Description of the attraction
The Chkalovskaya Staircase is one of the main architectural masterpieces of Nizhny Novgorod. It has 560 steps, the staircase cascade is made in the form of two huge rings, and the difference in the lifting levels is almost three times higher than that of the famous Potemkin Stairs in Odessa. The Chkalovskaya Staircase got its name in honor of the famous test pilot Valery Chkalov, who in 1937 made the world's first non-stop flight across the North Pole on the Moscow-Vancouver route. The Chkalov monument is at the top of the stairs.
The idea of creating a staircase appeared in 1939 by the deputy chairman of the city executive committee Alexander Shulpin, but the plans were interrupted by the war. In 1943, he resumed his attempt and brought to Moscow for approval a project by the Leningrad architects A. A. Yakovleva, L. V. Rudnev and V. O. Mints. Shulpin managed to get an agreement for the construction, a huge amount of 7 million 760 thousand rubles was allocated and a memorial staircase was laid in honor of the victory in the Battle of Stalingrad in 1943. The stairs were built by German prisoners of war. By 1949, the construction was completed, but it turned out that the Chkalovskaya Staircase was too expensive a project. Shulpin was accused of embezzlement, removed from office, expelled from the party and arrested. He was released and rehabilitated only after the death of I. V. Stalin.
In 1985, at the foot of the Chkalovskaya Stairs, a boat "Hero" was installed, which was part of the Volga Flotilla and participated in the Battle of Stalingrad.
Chkalovskaya Stairs is rightfully considered the main observation deck of the city. It offers a beautiful view of the Volga and the protected area on the left bank of the river.
