Nizhny Novgorod: Map & History

History

The city traces its origin from a small Russian wooden hillfort that was founded by grand prince Yuri II of Vladimir in 1221 at the confluence of two of the most important rivers in his principality, the Volga and Oka rivers. It was the easternmost Russian settlement until the founding of Kurmysh by Boris Konstantinovich in 1372. However, Russian expansion eastward was delayed until the capture of Kazan in 1552, after which the Russian fortress of Alatyr was established.

The independent existence of the medieval fort was threatened by the continuous Mordvin attacks against it; the major attempt made by forces under Purgaz in April 1229 was repulsed. After the death of Yuri II on 4 March 1238 at the Battle of the Sit River, the Mongols occupied the fortress.

Government and politics

The city of Nizhny Novgorod is governed by the city administration and the City Duma. The mayor of the city may be the chairman of the City Duma; however, it may be another person.

The mayor is at the head of the city. The city administration and the city duma are subordinate to him. There are no direct elections of the mayor for city residents. The mayor is appointed by the decision of the City Duma. Since 28 October 2020, Yuri Shalabaev has been the mayor of Nizhny Novgorod.

From 1991 to 2009, the mayor of the city was elected by the townspeople for a term of 5 years. During this time, four people have been in this post: Dmitry Bednyakov, Ivan Sklyarov, Yuri Lebedev, Vadim Bulavinov (twice).

Economy

Since the reign of Emperor Alexander III, Nizhny Novgorod has become the centre of all-Russian merchants. On 15 July 1822 the largest Nizhny Novgorod fair was solemnly opened on the left bank of the Oka. Then Nizhny Novgorod became the main city of all-Russian and international trade. In 1929, the Fair was closed, and the city's economy began to develop in a completely different direction.

The Soviet city of Gorky became one of the largest industrial centres in Russia, the leading role in which belonged to the enterprises of mechanical engineering, metalworking and information technology. At the same time, the first auto giant, the Gorky Automobile Plant, was built.

Geography

The area operates in what is referred to in international standards as Moscow Standard Time (MSK), which is 3 hours ahead of UTC, or UTC+3. Daylight saving time is no longer observed.

In 1834, the first weather station was opened in Nizhny Novgorod. A century later it transformed into Gorky Hydrometeorological service; since 1978, it has been known as the Higher Volga hydrometeorology and natural habitat control department.

The climate in the region is continental, specifically humid continental (Dfb), and it is similar to the climate in Moscow, although colder in winter, which lasts from late November until late March with a permanent snow cover.