Nizhny Novgorod Culture Lab
Learn Russian, Live Novosibirsk!
SRAS cultural programs are designed to give you a wide introduction to your city and to Russia as a whole. These structured experiences are laid-back, educational, and an opportunity for students to get to know each other.
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The Volga River as seen from the shores of
Nizhny Novgorod. |
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Nizhny Novgorod's Kremlin at sunset. |
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In our experience, however, most students prefer to save on the costs of organized activities and to have mostly free time – to study, to peruse independent interests, and to spend time with the friends they make from around the world while in Russia.
To strike a balance between these needs and wants, we offer several core activities, attendance to which is required and the cost of which is included in most programs (see the individual program pages for details). We also offer several optional experiences which are available at additional cost.
1. Included Events
Nizhny Novgorod Walking Tour
The tour covers the historical parts of quaint Nizhny Novgorod and its main landmarks. You’ll take a stroll down the city’s most popular pedestrian street, Bolshaia Pokrovskaia, which is always bustling. Other sites of interest include the city’s Kremlin (not only Moscow boasts a Kremlin!); the Trinity Convent; the Chkalov Staircase where you’ll have a breathtaking view of the Volga River; the Gorky Statue honoring the famous 19th century Russian playwright and novelist, who was born in Nizhny Novgorod; Pozharsky Square, where the largest events and festivals happen; and Archangel Cathedral, the oldest church in the city, built in 1631 to honor the people of Nizhny Novgorod who saved Russia from Polish invaders in the early 1600s. Interesting facts about cultural monuments, architectural history and notable citizens of Nizhny Novgorod will be discussed during the tour. Wear walking shoes!
The Kremlin
The Kremlin is Nizhny Novgorod's main attraction. You’ll take a guided walk along the battlements and see spectacular views of the city and the Volga. Within the Kremlin walls is an interesting array of WWII weaponry and vehicles, and an odd assortment of architecture from a seventeenth century cathedral to a nineteenth century governor's mansion to the ultra-soviet concrete building block known as the "House of Soviets." (It's supposed to look like an airplane, if you look at it from an airplane).
Cultural Performance
Each semester, students are treated to one cultural performance. This could be a classical or folk concert at the Nizhny Novgorod Academic Philharmonic Theatre, a ballet or opera at the Nizhny Novgorod Academic Opera and Ballet Theatre named for A. Pushkin, or even a puppet show at the Nizhny Novgorod Academic Puppet Theatre (puppetry is widely practiced and respected in Russia!). The event depends on student interest and availability.
Cultural Event
The cultural event is usually a festival or holiday, such as a honey festival, Maslenitsa, or City Day – in which students are escorted to the event to participate in the festivities, try the local food, and celebrate in Russian style! For instance, if you are in Nizhny Novgorod in November, you may be taken to the celebration of the Day of People’s Unity, which celebrates the uprising of 1612, which originated in the Nizhny Novgorod region and liberated Moscow from Polish invaders. You can witness the ceremonial events, performances, and even walk (part of) the way of the uprising!
Sakharov Museum
Visit the Sakharov Museum, in memory of Andrei Sakharov, an eminent Soviet nuclear physicist, dissident, and human rights activist. An advocate of civil liberties and reforms in the Soviet Union (and recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize in 1975), he lived in internal exile with his family in the apartment on the first floor of the 12-storeyed building from 1980-1985, which now houses a museum dedicated to his life and thoughts.
Boat Trip
In summer, students, their teachers, and local Russian students are invited on an informal boat trip on the Volga River. You'll see more of Russia's fourth largest city, located at the confluence of the Volga and Oka Rivers, from the vantage point of her shores. The trip is a picturesque setting for informal communication between teachers and students.
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A monument to cosmonauts! |
2. Optional Events
Zheltovodsky Makaryev Convent (formerly Monastery) of the Holy Trinity
This beautiful convent sits on the Volga River, and in the summer can be reached by a pleasant 3 hour-long hydrofoil from Nizhny Novgorod. Originally founded as a monastery in 1435 (or, according to the Nizhny Novgorod Eparchy site, in 1415), it was burned down by the Tatars shortly thereafter, and rebuilt only in the 1620s. Every summer the Makaryev Fair, the most important of merchant fairs in Eastern Europe, took place here for more than two centuries outside of the walls of the monastery. In 1816 a fire burned most of the thousands of government and private buildings that housed millions of rubles worth of trade goods, and the fair was then moved to Nizhny Novgorod. After this tragedy, the monastery lost its main source of income and monks started leaving, but the monastic community was not fully dissolved until nearly fifty years later. It was later reopened as a women’s convent, and, at one time, was the home of nearly three hundred nuns, but today only twenty-two nuns make their quiet living there.
Other Events
Our program coordinator will keep an eye on events and let you know of other unique tours, cultural events and festivities taking place in Nizhny Novgorod.
Find Out More!
History of Russian Holidays
Internships in Russia
Health and Safety in Russia
The SRAS Newsletter
The SRAS Library on Russia
Journal for Students
More Free Resources!
Questions or comments?
Contact the editor.
