Nizhny Novgorod, despite being Russia’s third-largest city, with 1.5 million inhabitants, has the feel and relaxed pace of life one would expect from a smaller town. And Nizhny Novgorod is just close enough to Moscow that it can be comfortably visited over a weekend, whether one flies or takes the train.

Founded in 1221, Nizhny Novgorod developed into an important trading center because of its location at the intersection of the Volga and Oka rivers. In 1393, the principality of Nizhny Novgorod lost its independence and was made a part of the Moscow principality.

Russia’s main trade fair was established in Nizhny Novgorod in 1817. The importance of the city was further developed during the time of Russia’s industrial revolution. Shipbuilding, the Sormovo railroad and, later, automobile (GAZ, originally Ford) and MIG aircraft factories were established. During the Soviet period, the city was renamed Gorky after locally born writer Maxim Gorky.

The Nizhny Novgorod Kremlin is located on a hill on the western side of the city. The original wooden fortress, built in 1221, has been destroyed. The present structure dates from the early 16th century, when the Italian architect Peter Frazin began building the red stone wall guarded by 13 towers, 11 of which still stand today. Most of the buildings that stand within the Kremlin today are not very old, the exception being the 17th-century Cathedral of the Archangel Michael, which is open to visitors from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. daily. Within the Kremlin walls there is a display of locally built aircraft and tanks from World War II.

Near the embankment where the Volga and Oka rivers meet stands the beautiful early 18th-century Stroganov Church. Built in baroque style, the ornate exterior is a joy to photograph due to the contrast between the church’s red brick walls and its multi-colored domes, topped by ornate crosses.

On the eastern embankment of the Oka River is the 19th-century trade fair building. Architecturally, the building is similar to the GUM department store in Moscow, and inside there are different pavilions housing retail outlets. Just to the north of the trade fair building is the imposing Savior Old Market Cathedral, built in 1822. The church today is open for services, although the interior is under reconstruction, as it was not used as a place of worship during the Soviet period.

Farther out from the center (214 Prospekt Gagarina), but well worth a visit, is the Sakharov Museum. The museum is housed in a nondescript apartment building where the famous Nobel Prize-winning nuclear physicist and human rights activist was exiled for six years, from 1980-86, for his opposition to human rights abuses and the production of nuclear arms. There is an exhibition outlining Sakharov’s life from his birth in Moscow in 1921 to his work on the Soviet Union’s first hydrogen bomb in the 1950s, his opposition to nuclear testing starting from the 1960s, exile in the 1980s and eventual release and promotion to the Congress of People’s Deputies in 1989, where he was the leader of the movement pressing for reforms and democratic freedoms. The museum is open from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily, except for Fridays.

Offering international standards of comfort and service, the Hotel Volna at 98 Leninsky Prospekt has singles starting at $140. Its location next to the Gorky automobile factory – where Volga cars and Gazelle vans are produced – leaves something to be desired, being far from the center of the city.

The hotel Volzhsky Otkos at 2a Verkhnya-Volzhskaya Nab. is conveniently located on the upper embankment of the Volga River near the Kremlin. A basic single there costs 400 rubles.

For a special meal out, I recommend the restaurant Vitashi, which is located on the pedestrians-only Bolshaya Pokrovskaya Ul. at No. 35. The restaurant has a cozy country-house interior. One can choose from a wide range of meat, fish and poultry dishes – and for those looking for something exotic, they even have several varieties of pigeon. Be sure to take a look at the nearby State Bank and Currency Exchange Building, a magnificent example of early 20th-century Russian architecture.

If you need your fix of chicken wings, cheeseburgers, nachos and so forth, then the Papsha Villi Grill Bar & Saloon (3 Kostina Ul.) will satiate your hungry appetite. The setting and food are similar to what you get in the American Bar & Grill restaurants in Moscow. The prices at Papsha Villi are very reasonable, and it is open 24 hours a day.