Palace of Culture of the Gorky Automobile Plant — the main cultural club building of Avtozavodsky District, opened on December 30, 1961. At the time of its opening, it was considered the largest trade-union palace of culture in the country.
Before the Palace
The site where the palace stands was developed from the very beginning of Sotsgorod: in 1933–1934, a sports and cultural facility with an outdoor stage was established here.
On November 6, 1937, a cinema-concert hall opened on this site — the building that would later house the Mir cinema.
Construction
The decision to build a palace of culture in Avtozavodsky District was signed by People's Commissar of Heavy Industry Sergo Ordzhonikidze. The design was chosen through a competition: out of four entries, the project by architect Alexander Grinberg was judged the best.
The war prevented the project from being completed — construction was halted, and the building was finished only in the postwar years, which is why the original architectural vision was never fully realized.
Opening
The palace was opened on December 30, 1961, to coincide with the automobile plant's anniversary. It became the largest trade-union palace of culture in the Soviet Union and, for decades, the district's main venue: it hosted clubs and ensembles, concerts, meetings, and plant celebrations.
Sources
- lib-avt.ru — Centralized Library System of Avtozavodsky District — Encyclopedia of Avtozavodsky District
- nn-tourist.ru — Tourism Portal of Nizhny Novgorod Region — Guide to Avtozavodsky District
- travelq.ru — Sotsgorod in Nizhny Novgorod: a walking route