Chkalov Stairs

The stairs were built between 1943 and 1949 to connect the upper city at the kremlin with the Volga embankment below, and they descend the bluff in two great rings that cross - a figure of eight in plan, with landings at the crossing points and viewing terraces. The count is usually given as 560 steps, though it differs depending on which of the two branches you take and whether the landings are counted, which is a standing local argument. At the top stands the monument to Valery Chkalov, the pilot from the region who flew over the North Pole to the United States in 1937; at the bottom is the embankment with the Hero boat, a Volga steamer of 1913 kept as a war memorial. Going down is a walk; going up is a climb people time themselves on. The view over the Volga and the Oka confluence opens the whole way.

History

The site was long known as the Volga slope, a favourite lookout, and the monument to Valery Chkalov went up at the top in 1940. Alexander Shulpin proposed the stairs in 1939 to link the centre with the Volga, the project moved ahead in 1943 with designs by the Leningrad architects Alexander Yakovlev, Lev Rudnev and Vladimir Munts, and it is the longest staircase in Russia (Wikipedia, Chkalov Stairs).

Highlights

• The figure of eight - two crossing rings of steps descending the bluff.
• The 560 steps - a count that differs by branch and is argued about locally.
• The Chkalov monument - the polar-flight pilot standing at the top.
• The confluence view - the Volga and Oka meeting, open the whole descent.

When to go

May to September. One hour down and back. Winter ice makes the steps genuinely dangerous.

Things to know

The climb back up is hard work and there is no lift alternative on this line. Steps ice over in winter and are closed or unsalted in places. There is no shade. It gets crowded on summer evenings and during city events.

Nearby

The kremlin is at the top; the Volga embankment and the 1913 steamer are at the bottom.

Key facts