Dynamo Stadium is the oldest stadium in Nizhny Novgorod, located in the historic center of the city between Bolshaya Pokrovskaya Street and Universitetsky Lane (Nizhegorodsky District). The decision to build a stadium on this site was made in 1926, and a football field appeared in the mid-1930s; originally the stadium bore the name of V. I. Lenin [1][2][3]. In January 1947, the city's first ice hockey tournament was held here [4][5]. The stadium is used by the Nizhny Novgorod Regional Organization of the Dynamo Society; after a major renovation in 2025–2026, it reopened on August 21, 2026 [3][6].

History

The idea of building the stadium exactly where it stands today arose in 1926 — precisely a hundred years before its reopening after a major renovation [2][3]. It all began with a football pitch laid out in the mid-1930s: a small field, running tracks around the lawn, and simple wooden benches for spectators [2]. The stadium bore the name of V. I. Lenin. At first it was used by footballers and track and field athletes, and later by hockey players and speed skaters [1][2].

Sources differ on when the current name appeared. According to some, the stadium received the name "Dynamo" in the 1950s, or more precisely in 1953, when the footballers of Gorky's Dynamo took an interest in it and began playing their home matches here [1][2]. However, an inscription on the back of a photograph from January 1939 already reads: "Dynamo Stadium, City of Gorky" [7], and a postcard from the 1930s, on which the stadium gates are crowned with the Dynamo emblem, is captioned the same way [8].

The stadium was used year-round: in winter it hosted mass skating sessions, and in summer, track and field competitions and football matches [1]. In January 1939, the Dynamo rink hosted a five-city match between Moscow, Leningrad, Gorky, Kirov, and Sverdlovsk, in which the speed skater Mashkov took first place [7]. In 1952 the stadium hosted the RSFSR speed skating championship [9], and in 1967, the final games of the All-Union "Leather Ball" tournament [10]. Competitions in fire-rescue sports and track and field were held here [11], and in the 1980s, contests of firefighters and dog handlers [12].

Olympic speed skating champion Tatyana Averina and world speed skating champion Sergey Berezin trained at the stadium [2][12].

The Beginnings of Ice Hockey

In January 1947, the first Gorky Ice Hockey Cup was played at the Dynamo Stadium. Torpedo, Dynamo, Spartak, Vodnik, Krasnaya Etna, and the Sormovo team Sudostroitel took part [5]. The stadium had no hockey rink at that time: the playing area was fenced off with low boards intended for bandy, and the goals were set twice as wide and tall as today's. The final was contested by Torpedo and Spartak; the automobile plant team — Torpedo — won and became the first holder of the City Cup [5]. Nizhny Novgorod ice hockey traces its history back to this tournament [4][11].

Igor Chistovsky began his playing career with Gorky's Dynamo, and his longtime partner Lev Khalaichev also played for the "white-and-blues." Nizhny Novgorod's Dynamo also opened the way into big-time hockey for Valery Vasilyev, a future two-time Olympic champion [2].

The Dynamo Society

In Gorky, the Dynamo society developed many kinds of city sports: football, hockey, basketball, track and field, speed skating, cross-country skiing, shooting sports, and gorodki [2]. The Nizhny Novgorod regional organization — a sports society created on the basis of the security services [6] — marked its centennial in 2026: on May 2, a gala match between the Dynamo hockey club and the Regional Government team, which ended in a 9–9 draw, was held on the ice of KRK "Nagorny" [13].

The current legal entity — the Nizhny Novgorod organization of the association "All-Russian Physical Culture and Sports Society 'Dynamo'" — was registered in March 1993 at 4 Universitetsky Lane; since December 2023 it has been headed by Igor Zavozyayev. The organization owns the sports complex at the stadium, where sambo, judo, and soccer sections operate [1][14]. The Dynamo Nizhny Novgorod Hockey Club has been rebuilding since 2020; by 2026 its system included eight teams — seven men's and one women's — and in April 2026 the women's team won the Myshkin Division of the Women's Hockey League. The club's director is Ruslan Sukhov [2].

The Stadium in the 1990s–2020s

The stadium went without major renovation for a long time, and its fate was compared to that of another stadium in the city center — Vodnik [1]. By 2024 the paint on the walls had peeled, the stands were crumbling, and some of them had been demolished to make room for a parking lot. The main entrance from Bolshaya Pokrovskaya was closed for most of the year, and people entered the stadium from the side of Malaya Pokrovskaya and from the ravine near the Studencheskiy footbridge [1]. The wooden seats in the stands were broken in places, plaster was falling from the wall, and the fence had rusted through [12].

The stadium was liveliest in winter: the running tracks were flooded, and locals skated on them for a nominal fee, though many complained about the quality of the ice [1]. In summer, American football teams trained here and amateurs played games [12]. The stadium is not municipal property [1]. The "Nizhny 800" project proposed opening it to the public and building a Pump track, a basketball court, and a workout area, but the idea never got beyond consideration [1].

The 2025–2026 Major Renovation

The major renovation project passed the state historical and cultural review in February 2025. In 2024, its cost was estimated at more than 620 million rubles [15]; later, the total cost was given as over 800 million rubles [6]. The renovation was paid for from the regional budget, and the work was overseen by the Ministry of Sports of Nizhny Novgorod Region and carried out by the Directorate for Construction [3][16][17]. The stadium closed for renovation on April 1, 2025, with the work expected to take a year and a half; in the spring, surveys began and the old football pitch was dismantled. The stadium's director is Vladimir Kiselyov [15]. In September 2025, the work was 52% complete [16], and in November readiness was estimated at 71% [6].

During the renovation:

  • the running tracks received a professional surface, like those at Luzhniki and at the training base in Novogorsk [11][17];
  • the football field was relaid with an artificial surface [2][17]; the jumping areas were renovated [3];
  • the stands were repaired and waterproofed, and 1,880 seats were replaced [11]; a canopy was erected over the stands — according to the Dynamo society, the covered stand is designed for 3,000 spectators [2][3];
  • sports lighting, perimeter fencing, and an electronic timing system with a scoreboard were installed [4][17];
  • under the stands, locker rooms, showers, equipment issue points, and sports halls were built and renovated [17];
  • a padel tennis court appeared [18].

Fire Tower

The training fire tower is a historic part of the stadium's architectural complex [4][19]. The stadium is associated with fire and rescue applied sports competitions [11], and in the 1980s firefighters competed here [12]. During the renovation, the tower's floors, windows, and doors were replaced, a new staircase was installed, electricity was run to every floor, and the facade was clad in modern materials; the safety nets and the safety cushion were renewed [4]. After the renovation, the stadium can host fire and rescue sport competitions up to and including the Russian Emergencies Ministry (MChS) championship, as well as athletics, hockey, and football events [4].

Governor Gleb Nikitin named the canopy over the stands and the reconstructed fire tower as the main results of the renovation [3].

Dynamo Stadium is a symbol of an era. For practically the entire Gorky and post-Soviet period of Nizhny Novgorod, it was one of the most iconic sports venues in the city center.

— Gleb Nikitin, August 21, 2026 [4]

After the opening

Until September 15, 2026, the stadium is open to everyone free of charge, daily from 7:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. After the free period ends, a fee has been introduced for use of the sports infrastructure: an adult ticket for the running tracks with no time limit costs 250 rubles, and entry is free for minors; rental of the whole football field is 10,000 rubles per hour, and a quarter of the field is 2,500 rubles per hour; discounts for large families were planned to be approved the following year. After the free period ends, a differentiated regime of free access to the athletics tracks has been established: pensioners, people with disabilities, large and low-income families, as well as medalists of the Olympic, Paralympic, and Deaflympic Games with their coaches may train free of charge during the slot from 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.; combat veterans and participants of the SMO (the "special military operation") with their family members may do so throughout the entire working day from 7:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. upon presenting documents; students, law enforcement personnel, and pupils of sports schools train free of charge as part of scheduled sessions; for everyone else, visits are paid and take place outside training hours.

The approved schedule of discounted access is in effect until November 15, 2026, after which the stadium is planned to be closed to prepare the winter ice rink; the administration promised to announce the list of discounted categories for ice skating separately.[25][22]; since autumn, law enforcement personnel and children's football and athletics sections have trained there, and in winter hockey players do, and mass skating sessions are held [18]. At the opening, the head of the city, Yuri Shalabaev, called Dynamo the largest ice rink in Nizhny Novgorod [3].

Chronology

Dynamo Stadium: Key Dates
DateEvent
1926Decision to build the stadium on its present site [2][3]
mid-1930sA football pitch with running tracks is built; the stadium bears the name of V. I. Lenin [1][2]
January 1939Five-city speed skating meet at Dynamo Stadium [7]
January 1947First City Cup in ice hockey; winner — Torpedo [5]
August 9, 1949Closing of the Olympiad at Dynamo Stadium [20]
1952RSFSR speed skating championship [9]
1953According to some sources, the stadium is renamed Dynamo and becomes the home ground of the football club [1]
1967Final games of the All-Union Kozhany Myach ("Leather Ball") tournament [10]
1980sCompetitions for firefighters and dog handlers [12]
March 1993The current Nizhny Novgorod branch of the Dynamo society is registered [1]
April 1, 2025Stadium closed for major renovation [15]
May 2, 2026Gala match in honor of the centenary of Nizhny Novgorod's Dynamo [13]
August 21, 2026Reopening after major renovation [3]

Links

Free general physical fitness training sessions and GTO standards testing were extended until early October following requests from residents — the decision was made by Dmitry Kabaylo, Minister of Sports of Nizhny Novgorod Region.[21]

For the winter season, the renovated stadium plans to flood an ice rink — the facility is intended for public skating and hockey training.[22]

Sources

  1. Newsroom24 — After the stadium's opening in 2026, the management of the sports facility set a differentiated schedule for free use of the running tracks: from 10:00
  1. Govorit Nizhny — After the stadium's opening, a differentiated regime of free access to the running tracks was established: pensioners, people with disabilities, large families and low-
  1. NN.RU — After the completion of renovation work, a new football pitch with artificial turf was laid at the stadium, running tracks and jumping pits were built, the lighting was replaced, the
  1. Zhivyom v Nizhnem — After the stadium's opening on August 21 and a free period lasting until September 15, an admission fee was introduced at the stadium: sessions on the running tracks cost 250 rubles (without
  1. Otkrytyy Nizhny — After the opening in August 2026, fees were introduced at the stadium for the use of the sports infrastructure: an adult ticket for the running tracks without a time limit (archive)
  1. Otkrytyy Nizhny — The stadium's address is 51 Bolshaya Pokrovskaya Street. After the stadium's opening in 2026, more than 10 thousand people visited it; free general physical fitness training
  1. NN.RU — history and condition of the stadium, September 21, 2024 — The Worst Ice Rink in the City and a Parking Lot Instead of Stands. How the Dinamo Stadium in Central Nizhny Novgorod Lives and Dies (archive)
  2. nn.aif.ru — AiF Nizhny Novgorod — history of the stadium and the Dinamo society, August 27, 2026 — A Dynamic Century. Nizhny Novgorod's Oldest Stadium Reopens (archive)
  3. V gorode N — reopening of the stadium after renovation, August 21, 2026 — Dinamo Stadium in Central Nizhny Novgorod Reopened After Reconstruction: Photos (archive)
  4. NIA "Nizhny Novgorod" — reopening of the stadium, August 21, 2026 — Nizhny Novgorod's Oldest Dinamo Stadium Reopens After Reconstruction: Photos (archive)
  5. ratnik.tv — Ratnik — history of HC Torpedo, December 7, 2022 — Hockey Club Torpedo: Looking Optimistically to the Future! (archive)
  6. Open Nizhny — progress of the reconstruction, November 1, 2025 — Reconstruction of Dinamo Stadium in Nizhny Novgorod to Be Completed in the First Half of 2026 (archive)
  7. Photograph "At Dinamo Stadium" with an inscription on the back, January 1939 — At Dinamo Stadium
  8. Postcard "City of Gorky. Dinamo Stadium," 1930s
  9. goskatalog.ru — photograph by I. A. Saichev, "Speed Skating Competition for the RSFSR Championship," 1952 — Dinamo Stadium
  10. Photograph from the album "Geofizik, the Football of My Distant Youth" (2016), 1967 — Dinamo Stadium. Final Games of the All-Union "Leather Ball" Tournament
  11. Vremya N — reopening of the stadium, August 21, 2026 — Renovated Dinamo Stadium Reopens in Nizhny Novgorod (archive)
  12. V gorode N — stadiums of Nizhny Novgorod, March 18, 2025 — Ruins of Soviet Sport: What the Stadiums in Nizhny Novgorod Look Like and How They Live (archive)
  13. Vremya N — centennial of Nizhny Novgorod's Dinamo, May 2, 2026 — Gala Hockey Match Honoring the 100th Anniversary of the Nizhny Novgorod Dinamo Society Held on the Ice of Nagornyy (archive)
  14. dynamo.su — Dinamo Society — Nizhny Novgorod Regional Organization — Nizhny Novgorod Regional Organization of the Dinamo Society (archive)
  15. GIPERNN — preparation for reconstruction, March 17, 2025 — Dinamo Stadium in Nizhny Novgorod Begins to Be Prepared for Reconstruction (archive)
  16. GIPERNN — progress of the major overhaul, September 12, 2025 — Major Overhaul of Dinamo Stadium in Nizhny Novgorod to Be Completed in 2026 (archive)
  17. szno.ru — Nizhny Novgorod Region Construction Directorate — results of the major overhaul, August 21, 2026 — Construction Directorate Completes Major Overhaul: Dinamo Stadium Open Again to Nizhny Novgorod Residents (archive)
  18. Nizhegorodskiye novosti — stadium operating hours, August 21, 2026 — Operating Schedule Set for Dinamo Stadium in Nizhny Novgorod (archive)
  19. NN.RU — reopening of the stadium, August 21, 2026 — Legendary Dinamo Stadium in Nizhny Novgorod Reopened After Reconstruction — How It Went
  20. Photograph by V. Khramtsovsky from the book "Soviet Gorky," August 9, 1949 — At the Closing of the Olympiad at Dinamo Stadium