Markin Square (after Nikolay Markin) (formerly Safronovskaya, Sofronovskaya) — a square on Nizhne-Volzhskaya Embankment near the River Station. It was named in honor of Nikolai Grigoryevich Markin, commander of the Volga Flotilla. The square features a large rectangular fountain and a Monument to the Heroes of the Volga Military Flotilla.
History of the Name
Markin, a Baltic sailor and Bolshevik, was the organizer and commissar of the legendary Volga Military Flotilla, which was formed in Nizhny Novgorod.
In September 1918, Markin led the operation to land assault forces and capture Kazan.
He was killed in battle against the White Guards ("White Czechs") near the mouth of the Kama River at the age of 26.
On 1 October 1918, while conducting a reconnaissance mission on the Kama near Pyanyy Bor aboard the gunboat "Vanya the Communist," Markin fell into an artillery ambush. The vessel was sunk, and the commissar himself continued covering the crew with machine-gun fire until the very end, going down with the ship.
See Also
- The "Rozhdestvenskaya Side" Project