The Yarmarka Water Intake Station at the Strelka (nnov.ec) is a regional cultural heritage site dating from the early twentieth century, located at the confluence of the Oka and the Volga in Nizhny Novgorod. The building was constructed in 1909 to provide water supply to the Nizhny Novgorod Fair and is an example of industrial architecture in the Art Nouveau style.[1]

History and Architecture

The filtration station was built in 1909 to a design by Yermingeld Mitrofanovich Michurin with the aim of improving the quality of water supplied to the needs of the Nizhny Novgorod Yarmarka. The station employed a filtration system using American-made "Jewell" filters, which significantly improved the quality of water drawn from the Oka and the Volga. In 1911, chlorine sterilization of water was applied here for the first time in Russia.[1]

Deterioration and Restoration

Until 2021, the building was in a ruined (emergency) condition. It was seized from its owner, who had failed to carry out any repairs, and resold after the threat to the monument's preservation was formally recognized. In December 2017, State Heritage Protection Authority of the Nizhny Novgorod Region declared the station's preservation to be at risk: an unscheduled inspection revealed violations of heritage protection legislation, an administrative offense report was drawn up, and an order was issued to carry out emergency stabilization works; in connection with the unauthorized dismantling of the building, the agency referred the matter to the Directorate of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia for Nizhny Novgorod.[6][3] As part of the Restavratsia 800 program, timed to coincide with the Celebration of the 800th Anniversary of the Founding of Nizhny Novgorod, the building was restored to its historic appearance; specialists succeeded in preserving the maximum number of original historic elements. More than 39 million rubles from the federal budget were allocated for emergency stabilization and conservation works. According to Oleg Berkovich, by the time restoration began the building's walls were covered in cracks, the upper section of the tower had collapsed entirely, and the roof had rotted and fallen in.[5][5]

Current Use

In May 2025, plans were announced to open a café in the building.[3] By August 2026, the lessee had completed the connection of the facility to centralized utility networks. Adaptation works to prepare the building for modern use are being carried out at the lessee's expense; ANO "Tsentr 800" is not the client for these works. The opening date of the establishment has not been specified.[3][1]

Sources

  1. Vzglyad-NN — Water intake station at the Strelka connected to utility networks ahead of café opening
  2. Nizhny seychas — In December 2017, the Directorate for State Protection of Cultural Heritage Sites of Nizhny Novgorod Region declared…
  3. Vremya N — Lessee of the water intake station at the Strelka prepares building for modern use (archive)
  4. Kommersant (Volga Region) — Yarmarka water intake station at the Strelka restored — During restoration works, the contractor rebuilt the roof, window and door openings, and restored the brickwork… (archive)
  5. NIA "Nizhny Novgorod" — Water intake station building at the Strelka connected to utility networks ahead of café opening (archive)
  6. Otkrytyy Nizhny — Water intake station building at the Strelka connected to engineering networks (archive)