Klochay's House (also known as "Klochay Palace") — the name that has become established in Nizhny Novgorod Internet circles for a private estate in Zapochaine, on the brow of a slope above the Pochaina Ravine, opposite the Kremlin[1]. The three-story stone house behind a fence was built between 2005 and 2007 on a plot of approximately twenty sotkas above Zelensky Descent; the city newspaper Novoe Delo reported in 2006 and 2007 that the construction was linked to Viktor Klochay, who was then serving as deputy governor of the region, and in 2021 Kommersant identified the mansion adjoining Pochaina Boulevard as the home of a shareholder in Ruspolimet[2][3].
The House above the Ravine
The estate occupies a plot of approximately twenty sotkas on Pochainskaya Street, in the block between the street and the edge of the ravine; on online maps it corresponds to the address Pochainskaya, 18[1]. The three-story stone house is enclosed by a fence and is clearly visible from below, from Zelensky Descent: it stands on the edge of the slope and stands out noticeably in size among the low-rise buildings of Ilyinskaya Sloboda[2].
Construction took about two years. Journalists from Novoe Delo who visited the site in April 2007 found the house in the finishing stages: hammering could be heard inside, bags and tools were being carried across the grounds, fir trees were being planted around the perimeter, and the lawn was being watered. There was no sign displaying the names of the client or contractor, and the security staff and workers refused to speak[2].
Neighbors told the newspaper that a foundation pit had previously been dug on the site for a different project, but cracks that appeared in the wall of an adjacent building prompted residents to stage a picket and appeal to the city administration and the prosecutor's office of Nizhegorodsky District. The pit was filled in and a children's playground was laid out in its place, while construction soon resumed in a neighboring garden plot[2].
How the house became known
Novoe Delo first reported on the new construction above the Pochaina Ravine in April 2006. The press secretary of Deputy Governor Nikolay Makarskoy declined to comment on the ownership of the house, citing the fact that it was unrelated to Viktor Klochay's work; he repeated the same formulation a year later. An anonymous source in the regional government told the newspaper that Klochay was indeed building a house by the ravine and would move there with his family[2].
Viktor Klochay joined the government of Nizhny Novgorod Region in August 2005, among the first members of Governor Valery Shantsev's team, and served as deputy governor until the end of 2008. He later returned to industry and became chairman of the board of directors of Kulebaki-based Ruspolimet, and in 2014 was elected vice-president of the Russian Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs[4].
Dispute over a forum post
On April 11, 2007, a member of the city forum nn.ru posting under the nickname Bob wrote about the "residence of the deputy governor" on Pochainskaya, comparing the scale of the construction to the years-long renovation of the city art museum[2].
Two days later, a letter arrived in his personal inbox containing confidential details about a family-owned business — its name, address, phone numbers, founders, and bank account number — along with a reference to his recently born daughter. That same evening, an unknown caller "from the regional administration" phoned and proposed a meeting with the deputy governor, and on Sunday the contractor who had hired the post's author for work at that very house relayed a demand that he appear at the construction site gates on Monday[2].
The post's author contacted the editorial office of Novoe Delo. The newspaper sent its correspondents to the meeting and advised him to bring a voice recorder. A man approached him who introduced himself as Vladislav Viktorovich, adviser to the deputy governor, a retired lieutenant colonel and former special-forces unit commander; he produced a printout of the forum post and, in the course of the conversation, enumerated details of his interlocutor's private life — the composition of his family, his daughter's age, and his firm's affairs[2].
The regional government declined to comment on the incident. The post's author filed a complaint with the Nizhny Novgorod Region Prosecutor's Office requesting the opening of a criminal case on grounds of threats to life and health[2].
Build yourselves whatever mansions you like! But why frighten people?
Pochainsky Boulevard
In 2021, the slope above the ravine along which the estate stands was landscaped. On October 1, Pochainsky Boulevard opened here — a pedestrian route from Dobrolyubov Street to Pochainskaya Street; the work was carried out as part of the jubilee programme "Sreda 800" marking the city's 800th anniversary[5].
The investor was Ruspolimet, and the contractor was the Start plant; the landscaped area totalled approximately 2.3 hectares at a cost of more than 50 million rubles. The boulevard features two observation decks with views of the Kremlin and the Strelka, a children's play area, a sports court, lighting, and video surveillance, with around a hundred plants installed — barberry, juniper, maples, and oaks. The design is built around mouse figurines that reference the city's history[5][6].
In describing the project, Kommersant noted that the mansion of Viktor Klochay, a shareholder in the sponsoring company, is located next to the boulevard[3].
Terraced park in the ravine
Below the boulevard, in the Pochaina Ravine itself, a terraced park is under construction — a multi-level public space featuring an amphitheatre, a skate plaza, cycling and pedestrian routes, observation decks, and water features. The project includes a pedestrian bridge and a hundred-metre tunnel beneath Lykova Damba, connecting the two parts of the park[6][7].
The contract between the municipal institution MKU "GUMMiD" and the contractor was signed in autumn 2022 for nearly 3 billion roubles; construction began in December 2023. By spring 2025 completion stood at 45% and deadlines were pushed back; by June 2026 technical readiness had reached 65%, while the estimated cost had grown to approximately 4.5 billion roubles — in March 2026, an additional 1.1 billion roubles was added for the rerouting of a drainage collector and slope engineering protection[8][7].
The park's opening has been rescheduled to November 2026[7].
References
- cartogiraffe.com — Klochay's house on the map of Nizhegorodsky District — Pochainskaya Street, 18 (archive)
- web.archive.org — Novoe Delo — Klochay's mansion. A Nizhny Novgorod resident is being intimidated in the name of the deputy governor. Elena Fyodorova, Vladimir Zelensky, April 26, 2007 (archive)
- Kommersant (Volga Region) — Nizhny Novgorod — Pochaina Ravine to be landscaped in Nizhny Novgorod, July 30, 2021 (archive)
- NIA "Nizhny Novgorod" — Chairman of the board of directors of OAO Ruspolimet Viktor Klochay appointed vice-president of the RSPP, March 20, 2014 (archive)
- Nizhegorodskaya Pravda — Landscaping of Pochainsky Boulevard completed in Nizhny Novgorod, October 1, 2021 (archive)
- strategy.nobl.ru — Development Strategy of Nizhny Novgorod Region — Pochaina Ravine: from a "rag" market to a terraced park (archive)
- NIA "Nizhny Novgorod" — Terraced park in Pochaina Ravine is 65% complete, June 23, 2026 (archive)
- domostroynn.ru — DomostroiNN — Terraced park in Pochaina Ravine to open only at the end of 2026, November 13, 2025 (archive)