In December 2019 (until the 23rd) the monument is under reconstruction. (I'll have to take a picture of it later...)

In this article, I have collected and tried to briefly give information about one of the iconic sights of Nizhny Novgorod, about the monument to Valery Pavlovich Chkalov, which, together with the Chkalovsky staircase and the boat below, is probably one of the main symbols (business card) of the city. I understand that a lot has been written about him, but there is no way to bypass him.

Well, how without secrets third step. See for yourself in the photo below (you can enlarge if you click), the truth is taken from the first step. If someone suddenly does not guess, I will hint at the end of the article :) (after the slideshow from the photo).

Of course, we ourselves, like most Nizhny Novgorod residents, do not admire the monument (we have seen it so many times that we cannot count it), but we periodically come to the site to pick it up. The view there is breathtaking, in any weather :) and time of year. Well, the kids run around the figure in pursuit. In general, our review of this attraction is positive, it is worth a visit.

That's the whole secret of the steps at the monument to Chkalov

If it seems to someone that I forgot to mention something important about this place, please write in the comments.

What made Chkalov famous?

Chkalov Valery Pavlovich- famous Soviet pilot(Hero Soviet Union) (1904-1938). He is mainly known for being in command of the crew that in 1937 flew over across the North Pole from the USSR to the USA. The first flight, at that time, from Moscow to Vancouver without an intermediate landing (in 1935, a similar flight by another crew was interrupted due to breakdowns). There was also a legend that Valery Pavlovich flew under one of the bridges Leningrad and there is an episode about this in the film about the eminent pilot. Born in 1904 in the Nizhny Novgorod province. The place was then called the "village of Vasilevo", later it was renamed the city of Chkalovsk. The famous "Nizhny Novgorod" died at the end of 1938 while landing a new aircraft for testing. It is believed that due to the fact that the unfinished aircraft was "driven" by the New Year. For those who are interested in the details of the biography of the test pilot, the most optimal article on Wikipedia.

In 2019 (autumn), I additionally shot a small one-minute video:

The authors this attraction: architects V.S. Andreev, I.G. Taranov and sculptor I.A. Mendelevich. The story about how and why did this monument appear in Nizhny Novgorod, states that Chkalov was friends with Mendelevich and together they chose this site for the monument to Gorky, but two years later (in 1940) after the tragic death of the pilot, a monument to him was erected here at the request of the inhabitants of Gorky (as Nizhny Novgorod was then called).

It's a bit of a stretch to call a pilot a Nizhny Novgorod pilot. He was born in the village of Vasilevo, which later became the city of Chkalovsk, in the Nizhny Novgorod region (then still a province). In Nizhny, he, already an accomplished pilot, came to rest. Before flying, he worked as an aircraft assembler.

The monument consists from a cylinder-pedestal, three steps and directly a bronze statue of a pilot. Valery Pavlovich, as it were, is preparing for the flight, putting on a glove. In addition to the signature on the cylinder, there is a contour map of the northern hemisphere, which Chkalov "crossed". Initially, there was also an inscription "Stalin's falcon", which was removed.

Behind the back of the figure is equipped with a semicircular viewpoint from which starts. In almost any weather, on it, someone admires the opening view of the confluence of the Oka and Volga, the opposite bank. According to the modern on the site there are binoscopes- stationary viewing binoculars. Viewing price: 10 rubles for 100 seconds. One day, the children managed to “look through the sight” :), another time, the bill acceptor swallowed the coin, but did not let them admire the landscape. So, be careful, give other tourists the opportunity to check the performance :) Below are some photos of the monument itself from several sides and the site next to it (taken in 2015).

Now the space surrounding the monument is enough popular Nizhny Novgorod has a place. “Dates” and friendly meetings are arranged here, skateboarders, cyclists, bikers and other “athletes” often hang out nearby. Brief name of the monument - HPV or Valery Palych Chkalov.

The so-called " secret of the third degree”is perfectly visible both from the first and from the second. In my opinion, the first one is even more piquant. I "considered" :) from those steps that are closer to the Kremlin, where the semicircular descent begins. In fact, two "secrets" are being voiced. The first is that pulling on a glove from certain angles looks like an obscene gesture. This is a soft option. If you look at the photo above, from specific steps, you can see that something indecently sticks out from the respected Valery Pavlovich :)

In addition to the monument, tourists will probably be interested in the stairs, the deer on the Nizhne-Volzhskaya embankment, and I'm not talking about the Kremlin :) For museum lovers, I would recommend the Rukavishnikov Estate, which is located not far from Chkalov. In general, it is better to read about yourself.

Or take a guided tour of Nizhny Novgorod:

This monument and the story of Chkalov are mentioned in Nizhny Novgorod excursions from private guides:

Where to admire great views and check out the monument

The address very simple - Minin and Pozharsky Square (on the embankment), which is next to the Nizhny Novgorod Kremlin. The site is located on the edge of the square, where the Verkhne-Volzhskaya embankment and Georgievsky congress begin, on a slope. Coordinates: 56.329971, 44.009408. By public transport, get to the stops "Ploshad Minin and Poazhrskogo", " Pedagogical University or Academy of Water Transport.

In the center of the observation deck of the former Volzhsky slope, today one of the main city attractions and a "visiting" card of the city.

There are always a lot of people around it, both local and visiting tourists. Many central streets converge here, the famous Chkalov Stairs start from here. And yet - it looks great from here Volga, Nizhegorodskaya Strelka and Borsky district of the city.

Monument to V. Chkalov near the Nizhny Novgorod Kremlin

The fate of the tester

Legendary test pilot Valery Chkalov born in one of the villages Nizhny Novgorod region, which today became the city of Chkalovsk. All the men in the Chkalov family were physically strong, stubborn and assertive people. His great-grandfather was known as one of the strongest Volga barge haulers, grandfather, working port loader, was also famous for his amazing physical strength. The father of the legendary pilot was the best boiler master and received very decent remuneration for his work, which allowed the family to live in a nice house with a garden.

But Valery did not follow in the footsteps of his father, and as a result of a long search for himself, he chose aviation. Interestingly, the place of his service after the flight school was the Leningrad Fighter Squadron, which bore the name of another legendary Nizhny Novgorod pilot P. Nesterova.

AT. Chkalov - fearless test pilot

Gradually, V. Chkalov moved into the category of test pilots and was engaged in the development of new models of fighters and bombers, for which he was awarded Order of Lenin. In 1936, a group of pilots consisting of Chkalov, Baidukov and Levchenko took the initiative to carry out a long direct flight from Soviet Russia to capitalist America over the North Pole.

The plane on which V. Chkalov and his friends made non-stop flights

In the same 1936 a trial long flight from Moscow to Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky was made ( 56 hours non-stop flight). This flight brought the pilots title of Hero of the Soviet Union, national love and recognition.

The newspaper "Izvestia" talks about the feat of Soviet pilots

After such a successful flight, permission was given to realize the main dream - flight to America, which took place summer 1937. This difficult but worthy flight made the pilots national heroes. And the birthplace of V. Chkalov - the village of Vasilyov, it was after that that it became a city Chkalovsky.

The following year, during tests in the Moscow region on a very hastily prepared new fighter and under bad weather conditions V. Chkalov carried out a test flight, during which the fighter's engine stalled. The pilot took the plane away from residential buildings and even managed to land it, avoiding a fire, but as a result of the fact that a large car caught on wires and hit wood heaps, the pilot was thrown out of the car.

Having received severe injuries incompatible with life, the legendary conqueror of the sky died in the hospital. It happened December 15, 1938.

Monument to the legendary tester

Two years after the tragic death of V. Chkalov (1940), a Monument heroic tester and innovator in the field of aerobatics. Chkalov loved Nizhny Novgorod, where he had many friends and acquaintances, and often came here.

He liked to walk around the former Volzhsky slope and stop at the observation deck near the Kremlin walls to admire the Volga landscapes.

Volga landscapes from the observation deck of the former Otkos

One day, walking here with my friend sculptor I. Mendelevich, they said that it would be nice to have a monument to the most prominent Nizhny Novgorod citizen installed at this place, instead of the Ice Cream Cafe located there at that time - M. Gorky. It would be symbolic and historically justified.

But events developed in such a way that soon V. Chkalov died, and then I. Mendelevich began to insist that this place of the Volga Escarpment become the place for the installation of the Monument to Chkalov himself. The sculptor developed the main idea of ​​the future sculpture, and architects helped him to realize this idea I. Taranov and V. Andreev.

Monument to V. Chkalov on the observation deck near the St. George's Tower

On a granite cylindrical pedestal, the heroic pilot is immortalized at the most important and crucial moment of preparation for the next test takeoff. He's already dressed in his flight suit and is finishing putting on his gloves. His gaze is fixed on the sky, where he is going to take off, and all his thoughts are only about the upcoming flight, about testing a new aircraft.

Fragment of the Monument to V. Chkalov

The sculptor managed to create portrait resolute and strong-willed person with big working strong hands. His character fails in compressed, well-defined lips, and in a stubborn chin, and in the expressive gaze of eyes full of life. For this monument, the sculptor I. Mendelevich was awarded an honorary Stalin Prize in 1942.

Interestingly designed pedestal, to which the three-step base leads. The surface of the pedestal is covered with a map depicting the two longest flights of V. Chkalov. The capital of Russia stands out with a familiar shape - of course, it is a ruby ​​star.

Today, the Monument to Chkalov is the most famous place in the city, where hundreds of tourists and citizens come, and from where the famous staircase begins, built in heavy military and post-war years, also named after the pilot Chkalovskaya. Although the staircase was created completely independently, today it forms a single symbolic complex with the Monument - the Pilot, preparing for new achievements and the eight-shaped staircase - Infinity sign.

Monument and Chkalov Stairs

Both of these architectural structures are an integral part of Nizhny Novgorod, its past, present and future.

The monument was erected as a tribute to the great deeds of Nizhny Novgorod, famous throughout the country, a countryman who managed to make a record flight across the country in 1936 (Moscow - Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky), and in 1937 an unprecedented flight from the USSR to the USA through the North Pole. On December 15, 1938, during the first test flight on the new I-180 fighter at the Central Airfield named after M.V. Frunze (formerly the Central Airfield named after L.D. Trotsky), an experienced pilot Valery Pavlovich Chkalov died. Making a landing approach, the M-88 engine stopped, but Chkalov V.P. heroically controlled the plane to the end and managed to land it outside the area occupied by residential buildings. The pilot himself hit his head on the metal armature that was at the crash site, and died of his injury 2 hours later in the Botkin hospital.

In the same year, after the death of the pilot, the residents of Gorky applied to the city authorities with a request to erect a monument to Chkalov. On the day of the second anniversary of the death of the legendary test pilot, brigade commander and Hero of the Soviet Union Valery Pavlovich Chkalov on December 15, 1940, a monument in his honor was solemnly opened in Nizhny Novgorod. The monument was installed in one of the most beautiful places in Nizhny Novgorod - on the Upper Volga embankment near the Georgievskaya tower of the Kremlin, where Valery Pavlovich Chkalov loved to walk so much. The authors of the project were the Laureate of the State Prize, sculptor I.A. Mendelevich and architects V.S. Andreev and I.G. Taranov. The monument is located on three high steps lined with black granite. Bronze statue of V.P. Chkalova was cast at the Monumentsculptura plant in Leningrad. The figure of the pilot rises on a cylindrical pedestal, his head is slightly thrown back, right hand pulls on the glove left hand. Everything in the guise of a great pilot speaks of his courage, fearlessness, perseverance.

The contours of the map are applied on the polished surface of the cylinder northern hemisphere with the routes of two historical flights of the ANT-25 crew under the command of Chkalov. Flight routes of the heroic crew of Chkalov-Baidukov-Belyakov on Far East and across the North Pole to America are depicted with nickel-plated plates, Moscow as the starting point for flights was marked with a red ruby ​​star. At the bottom of the pedestal there is an inscription in bronze letters: “1904-1938. To the great pilot of our time Valery Chkalov.

Valery Pavlovich Chkalov (January 20 (February 2) 1904, Vasilevo, Balakhna district, Nizhny Novgorod province, Russian empire- December 15, 1938, Moscow, RSFSR, USSR) - Soviet test pilot, brigade commander (1938), Hero of the Soviet Union. Chkalov is a legendary person in our country. The idol of the pre-war youth - the very one that defeated the fascist aggressors.

The monument to Chkalov on the Volga slope stands at one of the towers of the Nizhny Novgorod Kremlin, crowning the Chkalov Stairs. The Chkalov Stairs is one of the most beautiful places in Nizhny Novgorod. Its shape is very interesting - in the form of a figure eight or an infinity sign. From here you can enjoy magnificent views of the Volga, the Nizhny Novgorod Kremlin, and the Trans-Volga region. The monument to Chkalov appeared before the Chkalov Stairs by almost 10 years - in 1939. He stands facing the city, against the background of the sky. Today the monument to Chkalov is one of the symbols of Nizhny Novgorod.

Valery Chkalov

a photo

The fate of the future Hero was not easy. Mother died early, when Valery was 6 years old. At the age of seven, Valery went to study at Vasilevsky primary school and then to the school. In 1916, after graduating from school, his father sent him to study in Cherepovets technical school(now BOU SPO VO "Cherepovets Forestry Mechanical College named after V.P. Chkalov"). In 1918, the school was closed, and Valery had to return home. He began to work as an assistant to his father, as a hammer in the forge, and with the beginning of navigation he went to work as a stoker on an excavator.

In 1919, Valery Chkalov worked as a stoker on the steamship Bayan on the Volga, and then he saw an airplane for the first time. After that, having retired from the ship, he left to serve in the Red Army in the same year. He was sent as an aircraft fitter to the 4th Kanavinsky Aviation Park in Nizhny Novgorod.

In 1921, Chkalov obtained a referral to study at the Yegoryevsk Military Theoretical School of the Air Force, after graduating in 1922 he was sent for further study at the Borisoglebsk Military Aviation Pilot School, graduating from it in 1923.

In June 1924, military fighter pilot Chkalov was sent to serve in the Leningrad Red Banner Fighter Squadron named after P.N. Nesterova (Commandant airfield). During his service in the squadron, he proved himself to be a daring and courageous pilot. He made risky flights, for which he received penalties and was repeatedly suspended from flying. According to legend, once Chkalov even flew under the Equality (Troitsky) bridge in Leningrad, which, however, is not confirmed by documents. For the film "Valery Chkalov" this flight was made by the pilot Evgeny Borisenko. At the same time, he had serious problems with discipline, which ended in major troubles - on November 16, 1925, he was sentenced by a military tribunal to one year in prison for a drunken fight, then the term was reduced to 6 months.

In 1926, the 1st Red Banner Fighter Aviation Squadron was relocated from the Commandant airfield to the Trotsk airfield (today Gatchina), where Chkalov served from 1926 to 1928. In 1927, Chkalov married a Leningrad teacher, Olga Orekhova. In March 1928 he was transferred to serve in the 15th Bryansk Aviation Squadron, his wife and son Igor remained in Leningrad.

In Bryansk, Chkalov made an accident, was accused of aerial recklessness and numerous violations of discipline. By the verdict of the military tribunal of the Belarusian Military District of October 30, 1928, Chkalov was convicted under article 17, paragraph "a" of the Regulations on military crimes and under article 193-17 of the Criminal Code of the RSFSR to one year in prison, and was also dismissed from the Red Army. He served his sentence for a short time, at the request of Ya.I. Alksnis and K. E. Voroshilov, less than a month later, the sentence was changed to a suspended sentence and Chkalov was released from the Bryansk prison. Being in the reserve, at the beginning of 1929 Chkalov returned to Leningrad and until November 1930 he worked in the Leningrad Osoaviakhim, where he led the school of glider pilots and was an instructor pilot.

In November 1930, Chkalov was reinstated in military rank and sent to work at the Moscow Research Institute of the Air Force of the Red Army. For two years of work at the research institute, he made more than 800 test flights, having mastered the technique of piloting 30 types of aircraft. On December 3, 1931, Chkalov participated in the testing of an aircraft carrier (aircraft carrier), which was a heavy bomber that carried up to five fighter aircraft on its wings and fuselage.

In 1932, the Air Force Research Institute was transferred from the Khodynka field in Moscow to an airfield near the city of Shchelkovo, Moscow Region. The relocation from an ordinary event turned into the first air parade in the USSR with a flight over Red Square. 45 aircraft flew in a column of three cars in a row, and at the head was a TB-3 bomber with tail number 311, controlled by the crew of Valery Chkalov.

Since January 1933, Valery Chkalov was again in the reserve and transferred to work as a test pilot at the Moscow Aviation Plant No. 39 named after Menzhinsky. Together with his senior comrade Alexander Anisimov, he tested the latest fighter aircraft of the 1930s I-15 (biplane) and I-16 (monoplane) designed by Polikarpov. He also took part in the testing of tank destroyers "VIT-1", "VIT-2", as well as heavy bombers "TB-1", "TB-3", a large number experimental and experimental machines of the Polikarpov Design Bureau. Author of new aerobatics - ascending spin and slow roll. On May 5, 1935, aircraft designer Nikolai Polikarpov and test pilot Valery Chkalov were awarded the highest government award- Order of Lenin.

In the fall of 1935, the pilot Baidukov offered Chkalov to organize a record flight from the USSR to the USA via the North Pole and lead the crew of the aircraft. In the spring of 1936, Chkalov, Baidukov and Belyakov turned to the government with a proposal to conduct such a flight, but Stalin indicated a different route plan: Moscow - Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, fearing a repetition of Levanevsky's unsuccessful attempt (in August 1935, the flight of S. Levanevsky, G. Baidukov and V . Levchenko on the route Moscow - North Pole - San Francisco was interrupted due to a malfunction).

The flight of Chkalov's crew from Moscow to the Far East started on July 20, 1936 and lasted 56 hours before landing on the sandy spit of Udd Island in the Sea of ​​Okhotsk. The total length of the record route was 9375 kilometers. Already on the island of Udd, the inscription "Stalin's route" was applied on board the aircraft, which was also preserved during the next flight - over the North Pole to America. Both Chkalovsky flights officially bore this name until the beginning of the "fight against the cult of Stalin's personality" and literary erasures. For the flight to the Far East, the entire crew was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union with the Order of Lenin: the Gold Star medal, introduced in 1939 after Chkalov's death, was awarded only in 2004 to his children. In addition, Chkalov was presented with a personal U-2 aircraft (now located in a museum in Chkalovsk). The exceptional propaganda importance of this flight for its time is evidenced by the fact that I.V. Stalin personally arrived on August 10, 1936 at the Shchelkovsky airfield near Moscow to meet the returning plane. From that moment on, Chkalov gained national fame in the USSR.

Chkalov continued to seek permission to fly to the United States, and in May 1937 permission was received. The launch of the ANT-25 aircraft took place on June 18. The flight took place in much more difficult conditions than the previous one (lack of visibility, icing, etc.), but on June 20 the plane made a safe landing in Vancouver, Washington, USA. The length of the flight was 8504 kilometers. For this flight, the crew was awarded the Order of the Red Banner.

December 12, 1937 Valery Chkalov was elected to the Council of Nationalities of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR from the Gorky region and the Chuvash ASSR. At the request of the residents of Vasilyov, their village was renamed Chkalovsk. I. Stalin personally offered Chkalov to take the post of People's Commissar of the NKVD, but he refused and continued to engage in flight test work.

Chkalov died on December 15, 1938 during the first test flight of the new I-180 fighter at the Central Airfield.

The flight was prepared in a hurry to be in time before the end of the year. The release of the aircraft to the airfield was scheduled for November 7, November 15, November 25 ... On December 2, 190 defects were detected on the assembled machine. N.N. Polikarpov protested against the unnecessary race in preparing the I-180 for the first flight, as a result of which he was removed from these works ...

Valery Chkalov was buried in Moscow, the urn with his ashes was installed in the Kremlin wall.

After the death of Chkalov, a number of leaders of the aviation plant involved in organizing this flight were arrested, they were sentenced to long terms of imprisonment for releasing an aircraft into flight with numerous malfunctions that led to the death of the pilot.

In 1943, funds were allocated for the construction of a huge memorial staircase in honor of the victory Soviet army in Battle of Stalingrad. The construction involved, among other things, German prisoners of war. In 1949 the staircase was completed.

The project of the Chkalov stairs of the war years:

Chkalov stairs and monument to Chkalov from the Volga embankment.

The history of mankind is full of the names of those people whose merits and deeds are forever imprinted on its pages. At all times there were those who looked at the world differently, had a sharp mind, purposefulness, had the courage and courage to accomplish real feats. The activity of such people does not go unnoticed, is not forgotten by the next generations. Their perpetuation in the form of monuments plays a big role in this. This kind of manifestation of respect and memory can be found in every locality, because even the smallest community knows the names of those who made a great contribution to its formation and development. Nizhny Novgorod also remembers great people. The monument to the test pilot and real master virtuoso was erected on December 15, 1940 and still reminds residents of his services to the country.

Who is Valery Chkalov?

Among all the significant places, the monument to Chkalov in Nizhny Novgorod stands out, the history of which is distinguished by many twists and turns and surprises. The man who gave the development of Soviet aviation a powerful impetus and thanks to which, during the Great Patriotic War the pilots have mastered new, incredibly important skills, which cannot but inspire respect and gratitude from people. Valery Chkalov was the commander of the aircraft crew, which was the first to make a direct flight from Moscow to Vancouver.

He was an innovator, the initiator of a new stage in aviation. Thanks to the results of his activities, Valery Chkalov is considered the founder of the aerobatics school, which is based on a thorough knowledge of piloting technique and courage. This man was the first test aircraft of different speeds, which allowed the designers to constantly improve their models. His skills to quickly escape from the shelling thanks to war time helped a considerable number of pilots to stay alive in the face of direct danger.

Monument to Valery Chkalov in Nizhny Novgorod: history

Valery Chkalov died on December 15, 1938 while testing another fighter model. Immediately after his death, the government adopted a number of documents in which there were decisions to perpetuate his memory. The place for the installation of the monument was not chosen by chance. The observation deck near the Georgievskaya tower of the Kremlin was Chkalov's favorite place for walks.

Previously, this place was a statue of a "Girl with an oar." Even during his lifetime, Valery Chkalov advised this place to his friend, sculptor Isaac Mendelevich, to erect a monument to Maxim Gorky. At that time, he still did not know that it was in this place that his exploits would forever be immortalized and that it would especially highlight Nizhny Novgorod. Dozens of people come to see the Chkalov monument every day, and they all look with great respect at the figure of the Hero of the Soviet Union.

The idea of ​​the authors

The monument to Valery Chkalov in Nizhny Novgorod was designed by his friend Mendelevich, as well as architects and Viktor Andreev. Valery Chkalov is shown in his flight suit putting on a glove. The basis is a cylindrical granite pedestal, which is placed on three high steps. On the polished surface of the base, an image of a map was applied, on which the route of the two most significant flights of Valery Chkalov was marked. Moscow, as the starting point of all its beginnings, is marked with a ruby ​​star.

construction

In just a month of work, this place adorned Nizhny Novgorod. Although the monument to Chkalov was erected quite quickly, since the solemn laying of its foundation on Aviation Day in 1940, it has often been altered, since a number of inaccuracies were made. The monument is made of bronze; the figure was cast at the Leningrad plant "Monumentskulptura". According to the establishment, the question arose of creating the necessary chiaroscuro, as a result of which searchlights were installed for special lighting on the roof of the St. George's Tower and the Medical Institute.

Sculptor Isaac Mendelevich in 1942 was awarded Stalin Prize for the monument to Valery Chkalov. Later, in 1960, the monument was taken under state protection. It has changed several times since 1940. Often it had to be restored, because weather conditions accelerated the process of destruction of materials. As a result, the stars on the map changed three times. But even with frequent strengthening and alteration, the monument retained its original appearance.

Chkalov staircase

The Chkalov Stairs is a visiting card, one of the most popular places that glorify Nizhny Novgorod. The monument to Chkalov was originally built near industrial areas. At one of the meetings of the city commission for the erection of the monument, the idea was put forward to build a staircase that would connect the monument itself and the river below.

This contributed to the improvement of the slope and the embankment. The war became the main obstacle in the completion of the project, and its implementation dragged on for six whole years. As a result, it was made in the shape of a figure eight and has 560 steps. The name "Chkalovskaya Stairs" was given to the place by the people and was finally assigned to it.