The Nizhny Novgorod Exchange was a commercial institution that operated in Nizhny Novgorod from the second half of the 19th century. Its charter was approved by the government on September 12, 1880.[1] The Exchange served wholesale trade and was one of the principal centers for concluding wholesale transactions in Russia — a role determined by Nizhny Novgorod's special position as the city that hosted the All-Russian Yarmarka every year.

History

The idea of constructing a dedicated exchange building in Nizhny Novgorod was discussed as early as the first years after the All-Russian Yarmarka was relocated here. In 1828, architect I. Matveyev drew up a design for a grand single-domed building with columned porticoes, but the project was never realized.[1] By the late 19th century the need for an exchange building had become obvious, and the government officially approved the charter of the Nizhny Novgorod Exchange. In the period preceding its opening, the commercial and business hub for local and out-of-town merchants was provided, in part, by Zaytsev Estate.[2]

Operations

The Exchange specialized in wholesale commodity transactions. In 1889–1890, contracts for the delivery of 68,456,339 puds of goods were officially concluded there; in 1890–1891, the figure rose to 74,457,584 puds.[2] Freight transactions occupied a special place: nearly half of the Exchange's visitors were steamship operators, followed by grain traders, petroleum and petroleum-product dealers, and timber merchants. Major contracts for the coming river and sea navigation seasons were concluded here, and the Exchange itself set freight rates on waterways across virtually all of Central Russia.[2]

Beyond commercial transactions, the Exchange served as a venue for the merchant community's ritual tea-drinking gatherings: representatives of each branch of trade occupied a separate table, while the wealthiest merchants, regardless of their line of goods, gathered at the table known as the "millionaires' table."[2]

Building

Initially, a site opposite the pontoon crossing was considered for the Exchange. It subsequently moved into the building at No. 16 Nizhne-Volzhskaya Embankment — a structure that 19th-century Nizhny Novgorod residents called "a true adornment of this part of the city."[2] The building was constructed in 1842–1844 under the supervision of its architect: the ground floor and corner sections were given rusticated ashlar facing, the center of the facade featured eight pilasters spanning the second and third floors, and the frieze below the cornice was decorated with a molded ornamental band.[1]

The Exchange subsequently moved into a purpose-built structure on the corner of Sofronovskaya Square (now Markin Square) and the embankment, erected in 1895–1896 to a design by architect K. V. Treyman — in anticipation of the All-Russian Industrial and Art Exhibition of 1896, which opened in Nizhny Novgorod.[1][2] The building plot was provided by Blinov family: in February 1895 they donated part of their land free of charge, making it possible to preserve the public garden on the square, whose development had been opposed by the city authorities and residents.[1] The building has been recognized as a regional heritage site as an example of academic eclecticism.[1] During the Soviet era it housed the Riverworkers' House of Culture.[1]

Sources

  1. autotravel-nn.ru — Nizhny Novgorod Exchange
  2. nn-grad.ru — Nizhny Novgorod Exchange