Chkalov Stairs, also known as Volga Stairs, is a monumental structure in the historical center of Nizhny Novgorod, connecting the Upper Volga and Lower Volga embankments. It was designed by architects Alexander Yakovlev, Lev Rudnev, and Vladimir Muntz and was considered the longest staircase in Russia until the annexation of Crimea.

During the Russian Empire and until the mid-1940s, the area where Chkalov Stairs now stands was called the Volga Slope. This place was popular among residents and visitors of the city. At the top of the slope, where a monument to Valery Chkalov is now installed, there was a semicircular projection overlooking the Bor River floodplain. It was connected to Blagoveshchenskaya Square, later renamed Soviet Square, and now Minin and Pozharsky Square. From here, the Georgievskaya Embankment began.

The idea of building a staircase on the Volga Slope was first proposed in 1939 by the chairman of the Gorky City Executive Committee, Alexander Shulpin. The project envisioned the creation of an impressive staircase that would connect the city center with the Volga and surpass the Potemkin Stairs in Odessa. However, the war that began delayed the implementation of these plans.

Construction of the staircase was postponed until 1943, when Gorky began to recover from German bombings. Shulpin again promoted his idea and presented the project of Leningrad architects in Moscow. Initially, the staircase was to start from the Rossiya Hotel, but Shulpin decided to move it to the Chkalov monument, bringing it closer to the Kremlin. After coordination, Moscow allocated funds for construction in honor of the victory in the Battle of Stalingrad, and the first stone was laid that same year.

Local residents and German prisoners participated in the construction. The staircase was opened in 1949. About 7 million rubles were spent on its construction, and Shulpin was arrested for embezzlement but was later rehabilitated after Stalin's death.

The staircase has become one of the most famous landmarks of the city. It often hosts sporting events, mainly races.

In 1985, a boat of the Volga Military Flotilla, named 'Hero,' was installed on a pedestal at the foot of the staircase, becoming a popular spot for newlyweds. Until 2008, it was decorated with colored ribbons, and to prevent this, metal structures were installed nearby.

The last restoration of the staircase took place in 2012 and 2013.