Arzamas

Arzamas stands on the Tyosha, a tributary of the Oka. Founded in 1578 during the reign of Ivan IV in lands inhabited by Mordvins, it grew into a transit centre on the road from Moscow to eastern Russia. By 1737 the town had more than 7,000 inhabitants and was known for leather crafts, geese and onions. The painter Alexander Stupin opened an art school here in 1802.