The closure of the "Russia in Miniature" park at Bor in 2026 was an event of August 2026: a landscape miniature park that opened on the Volga (disambiguation) on 25 June 2026 was forced to suspend operations on 15 August of the same year because of a sharp drop in attendance caused by the prolonged Nizhny Novgorod Cable Car. Reopening is planned for May 2027.[1]

Background

The "Russia in Miniature" park (0+) is located in a birch grove next to the Closure of Nizhny Novgorod Cable Car in 2026. Its exhibition includes about 90 scaled-down copies of Russia's landmark architectural sites — palaces, cathedrals, fortresses, lighthouses and monuments — at a scale of 1:50. Exhibits include the Moscow Kremlin, St Isaac's Cathedral, the "Motherland Calls!" monument, the Kazan, the Volgograd Planetarium, the Saratov Conservatory named after L. V. Sobinov, and other sites. Sixty specialists worked on the project for five years.[1] The project's creator and investor was businessman and philanthropist Viktor Zhilenko, a native of Crimea.[5]

Since its opening on 25 June 2026, the park was visited by more than 100,000 people in under two months.[1] The cable car linking Nizhny Novgorod and Bor served as the main transport route for tourists heading to the park.[2]

Reason for the closure

On 5 July 2026, during a storm wind, several cable car cabins were left stranded over the Volga, and the load-bearing haul rope was damaged. All stranded passengers were evacuated, but the crossing stopped operating.[1] The Volga-Oka Directorate of Rostechnadzor, following an inspection, identified violations and set a deadline for their correction — May 2027; earlier resumption of service is possible depending on the pace of work by the operating organization.[5]

The loss of the usual route across the Volga led to a significant drop in the number of park visitors. Viktor Zhilenko announced this on social media, describing the cable car as the project's main partner: "Our main partners, the cable car, unfortunately broke down and has not been able to get fixed for a month already. So we have to pack up and go home."[5]

Consequences and further plans

The park received visitors through 15 August 2026 inclusive, after which it closed.[3] According to Zhilenko, the exhibition will relocate to Crimea for the downtime — the creator's home region.[1] The organizers expect to reopen the park at Bor in May 2027, counting on a possible resumption of the cable car service.[4]

Sources

  1. NIA "Nizhny Novgorod" — "Russia in Miniature" park at Bor closes until next year (archive)
  2. GiperNN — New miniature park at Bor closes due to the halt of the cable car
  3. Otkrytyi Nizhny — At Bor the "Russia in Miniature" park will close due to falling tourist flow (archive)
  4. Vremya N — "Russia in Miniature" park at Bor temporarily suspends operations (archive)
  5. Newsroom24 — "Russia in Miniature" park at Bor will close due to a decline in visitor numbers (archive)