Novy Venets Boulevard

Novy Venets Boulevard is the spine of Ulyanovsk's historic centre, running along the high western bluff above the Volga and offering wide views over the river and the flatlands of the opposite bank. This is the city's best walking street — lined with 19th-century merchant houses, Soviet-era public buildings, and the museums that make up the Lenin memorial complex.

On a clear day the view from the bluff takes in the Imperial Bridge, the two branches of the Volga, and the distant treeline of the Zavolzhye. In summer, locals come here in the evenings; in winter, the exposed position can be bracingly cold but the sight of the frozen river is worth it. The Goncharov Museum and several other cultural institutions are located along or just off the boulevard.

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A story
The name "Venets" (meaning crown or wreath) refers to the high promontory above the Volga that gives the boulevard its dramatic position. In the 19th century, Simbirsk was known as one of the most elegant provincial towns in European Russia, and the Venets bluff — with its views and its string of noble mansions — was the reason why.

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