Minin Square (spherical panorama)

Minin Square (and Prince Pozharsky) (previously: Blagoveschenskaya Square) — Main Square Nizhny Novgorod. Minina — the colloquial name for the full, almost never used in everyday speech, name of the square — “Minin Square.”

The vast space in front of Kremlin, venue Demonstration, annual ceremonial performances Authority. The location for the stage is in the Chkalov Monument.

Entertainment Center for the Celebration City Day and nationwide celebrations.

General Description

Layout

On the map, the area resembles a bucket: a strip 60 meters wide and 550 meters long stretches along Kremlin from St. George’s Tower to the Storehouse Tower, with a semicircular expansion with a radius of 120–150 meters around Dmitrov Tower. The square’s shape stems from the fact that it was formed by combining two squares: the semicircular (or trapezoidal) Blagoveschenskaya Square and the elongated Seminarskaya Square. Ramps branch off from the ends of the square Zelensky Descent (southwestern end) and Georgievsky (northeastern end). Five streets radiate outward from the semicircle of the former Blagoveschenskaya Square: Pozharsky, Pokrovka, Alekseevskaya, Varvarskaya Street and Ulyanova Street. Minin Street and the Verkhnevolzhskaya Embankment branch off from the former Seminarskaya Street, and Bolshaya Pecherskaya Street could also branch off from it, as was envisaged in several urban development plans.

Tourism

The square is the Gorod's tourist hub: it is home to the Gorod's main attraction— Kremlin, one of the Gorod's oldest streets—a pedestrian street—branches off from the square Pokrovka... The square offers a magnificent view of the Strelka and the distant landscapes beyond the Volga. The following museums are located on the square and in the immediate vicinity:

  • Exhibition complex,
  • A. S. Pushkin Museum,
  • the museum in the Dmitrov Tower,
  • "Storage Tower" Museum,
  • The Khudozhestvennyy Museum in the Kremlin.

Several monuments have been erected:

The fountain in the square is especially interesting in the evening, when the lights are on. This is Gorod's central square, and it's a great place to start your visit. an introductory tour of Nizhny Novgorod, especially if the visitor has limited time to spend in Gorod.

The square has had several names over the years.

  • It was originally called Verkhneposadskaya and Verkhnebazarnaya. It was the center of Verkhny position: Overland trade routes led here, and trade took place here to supply the upper part of the Gorod.
  • With the construction of the Cathedral of the Annunciation in 1697, Blagoveschenskaya Square also came to be known as Blagoveshchenskaya.
  • The area in front of the Theological Seminary, which moved from the Kremlin in 1743, was called Seminar Hall.
  • After the 1917 Revolution, the combined Blagoveschenskaya Square and Seminarskaya Square were renamed to Soviet.
  • In 1943, a monument to Minin was erected, and Minin Square came to be known as with an area of Kuzma Minin and Pozharsky.

Landscaping

First regular schedule The layout of the square was drawn up in 1770. Prior to that, the area in front of the Dmitrov Tower of the Kremlin—built in the late 14th century—was freely developed with houses and gardens belonging to the town’s elite. A few years after the tower was built, a wooden church dedicated to Saint Demetrius of Thessaloniki was erected in front of it; it was replaced in 1697 by the stone Cathedral of the Annunciation. The gate tower was connected by a stone arched bridge to the fortifications in front of the bridge—a pentagonal flanking bastion surrounded by a moat. The Ivanovskiy Descent—the main slope connecting the upper and lower parts of the city—ran through the tower. The square housed a customs house and a marketplace. In 1641, the Church of St. Alexius was built.

After the devastating fire of 1768, at the request of the provincial authorities, the St. Petersburg “Commission on Construction” drew up a formal urban development plan; however, the plan’s implementation was hindered by the lack of experienced local urban planners. According to the plan, the square took on a trapezoidal shape. The plan preserved the historically established directions of the radiating streets and stipulated that the square and adjacent streets be built up exclusively with stone buildings.

The redevelopment of the square began with the appointment in 1779 of Y. A. Ananyin as provincial architect: In 1782, the ancient fortifications in front of the bridge were dismantled for bricks, the moat—which had lost its strategic importance—was filled in, and rows of wooden shops were built in its place. During the Gorod’s general land survey of 1784–1787, the beginnings of streets were laid out according to the plan, and the wooden structures in the center of the square were demolished. In 1787, the Post Office complex was built (today, the “Alekseevsky Riad” shopping complex stands on this site). The line between Varvarskaya Street The estate of Vice Governor P. V. Elagin, complete with outbuildings, was located on the streets between Tikhonovskaya Street and Ulyanova Street. Private houses on the sides of the “trapezoid” that did not conform to the plan remained standing until the early 19th century; repairs to them were prohibited so that they could eventually be demolished.

  • 1823 — The entire northeastern boundary of the square, which extended from Tikhonovskaya Street (Ulyanova Street), was occupied by two apartment buildings owned by the merchant D. G. Deulin.
  • 1828 — The Hay Market, which generated a lot of trash, was moved to the specially planned Sennaya Square (in the area of today’s NGLU).
  • 1828–1831 — A new building for the theological seminary was constructed (now a building of the Pedagogical University across from the Powder Tower).
  • 1830 — Work began on paving the square with stone (completed in 1936).
  • 1834 — The market stalls near the Dmitrov Tower were dismantled.
  • 1836 — The wooden structures near the Kremlin walls were destroyed.
  • 1839 — The Georgievsky Road and Zelensky Descent were built.
  • 1840 — The dilapidated buildings of the Holy Cross Monastery (on the site of the modern Chkalov Monument) were demolished, and the square gained access to Otkos.
  • 1840–1841 — A complex of public shops was built (the Exhibition Hall building).
  • 1847 — The fountain was put into operation (as part of the water supply system).
  • 1852 — Bugrov's apartment building was constructed (on the site of the present-day Dvorets Truda, built in 1902).
  • 1896 — tram tracks were laid — from the arch near the Storage Tower to Pokrovka (moved in 1938).
  • 1906 — a monument was erected Alexander II (destroyed after the October Revolution).
  • 1916 — The office building of the “Volga” Steamship Company was constructed (it is now the building Nizhny Novgorod State Medical Academy (at the Chkalov Monument).
  • 1930 — The Blagoveshchenskaya and Alexievskaya churches were demolished, and the fountain was moved.
  • 1940 — a monument was erected Valery Chkalov.
  • 1943 — A monument was erected near the Dmitrov Tower Kuzma Minin.
  • 1943–1949 — The Chkalovskaya Lestnitsa was built.
  • 1955 — A bust of Minin by A. V. Kikin was unveiled.

The 21st Century

In early 2009, Gorod and regional authorities reviewed proposals submitted by investors for the redevelopment of Minin Square and Pozharsky Square. The proposals called for the construction of a shopping and entertainment center beneath the square. The proposals also included the restoration of the Annunciation Cathedral and the Church of Metropolitan Alexius. Altering the square’s familiar above-ground appearance was deemed unacceptable. The Urban Planning Council under the Governor approved one of the projects, despite the need for many years of preliminary archaeological work and the risk of worsening traffic conditions due to the emergence of an additional center of attraction.

See also