Semënov, Russia
Семёнов
Semënov is a town of 24,300 people in Nizhny Novgorod Oblast, Russia, founded in 1644.
Why visit Semënov
Townapedia lists 25 museums and landmarks, 1 park or trail, 5 places to eat, 1 place to stay and 1 attraction in and around town.
Weather in Semënov
Forecast from MET Norway (CC BY 4.0). Full forecast
About Semënov
Semyonov (Russian: Семёнов) is a town in Nizhny Novgorod Oblast, Russia, notable for being a major center for traditional handcrafts such as Khokhloma wood painting and matryoshka dolls. As of the 2010 Census, its population was 24,473.
From the Wikipedia article Semyonov, Nizhny Novgorod Oblast (this version), under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Things to do1
Museums and landmarks25
Городская усадьба
Monument and historic site · 1.0 km
12 улица Володарского, Семенов
Городская усадьба (женская прогимназия)
Monument and historic site · 0.6 km
44 улица Гагарина, Семёнов
Дом купца А.Р. Сафонова
Monument and historic site
8 улица Нижегородская, Семенов
13 more on the map.
Parks, trails and playgrounds1
Restaurants and cafes5
History
Rachmaninov may have been born there. Poles are buried there because of the Katyn massacre of 1940. Nazi Germany was there from late 1941 to early 1944.
It was established in the beginning of the 17th century as a settlement of Old Believers. According to an Old Believer legend, the Old Believer settlement in the area was spurred by the existence of the ancient Olenevsky Skete (today, the village of Bolshoye Olenevo, some 24 kilometers (15 mi) southeast from Semyonov), which had supposedly been founded in the 15th century by some of Venerable Macarius's monks to commemorate their leader's Miracle of the Moose that took place at that site, and later joined the Raskol.
The first documented mention of Semyonov was in 1644; it was referred to as Semyonov's hamlet, later as Semyonovo village, and from 1779 as the uyezd town of Semyonov.
From the beginning of the 19th to the early 20th century, it was a center for Old Believers movement and the only place to produce Old Believers' religious items such as lestovka prayer beads.
From the History section of Semyonov, Nizhny Novgorod Oblast on Wikipedia, under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Where to stay1
Churches and places of worship2
Церковь Николая Чудотворца
Church · Old Believers · 0.9 km
12А улица Володарского, Семёнов
Shopping18
Gas and EV charging4
Schools, colleges and libraries13
Healthcare7
Map of Semënov
77 places. The map loads OpenStreetMap tiles when you open it.
Getting there and nearby towns
Nizhny Novgorod (Strigino) (GOJ) is the nearest airport with scheduled flights listed in OpenStreetMap, 76 km away.
- Linda 31 km southwest, about 31 min by car
- Kerzhenets 36 km south, about 36 min by car
- Sukhobezvodnoye 38 km northeast, about 38 min by car
- Vladimirskoye 38 km east, about 38 min by car
- Bol’sheorlovskiy 41 km south, about 41 min by car
- Sitniki 45 km southwest, about 45 min by car
- Bor 54 km southwest, about 54 min by car
- Nizhniy Novgorod 59 km southwest, about 59 min by car
- Zavolzh’ye 69 km west, about 1 h 15 min by car
- Dzerzhinsk 88 km southwest, about 1 h 30 min by car
Drive times are estimates from straight-line distance, not routes.
Local news
Headlines from INDB.
Reviews, tips and questions
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Sources and licences
- GeoNames (CC BY 4.0): population, coordinates, regions and time zone
- OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL 1.0): places, airports, map data
- Wikidata (CC0 1.0): elevation, founding date, time zone, website
- Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0): overview and history text
Page built November 4, 2026. Spotted a mistake? Tell us or suggest a place.