Grebnevskie (Grebnyovskie) Peski — a sandy island within the city limits of Nizhny Novgorod on the The Oka River, stretching along the Yarmarchnaya Embankment to Kanavinsky Bridge.
Nature of the phenomenon
Grebnevskie Peski is an island of all-Russian significance.
The island was formed by the current of the Oka from river sand and gradually changes over time.
At present, the area of the main territory is approximately 18 hectares; the island is separated from the Grebnevskie Peski embankment by a strait about 130 metres wide.
Origin of the name
According to one version, the name derives from the word "grebách" — a rowing boat used to transport goods: grebachi (boatmen) moored at the island during the Rowing trade fairs of the 19th century.
According to another version, it comes from the word "grebenitsya" — to put on airs, to be haughty: during the fair days the island had a prosperous appearance and was home to market rows. The island is separated from Kanavino by a channel — the Grebnevsky Canal.
Since ancient times the island served as a mooring place for merchant vessels and fishing boats. At one point it housed the market rows of the Nizhny Novgorod Fair; in the Soviet era it was a city beach.
Today the island is uninhabited and overgrown with willows.
Grebnevskie Peski can be reached by boat or by descending from Kanavinsky Bridge.
Future
In 2010, an investment project appeared envisaging the construction of a Floating City or Floating City on the island, along with an extension of the metro line to it.
Interesting facts
- On 8 October 2009, Mikhail Romanychev, Director of the Department of Architecture and Urban Planning of Nizhny Novgorod, noted that under the current Land Use and Development Rules of the city, Grebnevskie Peski Island does not belong to any zone. The recreational and natural territories zone extends to the area bounded by the Grebnevsky Canal, but not to Grebnevskie Peski Island itself.