Fedorovsky Embankment, Verkhnye-Okskaya Embankment — an embankment in Nizhny Novgorod running along Otkos in Nizhegorodsky District, between the undeveloped areas of Dyatlov Hills and the Kremlin.
Whose name the embankment bears
Fedorovsky Embankment runs along the ridge of Otkos in Nizhegorodsky District, above the Oka, between Dyatlov Hills and the Kremlin. Its historical name — Verkhnye-Okskaya — first appeared in the city improvement plan of 1834, drawn up in response to remarks made by Nicholas I.[1]
The current name honors Nikolay Mikhaylovich Fedorovsky (1886–1956) — a mineralogist, participant in the reorganization of Nizhny Novgorod University in 1918, and founder of applied mineralogy. He was the first director of the Institute of Applied Mineralogy, which grew into the All-Russian Institute of Mineral Resources, which today bears his name. In 1939 Fedorovsky was repressed; he was released in 1954.[1][2]
How it was built
In the nineteenth century, the lower part of the city was connected to the upper by the Pokhvalinsky elevator — a funicular running from Blagoveschenskaya Square to the upper tram line; it operated until 1928.[1]
The first genuine improvements came only in the 1960s, when residential buildings, bridges over the ravines, and a hotel were erected. This construction is criticized to this day — the high-rises blocked part of the panorama.[1]
The architecture of the embankment and its surroundings spans many eras: the Lomonosov School of 1913, the Uspensky Church and the merchant Olisov's chambers from the seventeenth century, and a curved apartment block from 1966.[1]
From the viewing platforms, visitors can see the Nizhny Novgorod Yarmarka, Strelka, Aleksandra Nevskogo Cathedral, the Nizhne-Volzhskaya Embankment, and the river terminal — hence the route's reputation as the city's most panoramic.[1]
Jules Verne in a Hot-Air Balloon
On September 27, 2015, a sculptural composition dedicated to Jules Verne — the first in Russia and the sixth in the world — was unveiled on the embankment. Created by Kazan sculptor Fanil Valiullin, the life-size bronze writer soars in a hot-air balloon whose basket visitors can climb into and be photographed.[3]
The monument's appearance is connected to the novel Michael Strogoff (1876), in which the city is described in detail.[1][3]
Jules Verne wrote nine novels about Russia. In one of them, the protagonist travels from Moscow to Nizhny Novgorod, where he encounters Rozhdestvenskaya Street and then crosses a pontoon bridge to the Nizhny Novgorod Yarmarka[3]
Park of the 800th Anniversary
On December 11, 2021, the embankment became part of the newly opened Park of the 800th Anniversary of Nizhny Novgorod, covering 7.47 hectares: it united the embankment itself, Zalomov Street and Suetinsky Street, and a terraced park linking the lower town to the upper town via a network of landscaped terraces.[4]
The park gained promenades and amphitheaters, sports and children's playgrounds, a dog run, glass gazebos, and swing benches; in the terraced section, fourteen staircases and two pedestrian bridges over ravines were restored.[4]
On the embankment, Gorky has been sitting on a stone since 1972, and in the evenings more than a thousand lanterns light its length.[1]
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Park area | 7.47 ha |
| Staircases restored | 14 |
| Pedestrian bridges across ravines | 2 |
| Small architectural features | 766 |
| Lighting elements | more than 1,000 |
| Landscaping | 2.5 ha, 1,510 trees and shrubs |
The Mineral Embankment
In January 2020, the Nizhny Novgorod Urban Environment Institute proposed reimagining the embankment through the lens of the profession of the person whose name it bears: dividing it into seven zones, with a quiet recreation zone featuring a "mineral embankment" — terraces, each dedicated to a particular mineral.[5]
Each terrace is dedicated to a particular mineral. The color of the surrounding vegetation is selected to match the color of that mineral[5]
History
There was no proper embankment here until Nicholas I's memorable visit to Nizhny Novgorod in 1834. Angered by the barbaric treatment of the city by its residents and officials, the emperor personally drew up 88 points for the city's reorganization. One of them called for the construction of descents and embankments in Nizhny Novgorod.
According to the design of architects I. E. Yefimov and P. D. Gotman, the upper embankment of the Oka — or the Verkhne-Okskaya, as it is called in some sources — was laid out on the site in question. Here is how the local historian N. Khramtsovsky described this place in the mid-nineteenth century: "To the right of the Ilyinskaya Church begins the Uspenskaya Embankment, which, according to the new plan, was intended to be extended by means of bridges built on arches across the Uspensky and Sergievsky ravines to Gremyachaya Gora, or as far as Pokhvalinskiy Descent."
However, this was never carried out. Only in the 1960s did construction begin here — a hotel, a bridge across the ravine, and residential buildings. Among them were those very high-rises whose construction is now recognized as an urban-planning mistake, since they distort the view of the city from the river. The embankment itself was named after Nikolai Mikhailovich Fedorovsky, Doctor of Geological and Mineralogical Sciences.
"The Monument to the Seated Gorky"
The monument to Maxim Gorky that stands today on the square bearing his name was originally conceived by its creator, Vera Mukhina, to be erected on what is now Fedorovsky Embankment. As it turned out, however, a quite different sculpture of Gorky now graces the Oka slope.
Its creator is Honored Artist of Russia I. P. Shmagun. Before settling permanently on Fedorovsky Embankment in 1973, the sculpture had to do a bit of "traveling."
In 1957, the work was exhibited at an art exhibition in Moscow. Someone from the regional leadership of Gorky (as the city was then called) noticed it and had it transported to Zelenyy Town, to the House of Teachers. Then in 1972, it was decided to install the monument to Gorky on Fedorovsky Embankment. A year later, the cast-iron, life-size figure of the seated writer leaning on a cane became one of the embankment's landmarks. Gorky is expressive and serene, his gaze directed toward the distant trans-Volga expanses.
As conceived by architects B. Nelyubin and S. Timofeyev, the lower terrace of the slope was divided into squares for planting flowers. To the right of the flower bed below stands a granite stele in the form of an open book bearing the writer's words:
|
"My joy and pride is the new Russian man, the builder of a new state. Comrade, know and believe that you are the most necessary person on earth. By doing your small deed, you have begun to create a truly new world." M. Gorky
|
|
An exact replica of this sculpture of Gorky, crafted in wrought copper, has been installed in Magdeburg. This gift was once presented by the people of Nizhny Novgorod to their European twin city.
See also
Sources
- Nizhegorodskaya Pravda — Yuliya Mayorova. 12 facts about Fedorovsky Embankment — the most panoramic route in Nizhny Novgorod (archive)
- vims-geo.ru — All-Russian Institute of Mineral Resources named after N. M. Fedorovsky — N. M. Fedorovsky (1886–1956) (archive)
- Nizhegorodskaya Pravda — A sculptural composition dedicated to Jules Verne opened on September 27 on Fedorovsky Embankment, September 28, 2015 (archive)
- Nizhegorodskaya Pravda — The 800th Anniversary Park opened in Nizhny Novgorod, December 11, 2021 (archive)
- Nizhegorodskaya Pravda — A Minerals Embankment may appear in Nizhny Novgorod, January 7, 2020 (archive)