Nizhpoligraf

Nizhpoligraf (also historically known as Gorkovskaya Pravda) was a major printing and publishing enterprise based in Nizhny Novgorod, Russia. Its origins trace back to 1905, when the Rukavishnikov merchant dynasty funded the construction of a building known as the House of Diligence named after Mikhail and Lyubov Rukavishnikov. The building, designed in Art Nouveau style, initially served as a workhouse for the poor. After the October Revolution, the complex was repurposed, and by the 1920s it had become a consolidated printing facility, incorporating equipment from smaller presses and the Suvorin printing house from Petrograd. During the 1920s, under the artistic direction of Nikolai Ilyin, Nizhpoligraf gained national prominence for its innovative typographic design. Its book products won a silver medal at the 1925 Paris World Exhibition and received awards at exhibitions in Leipzig and Milan. In the 1960s, the building was expanded with two additional floors, and the enterprise was renamed Gorkovskaya Pravda, though the original name was later restored. A new building was added in the 1980s. From the early 2000s, parts of the printing facilities were rented out. In 2007, the press printed 300,000 copies of the Russian translation of J.K. Rowling's "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows" under tight security. In 2015, creative companies began occupying the space, and it hosted cultural events such as the RESULT/ART festival and the Intervals audiovisual festival. The printing operations ceased in 2019 due to unprofitability. Since 2023, the complex has been transformed into a professional education technopark, the Park of Masters "Nizhpoligraf", as part of the federal "Professionalitet" project, with over 45,000 square meters of workshops and laboratories. The project continues into 2025.

The history of Nizhpoligraf is intertwined with the building complex it occupied, originally constructed in 1905 by the Rukavishnikov merchant dynasty as the House of Diligence named after Mikhail and Lyubov Rukavishnikov. Designed in Art Nouveau style by either Anatoly Shmakov or Pavel Dombrovsky (sources differ), it housed over 200 poor individuals who received small daily wages, food, and shelter for picking oakum and carding bast. The House of Diligence operated until autumn 1914, after which it became a hospital for wounded and sick prisoners of war. Following the October Revolution, the building was intended for university use, then occupied by the cartographic department of the military engineers corps, and later reopened as a hospital. In the 1920s, the consolidated complex of former Nizhny Novgorod printing houses began production, gradually increasing print runs. Rotary and typesetting equipment was installed in the former manufacturing premises. The new enterprise was based on small presses and first-class typesetting equipment from the Suvorin printing house in Petrograd. During the 1920s, Nizhpoligraf became one of the country's leading publishers, largely due to the innovation and talent of designer, illustrator, and graphic artist Nikolai Vasilyevich Ilyin. He elevated the regional printing house to the highest level. Ilyin's distinctive feature was the typeset cover, created using typographic fonts and rules, which elevated it to an art form. The printing house combined high art with production processes. In 1925, the enterprise's book products received a silver medal at the World Exhibition in Paris, and in 1927 it was awarded diplomas from the Supreme Council of National Economy and the All-Union Printing Exhibition in Moscow. Its products also won prizes at exhibitions in Leipzig and Milan. In the 1960s, two upper floors were added to the building. At that time, the printing house bore the name "Gorkovskaya Pravda", referring to the local newspaper, but later the old name returned. In the 1980s, another building was constructed for the printing house, closely adjoining the building along Varvarskaya Street. The complex now occupies an entire block bounded by Kovalikhinskaya, Akademika Blokhina, and Varvarskaya streets. Since the early 2000s, part of the printing premises has been rented out. In 2007, the Nizhny Novgorod printing house "Nizhpoligraf" printed 300,000 copies of the seventh novel by Joan Rowling, "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows", in Russian. Unprecedented security measures were taken to prevent information leaks. In 2015, creative companies began actively occupying "Nizhpoligraf". In 2019, the printing house "Nizhpoligraf" closed due to unprofitability. In 2015, "Nizhpoligraf" hosted the electronic music and contemporary art festival "RESULT/ART" with DJ Food from the Ninja Tune label. On June 3, 2017, "Nizhpoligraf" became the venue for the first festival of audiovisual art, Intervals, featuring media artists from Moscow, St. Petersburg, and European cities. The festival included a daytime program with educational components, installations, and performances, and a nighttime program with AV live acts and light shows. Currently, the building houses many organizations, including creative ones: the multimedia art space TSEKH *, the laser and mapping show studio dreamlaser, the independent professional theater Center for Theater Mastery, and the Nizhny Novgorod cinema house "Kinofaktura". In 2023, work began on creating a technopark for professional education based on the "Nizhpoligraf" infrastructure complex. This project is part of the federal "Professionalitet" project. There are only two such centers in Russia, the second in Kaluga. The area of the Park of Masters "Nizhpoligraf" is over 45,000 square meters: more than 50 training workshops and production sites. The educational and production cluster acts as a resource center for advanced training of teachers of secondary educational institutions from all over Russia, masters of industrial training, and for teaching students in demanded working specialties. A unified educational space is being created in cooperation with existing enterprises and educational institutions. The program and architectural concepts for the development of the Park of Masters "Nizhpoligraf" were presented by the Institute for Urban Environment Development of the Nizhny Novgorod Region together with the consortium of the "Dal" project and the architectural bureau Plombir. During the reconstruction, the historical appearance of the building was preserved, updating only internal structures. In total, 43 laboratories will be opened in the technopark, equipped for training in turning and milling on CNC machines, welding technologies, various areas of the chemical industry, robotics, IT, and others. Commissioning is taking place in stages. The project implementation continues in 2025.

• 2023

  Work began on creating the Park of Masters technopark.

• 2019

  Printing house closed due to unprofitability.

• 2017

  Hosted the first Intervals audiovisual art festival.

• 2015

  Creative companies began occupying the space; hosted RESULT/ART festival.

• 2007

  Printed 300,000 copies of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows in Russian.

• 2000

  Part of the printing premises began to be rented out.

• 1980

  Another building constructed for the printing house.

• 1960

  Two upper floors added; printing house renamed Gorkovskaya Pravda.

• 1927

  Awarded diplomas at the All-Union Printing Exhibition in Moscow.

• 1925

  Book products won a silver medal at the World Exhibition in Paris.

• 1920

  Consolidated printing complex began production.

• 1914

  House of Diligence closed; building became a hospital for prisoners of war.

• 1905

  Building constructed by the Rukavishnikov merchant dynasty as the House of Diligence.

Leading regional printing and publishing house in Russia, known for high-quality book production and innovative typographic design.

• Books

• Newspapers

• Magazines

• Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (Russian edition)

1. 1Nizhpoligraf - Wikidatawikidata.org
2. 2Нижполиграф - Wikipedia (Russian)ru.wikipedia.org