Where to go, what to see: Alexander Garden in Nizhny Novgorod

Nizhny Novgorod is praised for sunsets — here you can admire them from almost anywhere, although the locals have a list of the main spots (we advise you to climb the Kremlin bell tower). Also — for delicious food: there will not be enough days off to get around the main restaurants of the city (and they are beautiful here: they occupy old mansions with preserved stucco work, others are at the foot of the Kremlin). Plus — for big water: sailing boats of the Wind Power sail here and there every now and then, and couples in love embrace on saps — putting their feet into the water, they turn their shoulders to the sun and to each other.

Nizhny Novgorod captivates and falls in love almost at first sight. And the first conversations with local residents — those who keep their bookstores here, take walks through the works of street art artists hidden from the eyes of tourists around the corners, open coffee houses and cultural spaces. The latter are private galleries with residences for artists and parks, exhibition and concert halls opened after a large-scale restoration for the 800th anniversary of the city. Alexander Garden is just such a space: it is good to breathe here at any time of the year, enjoy the view of the Volga and listen to music. If you’re in Nizhny, be sure to check it out.

Alexander Garden is a green oasis in the city center, located on the slopes overlooking the river. Next to it are the main historical sights of the city: the Nizhny Novgorod Kremlin, the Chkalov Stairs, the Upper Volga Embankment, Minin and Pozharsky Square. This is the first public space in Nizhny Novgorod. It was founded in 1835 — after Nicholas I visited the city. Previously, there were buildings on the slopes of Panskaya Sloboda, and the view of the city from the Volga was spoiled by backyards, vegetable gardens and cesspools. By order of the emperor, everything superfluous was demolished, after which a park appeared, named after his wife Alexandra Feodorovna.

The garden was built in the English style — it turned out to be an endless series of viewpoints from which picturesque views of the Nizhne-Volzhskaya embankment, the Volga and the Trans-Volga distances opened. Trees have been planted here for twenty years. The work was carried out under the guidance of Academician Ivan Efimov and Colonel of the Corps of Railway Engineers Petr Gotman. And later, the court gardener Karl Petzold, a master of romantic landscape compositions from Germany, was sent to Nizhny Novgorod.

Alexander Garden was not a place of peace and quiet — life was seething here. Around — orchestras, Russian and gypsy choirs, acrobats and magicians. Maxim Gorky, Fedor Chaliapin and Pavel Melnikov-Pechersky dropped in here.

In the 60s, with the light hand of the architect Valentina Baulina, gazebos, lanterns, additional recreation areas, tennis courts, and health-improving routes appeared in the park. The park lived and breathed.

The chief conductor of the Gorky Philharmonic, Israel Gusman, proposed placing a stage near the slope. So in 1958, the famous stage appeared, resembling a shell due to the shape of the canopy. In the 60s, it became the main point for tens of thousands of citizens — people came here to listen to Mstislav Rostropovich and Maxim Shostakovich. But in the 90s, the Shell burned down — over the past 30 years, both it and the park as a whole have been an abandoned place.

The park was restored for the 800th anniversary of Nizhny Novgorod, as were many other cultural sites and facilities (for example, warehouses on Strelka, which we talked about here). The concept was created by the Wowhaus bureau, based on the wishes of local experts and residents. Among the well-known projects of the bureau are Gorky Park and Sokolniki in Moscow, the embankment in Tula. Now the Alexander Garden in Nizhny has become comfortable and beautiful. The territory was transformed as part of a large-scale improvement program — «Environment 800», curated by the Institute for the Development of the Urban Environment of the Nizhny Novgorod Region.

Today, the park lives almost more actively than in the days of its inception. There are paths and stairs connecting different levels, an observation deck with a view of the Volga, in its form reminiscent of historical rotunda pavilions of the 19th century. And — a great gift for the residents — the stage «Shell» with a folding amphitheater for the orchestra was recreated. It was installed in the same place — here the music sounds again. For example, 30 years later, the traditional summer Philharmonic evenings returned to the high bank of the Volga.

• Sunset Capital. This year, the multi-genre music festival took place every summer weekend. One of the sites just became the «Shell» in the Alexander Garden. This summer, Tosya Chaikina, Sirotkin, My Michel, Medzhikul, Both Two and others performed here on Saturdays. And on Sundays, you could listen to classical music — for example, performed by the Academic Symphony Orchestra.
• Intervals Audiovisual Art Festival. The festival traditionally occupied several venues, one of which was the Alexander Garden. From August 26 to 28, the Row and Presense installations by Tundra and media.tribe studios, respectively, could be seen on the «Shell» stage.