Address: Russia, Nizhny Novgorod region, Nizhny Novgorod, Nizhnevolzhskaya embankment
Start of construction: 1944 year
Completion of construction: 1949 year
Architect: Yakovlev A.A., Rudnev L.V., Munts V.O.
Number of steps: 442 pcs.
Coordinates: 56 ° 19'48.6 "N 44 ° 00'33.9" E
Content:
Between the Verkhnevolzhskaya and Nizhnevolzhskaya embankments there is an interesting Nizhny Novgorod landmark, which is visible even on space images. This is the famous Chkalovskaya staircase. It starts from the monument to Valery Chkalov and descends to the memorial the boat "Hero", which stands on the right bank of the Volga. The expressive contours of the long staircase have long become one of the hallmarks of the Volga city.
General view of the Chkalovskaya stairs
Construction history
The steep right bank of the Volga has long been called the Volga slope. This place has always been popular among Nizhny Novgorod residents and guests of the city, because it offers an excellent overview of the surroundings. From the high bank you can see the spacious floodplain of the Volga, as well as located on the opposite, left bank of the Bor River, which since 1938 acquired the status of a city.
The improvement of the Volga slope was first started in the 1830s-1840s, when the Upper Volga embankment was designed and built. At this time, the deep ravines that cut the Volga coast were covered, and the steep slope was strengthened with sod.
Bird's eye view of stairs
Where today there is a monument dedicated to Valery Chkalov, there was a semicircular ledge on the slope, which connected with the Annunciation Square. Today it bears the name of Minin and Pozharsky Square. Previously, the remains of the buildings of the ancient Proishozhdensky monastery stood at this place. In 1839 they were demolished, the site was leveled and paved with cobblestones. In addition, from here down to the east, to the Volga, a long Georgievsky exit was built.
In the 1930s, everyone in the USSR was fond of the exploits of pilots. Air records were made annually. For the first time, Soviet pilots flew across the country to the Far East. And in 1937, the crew of Valery Chkalov made a unique flight to the United States. The flight distance was more than 8500 km. But it so happened that in December 1938 brigade commander Chkalov died while testing a new aircraft. And this tragedy was experienced by the whole country.
View of the stairs from the Volga
In 1939, the Nizhny Novgorod authorities came up with an initiative to perpetuate the memory of the famous pilot. A monument was erected to him at the top of the Volga slope. And from here they wanted to build a large staircase to the Volga. The new staircase was supposed to connect the city center with the embankment and almost three times larger than the famous Potemkin descent in Odessa. However, such large-scale plans were not destined to come true immediately, because the Great Patriotic War began.
In 1943, when a radical change in the course of hostilities came, Nizhny Novgorod, at that time Gorky, began to gradually recover. The city was no longer threatened by nighttime bombing. And the residents of Nizhny Novgorod took up the restoration of factories and the construction of those facilities that they began to build in the pre-war period.
View of the stairs from the monument to the boat "Hero"
Representatives of the city's executive power went to Moscow to agree on the architectural design of the new staircase. The project itself was prepared by three - an experienced Nizhny Novgorod architect Alexander Alexandrovich Yakovlev and two Moscow architects - Vladimir Oskarovich Munts and Lev Vladimirovich Rudnev.
In honor of the victory in the bloody battle of Stalingrad, the state allocated the necessary funds, and on May 27, 1944, large-scale construction began. Nizhny Novgorod residents and a large number of captured Germans took part in the construction of the equipped descent to the Volga. The total construction costs amounted to 7.76 million rubles.
The grand opening of the stairs took place in 1949. Initially, they wanted to call it "Stalingrad". However, the residents of the city have a different name - "Chkalovskaya". After the construction was completed, the chairman of the Gorky city executive committee, Alexander Shulgin, was accused of ineffective use of the people's money. He was removed from office, stripped of his party membership card and convicted in the so-called Leningrad case. Shulgin spent about two years in prison in the Murmansk region. However, when Stalin died, the criminal case against the former Nizhny Novgorod chief was reviewed and he was rehabilitated.
Monument to Valery Chkalov located on the observation deck from which the stairs begin
Chkalovskaya stairs today
Today, the long staircase is one of the city's most recognizable landmarks. Sports races are often organized on it. Newlyweds love to come here. It is decorated with balustrades, bas-reliefs and tetrahedral obelisks. The last restoration of the stairs took place in 2013.
On the observation deck, from where the descent begins, there is a monument to Valery Chkalov. Nizhny Novgorod residents call it shortly "HPV". This place is located not far from the St. George Tower of the Nizhny Novgorod Kremlin. At the foot of the monument there are stationary viewing binoculars - binoscopes, through which it is very interesting to look at the Volga banks. The use of binoculars is paid: 100 seconds of inspection costs 10 rubles. Payment is made through a coin acceptor.
View of the stairs from the monument to Valery Chkalov
The HPV monument was erected in 1940. It is curious that one of its authors, the sculptor Isaak Abramovich Mendelevich, was friends with the pilot. And together they chose this site at the top of the Volga slope for the monument to Maxim Gorky. However, after the death of Chkalov, the residents of Gorky petitioned to erect a monument here to the pilot himself.
In addition to the sculptor, two architects took part in the erection of the monument - V.S. Andreev, I.G. Taranov. The bronze statue rises above a cylindrical plinth that stands on three steps. At the very beginning, there was an inscription on the monument "Stalin's falcon", but after the debunking of the personality cult of I.V. Stalin it was removed.
The staircase is shaped like a figure eight. If we count the number of steps along the arc, then there will be 560 of them, and 442 from bottom to top. Two observation platforms have been built on the descent. From here, at any time of the year, a beautiful view opens up to the confluence of the Volga and Oka.
Monument - Boat "Hero"
A long staircase goes down to the Nizhnevolzhskaya embankment - to the Monument Boat "Hero". This river boat was built in 1916, and originally it was called "Matvey Bashkirov". Under the name "Volgar", a small ship took part in the battles of the Civil War and in 1942-1943 in the battles for Stalingrad. The boat was installed on a granite pedestal in 1985. There is a tradition in the city - after the wedding, the newlyweds take pictures near the monument and leave colored ribbons on the rowing shafts and other parts of the monument as a keepsake.
How to get there
The Chkalovskaya Staircase is located near the territory of the Kremlin and the Governor's Garden. Its lower part can be reached by buses and minibuses, following along the Nizhnevolzhskaya embankment (stop “Boat“ Hero ”). Plus, it's easy to get to the bottom of the stairs by car. In the morning hours, the car park located here is usually free.
View of the stairs from the side of the Nizhnevolzhskaya embankment
To get to the top of the stairs, you need to take buses, trolleybuses or minibuses to the stops "Minin and Pozharsky Square" or "Water Academy". The beginning of the descent is located at the junction of the Verkhnevolzhskaya embankment, Georgievsky descent and Minin and Pozharsky squares.
