Traveling along the Volga is traveling along Russia, along big and small Russian towns and cities, every one of which is a historic page of our country.
In the past the Volga used to be a trading way. 500 years ago a merchant from Tver Afanasy Nikitin went down the Volga on his way to India.
About 200 rivers (excluding the smallest ones) flow into the Great Russian River. Its length is 3,530km. Its basin composes 1/3 of the European part of Russia. From Valdai Hill till the Caspian Sea it passes almost all the natural zones: from coniferous forests till deserts.
Being in Cheboksary you can choose between two ways of traveling along the Great Russian River: up the Volga till Tver and down the Volga till Astrakhan.
If you choose downward direction, the first city on your way will be Kazan; it is the capital city of the Republic of Tatarstan. It has already celebrated its 1,000th anniversary. From the 15th century it was the capital of the Kazan Khanate. In 1552 it was joined to the Moscow state. Today the city is a big industrial and cultural centre. It is a picturesque site lying as it is on the hills and on the deep ravines which are characteristic of the landscape. But even more amazing is Kazan's architecture, uniting into a single whole the Moslem Mosques and minarets with Orthodox churches and belfries. The walls of the ancient Kazan Kremlin rise majestically among them. One of the oldest Universities in Russia is situated in Kazan.
The next stop will be in Ulyanovsk. It was founded in the 17th century. At first the town was called Simbirsk. In 1924 it was renamed. V. I. Ulyanov-Lenin was born in Simbirsk in 1870. There are many places which remind us of his life and activity.
Samara will be the next tourist destination on your way. During the Soviet period the town was called Khuibyshev. It is situated near the only mountain chain on the Volga territory – Zhyguli. It is one of the biggest industrial centres where planes TU-154 are built. There is a hydroelectric station in Samara.
After Samara we will find ourselves in Saratov. At first the town was on the left bank of the Volga. But after the fortress had opened its gates to Stepan Razin, it fell into disgrace of Moscow. Modern Saratov is on the right bank. It was founded in 1674. On its coat-of-arms you can see three sterlets, which tell us about the occupation of the townsmen in the past. Saratov's wheat was one of the best in the world. Many places of Saratov are connected with the name of N. G. Chernyshevsky, a revolutionary democrat. There is the Chernyshevsky Museum in the house where he was born, lived and where he came back from deportation. Nowadays Saratov is a big city with the population of more than a million people. It attracts tourists by the unique architecture of its buildings and temples, the most beautiful of which is the Trinity Cathedral. On the porch of that cathedral Yemelyan Pugachyov, who captured the town in 1774 held court.
The next city is famous for its role in the World War II. The Stalingrad Battle was the crucial moment of the war. 200 days and nights fights didn't stop but the city never did surrender. The enemy was stopped and the new period of the war began. The city was ruined. After the war it was built anew. Today in Volgograd there is a number of monuments and memorial complexes commemorating the heroic deeds of the Russian soldiers. The most famous are Mamayev Kurgan with the Hall of Military Glory and the sculpture of Motherland, calling her sons to defeat the enemy. The height of the Monument is 52meters. You can also see the ruins of a mill near the Volga bank, preserved as a monument to the heroic defense of the city in the World War II.
Astrakhan is the last destination on the way to the Caspian Sea. There is the Volga delta after it. In 100km there will be the sea. Till the 16th century the city was the capital of the Astrakhan Khanate. Ancient Astrakhan was famous for its inaccessible fortress, its trade with Eastern countries and fishing. Fishing is still the main activity on which the industry of Astrakhan is based. Astrakhan is a river and sea port of our country. Among the city sights we cannot help mentioning the Kremlin. Built in 1582-1589, it covers an area of 11hectares. Its Dormition Cathedral impresses by rich decorativeness of the facades and peculiar architectural forms.
The Volga is an eternal river. It combines the epochs and unites the nations. There are more historical and cultural monuments on the banks of the Volga than in any other area of the nation. It is understandable as the Volga flows through the whole of the European part of Russia. Along its way it collects the waters of 7000 big and small rivers and streams. And for many centuries the economic and cultural life of our nation centered along the river’s banks.
KAZAN
Kazan is the capital city of the Republic of Tatarstan and one of Russia’s largest cities. It is a major industrial, commercial and cultural centre, and it remains the most important centre of the Tatar culture.
After 2009 Kazan has the legal right to brand itself as the “Third Capital” of Russia, approved by the Russian Patent Office. Kazan lies at the confluence of the Volga and Kazanka Rivers in central European Russia. The famous Kazan Kremlin is the World Heritage Site.
The origin of the name is unclear. The literal translation of the Tatar word qazan is a boiler. But there are also several romantic legends about the origin of the name of the city. One of them is a Chuvash legend about the Bulgarian Prince Khusan.
There is a long-running dispute as to whether Kazan was founded by the Volga Bulgars in the early Middle Ages or by the Tatars of the Golden Horde in the mid-fifteenth century, as written records before the latter period are sparse. Nevertheless, Kazan celebrated its 1,000th anniversary in 2005.
In 1552 the city was conquered by Russia under Ivan the Terrible. The surviving Tatar population was moved to a place 50km away from the city.
Kazan was largely destroyed as a result of several fires. After one of them in 1579 the icon of the Virgin of Vladimir was discovered in the city.
In 1708 the Khanate of Kazan was abolished and Kazan became the centre of a gubernia. After Peter the Great’s visit, the city became a shipbuilding base for the Caspian See. In early 19th century Kazan University and Printing Press were founded by Alexander I.
During World War II many industrial plants and factories were evacuated to Kazan and the city became the centre of the military industry producing tanks and planes.
Kazan is divided into 7 districts. According to the statistics at the beginning of 2009 in Kazan, there were 1,130,700 (7th in Russia) inhabitants, mainly composed of Tatars (about 52%) and Russians (about 43%). Minority groups are Chuvash, Ukrainians, Azeri and Jews. Major religions in Kazan are Sunni Islam and Eastern Orthodoxy. Atheism is also popular. The Russian and Tatar languages are widely spoken in the city.
Kazan has a humid continental climate with long cold winters and warm, often hot dry summers. The warmest month is July with daily mean temperature near +20, the coldest month is January (-12).
The city has a beautiful citadel, the Kremlin, which was declared the World Heritage Site in 2000. Major monuments in the Kremlin are the 5-domed 6-coloumned Annunciation Cathedral and the mysterious leaning Soyembika Tower, named after the last queen of Kazan and regarded as the city’s most conspicuous landmark.
Also of interest are the towers and walls, erected in the 16th and 17th centuries but later reconstructed; the Qol-Sarif mosque, which is already rebuilt inside the citadel; remains of the Saviour Monastery with the Spasskaya Tower; and the Governor’s House (1843-53), designed by Konstantin Thon, now the Palace of the President of Tatarstan. Near you will see the ornate baroque Sts. Peter and Paul’s Cathedral in Qawi Nacmi Street and Marcani mosque in Qayum Nasiri Street date back to the 18th century.
Kazan is one of the biggest scientific centres of Russia. It has 55 higher educational establishments, including branches of universities from other cities. Kazan University is one of the oldest universities of Russia, it was founded in 1804. The city hosts a scientific centre of Russian Academy of Sciences, Tatarstan Academy of Sciences.
Kazan is one of the largest and financial centres of Russia, and a leading city of the Volga economic region in construction and accumulated investment. Total banking capital of Kazan is third in Russia. There are 151 large and middle-scale enterprises in Kazan. The main industries of the city are: mechanical engineering, chemical, petrochemical, and light and food industries. An innovative economy is represented by the largest IT-park in Russia which is one of the largest of its kind amongst Eastern Europe science parks.
A unique combination of historic city and modern megalopolis attracts tourists to Kazan. Hundreds of thousands tourists visit Kazan every year. There are more than 40 hotels in the city. Kazan has highly developed transport system.
If you are a theatre-goer splendid Kazan theatres are at your disposal. You can visit international or republican festivals traditionally held in Kazan. One of them is the International Opera Festival which is held to commemorate Fyodor Shalyapin.
No doubt, Kazan is worth seeing.
NIZHNY NOVGOROD
The Nizhny Novgorod city is the most economically progressive and reformist in Russia. History decreed that the Nizhny Novgorod city should be the “heart of Mother Russia”, situated as it is in the very centre of the European part of the Russian Federation, on the banks of the Volga River.
Nizhny Novgorod recently regained its original name, having been renamed as Gorky in 1932 in honour of the celebrated author Maxim Gorky, who was born in Nizhny Novgorod.
Nizhny Novgorod is situated in the central-European part of Russia at the confluence of the Volga and the Oka Rivers. The city has advantageous geographical location for economic and social development. The city covers an area of 41,100hectares. Its population is 1,280, 300 inhabitants; average age of them is 36 years. Russian population comprises 95%. The city has 8 administrative districts.
Nizhny Novgorod occupies the 5th position among most populated and industrially developed cities in Russia, is a centre of the Nizhny Novgorod Region and a recognized capital of the Volga Economic Region.
There are 137 large and middle-scale enterprises in Nizhny Novgorod. Main industries are: motor-vehicle, engineering, metal-working, ferrous and non-ferrous metallurgy, medical, light and woodworking. The city produces 70% of the county’s output in machine-building industry.
The city was founded in 1221 by Grand Prince Yuri Vsevolodovich as a military fortress. The first wooden and earth fortress had a beneficial location from the military and strategic point of view. The Kremlin was built. In the first years two white-stone temples were built in the Kremlin. It proves the fact that the city wanted to play a special role in the system of Vladimir-Suzdal Rus. In late 15th – early 16th centuries the first stone Kremlin was built which became an outstanding example of Russian fortification art.
The magnificent geographical situation of the town was instrumental in making Nizhny Novgorod a major commercial centre in Russia in the 19th century. The widely-renowned Nizhny Novgorod trade fair, which first took place in the 16th century near the monastery at Makarev, moved to the city in 1817, and became the largest trade fair in Russia and one of the most important centres for wholesale and retail trading.
Historically Nizhny Novgorod has always been a leader in Russia. And the future of Russia is being written in Nizhny Novgorod.
Despite its rich historical heritage, Nizhny Novgorod tends to be better known as the city to which Andrei Sakharov, “father of the H-bomb”, then later awarded the Nobel Prize for his work defending human rights, was exiled.
A great number of historical, architectural and cultural monuments has remained in the city, what gave premises to UNESCO for inclusion of Nizhny Novgorod in the list of 100 cities constituting world historical and cultural value. In the course of centuries of its history Nizhny Novgorod has been playing a noticeable role in the country’s life.
Nizhny Novgorod is a major scientific and cultural centre. There are many universities, theatres and museums there.
Contents
1. SAINT PETERSBURG……………………………………………………………3
2. MAIN SIGHTS OF ST.PETERSBURG..………………………………………….4
3. THE HERMITAGE………………………………………………………………...6
4. MOSCOW………………………………………………………………………….7
5. SIGHTS OF MOSCOW ……………………………………………………...……8
6. THE MOSCOW KREMLIN………………………………………………………10
7. THE CHUVASH REPUBLIC……………………………………………………..11
8. THE NATIONAL STATE SYMBOLS OF THE CHUVASH REPUBLIC ……...12
9. CHEBOKSARY (POPULATION, TERRITORY, etc) …………………………...13
10. THE CHEBOKSARY FORTRESS, THE HOLY TRINITY MONASTARY…….14
11. CHURCHES IN CHEBOKSARY, THE PRESENTATION CATHEDRAL……...15
12. CHEBOKSARY BAY……………………………………………………………...16
13. KONSTANTIN IVANOV………………………………………………………….17
14. THE ART MUSEUM, CHUVASH ARTISTS……………………………………..18
15. MUSEUMS IN CHEBOKSARY…………………………………………………...20
16. THEATRES IN CHEBOKSARY…………………………………………………..21
17. MONUMENTS TO FAMOUS PEOPLE ………………………………………….22
18. CHEBOKSARY AS A TOURIST DESTINATION ………………………………24
19. FOLK RITUAIS AND FESTIVALS IN CHUVASHIA…………………………...25
20. SPORTS IN CHEBOKSARY ……………………………………………………...27
21. NOVOCHEBOKSARSK …………………………………………………………..28
22. ALATYR …………………………………………………………………………..29
23. MARIINSKY POSAD, TSIVILSK, YADRIN …………………………………….30
24. THE MUSEUM OF COSMONAUTICS …………………………………………..31
25. FROM CHEBOKSARY TO TVER (BY WATER)………………………………..32
26. FROM CHEBOKSARY TO ASTRAKHAN (BY WATER) ……………………...34
27. KAZAN………………………………………………………………………..……35
28. NIZHNY NOVGOROD…………………………………………………………….37
Литература.
1. Тищенко, Л. Р. Welcome to Chuvashia: учебное пособие / Л. Р. Тищенко, Т. Е. Григорьева, И. И. Петрова. – Чебоксары: СПбГИЭУ, филиал в г. Чебоксары, 2004. – 92 с.
2. https://www.admgor.nnov.ru
3. https://en.wikipedia.org
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