A Little Soviet Getaway: Bor

Nizhny Novgorod sure has a lot to offer to its visitors. That being said, clearly it is not a megalopolis on par with the likes of Moscow, Istanbul, London etc. This means that eventually you will run out of things to do within the city proper and will start looking outside. This is where the good news come in, though the city of Nizhny Novgorod is without a doubt the crown jewel of its oblast, Nizhny Novgorod oblast offers some fantastic getaways to those that are looking for something a little different. Throughout this year, I will be covering a few of these destinations as I explore them myself, and what better way to start it than to write about Bor first. It is that little town that you see on the other side of the Volga and cannot figure out whether it is a part of the city or not. It is not. Make sure to follow along my journey to figure out if it is a place you want to add to your own bucket list or not.

Getting to Bor is likely the best part of this whole trip. You take a cable car from Nizhny Novgorod and glide over the mighty Volga. This is not only a super convenient way to travel between these two destinations, but a pretty entertaining one as well. For only 100 roubles one way (in October 2022) you can enjoy some breath-taking views of the Volga and Nizhny Novgorod as you make your way to Bor.

Though my phone’s camera can hardly capture the view, this and much more are what awaits you during your cable car ride to Bor. It is, in my opinion, a much better option to see what the city has to offer from above than paying for the Ferris wheel close to the cable car terminal. If memory serves me right one ride on the wheel would cost around 350 roubles and lasts for maybe five minutes whereas this 100-rouble cable car ride will last you at least ten minutes and lets you see more sights.

On my way to Bor I was positively surprised to find out that some folks had rather unusual vehicles on their yards. Given the geography of the region having a hovercraft or two at the ready can never hurt. This was neither the first nor the last such vehicle I have seen in this trip, but it was the only one I could take a photo of after some extensive zooming.

You are greeted by this building and some advertisements for local establishments as you first arrive in Bor. Advertisements are coupled with some insightful panels about the city and the “wilderness” that surrounds it so you can read up on your history and geography of the region before moving on to see the sights of Bor.

Being heavily industrialized during the Soviet period, it should not come as a surprise that Bor today is still a rather industry-oriented settlement, with very little to attract tourists to itself. However, there is a niche group of people (including myself) who would find it extremely enjoyable, I am of course talking about Soviet relic hunters. The Soviet charm of Bor was more or less left intact after the dissolution of the Union in 1991. Busts of Lenin adore many parts of the town, though admittedly I could not see any sculptures of Stalin which is to be expected I suppose.

Bor offers a very small but cute “city centre” where you can see the main municipal buildings with their distinctive Soviet aura, a sculpture of Lenin that stood the test of time, a small park with a few Soviet military vehicles, and a lovely monument or two dedicated to the Great Patriotic War and its millions of martyrs. Though I walked around it twice and took many photos this centre could not last me more than 15 minutes so do know that Bor is not necessarily a very time-consuming destination on its own.

Of course, though the “Sovietness” of Bor was what struck me first there does remain a very different part of the city that is arguably not so Soviet. Keeping up with the religious and spiritual theme of Nizhny Novgorod oblast, Bor hosts its own array of churches and monasteries. Some of the best examples seems to have come together near the Western end of what one may refer to as the city’s central area and this small complex certainly deserves a quick detour.

To go back to our Soviet theme, walking only ten minutes north after leaving the aforementioned religious complex gets us to this lovely park. Though I could not find any information about it, it is clear from its design and age that we are dealing with a Soviet-era park here. There was a lovely amusement park in the middle of it as well, but as far as I understood it closed its door on September to wait for the next summer season, which is understandable.

A seated Lenin welcomes you as you enter the park, and you are once again reminded of this country’s past as you stroll around this moderately sized public garden.

Before having a quick lunch at the local Burger King to taste test some of their products for an upcoming article of mine, I decided to leave Bor after spending around two hours exploring, in my opinion, all that it has to offer. The highlight of this journey for me was this Soviet mosaic that I found by accident as I was trying to get back to the cable car station. Once again, my camera fails to capture the magnificence of this installation, so you will have to take my word for it. Seeing all those tiny pieces coming together to form such a marvelous display is always a joy to see, and you too should give this “October Theatre” a visit if you ever go to Bor.

In hindsight, I suppose I would not recommend most people to go see Bor since I am quite sure that compared to some other options, they will be left unfazed, however, the cable car ride itself is a must-try and you might as well enjoy the city for an hour or two when you are already there. If, however, you too are into somewhat well-preserved Soviet cities, then you should certainly take your time to see Bor, I am quite sure that it will be the perfect distraction for you in this case.