Pochinki — a selo (a larger village) and the administrative center of Pochinkovskiy District, Nizhny Novgorod Region.
History
In the past this was a minor town that has preserved in its center a fine ensemble of early 19th-century buildings and street layout. In Pochinki, on Lenin Square, there is a restaurant and a hotel. There is a bus station from which buses depart toward Arzamas, Saransk, and Bolshoe Boldino, as well as serving local routes within Pochinkovskiy District.
The history of this selo is rather unusual. It was founded on the site of a Mordva village known as Anudemir or Pochinok Keushtanov. The village is first mentioned in documents in 1628, when it was devastated by a Nogai raid, after which it was regarded as wasteland. In 1674 the site was acquired by the boyar Morozov, who began clearing the forest and burning it to produce charcoal and potash. Pochinki potash was highly prized in Europe in the 17th and 18th centuries. As a result, by the 19th century the magnificent oak forests surrounding Pochinki had been completely cleared; today the selo is surrounded for dozens of kilometers by nothing but open fields. The Pochinki potash trade brought Morozov up to 400,000 rubles in profit per year — an astronomical sum.
Under the reform of 1779, Pochinki was granted the status of a town in Lukoyanov Uyezd of Nizhny Novgorod Governorate. A general development plan was approved for the town, thanks to which the center of Pochinki acquired a regular street grid and a decidedly non-rural appearance: fine stone manor houses and a government offices building adorned with a colonnade have survived to this day.
After potash production ceased in 1760, a stud farm was established in Pochinki; it continues to operate to this day. The complex of stable buildings, constructed in the Classicist style in 1820, has been preserved. It is laid out in a square with sides of 250 meters, with an indoor riding arena at its center. In the 20th century the farm specialized in breeding heavy draft horses.
In the 1950s a teacher-training institute operated in Pochinki; at present there is a museum.
Interesting Facts
- In 1922 Pochinki lost its town status, but despite this its growth continued.
- Pochinki is today the largest selo in Nizhny Novgorod Region, with a population of over 12,000. It has a restaurant, a canteen, and a small, clean hotel.