There are more than 1200 streets in Novosibirsk. But the main street of the city can be called Red Avenue. It is from him that the guests of Novosibirsk begin their acquaintance with the city. What is so special about this avenue?
Look into the past
The plan, which marked the streets that were soon to appear in the village of Novo-Nikolaevsk, was developed back in 1896. This prospectus was already present on this plan. In the same year, a clearing was cut through to lay the street. Until the 20th year of the last century, the main street of Novosibirsk was called not Red, but Nikolaevsky Prospekt. It was renamed after the revolution. On the one hand, red is the color of revolution, and on the other hand, “red” has long been a synonym for the adjective “beautiful”. This avenue starts from the Ob embankment, and then passes literally through the entire city - from south to north. The length of Red Avenue is almost seven kilometers! Many are interested in the question of which area of Novosibirsk is Krasny Prospekt. It stretched immediately into two districts of the city - Central and Zaeltsovsky.
Transportation
In addition to a large number of stops for trolleybuses, buses and minibuses, there are four metro stations on Krasny Prospekt of Novosibirsk: the one with the same name as the prospect, Zaeltsovskaya, Gagarinskaya, Lenin Square. It is important to note that no trucks are allowed on this avenue.
Sights on the main street of Novosibirsk
It is not for nothing that the avenue is called a huge open-air museum. There are many monuments, buildings that can tell the history of the city. This is the building where the art museum is located today, and the revolutionary committee of Siberia was previously located, and the well-known hundred-apartment building. It is on Red Avenue that the city's opera and ballet theater, a medical university, and the Alexander Nevsky Cathedral are located. We invite you to take a virtual journey along the avenue and get to know its sights better!
100-family house
In the 30s of the last millennium, the construction of the most comfortable house was planned on the main street of Novosibirsk. The apartments in it were supposed to belong to officials. The development of the project for an elite house was entrusted to Andrey Kryachkov, an ardent admirer of French neoclassicism. Maslennikov became the architect's assistant. There are still rumors among historians and architects that Kryachkov prepared three variants of a new building in the Siberian capital at once. Joseph Stalin got acquainted with the works of the architect, but forgot to specify which of the three projects he likedmore. Since no one dared to clarify this detail, the house combined all the best solutions from the projects. Is this true or just an urban legend? There is no answer to this question. But there is an amazing house, the only object of historical and architectural heritage in this region. At the same time, people live in this house today!
To build this house on Krasny Prospekt in Novosibirsk, the architect had to literally redraw the entire area, demolish a lot of buildings built before the revolution. By the standards of that harsh time, the house turned out to be truly chic. The apartments even had rooms for servants!
An interesting fact - in fact, there are not 100 apartments in the building, but 110. True, today 10 apartments are occupied by a kindergarten, the rest are residential.
St. Nicholas Chapel
In July 1914, construction began on a chapel in the name of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker in Novosibirsk. It was erected in honor of the tercentenary of the Romanov dynasty, which was widely celebrated in 1913. A petition for the construction of the chapel was made by the charitable society "Nursery" headed by the chairman (and at the same time the archpriest of the Intercession Church) Diomid Chernyavsky and the head of the "Nursery" Vostokova shelter. Permission was granted in October 1913. The author of the hundred-apartment building, Andrei Dmitrievich Kryachkov, worked on the project, by the way, completely free of charge. Finances for the construction were allocated by the city authorities, and the townspeople responded to the call to help the church. Construction was completed in 1914. In Decembera solemn consecration of this chapel on Red Avenue in Novosibirsk took place.
Initially, the chapel was assigned to the Alexander Nevsky Church, but soon became an independent parish. The subsequent history of the sanctuary is very sad - a revolution, a new ideology, the declaration of religion as opium for the people … In 1929, the inhabitants of the city turned to the Novosibirsk Okrug Executive Committee with a request to demolish the stronghold of religious dope. Of course, the new authorities granted the petition of the townspeople. The chapel was demolished, and all church utensils and jewelry were borrowed - "for the needs of the revolution." A monument to a Komsomol member appeared on the site of the destroyed chapel, and then a monument to Stalin.
But everything returns to its place. In September 1991, a religious procession took place in the city and the laying of the first stone in the foundation of the restored chapel took place. They did not build a chapel in the same place, they chose a new one - the center of Red Avenue. The construction was completed in 1993. Today, the relics of St. Panteleimon and, of course, St. Nicholas the Wonderworker are here.
Alexander Nevsky Cathedral
Located on the main street of Novosibirsk is another shrine - Alexander Nevsky Cathedral. It was built in honor of Emperor Alexander III. Construction began in 1897 and completed in 1899. Information about who was the author of the project of the cathedral has not reached our days. Someone is inclined to think that it was designed by the architect K. Lygin, who at that time occupiedposition of architect at the management of the Central Siberian Railway. Someone claims that the author of the project is N. Solovyov. And it seems to someone that the architects Prussak and Kosyakov were involved in this. Despite the disagreements, everyone is convinced that the St. Petersburg Church of the Mother of God was taken as the basis. The royal family provided great assistance in the construction of the temple - the diocese was given a plot free of charge, members of the royal family donated icons, vestments of the priest and deacon, various church utensils, donated funds for the manufacture of the iconostasis.
The cathedral was consecrated at the end of 1899. And already in 1915 this temple received the status of a cathedral. But hard times also came for the cathedral - in 1938 it was closed, at the same time the bell tower was destroyed. In the building located on the main street of Novosibirsk, a design institute and a newsreel studio found shelter at different times. The building was returned to the Russian Orthodox Church only in 1989. The nineties were marked by large-scale work - restoration began here. Workers and artists managed to restore the cathedral to its original appearance!
Sculpture "Happiness is being built"
There is a sculptural composition called "Happiness is being built" on Red Avenue. It was opened in the summer of 2006. What is an art object? This is a pair of nesting storks. According to popular beliefs, storks bring not only children, but also great happiness. Therefore, in Russia, everyone sought to attract these large and beautiful birds to their homes. On Red Avenue in NovosibirskIn August 2006, the storks did not arrive by chance: this year was dedicated to the family. Since then, newlyweds and lovers have been constantly gathering at the touching monument. By the way, there is a legend in the city that is associated with the composition. According to her, it is necessary to throw a coin into the nest of birds. If she stays even for a short time, you can prepare for replenishment in the family.
The building of the government of the Novosibirsk region and the administration of the governor
This building appeared in the city in 1932. Andrey Kryachkov, already familiar to you, took part in the creation of the project. For the building, a style such as constructivism was chosen, which can be described in just three words - conciseness, solidity, rigor. The fact is that the new post-revolutionary system distanced itself from everything that was before, including architecture. In order to increase the role of architecture, the constructivists decided to abandon the excessive number of decorative elements. They were looking for expressiveness in the dynamics of simple structures, the functionality of the structure.
Opera and Ballet Theatre
Among the symbols of Novosibirsk located on Red Avenue is the Opera and Ballet Theatre. It was opened in 1945. The construction of this unique architectural complex lasted for 14 years! The theater building is simply amazing with its incredible scale - its area exceeds 11 thousand square meters. The peculiarity of the building is its huge dome, magnificent construction without trusses andbuttresses.
In 2005, the reconstruction of the theater was completed. Today it is considered the most modernly equipped theater in the Russian Federation. The large hall can accommodate 1,174 people, the concert hall - 375, and the small - 130 spectators. Over the entire history of the existence of the Novosibirsk Theater, more than three and a half hundred ballet and opera performances have been staged on its stage. Its troupe includes folk and honored artists, diploma winners and laureates of various competitions and festivals (both Russian and international).
Monument to the Heroes of Peacetime
In the summer of 2015, a new monument dedicated to those who save people appeared in Novosibirsk on Krasny Prospect and Derzhavin Street. The opening of the monument was timed to the Day of the fire protection of the region, the 70th anniversary of the Victory in the Great Patriotic War and the 25th anniversary of the Ministry of Emergency Situations. The author of the monument is Salavat Shcherbakov, People's Artist of Russia.
The sculpture is a figure of a fireman made of bronze. A firefighter carries a child in his arms. Flames covering the monument are made of red granite. By the way, flowers often lie near this monument - residents and guests of Novosibirsk come here to pay tribute to the heroes of peacetime.
Memorial sign for the tram
November 26, 1934, the movement of trams was launched in the capital of Siberia. The very first route ran from the railway station to the center of Novosibirsk. The length of the line was a little over fourkilometers. 75 years later, in November 2006, a memorial sign was unveiled on Krasny Prospekt (on Lenin Square), in the place where tram tracks once passed.
This sign is hard to see from afar because it's a small stretch of paved road. A section of old rails is embedded in the paving stones. There is also a cast-iron plate on which information about this place is placed. By the way, the idea of creating this unique commemorative sign belongs to the Novosibirsk organizations Siblitmash and Gorelektrotransport. Local authorities also took part in the creation of the object. It is worth noting that tram traffic is still the most important part of the entire transport infrastructure of the city.
