From 1932 to 1990, Nizhny Novgorod was known as Gorky after the writer Maxim Gorky, who was born there.
After the war, Gorky became a "closed city" and remained one until after the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1990. At that time the city was renamed back to Nizhny Novgorod. During the Soviet period, the city turned into an important industrial center.
Nizhniy Novgorod has numerous architectural monuments including the XVI century Kremlin, museums, churches and other places of interest.
UNESCO included Nizhny Novgorod in the list of 100 cities constituting world historical and cultural value.
