Cultural Center 'Packhouses'

About museum

Packhouses (openwork metal structures) were originally intended for the Main Building of the 15th All‑Russian Industrial and Art Exhibition, held in Moscow in 1882. The frames were manufactured at the St. Petersburg Metal Plant. The Main Building project was worked on by some of Russia's best architects, designers and engineers: A.I. Rezanov, G.E. Pauker, I.A. Vyshnegradsky, A.G. Weber and A.S. Kaminsky.

In 1896 the 16th All‑Russian Industrial and Art Exhibition took place in Nizhny Novgorod (for the first time outside the capitals). The only building that was not built from scratch was the Main Exhibition Pavilion. To save costs, the structure from the previous exhibition was used for its construction.

In the 20th century the openwork structures were moved to the port at the Strelka, where they were used as the basis for warehouses. The packhouses were discovered only during the city's preparations for the FIFA World Cup.

In 2017 the frames had their brick walls and slate roofs removed, and two years later the packhouses hosted several cultural events: the Intervals audiovisual art festival and the international arts festival 'Strelka'.

In 2020 conservation work was carried out on the site, a cultural heritage object of regional significance, for Nizhny Novgorod's 800th anniversary. The metal structures were cleaned of old layers of paint and dust and restored to their historic color.

In the summer of 2022 a 430-seat concert hall opened in the packhouses. The concepts were developed by the architectural bureau 'SPICH' under the direction of architect S. Choban. The concert hall in the packhouses is a unique project in Russia. Its original architectural feature is a glass panoramic wall overlooking the Strelka and the historic part of the city.