You can travel around Russia all year round, without reference to the time of year or day of the week. There is no pronounced “rainy season” or “dry period” in the country, which means you can go on a trip even today. And almost every city has a list of must-see attractions. In Nizhny Novgorod, for example, this is a cable car, in Kazan – the Kremlin. But you shouldn’t limit yourself to just one object.
Nizhny Novgorod
Nizhny Novgorod (or simply Nizhny) is the best example of how modern Russian culture can look. Its provincialism does not oppress, its history inspires, and the enterprise of its youth energizes. The city is famous for the magnificent white stone Kremlin, the writer Maxim Gorky and the GAZ automobile plant. To really get a feel for what’s going on in the city, just go to the center, pop into a couple of cafes and walk along the embankment.
The themed courtyard includes an art gallery, fair stalls with farm products, several designer shops, an outdoor concert area, a wine boutique and the Maja restaurant.
Cable car
The cable car (on the map) is a completely atypical object for a Russian city, which appeared in Nizhny Novgorod in 2012, which quickly caught the fancy of tourists. The length of the cable car is 3.6 kilometers, and the height difference is 57 meters. Estimated travel time 12.5 minutes. From the point of view of movement safety, everything is thought out: the disembarkation and pick-up areas are fenced, the doors close and open automatically.
It’s interesting that they want to include the cable car in the Guinness Book of Records, because it is the longest in Europe and the only one in the world with an 800-meter unsupported flight over water.
Circus
In the city at the confluence of the Oka and Volga there is the largest circus complex in Europe (on the map). The area of the building is 30,000 sq.m., and the height of the arena is 23 meters. The circus has a large stable with 37 stalls, separate rooms for sea animals, predators, elephants, dogs, monkeys, and a large modern veterinary hospital. And the light, sound, cinema and laser systems meet the most modern requirements.
Museum of Childhood and Museum-Apartment of A.M. Gorky
In Nizhny there is the estate of A. M. Gorky’s grandfather, which is otherwise called the “Museum of Maxim Gorky’s Childhood.” The future writer spent only a few months in this small wooden building. Gorky never returned here again, but it is this house that he describes in the story “Childhood”. As for the museum-apartment, this is the last Nizhny Novgorod home of the Russian writer, which contemporaries called the “Gorky Academy”. Gorky lived here from 1902 to 1904.
Kazan
Kazan is an amazing harmony. At least this is the first thing that comes to mind when you first come here. In the city you can see the interweaving of Eastern and Western cultures, the juxtaposition of mosques and churches with skyscrapers. The right energy and wise guidance are felt throughout. In Tatarstan, you should definitely try chakchak and look into one of the most beautiful mosques in Russia.
Kazan Kremlin
The “heart” of the city is the Kazan Kremlin and the main attraction of the capital of Tatarstan. This is a huge complex in which Russian and Tatar cultural traditions are harmoniously and uniquely combined.
Entrance to the territory is through the Spasskaya Tower, and it is free. To the left of it is the Kul Sharif Mosque, which was opened in 2005. So far this is the largest mosque in Russia, which can accommodate up to 8,000 worshipers. Tourists are allowed to the observation deck of the mosque.
Kazan Arbat
Every guest of Kazan is obliged to visit the local Arbat – Bauman Street. Here you can try dishes of national Tatar cuisine. For example, in the restaurant “House of Tatar Cooking” or in the cafe “House of Tea” located next door. Visitors love to take pictures in front of unusual sculptural objects. One of the most popular is the Kazan Cat, a monument to a huge imposing cat.
Temple of All Religions
The building is literally out of this world. In 1994, an architectural structure, unusual by all standards, began to be built in Kazan – the Temple of All Religions, as its author Ildar Mansaveevich Khanov called it. The building combined the features of Catholic, Orthodox and Buddhist temples, a mosque and a synagogue. The temple was not conceived as a religious center, but as a complex that included a working museum, a concert hall and an exhibition gallery.
Perm
Perm, it seems, was initially destined for the fate of a boring industrial center, and for many years, the city lived like that. But at the beginning of the 21st century, the life of the metropolis changed – it was called the “cultural capital of the Urals,” and the city began to do everything to somehow correspond to this. This is how the famous Perm slogan “Happiness is just around the corner” appeared, fashionable art installations and art objects appeared next to ancient mansions, and various kinds of festivals and concerts with the same sentiments began to be held in the city. At first everything looked a little violent, the policy of the initiator of this whole movement, Marat Gelman, was not supported by many, but the paradox is that as soon as the pressure stopped, it became clear that that energy had taken root.
And it’s worth coming here in order to see how contemporary art can live in the scenery of ancient architecture, and also to go to the local theater, get to Perm-36, the only museum of political repression in Russia, and find out what they are like Perm “posikunchiki”.
Monument to booth “P”
The monument to the letter P, or the Perm Gate, is the most controversial art object in the city. It appeared in 2011 and still evokes the most contradictory feelings among both Perm residents and visitors: from admiration to disgust. The art object looks like a twelve-meter structure made of spruce logs chaotically woven together. At night, the sculpture is illuminated using a special installation.
Krasavinsky Bridge
The city has the largest bridge in the Perm region and the third largest in Russia. Its length is 1.7 kilometers. The automobile-pedestrian bridge over the Kama River was opened in 2005. If you decide to walk along it, dress warmly, it will be windy.
Monument to Salty Ears
Recently, the sculpture “Permyak – Salty Ears” has become the visiting card of the city of Perm. The sculpture owes its strange name to the ancient nickname given to the residents of the city. The Perm region has long been famous for its salt production. And people who constantly carried bags of salt on their backs developed an occupational disease – salt got on their ears, causing them to become inflamed and red. The sculpture consists of two parts – the figure of the photographer and a round frame with large ears located near it.
