Nizhny Novgorod
capital of the Nizhny Novgorod Oblast and the Volga Federal District in central Russia
Nizhny Novgorod, colloquially shortened to Nizhny and from 1932 to 1990 known as Gorky, is the administrative centre and largest city of Nizhny Novgorod Oblast, and the administrative centre of the Volga Federal District, in Russia. The city is located at the confluence of the Oka and the Volga rivers in Central Russia, with a population of over 1.2 million residents, and roughly 1.7 million residents in the wider urban area. Nizhny Novgorod is the sixth-largest city in Russia, and the second-most populous city on the Volga and in the Volga Federal District. The city is located 420 kilometers (260 mi) east of Moscow. It is an important economic, architectural, educational and cultural centre in Russia and the Volga-Vyatka Economic Region, and provides the majority of Russia's river tourism.
The city was founded on 4 February 1221 by Prince George II of Vladimir. In 1612, Kuzma Minin and Prince Dmitry Pozharsky organized an army for the liberation of Moscow from the Poles and Lithuanians. In 1817, Nizhny Novgorod became a great trade centre of the Russian Empire. In 1896, at the trade centre, an All-Russia Exhibition was organized. During the Soviet period, the city turned into an important industrial centre, and was known as Gorky.
The public source identifies “Nizhny Novgorod” as capital of the Nizhny Novgorod Oblast and the Volga Federal District in central Russia. This brief keeps that definition visible, then builds a research path around Nizhny, Novgorod and capital.
Why this record matters
A short description can identify a subject without explaining its stakes. For “Nizhny Novgorod”, the useful work is to connect “capital of the Nizhny Novgorod Oblast and the Volga Federal District in central Russia” to the records capable of establishing context and consequence.
Maps, plans, fabric surveys and administrative records can establish how the site’s name, extent and function changed over time. The source revision retrieved here is dated Sep 23, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q891. VIAF identifies the subject as 315526211. The Library of Congress control number is n86059283. Authority coordinates are 56.327, 44.008. 3 of 5 selected statements include explicit references; 1 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank. The first chronological checks are 1932, 1990, 1221 and 1612.
Modern boundaries and familiar names can conceal earlier jurisdictions or structures that do not align with the present site. The lead is largely declarative, so disagreement and counter-evidence require a deliberate search beyond the opening account. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
How to read it
Treat names, boundaries and functions as historically changeable. Maps, plans, inventories and administrative records can clarify what the place meant at different dates.
- Historic place names
- Jurisdictional context
- Routes into maps and plans
Contemporary maps, plans, listed-building records, estate papers and the responsible local or national archive.
Three-step research path
- Establish the record: confirm the title “Nizhny Novgorod”, its source revision and the description used here.
- Expand the search: follow Nizhny Novgorod primary sources, Nizhny Novgorod archive and Nizhny research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
- Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.
Questions for further research
- Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “Nizhny Novgorod”?
- Which earlier names or jurisdictions may reveal additional records?
- What physical evidence or contemporary plan supports the description?
Search terms from this dossier
This entry incorporates text from “Nizhny Novgorod” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.