Nizhny Novgorod That Never Was is a category about projects, ideas, and phenomena that were seriously discussed or promoted in Nizhny Novgorod and its region, yet were never realized or ended up as curiosities. Here you will find urban-planning fantasies, political initiatives, and civic campaigns — from the towering Strelka City and Globe Town to trains under the Volga and theories of capital-city status.
Many of these stories reflect a tendency, characteristic of the city, to think big while delivering modest results: ambitious concepts were born at gubernatorial presentations and investment forums, received names and models, and then quietly vanished from the agenda.