Nizhny Novgorod is the center of the Volga region. The fifth largest city in Russia, it was founded in 1221 at the confluence of two big rivers: the Volga and the Oka. Nizhny Novgorod was famous for its trade fairs, which attracted people from all parts of the country as well as from Europe and from the East. Оf special interest is the Kremlin on the high bank of the Volga River. There are many unique historical, architectural and cultural monuments preserved in Nizhny Novgorod and its vicinity.