The old city of Cheboksary is the architectural monument of Russia, whereas modern Cheboksary is the capital of Chuvashia and its cultural, scientific and industrial centre. The city is located on the high right bank of the Volga River, between Nizhni Novgorod and Kazan, in the valley formed by the rivers Cheboksarka and Kaibulka.

Cheboksary is a unique city, equally interesting both with its history and the present, boasting original museums and monuments, and representing a mixture of Russian and Chuvash cultures, which have been interwoven and mutually complimentary for centuries.

The city is a road junction and has an airport. The population of Cheboksary amounts to around 440 thousand citizens. It has the satellite town Novocheboksarsk with the population of about 125 thousand people.

The day of the city is the third Sunday of August.

Places of interest

The central part of Cheboksary is located as an amphitheatre, stretching over seven hills. Pleasant walks in the Old City are embellished with an artificial bay and monuments of architecture.

One can find here a range of constructions of the 17th – 18th centuries, such as Troitsky Monastery with Fyodor Stratillat Church, a refectory, Troitsky Cathedral, the Church of Tolgskaya Lady, the priests’ and brothers’ premises, etc; Vvedensky Cathedral (1651) with a hipped belfry; the house of Zeleishchikov (1697), the Church of Resurrection (1702) and Church of Assumption (1763), Mikhail Archangel’s Church (1702), and others.

In the centre of the city there is Puppet Theatre, Museum of Local Lore, Russian Drama Theatre, and Theatre for Yong Spectators, monuments to Vasily Chapayev (1887-1919), the Chuvash enlightener Ivan Yakovlev (1848-1930), and the poet Konstantin Ivanov (1890-1915).

History of Cheboksary

There are several versions concerning the origin of the city’s name. Some scientists suppose the word “Shupashkar” (which is the Chuvash name for Cheboksary) means “a city or a fortified settlement of the Chuvashs”, while others think it comes from the Turkic word “su bashi” meaning “head of the army”. Thus the Chuvash name of the city stands for “a fortified settlement of a commander”.

Cheboksary was first mentioned in written sources in 1469, when Russian warriors stopped there on their way to the Kazan Khanate. However, its history goes back to earlier times. According to data of archeological diggings a Bulgarian-Chuvash settlement existed here from 13th -14th centuries.

In 1555 the Russian military town Cheboksary was built, consisting of a fortress and a trading and industrial settlement. The 16th century and the first quarter of the 17th century saw the foundation of Vvedensky Cathedral, Troitsky and Preobrazhensky Monasteries, Nikolayevsky and Blagoveshchensky Convents, Sretenskaya Pustyn’ (hermitage) and eight churches. From the 17th – 18th centuries Cheboksary became a well-known trading centre on the Volga River and in 1781 it acquired the status of a provincial town of Kazan Province.

In the early 19th century the population of Cheboksary amounted to 5 and a half thousand citizens. The industry was limited to a saw-mill and a few small factories. The town was famous for its numerous churches (25 churches and 4 monasteries); whereas Cheboksary’s church bells were known even in London and Paris.