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Sights of the region

Gorodets

One of the most beautiful and ancient cities of the Nizhny Novgorod region. It is easy to reach by car, bus, and by the fast Valdai hydrofoil. All of it make Gorodets an ideal place for the weekend trip. Quiet streets, merchants’ mansions and wooden houses with carved architraves, a vast number of museums, and a real «town of all trades», famous for its folk crafts.

A FEW FACTS ABOUT GORODETS

The Folk Crafts Center

The development of Gorodets has always centered around folk crafts, and it was even nicknamed the Town of All Trades, because its residents engaged in weaving, embroidery, pottery, and carving gingerbread boards. The most popular craft to this day is the famous Gorodets painting.

The Last Refuge of Alexander Nevsky

According to legend, Alexander Nevsky died in Gorodets, at the Feodorovsky monastery, having taken monastic vows before his death.

Museum City

It is no accident that Gorodets is called the city of museums and the «open-air museum». The only Museum Cluster in the Nizhny Novgorod region is located here, combining several streets of the historical center, preserving the atmosphere of a XIX century merchant village.

Gorodets Gingerbread

Gingerbread is the trademark of Gorodets! This local sweet delicacy is also one of its oldest. Gorodets gingerbread did not go stale or spoil for months, and was very highly prized. The gingerbread was retailed at the Nizhny Novgorod fair, from where it was distributed across Russia.

Region’s

The Gorodets Museum of Local History is one of the oldest museums in the Nizhny Novgorod region. It was founded right after the revolution, at a difficult and crucial time. Initially, the museum exhibition was opened in one of the premises of the community hall, but since 1920 the museum has operated as an independent institution and is located in the mansion of the merchant Oblaev.

WHAT TO DO IN THE CITY

Take a walk around the Museum Cluster

There are seven museums for every taste on three streets. In the house of Countess Panina, you can explore a unique library of old manuscripts, and rent a Russian traditional costume to take spectacular photos. In the Gorodets on the Volga museum you can feel like a real Volga boatman, throwing the strap over your shoulder and singing traditional tower’s song; in the Terem of the Russian Samovar you can appreciate one of the world's largest collections of samovars; in the Gallery of Goodness, you will be told how to arrange your personal life with the help of an ordinary spoon; and much, much more. It will be interesting for both children and adults, but don't try to get around everything at once - it's far better to come back to Gorodets again and again.

Test your skill at one of the Town of All Trades masterclasses

Try to carve a whistle, draw traditional Gorodetsky painting patterns, or bake a gingerbread. If you look at the towers of the Town of All Trades from the outside, you can see that they are all decorated with hollow wooden house carvings, popular in Gorodets from the beginning of the XIX century to the turn of the XX. Try to find as many as 14 carved lions on the facade!

Be sure to try the gingerbread

This is the main local specialty, so they just won't let you out of here without trying a local gingerbread. There are a great many types of them, and they can be stored for a long time, but they are distinctive in that they are glazed from all sides: Tula gingerbread, for example, is covered with glaze only from above. You can buy gingerbread in the Gingerbread Artel of the Suvorovs, but in fact, gingerbread is sold anywhere you look. If you want to have a more substantial snack that’s tasty and affordable, then go to Blinolyubov, a tiny place with a huge selection of filling pancakes, «bombastic noodles», and waffles with salted caramel and coffee.

Climb Gorodetsky Val

Gorodets is a great place for a walk, with all the nature and fresh air, so be sure to climb up Gorodetsky Val, an outstanding monument to the art of Russian military engineering of the XII and XIII centuries. It is well preserved along its eastern section, with a length of around one and a half kilometers, where you can climb and walk along a beautiful path and embrace 200-year-old pine trees. It is also good to walk around the Cheremonov swamp, to relax on a bench, or take a trip on a catamaran.

Grab yourself a vintage souvenir

You can buy a souvenir, for example, in the Gorodetskaya Starina antique shop in the grounds of the Petelin estate. Apart from the Soviet porcelain, badges costing 100 rubles, and icons, you can also find old platbands, for which Gorodets is so famous, or something featuring the legendary Gorodetsky painting.

Pay a visit to the art spaces

In the Molot art space, you can see the works of Gorodets street artists, sit in a cafe lovingly furnished with antique items, and maybe even go to a party, which are held here regularly. If you would prefer a more relaxing way to spend your leisure time, then take yourself to the «Lev I Vishnya» (Lion and Cherry) culture center, where a variety of masterclasses, lectures and tea parties are held. The center also works as a folk costume showroom, where you can try on or order things from local craftsmen, including items with handmade gold embroidery.

Try the gingerbread meat

If mere gingerbread is not enough for you, then try a real delicacy: gingerbread meat in the restaurant at the Rublev hotel.

Visit the Kurtsevo Cheese Factory

Take a taxi or car from Gorodets to the village of Kurtsevo, where the famous cheese factory is located (cheeses from here are sold in almost all shops) and the equestrian sports club of the same name. In order to get better acquainted with the assortment, go to a cheese tasting, where you will definitely try the bestsellers — gorgonzola Piccante and classic chevre with the aroma of freshly mown grass, and then arrange a photo shoot with horses or sign up for a trial riding lesson. Unity with nature is guaranteed.

WHERE TO GO AND WHAT TO SEE

The Alexander Nevsky Museum

Gorodets, 1 Alexander Nevsky str.

The town’s newest museum, located in the Museum Cluster, but distinguished by its multimedia technologies.

The Feodorovsky Monastery

Gorodets, 34 Proletarian sq.

A XII century monastery where, according to legend, Alexander Nevsky died, and monk Prokhor, an associate of Andrei Rublev, served.

Monument to the Merchants of Russia

Gorodets, 2 Kirov str.

The first and only monument in the country dedicated to the merchant class.

The Sacred Lake

Gorodets, Dmitry Maslov str.

Previously known as the «Ryazan swamp», located at the foot of Gorodetsky Val, the source of many legends mentioning the sunken church.

The Gorodetsky Museum of Local History

Gorodets, 11 Lenin str.

One of the oldest museums in the Nizhny Novgorod region, which was founded right after the revolution.

The Nikola Klyuch sacred spring

Beloglazovo Village

A specially protected area and a place of pilgrimage, the water of the spring is considered to have healing properties.

Church of the Holy Archangel Michael

Gorodets,16 Zagorodnaya str.

The oldest temple in Gorodets, and the tomb of the Gorodets princes.

Gorodetsky Val

Gorodets, intersection of Maslova str. and Zagorodnaya str.

An outstanding monument to the art of Russian military engineering art in the XII and XIII centuries with a beautiful walking area.

Cheremonovo swamp

Gorodets, 4 Krasnogvardeyskaya str.

A great place to relax on a hot day in the shade of the overhanging willows.

The Humpback Bridge

Gorodets, 13 Revolutsii Embankment

There is an incredible view of the Volga from the middle of the bridge, which is popular among artists.

The Town of All Trades

Gorodets, 1 Yuri Dolgoruky Embankment

A complex of wooden structures dedicated to the history of wooden architecture, with a huge number of masterclasses available.

Gorodetskaya Starina

Gorodets, 2A Lenina str.

An antique shop with wonderful souvenirs to remember your trip.

The Gorodetskaya Painting Workshop

Gorodets, 61 Naberezhnaya str.

A museum dedicated to the famous craft of Gorodetsky Painting, with an icon painting workshop offering a tour through the factory and masterclass.

Church of the Intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary

Gorodets, 33 Proletarskaya str.

XIX century church built through private donations to honor the victory in the war of 1812. One of the church’s shrines is a cross inside a tree trunk.

The House of Countess Panina

Gorodets, 16 Andreya Rubleva str.

The vibe of the XIX century and the charm of an old manor house, with a music room and antique gramophones.

The Gorodets Gingerbread Museum

Gorodets, 2 Lenina str.

A museum where you can learn all about gingerbread, take part in a masterclass, and buy a gingerbread as a souvenir.

The Gorodets on the Volga Museum

Gorodets, 9 Lenina str.

A museum dedicated to shipbuilding and the entrepreneurial activities of merchants, where you can try yourself in the role of a Volga boatman.

The Gorodets Public Park

Entrance from 22 Proletarskaya str.

A cozy and comfortable park in the city center, with a children’s playground and leafy alleys.

Yuri Dolgoruky Embankment

Gorodets, Yuri Dolgoruky Embankment

The place where the ships and the Valdai hydrofoils dock and depart.

Lapshina Manor

Gorodets, 5 Revolutsii Embankment

This high-ranking merchant’s palace on the high Volga coast is an example of eclecticism with features of classicism.

Merchant Malekhonov's estate

Gorodets, 133 Maxim Gorky str.

A manor in the style of academic eclecticism, the interior of which has been preserved.

Merchant Krasavin's house

Gorodets, 11 Revolutsii Embankment

The house has a rich décor and carved architraves with floral ornaments.

How to get there

By car

Leave Nizhny Novgorod along highway 22P-0159 in the direction of Kirov, then before reaching the village of Ulyanovo, take highway 22K-0022. If you drive, the distance to Gorodets is 59km.

Travel time

~ 1 hour

By bus

You can travel to Gorodets by bus from the Kanavinsky bus station, which offers bus services to Gorodets bus station.

Travel time

1,5 hours

Departure time

every 1,5 hours

Cost

₽331