reputation as the most disreputable quarter in the city.
The Revolution of 1917 changed little in Kanavino's outward appearance or its image. In 1923, by a decision of Lenin's government, the Nizhny Novgorod Yarmarka was reopened. In connection with this, in 1925–1929 Kunavino became an independent city. When the fair was abolished, the need for Kunavino's special status disappeared, and it was incorporated into Greater Nizhny Novgorod. At the same time, a decision was made to demolish most of the fair buildings (the bricks were used to build housing for workers). Today, the surviving fair structures include the fair church, the Main Fair House, several buildings on Sovetskaya Street (formerly Moskovskaya Street), and a few houses on Sovnarkomovskaya, Dolzhanskaya, Manufakturnaya, Kerchenskaya, and Strelka streets.
Today, Kanavinsky District is the commercial and transport hub of Nizhny Novgorod. It is home to the railway and bus terminals, the Nizhny Novgorod Yarmarka, and the Central Market. Located here are: the Moscow Railway Station — the city's main rail gateway and its largest transport interchange — a bus station, and the Borskiy Bridge, the only year-round road link connecting the regional capital with the town of Bor and the northern districts of the Nizhny Novgorod Region. The district has preserved pre-revolutionary architecture (Old Kanavino) alongside modern residential microdistricts. However, the district does not give the impression of a unified whole — its territory contains 9 self-contained settlements and the selo of Gordeevka (located almost in the center of the district). Kanavino also compares unfavorably with other city districts in terms of infrastructure. Old Kanavino looks particularly bleak. A group of architects has developed a project to transform this microdistrict into a tourist zone, but investors have yet to be found.
Overview of the District's Industrial Potential
For many years, Kanavino held the status of one of the most powerful industrial districts of Nizhny Novgorod.
In total, the district contains 260 enterprises, of which around 30 are large. These include the Popov Communications Equipment Plant, Norma, the Flour Mill, the Milling Plant, Gorky Metallurgical Plant, OAO Vtormet, and ZAO Instrument.
Among food-industry enterprises, the undisputed leader is the Nizhny Novgorod Fat-and-Oil Combine (NMZHK), whose share of the district's total industrial output is 45 percent, as well as the 1st of May Confectionery Factory.
The firm Nizhegorodets is also operating. The Krasny Yakor (Red Anchor) Plant has made a notable industrial leap forward and is striving to make its products competitive on the global market.
The district has 21 municipal educational institutions enrolling 16,240 pupils, 31 municipal preschool educational institutions with 5,097 places, 4 secondary vocational schools, and 4 vocational lycées.
The district's cultural institutions include 3 music schools, 2 cinemas, and 10 libraries. The municipal theatre Vera is in operation.
The district has 24 municipal healthcare institutions (19 outpatient clinics and 5 hospitals).
The district's territory has 54 sports facilities, 4 stadiums, 3 swimming pools, and 12 youth clubs at residential locations.
Socially significant work is carried out by the district's Centralized Library System, which unites 10 libraries serving 37,500 readers.
Materials from the website http://www.biblioteka.r52.ru were used.