When planning your weekend or vacation, you don’t have to choose overseas countries and world resorts. Traveling through Russian cities is no less exciting, because it is an interesting and educational vacation that helps you better understand your home country. Why not go next time, for example, to Chelyabinsk?! This city from a small settlement of Cossacks and merchants turned into a large industrial center.
You can get to Chelyabinsk by plane or train. The train takes about 35 hours, the ticket costs from 1,700 rubles. The flight from Moscow takes only a couple of hours, and ticket prices range from 4 to 9 thousand rubles. The international airport is located approximately 18 kilometers from the city center. You won’t have any problems finding a hotel, since there are more than four dozen of them in Chelyabinsk. After a short rest at the hotel, we advise you to go on an exciting walking tour around the city.
Perhaps the first thing that comes to mind after you hear “Chelyabinsk” (besides the pipe-rolling plant where the famous hero from the show Our Russia works) is
– this is, of course, a meteorite. All visitors to the Chelyabinsk Museum of Local Lore can look at the space guest who made the city a world celebrity (on the map). It is located on the picturesque embankment of the Miass River. In addition to the meteorite, the museum’s collections contain more than 300 thousand exhibits, many of which are of national significance. The price of an adult single ticket to visit all museum exhibitions is 300 rubles, for children – 200. The building itself was built on the site of the Chelyabinsk fortress, which was founded at the beginning of the 18th century.
After leaving the Museum of Local Lore, take a walk along one of the central streets of the city – Kirovskaya. Local residents affectionately call it “Kirovka” or “Arbat” (on the map). Here, ancient merchant houses harmoniously combine with a modern high-rise business center and bronze sculptures. At the entrance there is an arch – a copy of a pre-existing structure that greeted visiting guests more than a century ago. “Kirovka” hosts various sports and entertainment events, singers and dancers perform, festivals and flash mobs are organized, and artists and cartoonists work. This street is so loved by the townspeople that the Chelyabinsk Philharmonic Society staged a musical of the same name.
After a walk along the Chelyabinsk Arbat, take a look at the Aloe Field (on the map). This place in the city is familiar to every resident. This square with its intricate paths has never been called before: Yarmarochnaya Square, Alexandrovskaya Square, and the children’s park named after the 30th anniversary of the Komsomol.
The modern name was preceded by rather tragic events of the past: in 1905, on the orders of the city mayor of Beyvel, mounted police brutally dealt with the rally participants, the square was stained with blood and received the popular nickname “Scarlet”.
Now comfort and beauty reign in the blooming park. The main monument of the square is the Eaglet monument. On the territory of the Scarlet Field there is a functioning temple of the Holy Prince Alexander Nevsky. Several years ago it housed an organ hall, which has now been moved to the former Rodina cinema. Actually, a traveler should definitely go there as well.
Until recently, the Rodina cinema was in disrepair. After the decision was made to move the organ to a new premises, restoration work was carried out, and now the new organ hall (on the map) hosts world-famous musicians who give concerts for all lovers of organ music. The ticket price rarely exceeds 500 rubles.
The most curious tourists can sign up for an evening tour of the concert hall. The ticket price is only 150 rubles. During the excursion you will learn about the history of the appearance of the organ hall in Chelyabinsk, the features of its architecture and the technical nuances of the musical instrument.
One of the most romantic sights of Chelyabinsk is the “Sphere of Love” (on the map). The sculpture is a huge glass dome with a diameter of 10 meters. He rests on the “branches” of metal trees, and under him a young man and a girl fly towards each other. Every weekend newlyweds come to the “Sphere of Love” to perform their first dance as husband and wife.
Lovers of theater productions come to Chelyabinsk to go to the Manneken Theater (on the map). Initially, it was organized as a student theater of variety miniatures, but the troupe of amateur actors always strived for professional heights. Today, the main principle of “Mannequins” is theater for people. And they unquestioningly follow this covenant. You won’t see any classical productions here. Each performance is a bright, extraordinary and exciting performance. At the same time, the ticket price is quite affordable, it rarely rises above 350 rubles.
After spending a couple of days in Chelyabinsk, you become convinced that it is not harsh, but, on the contrary, friendly and hospitable. When leaving the city, do not forget to buy the main local souvenirs as souvenirs: Ural gems and Kasli casting.
The journey through Russia continues:
What to see in Volgograd?
Cultural enlightenment in Ural: the city of Ekaterinburg
