Ulyanovsk

The Old Tatar Quarter (“Staro-Tatarskaya Sloboda”) is the soul of the historical part of Kazan. With its streets preserved from the medieval period, this is considered to be the main area of the Tatar city culture. Dozens of monuments have found refuge on the shores of Lake Kaban and Bulak ducts, in the heart of the capital of Tatarstan. The Old Tatar Quarter is spread over an area of 87.95 hectares, and you will find a total of 75 monuments of history and culture of the 18th – 20th centuries throughout it, which form the settlement itself. Among these are the houses of Yunusov-Apanaev, Shamil, Marjani, Kayum Nasyri, Shamil Yusupov and many others. The long list of masterpieces of architecture, however, should not deter you from simply enjoying the atmosphere of this historical place – there is much more to see than simply buildings. In the 19th century, an Oriental Club functioned in this settlement, where famous poets would read their works and some of the very first Tatar plays were staged. Mosques that were built here, are now known around the world - Apanaeva, Blue, Galeev, Burnaevskaya, and Sennaya (Nurulla) Mosques. Other places also decorate the settlement - a literary museum of Tatar poet Gabdulla Tukay, the house-museum of educator and scientist Kayum Nasyri, Tatar Academic Theatre named after Galiasgar Kamal and the “Tatarskaya Usadba” hotel and restaurant complex, which also includes a museum of Tatar life, a gallery of art crafts and a souvenir shop. And, of course some of the more modern places to visit here – for example the Chak-chak Museum (Tatar national delicacy) eagerly await visitors. Here, you can drink a cup of tea with oriental sweets and learn the secrets of ancient recipes of national dishes. https://visit-tatarstan.com/en/places/attractions/staro-tatarskaya_sloboda/

The Temple of All Religions is a cascade of buildings, combining various styles of buildings of different cultures and religions into one. This is the only place in the world where you can marvel at the Orthodox and Catholic churches, the Muslim mosque, the Jewish synagogue and the Buddhist temple harmoniously coexisting all as one building. The temple is decorated with all the iconic elements of world religions, as well as symbols of extinct civilizations. Visitors are invited to visit the rooms of Jesus Christ, Buddha, the Catholic Hall, the Egyptian Hall, the theatre hall, the picture gallery, and the tea room. The unique temple can be clearly seen from ships sailing along the Volga River, as well as from the windows of the nearby passing trains. https://visit-tatarstan.com/en/places/religion/hram_vseh_religij/

The famous clock on Bauman street do not just show the time - it's a true piece of art made of bronze, created by the famous Kazan architect Igor Bashmakov. Immediately after installation, it became a popular meeting place for couples, and has been lovingly nicknamed the "lovers’ watch". Beloved by all, be sure to take a photo next to it during your visit. The top of the composition features figures of a boy, a pegasus and a goddess. A little lower – the clock dials, face different directions. The name of the numbers in the Tatar language on the dial is translated into Arabic. At the ends of the hour hands, the sun and the crescent moon are depicted, and poetic lines in Arabic are displayed along the dial's circumference. https://visit-tatarstan.com/en/places/attractions/chasy_na_ulice_baumana/

On the pedestrian Bauman street, there is a place from which an incredible view of the central part of Kazan can be seen. This is an observation deck on the bell tower of the Epiphany Cathedral, the tallest ancient building in the city stands 74 metres tall. According to the Archpriest Alexei Derzhavin - abbot of the cathedral, the bell tower was made up of 2,000,000 bricks. Inside it, the Church of John the Baptist, the patron saint of heaven patron Ivan Krivonosov, was opened. The cathedral as well as the observation deck was closed down in the 1930s, and was only restored in 2016. https://visit-tatarstan.com/en/places/attractions/kolokolnya_bogoyavlenskogo_sobora/

The Kazan Cat regularly appears on lists of the most interesting and unusual monuments of Russia. Its place is in the centre of Kazan, on the pedestrian Bauman street. It is a sculptural and architectural composition three metres high in the form of a well-fed cat lying on a couch with a mouse, under a tent roof. The history of the Kazan Cat begins with the reign of Empress Elizabeth Petrovna. Based on historical legends, it is widely known that the Russian Empress learned that there are no mice in Kazan. The fact is that in those days, the cats of Kazan were excellent mice hunters of a special breed - strong, active, with a large head, a muscular neck and a short tail. By the highest order made on October 13, 1745, 30 Kazan cats were transported to St Petersburg to catch mice that had proliferated in the unfinished Winter Palace (also known as modern-day "Hermitage" Museum). Given their bestowed new role, the cats did their job, having saved the palace from harmful rodents. https://visit-tatarstan.com/en/places/attractions/pamyatnik_kotu_kazanskomu/

The city's atmosphere is created by its streets, especially pedestrian streets. In Kazan there is such a street, beautiful, crowded, where every day you can meet musicians, and in the summer even dancers. http://visit-tatarstan.com/locations/sights/places/baumanstreet

The National Museum of the Republic of Tatarstan is the leading museum center of Tatarstan, one of the largest cultural and historical museums of the Volga region and the oldest museum of the republic. http://visit-tatarstan.com/locations/sights/museums/nationalmuseumrt

The park is located in the historical and business centre of the city, near the Kazan Kremlin and University. In the eastern part there is a garden, the main entrance to which is through the romantic "lovers arch". It has an elliptical shape that gives it an interesting acoustic effect: if two people walk up to the opposite sides of the arch and whisper into the arch corners, they hear each other perfectly on either side. Most often, lovers pronounce their love for eachother, hence the name. The park often hosts festivals and concerts on the white-wash wooden flooring in the centre of the park, and city dwellers like to come here for picnics. There are two street food cafes with a snow-white pergola and a large playground. Jogging here has also become a popular way of working out right in the centre of the city. Next to the park, you’ll find various pastry and coffee shops, the Murgasovskiy house and the "City Panorama" offering virtual walks around the city. https://visit-tatarstan.com/en/places/attractions/chernoje_ozero/

It is impossible to come to Kazan and miss the Kremlin. It majestically stands on a hill which, according to legend, was once home to the fire-breathing Zilant dragon, guarding the underground kingdom. Today, the Kremlin complex spanning across 150 thousand square metres, houses the residence of the President of the Republic, various administration buildings and the "Kazan Kremlin" Reserve Museum among others. In 2000, this architectural and historical site was added to the list of World Cultural and Natural Heritage sites of UNESCO https://visit-tatarstan.com/en/places/attractions/kazanskiy-kreml/

The Kazan Family Centre is a new wedding palace built on the bank of Kazanka River in 2013. The double-story observation deck on the roof, 32 metres up, is a great place to see the city and truly feel its scale. The panoramic view of the riverbed of Kazanka River, Volga, The Kremlin, and the old and new parts of Kazan can all be seen from here. A multi-level green lawn stretches across the front of the centre, with benches where you can sit and enjoy the view. In 2016 a sculptural composition "On I Ona" ("He and She" in Russian) by Dasha Namdakova was erected here. A pair of zilants (city symbols), leopards (symbols of the republic) and their cubs stand guard over family values, embodying the fidelity and strength of marriage ties. In the evening, the building lights up with red lights: creating a feeling of burning, everlasting love. After the building’s construction, its viewing platform has become a popular place for photographers, who come here to take amazing photos and film the panoramic views of the city. https://visit-tatarstan.com/en/places/attractions/centr_semi_kazan/

"Park Pobedy" ("Victory Park") occupies an area of 50 hectares, covered with 1418 planted trees and bushes – the number of days of the duration of WWII. A pantheon surrounds the Eternal Flame, where the names of the Kazan victims who died in the war are engraved on the marble tablets. The 42-metre "Pobeda" ("Victory") stele is also nearby, where at the foot of it stands a sculptural composition - a mother with a child in her arms and a soldier with a sword defending them. The park is a real, outdoor museum featuring old military equipment in the open air. Most of these were built at the Kazan manufacturing plants during the war. Locals like to come to the park with their children, who especially like to climb on the tanks and wings of aircraft. A picturesque lake with wild ducks, which you can feed stretches out alongside the park. https://visit-tatarstan.com/en/places/attractions/park_pobedy/

One of the well known museum in the city of Saransk is the Museum of Mordovian Culture located at Sovetskaya Street, 19. http://russiatrek.org/saransk-city

A well known church is Cathedral of Fyodor Ushakov in Saransk. http://russiatrek.org/saransk-city

Nizhny Novgorod Kremlin is a historical centre of Nizhny Novgorod, the city heart, and the place that the history of Nizhny Novgorod was started. Nowadays Nizhny Novgorod Kremlin is said as the grandest and the most majestic medieval fortress extant in the central Russia. http://www.nizhnynovgorod.com/tourism/sightseeing/city_sights/nizhny_novgorod_kremlin/

Museum of childhood A.M. Gorky's “Kashirin’s House” was opened on January 01, 1938. House of Gorky's grandfather, Nizhny Novgorod tradesman, foreman of the dyeing shop, the vowel of the Nizhny Novgorod Duma V.V. Kashirin, - a monument of history and culture of federal significance, a place associated with the writer's childhood (1871–72); the scene of Gorky's autobiographical story "Childhood", one of the most outstanding works of world literature of the 20th century, a kind of encyclopedia of Russian characters and a national way of life. The house is a 1-storey log cabin, sheathed and unpainted, with 5 rooms: kitchen, grandfather's room, grandmother's room, Mikhail's room, art. son of the Kashirins, and uncle Alyosha Peshkov, underlining - the lower "working" room, where they lived in Aug. 1871 - in the spring of 1872 little Alyosha with his mother after their arrival from Astrakhan. Guided tours: "Alyosha Peshkov in the petty-bourgeois family of the Kashirins", The museum houses a valuable collection of publications of the story "Childhood" in the languages ​​of the peoples of the world (since 1914). During the Great Patriotic War, from the summer of 1941 to the spring of 1943, the most valuable exhibits of the museum were taken to the Tonshaevsky district of the Gorky (now Nizhny Novgorod) region, where museum staff arranged exhibitions and lectured. The museum continued to work thanks to the museum staff - A.V. Sigorsky and S.P. Zimakov. In the post-war years, the museum’s household exposition expanded: 1968 — creating an exposition in the basement of the house, 1976 — re-exposure of Uncle Mikhail’s room — re-creating the room’s living environment. By the mid-1970s all dwellings in the house of V.V. are completely restored Kashirin (area - 95.1 sq.m.). At the heart of the exposition are genuine household items of the 19th century, including a memorial, belonging to the Kashirin-Peshkov family. The unique authentic atmosphere of the house in the natural historical environment, where the old wooden buildings and fragments of the memorial landscape have been preserved, allows us to fully imagine the lifestyle of the Kashirin family, in which the early formation of the future writer Gorky took place in early childhood; gives means. information about the life of Nizhny Novgorod philistinism of the XIX century. http://museumgorkogo.ru/muzej-detstva-a-m-gorkogo-domik-kashirina/

One of the most beautiful religious buildings in Nizhny Novgorod, the 18th century architectural monument. http://www.nizhnynovgorod.com/tourism/sightseeing/city_sights/church_of_nativity_of_most_holy_mother_of_god/

The mansion of Mikhail Aseev, opened after restoration in the autumn of 2014, is one of the most outstanding sights of Tambov. http://russiatrek.org/blog/architecture/the-mansion-of-mikhail-aseev-in-tambov/

Transfiguration Cathedral (1694) is one of the well known cathedral in the city of Tambov. http://russiatrek.org/blog/architecture/majestic-churches-of-tambov-in-spring/

Kazan Monastery. One of the highest bell towers in Russia (107 meters). http://russiatrek.org/blog/architecture/majestic-churches-of-tambov-in-spring/

Tourists coming to the city are attracted by the white stone monuments of pre-Mongolian architecture (UNESCO World Heritage Sites).Cathedral of Saint Demetrius (1194-1197) located at Sobornaya Square. http://russiatrek.org/vladimir-city

The Dormition (Uspenskiy) Cathedral in Vladimir is an outstanding monument of white-stone architecture of pre-Mongol Russia (the 12th century). Today, it is the cathedral of the Russian Orthodox Church and the National Museum. http://russiatrek.org/blog/travel/the-dormition-cathedral-in-vladimir/

The Golden Gates Cathedral Museum (1158-1164, rebuilt in the 17th-18th centuries) (Bolshaya Moskovskaya Street, 1a). http://russiatrek.org/vladimir-city

In the Chukhlomsky district of the Kostroma region, hidden between forests and abandoned villages, there is a beautiful wooden palace designed by the famous architect Ivan Ropet (1845-1908). http://russiatrek.org/blog/architecture/the-wooden-palace-in-astashovo/

Holy Trinity Ipatievsky Monastery is Orthodox monastery of the Russian Church. The monastery played significant role in Russian history of 16th and 17th centuries. It was first mentioned in chronicles in 1432. http://russiatrek.org/blog/photos/holy-trinity-ipatievsky-monastery-of-kostroma/

The State Architectural-Ethnographic and Landscape Museum-Reserve “Kostroma Sloboda”, located in the city of Kostroma, is one of the oldest open-air museums in Russia. http://russiatrek.org/blog/cities/the-museum-of-wooden-architecture-kostroma-sloboda/

Church of Ilya the Prophet is a real gem of ancient Russian architecture. This simple in form, strict and solemn church with five cupolas is extremely beautiful. http://russiatrek.org/yaroslavl-city

Church of St. John the Baptist is one of the most famous monuments of the Yaroslavl architecture. It is a monument of history and culture of world importance included in the UNESCO cultural heritage list. http://russiatrek.org/blog/cities/amazing-15-domed-church-of-st-john-the-baptist-in-yaroslavl/

Vvedenskiy Tolga Convent is located on the outskirts of Yaroslavl, on the left bank of the Volga River. You can easily get here by water-bus from the city center. http://russiatrek.org/blog/travel/beautiful-vvedenskiy-tolga-convent-in-yaroslavl/

The wooden palace of Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich with 270 rooms decorated with paintings and carvings was built in 1667 without using any fasten materials, nails or hooks. It consisted of 26 buildings connected with each other by passages and halls. The whole complex was divided into male and female parts. The male part included ceremonial chambers, chambers of the Tsar and of his sons, while the female part belonged to the Tsarina and to the Tsar’s daughters. https://www.russiaeguide.com/wooden-palace-of-tsar-alexei-mikhailovich.html

The Tretyakov Gallery is the main museum of Russian national art, reflecting its unique contribution to world culture. It is a hospitable museum that is known for its rich collection and variety of presented ideas. Check out the best works of Russian art from different eras and authors. On Currently the collection includes more than 180 000 pieces and is regularly updated. The Collection presents major masterpieces from the permanent exhibition. Also visit The New Tretyakov Gallery which presents the most completed in our country permanent exhibition of the art of the 20th century in all its diversity - avant - garde, socialistic realism and art of the "austere style" and "underground" and some new art trends. Here are held not only large-scale retrospectives of great Russian artists, but also showed experimental exhibitions of young authors. A lecture - hall and a creative workshop offer a wide range of theoretical knowledge and practical trainings about the art of the 20th and early 21st century for children, students and adults. https://www.tretyakovgallery.ru/en/

St. Basil’s Cathedral is Moscow’s most famous artistic work of architecture. Also called "Pokrovsky Cathedral" or "The Cathedral of Intercession of the Virgin by the Moat", it is the most recognizable Russian building. This Cathedral is to the Russians what the Eiffel Tower is to the French, an honorable symbol of their past, present, and future. The cathedral stands on the Red Square, facing the Ivory Gate Chapel. The St. Basil's Cathedral history started in 1555 by the order of Ivan IV ("Ivan the Terrible") in celebration of the defeat of Kazan, the last remaining grip of the Mongol Empire on European lands. Today there are more than 400 icons painted between the 14th and 19th centuries by the most famous schools of Novgorod and Moscow hanging on the walls. A narrow pathway leads you from one alter to another, passing through a wooden spiral staircase so well hidden in a wall, that it was only found during the 1970 restoration of the cathedral. Taking in the medieval aura and mystical spirituality of St. Basil’s imbues visitors with what can only be described as a quintessential Russian experience. https://www.travelallrussia.com/st-basil-moscow

Today GUM lives like it once was conceived. It is ideal shopping city of Moscow that seems to live without losses and catastrophes for 120 years already. The fountain in the center of GUM was reopened and pleases visitors since 2007. This legendary construction is captured in the official chronicles of the twentieth century and in millions of private shots. They say, the sound of a shutter can be heard every three seconds here today. The legendary cinema, which went down in the history of the national movie-making, was restored. Unique illumination project was carried out on the facade. GUM-Skating rink was opened at Red Square in 2006, which at once gained the fame of the brightest ice rink of the capital. GUM is not just a store where you can buy almost everything. It is a shopping block where there is a pharmacy, bank branch, and flower shop ... It is a monument of architecture. It is a comfortable lounge area with restaurants and cafes. It is an art gallery and venue for cultural events. It is an integral part of Russian history. It is a symbol of Moscow and it is the closest place to the Kremlin, where you can feel yourself in Europe! https://gumrussia.com/

Being the most recognizable symbol of Russia in the world, the glorious Red Square is the UNESCO listed World Heritage which accepts thousands of tourists each year. No wonder that this sight is a true must-visit of any Moscow trip and every adventurous globe-trotter has a picture in front of St. Basil's Cathedral. The Red Square is set in the very heart of Moscow, separating the Kitay Gorod commercial district from the Kremlin walls, and has a history as old as the post-Mongol fortress itself. The name "Krásnaya Plóshchaď" translates from Russian as "red", yet the word also means "beautiful". This ancient center of Russia's political power dates back to the end of the 13th century and has a long and rich history. Originally, it was the site of a central market square established in an area cleared by decree for the defense of Kremlin on the banks of Moskva and Neglinnaya rivers. It was also a place where various festive processions were held and thus the square was considered a sacred place. https://www.travelallrussia.com/red-square