Editing Nizhny Novgorod (section)

== History ==
{{Main|History of Nizhny Novgorod|Timeline of Nizhny Novgorod}}

=== Name ===
Originally, the name was just Novgorod (“Newtown"), but to distinguish it from the other, older and well-known [[Veliky Novgorod|Novgorod]] (Veliky Novgorod) to the west, the city was commonly called “Novgorod of the Lower lands," or “Lower Newtown.” This land was named “lower” ([[:wikt:нижний|''nizhniy'' (нижний)]]), even though it is actually higher in altitude than Veliky Novgorod, because it is situated downstream of other Russian cities such as Moscow, [[Vladimir, Russia|Vladimir]] and [[Murom]].

From 1932 to 1990, the city was known as '''Gorky''' ({{lang|ru|Горький}}, {{IPA|ru|ˈɡorʲkʲɪj|}}).

=== Seat of medieval princes ===
{{Main|Principality of Nizhny Novgorod-Suzdal}}
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 [[Spit of Nizhny Novgorod|confluence]] of two of the most important rivers in his principality, the [[Volga River|Volga]] and [[Oka River|Oka]] rivers. It marked the eastern extreme of [[East Slavs|East Slavic]] settlement until the end of the medieval period, with Russian expansion eastward delayed until the
[[Russo-Kazan Wars|capture of Kazan]] in 1552.{{Citation needed|date=March 2024}}

The independent existence of the medieval fort was threatened by the continuous [[Mordvins|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. Later a major stronghold for border protection, the fortress of Nizhny Novgorod took advantage of a natural moat formed by the two rivers.{{Citation needed|date=March 2024}}

Along with [[Moscow]] and [[Tver]], Nizhny Novgorod was among several newly founded towns that escaped devastation during the [[Mongol invasion of Kievan Rus']] on account of their insignificance, but grew into great centres in Russian political life during the hegemony of the [[Golden Horde]]. With the agreement of the Khan, Nizhny Novgorod was incorporated into the [[Vladimir-Suzdal|Vladimir-Suzdal Principality]] in 1264. After 86 years its importance further increased when the seat of the powerful [[Suzdal]] Principality was moved there from [[Gorodets, Nizhny Novgorod Oblast|Gorodets]] in 1350. Grand Duke [[Dmitry Konstantinovich]] (1323–1383) sought to make his capital a rival worthy of Moscow; he built a stone citadel and several churches and was a patron of historians. The earliest extant [[manuscript]] of the ''[[Primary Chronicle]]'', the ''[[Laurentian Codex]]'', was written for him by the local monk Laurentius in 1377.{{Citation needed|date=March 2024}}

=== Fortress city ===
[[File:Appeal of Minin.jpg|thumb|[[Kuzma Minin]] appeals to the people of Nizhny Novgorod to raise a volunteer army against the [[Polish People|Poles]] (painting by [[Konstantin Makovsky]], 1896).|left]]

After the city's incorporation into the [[Grand Principality of Moscow]] in 1392, the local princes took the name [[Shuysky]] and settled in Moscow, where they were prominent at the court and briefly ascended the throne in the person of [[Vasily I of Moscow]]. After being burnt by the powerful [[Crimean Tatars|Crimean Tatar]] chief [[Edigu]] in 1408, Nizhny Novgorod was restored and regarded by the Muscovites primarily as a great stronghold in [[Russo-Kazan Wars|their wars]] against the [[Khanate of Kazan|Tatars of Kazan]]. The enormous red-brick [[Nizhny Novgorod Kremlin|Kremlin]], one of the strongest and earliest preserved citadels in Russia, was built in 1508–1511 under the supervision of Pietro Francesco. The fortress was strong enough to withstand Tatar sieges in 1520 and 1536.{{Citation needed|date=March 2024}}

In 1612, the so-called "national militia", gathered by a local merchant, [[Kuzma Minin]], and commanded by [[Knyaz]] [[Dmitry Pozharsky]] expelled the [[Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth|Polish]] troops from Moscow, thus putting an end to the “[[Time of Troubles]]” and establishing the rule of the [[House of Romanov|Romanov dynasty]]. The main square in front of the [[Nizhny Novgorod Kremlin|Kremlin]] is named after [[Kuzma Minin|Minin]] and [[Dmitry Pozharsky|Pozharsky]], although it is locally known simply as [[Minin and Pozharsky Square|Minin Square]]. Minin's remains are buried in the citadel. In commemoration of these events, on 21 October 2005, an exact copy of the [[Monument to Minin and Pozharsky|Red Square statue]] of Minin and Pozharsky was placed in front of St John the Baptist Church, which is believed to be the place from where the call to the people had been proclaimed.{{Citation needed|date=March 2024}}

In the course of the following century, the city prospered commercially and was chosen by the [[Stroganov]]s, the wealthiest merchant family of Russia, as a base for their operations. A particular style of [[Russian architecture|architecture]] and icon painting, known as the [[Stroganov school]], developed there at the turn of the 17th and 18th centuries.{{Citation needed|date=March 2024}}

The historical [[coat of arms of Nizhny Novgorod]] in 1781 was a red deer with black horns and hooves on a white field. The modern coat of arms from 2006 is the same, with a ribbon of [[order of Lenin]] and gold crown from above.{{Citation needed|date=March 2024}}

=== Commercial centre ===
{{See also|Nizhny Novgorod Fair|All-Russia Exhibition 1896}}
[[File:Nizhny Novgorod Fair 1903.jpg|thumb|Main building of the [[All-Russia exhibition 1896|Great Russian Fair]], 19th-century postcard|left]]

In 1817, the [[Nizhny Novgorod Fair|Makaryev Fair]], one of the liveliest in the world, was transferred to Nizhny Novgorod and started to attract millions of visitors annually. By the mid-19th century, the city was firmly established as the [[trade]] capital of the [[Russian Empire]]. The world's first radio receiver by engineer [[Alexander Stepanovich Popov|Alexander Popov]] and the world's first [[hyperboloid structure|hyperboloid tower]] and lattice shell-coverings by engineer [[Vladimir Shukhov]] were demonstrated at the [[All-Russia exhibition 1896|All-Russia industrial and art exhibition in Nizhny Novgorod]] in 1896. According to official Imperial Russian statistics, the population of Nizhny Novgorod as of 14 January 1913 was 97,000.

The largest industrial enterprise was the [[Krasnoye Sormovo Factory No. 112|Sormovo Iron Works]] which was connected by the company's own railway to [[Nizhny Novgorod railway station|Moskovsky railway station]] in the Lower City of Nizhny Novgorod. The Kazansky railway station was in the Upper city. Other industries gradually developed, and by the start of the 20th century, the city was also a first-rank industrial hub. [[Henry Ford]] helped build a large truck and tractor plant ([[GAZ]]) in the late 1920s, sending engineers and mechanics, including future labour leader [[Walter Reuther]].

=== Soviet era ===
[[File:9th May. Day of the German surrender. Gorky 1.jpg|thumb|[[Victory Day (9 May)|Victory Day]] on the [[Minin and Pozharsky Square]], 9 May 1945|left]]

There were no permanent bridges over the Volga or Oka before the [[October Revolution]] in 1917. Temporary bridges were built during the trade fair. The first bridge over the Volga was started by the Moscow–Kazan Railway Company in 1914, but only finished in the [[Soviet Era]] when the railway to [[Kotelnich]] was opened for service in 1927.

The [[Marxism|Marxist]] activist and Tsarist dissident [[Maxim Gorky]] was born in Nizhny Novgorod in 1868 as Alexey Maximovich Peshkov. In his novels he described the dismal life of the city [[proletariat]]. When he returned to the [[Soviet Union]] in 1932 on the invitation of [[Joseph Stalin]], the city was renamed '''Gorky'''. The city bore Gorky's name until 1990. His childhood home is preserved as a museum, known as the Kashirin House, after Alexey's grandfather who owned the place.

{{Main|Bombing of Gorky in World War II}}

During [[World War II]], from 1941 to 1943, Gorky was subjected to [[Strategic bombing during World War II|air raids]] and bombardments by [[Nazi Germany|Germany]]. The Germans tried to destroy the city industry because it was a major supplier of military equipment to the front. Of the attacks made in the rear of the [[Soviet Union]], these became the most powerful in the entire duration of the war.{{citeneeded|date=May 2024}}

During much of the Soviet era, the city was [[closed city|closed]] to foreigners to safeguard the security of Soviet military research and production facilities, even though it was a popular stopping point for Soviet tourists travelling up and down the Volga in tourist boats. Unusually for a Soviet city of that size, even street maps were not available for sale until the mid-1970s. In 1970, by the Decree of the [[Presidium of the Supreme Soviet|Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR]], the city was awarded the [[Order of Lenin]]. [[Mátyás Rákosi]], the former Stalinist General Secretary of [[Hungarian People's Republic|Hungary]]'s [[Hungarian Working People's Party|communist party]], died in exile there in 1971. On {{nowrap|20 November 1985}}, in the city the first section of the [[Nizhny Novgorod Metro|metro]] was launched. The [[physicist]] and [[Nobel Peace Prize]] laureate [[Andrei Sakharov]] was exiled there during 1980–1986 to limit his contacts with foreigners. An end to the “closed” status of the city accompanied the reinstatement of the city's original name in 1990.<ref name=PrevName2>Decree of 22 October 1990, Article&nbsp;1</ref>

=== Post-Soviet era ===
The 800th anniversary of Nizhny Novgorod was celebrated on 21 August 2021. It celebrated the history and the great people who came from the city. The climax of the celebration was the city's 800th Anniversary Gala Show. [[Natalia Vodianova]] gave a speech and [[Vladimir Putin]] was in attendance.<ref>{{cite web |title=NIZHNY NOVGOROD 800TH ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION |url=https://www.mir-travel.com/en/news/nizhny-800/ |website=MIR Travel Company |access-date=June 4, 2022 |archive-date=August 12, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220812190612/https://www.mir-travel.com/en/news/nizhny-800/ |url-status=live }}</ref> The [[Central Bank of Russia]] issued commemorative coins to honor the 800th anniversary.<ref>{{cite web |title=Bank of Russia issues new commemorative coins dedicated to the 800th anniversary of Nizhny Novgorod |url=https://cbr.ru/eng/press/pr/?file=27052021_123528ENG_COINS26052021_170836.htm |website=Bank of Russia |access-date=June 4, 2022 |archive-date=June 4, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220604044521/https://cbr.ru/eng/press/pr/?file=27052021_123528ENG_COINS26052021_170836.htm |url-status=live }}</ref>

<gallery widths="200" heights="210" style="text-align:center">
File:NN 01-05-2022 11.jpg|[[Minin and Pozharsky Square]]
File:Нижегородский государственный академический театр драмы имени М. Горького.jpg|M. Gorky Drama Theatre
File:NN 01-05-2022 20.jpg|The [[Spit of Nizhny Novgorod|Spit]] (confluence of [[Oka River|Oka]] and [[Volga River]]s)
File:Набережная Федоровского отличается уникальным ландшафтом.jpg|[[Fedorovsky embankment]]
File:NN 30-06-2022 Kanavino Bridge.jpg|alt=|Kanavino Bridge
</gallery>