Nizhny Novgorod, he is Gorky, he is, with a light youth hand - NiNo or NN. The city, which has earned the title of the Volga capital, is really distinctive - a little provincial and at the same time rapidly developing, retaining its historical appearance, at the same time, it is rapidly acquiring modern architecture.

If we talk about the sights of Nizhny Novgorod, then there are quite a few of them: for 8 centuries of existence, whose only foot has not set foot on the land of the Dyatlovy Mountains, who just did not leave their mark on the history of Nizhny Novgorod.

Nizhny Novgorod is the birthplace of outstanding people in the field of literature, art and science. And almost every eminent city dweller has a monument here. As a last resort - a memorial plaque. Monuments to the most famous residents of Nizhny Novgorod - Minin and Pozharsky, Gorky and Chkalov are installed in the very heart of Nizhny Novgorod.

The most famous landmark of Nizhny Novgorod, the Kremlin, is also located here. Recently, negotiations are underway to include it in the UNESCO List of World Heritage Sites in Russia.

Immediately behind the walls of the Kremlin, Rozhdestvenskaya Street is located on one side, and on the other - Chkalovskaya Stairs. Walking up these stairs is an occasion not only to marvel at the power of engineering, but also to test your endurance. There are no less than 560 steps in the staircase! This is the longest staircase in Russia.

Numerous churches and cathedrals occupy a special place among the sights of the city. Some are monumental and austere (the Old Fair Cathedral, the Alexander Nevsky New Fair Cathedral), while others are small and intricate (the Stroganov Church and the Church of the Nativity of John the Baptist at the Marketplace).

But all are incredibly beautiful, with a rich centuries-old history. The Nizhny Novgorod monasteries - the Annunciation and the Pechersk ones - are especially famous.

As for the museums of Nizhny Novgorod, their number is not too large, but they all undoubtedly deserve attention. Moreover, some of them are unique and exist in Russia in the singular - for example, the Dobrolyubov Museum.

The most famous, of course, is the recently restored and therefore amazingly beautiful museum of local lore - the Rukavishnikovs Estate. Here, not so much the expositions are of great value, but the building itself, striking in its beauty and combination of styles.

Almost all the most interesting museums are located close to each other: the Art Museum, the Russian Museum of Photography, the A.M. Gorky.

Still, the main attraction is the natural beauty and landscapes of Nizhny Novgorod, opening from the Verkhnevolzhskaya embankment. The Nizhny Novgorod Volga slope is a place that UNESCO specialists plan to include in the list of World Heritage Sites.

The beauty of the Nizhny Novgorod nature can be appreciated not only on the Verkhne-Volzhskaya embankment, but also in one of the city parks: Avtozavodsky Park, Kulibin Park, Pushkin Park, Switzerland Park.

For example, in Pushkin Park you can walk along the unique birch alley, and in the Switzerland Park you can enjoy the beauty of the river and ride one of the many attractions.

The history of mankind is full of the names of those people whose merits and deeds have forever been imprinted on its pages. At all times, there were those who looked at the world differently, had a sharp mind, purposefulness, had the courage and courage to accomplish real deeds. The activities of such people do not pass unnoticed, are not forgotten by the next generations. An important role in this is played by their perpetuation in the form of monuments. This kind of manifestation of respect and memory can be found in every locality, because even the smallest community knows the names of those who made a great contribution to its formation and development. Nizhny Novgorod also remembers great people. The monument to the test pilot and the real master-virtuoso was erected on December 15, 1940 and still reminds residents of his services to the country.

Who is Valery Chkalov?

Among all significant sites, the Chkalov monument in Nizhny Novgorod stands out, the history of which is distinguished by many twists and turns and surprises. The man who gave the development of Soviet aviation a powerful impetus and thanks to whom during the Great Patriotic War the pilots have mastered new, incredibly important skills, which cannot but arouse respect and gratitude from people. Valery Chkalov was the commander of the aircraft that made the first non-stop flight from Moscow to Vancouver.

He was an innovator, a pioneer in a new stage in aviation. Thanks to the results of his activity, Valery Chkalov is considered the founder of the aerobatics school, which is based on a thorough knowledge of piloting techniques and courage. This man was the first test aircraft of different speed modes, which allowed the designers to constantly improve their models. His skills to quickly evade fire thanks to wartime helped a considerable number of pilots to stay alive in the face of direct danger.

Monument to Valery Chkalov in Nizhny Novgorod: history

Valery Chkalov died on December 15, 1938 while testing another fighter model. Immediately after his death, the government adopted a number of documents that contained decisions to perpetuate his memory. The place for the installation of the monument was not chosen by chance. The observation deck near the St. George Tower of the Kremlin was Chkalov's favorite walking place.

Earlier on this place there was a statue "Girl with an oar". During his lifetime, Valery Chkalov advised this place to his friend, the sculptor Isaac Mendelevich, to erect a monument to Maxim Gorky. Then he did not know that it was in this place that his exploits would forever be immortalized and that it would especially highlight Nizhny Novgorod. Every day dozens of people come to see the Chkalov monument, and all of them look at the figure of the Hero with great respect Soviet Union.

Authors' idea

The monument to Valery Chkalov in Nizhny Novgorod was designed by his friend Mendelevich, as well as architects and Viktor Andreev. Valery Chkalov is depicted wearing a glove in his flight suit. The base is a cylindrical granite pedestal, which is located on three high steps. On the polished surface of the base there was an image of a map that marked the route of Valery Chkalov's two most significant flights. Moscow as the starting point of all its beginnings is marked with a ruby \u200b\u200bstar.

Construction

In just a month of work, this place decorated Nizhny Novgorod. Although the monument to Chkalov was erected quite quickly, since the solemn laying of its foundation on Aviation Day in 1940, it was often altered, as a number of inaccuracies were made. A bronze monument was made; the figure was cast at the Leningrad plant "Monumentskulptura". According to the establishment, the question arose about creating the necessary chiaroscuro, as a result of which, searchlights were installed for special lighting on the roof of the St.George Tower and the Medical Institute.

The sculptor Isaak Mendelevich was awarded the Stalin Prize in 1942 for the monument to Valery Chkalov. Later, in 1960, the monument was taken under state protection. Since 1940, it has changed several times. Often it was necessary to restore it, because weather conditions accelerated the process of destruction of materials. As a result, the stars on the map changed three times. But even with frequent strengthening and alteration, the monument retained its original appearance.

Chkalovskaya stairs

Chkalovskaya Stairs is a visiting card, one of the most popular places that glorify Nizhny Novgorod. The Chkalov monument was originally built near industrial zones. At one of the meetings of the city commission for the construction of the monument, an idea was put forward for the construction of a staircase that would connect the monument itself and the river below.

This contributed to the improvement of the slope and the embankment. The war was the main obstacle to the completion of the project, and its implementation was delayed for six years. As a result, it was made in the shape of a figure eight and has 560 steps. The name "Chkalovskaya Staircase" was given to the place by the people and finally stuck with it.

Valery Pavlovich Chkalov (January 20 (February 2) 1904, Vasilevo, Balakhninsky district, Nizhny Novgorod province, the Russian Empire - December 15, 1938, Moscow, RSFSR, USSR) - Soviet test pilot, brigade commander (1938), Hero of the Soviet Union. Chkalov is a legendary person in our country. The idol of the pre-war youth - the one who defeated the fascist aggressors.

A monument to Chkalov on the Volga slope stands at one of the towers of the Nizhny Novgorod Kremlin, crowning the Chkalovskaya staircase. Chkalovskaya Stairs is one of the most beautiful places in Nizhny Novgorod. Its shape is very interesting - in the form of an eight or an infinity sign. From here there are magnificent views of the Volga, the Nizhny Novgorod Kremlin, the Volga distances. The Chkalov monument appeared almost 10 years earlier than the Chkalov stairs - in 1939. He stands facing the city, against the background of the sky. Today the Chkalov monument is one of the symbols of Nizhny Novgorod.

Valery Chkalov


a photo

The fate of the future Hero was not easy. Mother died early when Valery was 6 years old. At the age of seven, Valery went to study at Vasilevskaya primary school, then - to the school. In 1916, after graduating from school, his father sent him to study at the Cherepovets Technical School (now the Cherepovets VP Chkalov Forestry Mechanical College). In 1918, the school was closed, and Valery had to return home. He began to work as an assistant for his father, a hammer in a forge, and with the beginning of navigation he went to work as a fireman on an excavator.

In 1919 Valery Chkalov worked as a fireman on the "Bayan" steamer on the Volga and then saw the plane for the first time. After that, he retired from the ship, in the same year he went to serve in the Red Army. He was sent as an aircraft assembly fitter to the 4th Kanavinsky aviation park in Nizhny Novgorod.

In 1921, Chkalov achieved a direction to study at the Yegoryevsk Military-Theoretical School of the Air Force, after graduation in 1922 he was sent to further study at the Borisoglebsk Military Aviation Pilot School, graduated in 1923.

In June 1924, a military fighter pilot Chkalov was sent to serve in the Leningrad Red Banner Fighter Squadron named after P.N. Nesterova (Commandant airfield). During his service in the squadron, he showed himself as a daring and courageous pilot. He made risky flights, for which he received penalties and was repeatedly suspended from flights. According to legend, once Chkalov even flew under the Equality Bridge (Troitsky) in Leningrad, which, however, is not confirmed by documents. For the film "Valery Chkalov" this flight was made by the pilot Yevgeny Borisenko. At the same time, he had serious problems with discipline, which ended in major troubles - on November 16, 1925, he was sentenced by a military tribunal to one year in prison for a drunken fight, then the term was reduced to 6 months.

In 1926, the 1st Red Banner Fighter Squadron was relocated from the Commandant airfield to the Trotsk airfield (today - Gatchina), where Chkalov served from 1926 to 1928. In 1927, Chkalov married a Leningrad teacher Olga Orekhova. In March 1928, he was transferred to the 15th Bryansk Aviation Squadron, his wife and son Igor remained in Leningrad.

In Bryansk, Chkalov made an accident, was accused of aerial recklessness and numerous violations of discipline. By the verdict of the military tribunal of the Belarusian Military District of October 30, 1928, Chkalov was sentenced under article 17, paragraph "a" of the Regulations on military crimes and article 193-17 of the RSFSR Criminal Code to one year in prison, and was also dismissed from the Red Army. He did not serve his sentence for long, at the request of Ya.I. Alksnis and K. Ye. Voroshilov less than a month later the sentence was changed to a conditional one and Chkalov was released from the Bryansk prison. While in reserve, at the beginning of 1929, Chkalov returned to Leningrad and until November 1930 worked at the Leningrad Osoaviakhim, where he headed a glider school and was an instructor pilot.

In November 1930, Chkalov was reinstated in military rank and sent to work at the Moscow Research Institute of the Red Army Air Force. For two years of work at the Research Institute, he made more than 800 test flights, having mastered the technique of piloting 30 types of aircraft. On December 3, 1931, Chkalov took part in tests of an airplane (aircraft carrier), which was a heavy bomber carrying up to five fighter aircraft on its wings and fuselage.

In 1932, the Air Force Research Institute was transferred from the Khodynskoye field in Moscow to an airfield near the city of Shchelkovo, Moscow Region. Relocation from an ordinary event turned into the first air parade in the USSR with a flight over Red Square. 45 aircraft flew in a column of three cars in a row, and at the head was a TB-3 bomber with tail number 311, controlled by the crew of Valery Chkalov.

In January 1933, Valery Chkalov was again in reserve and transferred to work as a test pilot of the Moscow Aviation Plant No. 39 named after Menzhinsky. Together with his senior friend Alexander Anisimov, he tested the latest fighter aircraft of the 1930s I-15 (biplane) and I-16 (monoplane) designed by Polikarpov. He also took part in tests of tank destroyers "VIT-1", "VIT-2", as well as heavy bombers "TB-1", "TB-3", a large number of experimental and experimental machines of the Polikarpov Design Bureau. The author of new aerobatics - an ascending spin and a slow roll. On May 5, 1935, aircraft designer Nikolai Polikarpov and test pilot Valery Chkalov were awarded the highest government award - the Order of Lenin - for the creation of the best fighter aircraft.

In the fall of 1935, pilot Baidukov suggested Chkalov organize a record flight from the USSR to the United States through the North Pole and lead the aircraft's crew. In the spring of 1936, Chkalov, Baidukov and Belyakov turned to the government with a proposal to conduct such a flight, but Stalin indicated a different route plan: Moscow - Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, fearing a repetition of Levanevsky's unsuccessful attempt (in August 1935, the flight of S. Levanevsky, G. Baidukov and V. Levchenko on the route Moscow - North Pole - San Francisco was interrupted due to a malfunction).

The flight of the Chkalov crew from Moscow to the Far East started on July 20, 1936 and lasted 56 hours until landing on the sandy spit of Udd Island in the Sea of \u200b\u200bOkhotsk. The total length of the record route was 9375 kilometers. Already on the island of Udd, the inscription "Stalin's route" was put on board the plane, which was saved on the next flight - through the North Pole to America. Both Chkalov flights officially bore this name until the beginning of the "struggle against the cult of Stalin's personality" and literary erasures. For the flight to the Far East, the entire crew was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union with the Order of Lenin: the Gold Star medal, introduced in 1939 after Chkalov's death, was awarded only in 2004 to his children. In addition, Chkalov was presented with a U-2 personal plane (now in a museum in Chkalovsk). The exceptional propaganda importance of this flight for its time is evidenced by the fact that I.V. Stalin personally arrived on August 10, 1936 at the Shchelkovsky airfield near Moscow to meet the returning plane. From that moment, Chkalov gained nationwide fame in the USSR.

Chkalov continued to seek permission to fly to the United States, and in May 1937, permission was obtained. The ANT-25 aircraft was launched on June 18. The flight took place in significantly more difficult conditions than the previous one (no visibility, icing, etc.), but on June 20, the plane made a safe landing in Vancouver, Washington, USA. The length of the flight was 8504 kilometers. For this flight, the crew was awarded the Orders of the Red Banner.

On December 12, 1937, Valery Chkalov was elected a deputy of the Council of Nationalities of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR from the Gorky region and the Chuvash ASSR. At the request of the residents of Vasilev, their village was renamed Chkalovsk. I. Stalin personally offered Chkalov to take the post of People's Commissar of the NKVD, but he refused and continued to engage in flight test work.

Chkalov died on December 15, 1938 during the first test flight on the new I-180 fighter at the Central Aerodrome.

The flight was prepared in a hurry in order to be in time before the end of the year. The release of the aircraft to the airfield was scheduled for November 7, November 15, November 25 ... On December 2, 190 defects were revealed on the assembled aircraft. N.N. Polikarpov protested against the unnecessary race when preparing the I-180 for the first flight, which is why he was removed from this work ...

Valery Chkalov was buried in Moscow, an urn with his ashes was installed in the Kremlin wall.

After the death of Chkalov, a number of leaders of the aircraft plant involved in organizing this flight were arrested, they were sentenced to long terms of imprisonment for releasing an aircraft with numerous malfunctions that resulted in the death of the pilot.

In 1943, funds were allocated to build a huge memorial staircase in honor of the victory soviet army at Stalingrad battle... The construction involved, among other things, German prisoners of war. In 1949 the staircase was finished.

The project of the Chkalov staircase of the war years:

Chkalovskaya stairs and a monument to Chkalov from the Volzhskaya embankment.

The monument to the legendary test pilot, Hero of the Soviet Union Valery Pavlovich Chkalov was erected in 1940 over the Verkhne-Volzhskaya embankment in Nizhny Novgorod. The authors of the project are the State Prize Laureate, sculptor I. A. Mendelevich and architects V. S. Andreev and I. G. Taranov.

On three high steps, faced with black granite, there is a cylindrical pedestal on which a bronze figure of Valery Chkalov stands. The authors of the monument depicted the pilot at the time of preparation for the flight. It seems that he only needs to put on a helmet in order to go back to the transcendental distance. A feature of the sculpture is the characteristic gesture - the pilot pulls a long flying glove over the other with one hand. The contours of the map of the Northern Hemisphere are drawn on the polished surface of the pedestal. The routes of V.P. Chkalov's legendary flights to the Far East and across the North Pole to America are marked on the pedestal with a steel dotted line.

Monuments to Chkalov stand in many cities of Russia, but the most famous is the one in Nizhny Novgorod. Valery Chkalov made his name famous in 1936, when, together with pilots Belyakov and Baidukov, he made a non-stop flight across the North Pole from Moscow to American Vancouver, where one of the streets is named after him, having covered 16 minus 12 thousand km in 63 hours. For this feat Chkalov was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union. The pilot died in 1938 while testing a new aircraft. Chkalov was born in 1904 in the village of Vasilev, Nizhny Novgorod Region, repeatedly visited Nizhny Novgorod, was elected to the Supreme Soviet of the Gorky Region.

Valery Pavlovich's favorite place was the Nizhny Novgorod slope (Verkhne-Volzhskaya embankment). On one of their visits, together with their friend the sculptor I.A. Mendelevich, they chose a place for the monument to A.M. Gorky. Mendelevich identified a place near the St. George Tower of the Kremlin. But so fate decreed that a monument to Chkalov himself was erected at this place in 1940, two years after the death of the pilot. The famous Chkalovskaya staircase descends from the Chkalov monument to the Volga embankment.

Slope and Verkhnevolzhskaya embankment

The slope is a favorite resting place for Nizhny Novgorod residents. The vast Volga expanses, opening from the high bank, have conquered more than one generation of residents and guests of the city. Since the 1830s. On the instructions of Nicholas I, the "ceremonial face" of Nizhny Novgorod was created here, facing the Volga: the picturesque public park "Alexandrovsky Garden" was laid out on the slope, the Upper Volga embankment began to be built up with beautiful stone houses. To the right is the building of the Nizhny Novgorod Medical Academy (former Volga society, 1910), to the left is the Volzhsky Slope hotel (architects

A. 3. Greenberg, M. T. Smuroe, 1935).

Verkhne-Volzhskaya embankment is one of the highest embankments in Russia. It offers a beautiful view of the Volga River and the vicinity of the city. Chkalovskaya staircase has 560 steps and is built in the form of an eight. The Chkalovskaya Staircase was built in 1949 during restoration work after the Great Patriotic War. A monument to the "Hero" boat was built on the stairs.

Address: Nizhny Novgorod, st. Verkhne-Volzhskaya embankment

In December 2019 (until the 23rd), the monument is under reconstruction. (You will need to photograph him again later ...)

In this article I have collected and tried to give concise information about one of the iconic sights of Nizhny Novgorod, about the monument to Valery Pavlovich Chkalov, which, together with the Chkalov staircase and the boat below, is probably one of the main symbols (business card) of the city. I understand that a lot has been written about him, but there is no way to ignore him.

Well, how can it be without secrets third stage. See for yourself in the photo below (you can enlarge it if you click), the truth is removed from the first step. If someone suddenly does not guess, I will hint at the end of the article :) (after a slideshow from the photo).

We ourselves, of course, like most of Nizhny Novgorod residents, do not admire the monument (we have seen it so many times that it’s beyond count), but we periodically come to the site for it. The view is breathtaking there, in any weather :) and the season. Well, the kids are running around the figure in pursuit. In general, our review of this attraction is positive, worth a visit.

That's the whole secret of the steps at the Chkalov monument

If it seems to someone that I forgot to mention something important about this place, please write in the comments.

What is Chkalov famous for?

Chkalov Valery Pavlovich - famous Soviet pilot (Hero of the Soviet Union) (1904-1938). Mostly known for commanding a crew that flew over in 1937 across the North Pole from the USSR to the USA. The first flight, at that time, from Moscow to Vancouver without a stopover (in 1935, a similar flight by another crew was interrupted due to breakdowns). There was also a legend that Valery Pavlovich flew by under one of the bridges Leningrad and there is an episode about this in the film about the eminent pilot. Was born in 1904 in the Nizhny Novgorod province. The place was then called "the village of Vasilevo", later it was renamed the city of Chkalovsk. The famous "Nizhny Novgorod" died at the end of 1938 while landing a new aircraft for testing. It is believed that due to the fact that the unfinished plane was “driven” by the New Year. Who is interested in the details of the test pilot's biography, the most optimal article on Wikipedia.

In 2019 (in the fall), I additionally shot a small one-minute video:

Authors of this attraction: architects V.S. Andreev, I.G. Taranov and sculptor I.A. Mendelevich. The story of how and why this monument appeared in Nizhny Novgorod, says that Chkalov was friends with Mendelevich and together they chose this site for the monument to Gorky, but two years later (in 1940) after the tragic death of the pilot, a monument to him was erected here at the request of the inhabitants of Gorky (as Nizhny Novgorod was then called).

A pilot from Nizhny Novgorod can be called with some stretch. He was born in the village of Vasilevo, which later became the city of Chkalovsk, in the Nizhny Novgorod region (then still a province). In Nizhny, he, already an accomplished pilot, came to rest. Before his flying career, he worked as an aircraft assembler.

The monument consists from a cylinder-pedestal, three steps and directly a bronze statue of a pilot. Valery Pavlovich seems to be getting ready for the flight, putting on a glove. In addition to the signature on the cylinder, there is a contour map of the northern hemisphere, which Chkalov "crossed". Initially, there was also an inscription "Stalin's falcon", which was removed.

The figure is equipped with a semicircular observation deckfrom which it begins. Almost in any weather on it, someone admires the opening view of the confluence of the Oka and Volga, the opposite bank. On a modern site there are binoscopes - stationary viewing binoculars. View price: 10 rubles per 100 seconds. One day the children managed to “look through the sight” :), another time the bill acceptor swallowed a coin, but did not let them admire the scenery. So, be careful, give the opportunity to check the performance of other tourists :) Below are a few photos of the monument itself from several sides and the site next to it (taken in 2015).

Now the space surrounding the monument is enough popular Nizhny Novgorod residents have a place. Here appointments are made and friendly meetings, skateboarders, cyclists, bikers and other "sportsmen" often hang out nearby. Short name of the monument - HPV or Valery Palych Chkalov.

The so-called " the secret of the third stage"Can be clearly seen from the first and the second. In my opinion, the first one is even more piquant. I "examined" :) from those steps that are closer to the Kremlin, where a semicircular descent begins. In fact, two "secrets" are being voiced. The first is that pulling on the glove from certain angles looks like an obscene gesture. This is a soft option. If you look at the photo above, from specific steps, you can see that the respected Valery Pavlovich has something indecently sticking out :)

In addition to the monument, tourists will probably be interested in a staircase, a deer on the Nizhne-Volga embankment, and I'm not talking about the Kremlin :) For lovers of museums, I would recommend the Rukavishnikovs' Estate, which is located not far from Chkalov. In general, it's best to read about yourself.

Or take a guided tour of Nizhny Novgorod:

This monument and the story about Chkalov are mentioned in Nizhny Novgorod excursions from private guides:

Where to admire great views and check out the monument

The address very simple - Minin and Pozharsky square (on the embankment), which is next to the Nizhny Novgorod Kremlin. The site is located on the edge of the square, where the Verkhne-Volzhskaya embankment and the Georgievsky congress begin, on the slope. Coordinates: 56.329971, 44.009408. By public transport get to the stops "Minin and Pozhrskogo Square", "Pedagogical University" or "Academy of Water Transport".