Markin Square (known as Sofronovskaya Square before 1918) is a square on Rozhdestvenskaya at the Nizhne-Volzhskaya Embankment, opposite the River Station.[1][2] It is named after Nikolay Markin, the organizer of the Volga Military Flotilla.[2] In the center of the square stand the Monument to the Heroes of the Volga Military Flotilla and a fountain.[2]

Sofronovskaya Square

The square took shape between 1835 and 1839, when Rozhdestvenskaya Street was undergoing major urban redevelopment. The catalyst was a visit by Tsar Nicholas I: the emperor ordered the construction of convenient descents for traffic — thus the Zelensky Congress and The Pokhvalinsky Congress descents were built, and Alekseyevskaya Square appeared before the pontoon bridge. The outline of Sofronovskaya Square was established in 1838: old buildings were demolished, the square was leveled, a ravine carved by the Rozhdestvenskiy stream was filled in, and drainage channels were constructed toward the Volga.[1] The square took its name from a merchant whose house once stood there.[1]

Sofronovskaya Square was the center of commercial and public life in the Lower Market: the stock exchange building and the Blinov Passage, where wholesale deals were struck, stood nearby. Year-round, hired cabs waited for passengers; in autumn, vegetables and fruit were sold; there was a government salt shop and a pottery stall, and at Christmas, benches, chests, and stalls were set up selling handcrafted goods, Gorodets gingerbread, and Balakhna honey cakes.[1]

The Church of Kozma and Damian

On the perimeter of the square, on the site of the present-day Nizhnovenergo building, stood the Church of Kozma and Damian. The stone eclectic-style building was erected in 1890, but a wooden log-framed church of Kozma and Damian had existed in the Lower Posad as early as the 1620s. When the new church was being built, the old wooden one was to be demolished; however, antiquarian researchers successfully defended the 17th-century bell tower — the matter reached the highest ecclesiastical authorities and the Emperor.[1]

In 1896, during the Tsar's visit to Nizhny Novgorod, the bell tower was preserved at his wish as a historical monument and restored under the supervision of architect Meltser. During the Soviet period, the entire ensemble was destroyed; most of the historic buildings around the perimeter of the square survived.[1]

The Philanthropists' Fountain

In the late 19th century, a fountain appeared in the square in honor of Nizhny Novgorod philanthropists who had contributed to the construction of the city's water supply system: the names of the Blinovs, the Bugrovs, and Kurbatov were carved on the cast-iron basin, and the small Blinov garden was laid out around it.[1] In the 1960s the fountain was dismantled, and in 1977 the current one was installed in its place, designed by the Gorkovgrazhdanproekt institute as part of a unified ensemble with the monument to the heroes of the flotilla.[3]

The idea of restoring the historical fountain has long been discussed. The Philanthropic Council of Nizhny Novgorod Region resolved to reconstruct it using charitable funds and invited the Zemlya Nizhegorodskaya foundation to serve as the organizer of the fundraising and the client for the construction. A concept design was produced by the DA architectural studio; according to its director Zoya Ryurikova, the fountain is positioned slightly off-center in the garden so that the two dominant elements — the fountain and the monument — do not compete with each other. The original drawings of the fountain have not been found, and designer Elizaveta Ryabchikova reconstructed the cast-iron details from photographs.[3]

At the public discussion held on August 24 on the Rozhdestvenskaya Side, opinions were divided. Local historian Alexey Davydov objected that the entire sculptural group, including the existing fountain, is protected by law, and proposed that the reconstructed fountain be placed elsewhere; Igor Petrov, deputy head of the regional authority for state protection of cultural heritage sites, clarified that only the monument and the steles are listed in the register, and that it was therefore important not to encroach on the monument's protected zone.[3]

The 2020 Renovation

The square covers 1.84 hectares. On the Rozhdestvenskaya Street side it is bounded by a protected cultural heritage site — the Blinov merchants' tenement building — with the River Terminal and the Nizhne-Volzhskaya Embankment, renovated for the FIFA World Cup, nearby.[2]

After the renovated embankment opened in 2018, the square was used mainly as a thoroughfare. Part of the space was taken up by an informal parking area near the Blinov Passage and on the traffic islands opposite the River Terminal; the square was cluttered with outdated and damaged street furniture, advertising structures, and art installations that blocked views of the embankment, the terminal, and the ensemble of the monument and modernist fountain; the fountain itself had not been operational for many years and was covered with metal shields, while a row of mismatched commercial pavilions stood at the bus stop.[2]

In 2020 the square was renovated according to a concept developed by the Nizhny Novgorod Region Urban Environment Development Institute as part of the Sreda 800 programme. The concept was built on pre-design analysis: surveys, mapping, field observations, interviews, and working sessions with urban experts and regular users of the square.[2] For the city's 800th anniversary, the pedestrian zone along the buildings was widened, a new public transport stop with retail and information pavilions was installed, swings and benches were added, and landscaping was carried out.[1]

Today the square hosts city events: festivals, a New Year tree and ice rink, and open-air film screenings.[2]

Nikolay Markin

Markin, a Baltic sailor and Bolshevik, was the organizer and commissar of the legendary Volga Military Flotilla, which was formed in Nizhny Novgorod.

In September 1918, Markin led the operation to land troops and capture Kazan.

At the age of 26, he was killed in battle with White Guard forces ("White Czechs") near the mouth of the Kama River.

On October 1, 1918, while conducting reconnaissance on the Kama River near Pyany Bor, Markin was caught in an artillery ambush aboard the gunboat Vanya. The vessel was sunk; the commissar kept covering the crew with machine-gun fire until the last moment and perished with the ship.

See also

Sources

  1. Nizhegorodskaya Pravda — , Oksana Snegireva, November 19, 2021 — In River Mode: Why the Emperor Stopped at Markin Square (archive)
  2. irgsno.ru — Nizhny Novgorod Region Urban Environment Development Institute — Renovation of Markin Square: the Sreda 800 programme concept (archive)
  3. dengoroda-nn.ru — Newspaper Den Goroda. Nizhny Novgorod — The Philanthropists' Fountain — to be or not to be? Expert community on restoring the monument to benefactors (archive)