Nizhny Novgorod and Philadelphia created a relationship in 1992.  Formerly known as Gorky, the city was named after the famous Russian writer, Maxim Gorky.  Located 270 miles east of Moscow, the city is situated in the Volga-Vyatka region where the Volga and Oka rivers meet.  Nizhny Novgorod is full of forests and lakes and serves as a major river port, providing access to the Baltic, Black, Caspian, Azov and White Seas.  With a population of 1.5 million people, it is Russia's third largest city and is recognized as the country's leader in economic reforms.  It has been the site of considerable economic experimentation and privatization since the transition to a market economy in 1991. Nizhny Novgorod is also home to several universities, including the State University, University of Foreign Languages, Medical University and the University of Naval Architecture.

On Thursday, May 27, 2010 five Russian sailors from a sailing club in Nizhny Novgorod, Russia's fourth largest city, arrived in Philadelphia for the Memorial Day weekend. The Corinthian Yacht Club hosted the four men and one woman during it's annual Spring Cruise, which featured three days of racing on the Chesapeake Bay and several parties, both ashore and afloat. The sailors returned to Philadelphia for tours and dinner in the home of Sister City volunteers.
Featured below are some of the pictures from their visit.

Below, you can enjoy a few photos from our trip to Nizhny Novgorod in 1997. Other photos were provided as a courtesy of Philadelphia's Sister Cities program partners from Nizhny Novgorod.

To learn more about Nizhny Novgorod, visit:

http://unn.runnet.ru/nn/

http://www.admcity.nnov.ru/