central russia REGION
INTRODUCTION
We are young architects who care about the places of Russia where we have grown up and live. These are the attractions of the European part of Central Russia. It is impossible to mention every single interesting route that exists on its land. Our route has been created as a historical sequence — from the city-museum of Suzdal near Vladimir, which is the place where uniting territories into a common Russian state began, to the little-known material symbols of the literary and philosophical layers of the peaks of Russian culture of the 18-19th centuries, such as, for instance, the Bogucharovo estate (its owner was a Russian thinker, poet and philosopher Alexei Khomyakov) and to the present-day — for example, Yekaterinburg, which is a city at the border between Central Russia and Siberia.
In order to plunge into the diversity of the spirit of this vast territory, we offer you a trip to various seasons. Winter Suzdal with its snowy fairy-tale perspective will tell you the story of Ancient Russia. Summer is the best time to travel to little-known places of cultural and historical heritage where world-famous works of Russian classics were born, such as the estates of Russian nobles of the tsarist Russia. In the times of the USSR, the city of Yekaterinburg was known as Sverdlovsk. It was in the 20-30s years of the twentieth century that the unique objects of Russian constructivism appeared here — the world architectural avant-garde, which the city is still famous for. Spring or autumn are the best time to study the rich collection of these buildings, when the greenery does not prevent you from studying and taking photos of these architectural monuments of Soviet constructivism.
GEOGRAPHIC
Central Russia is called so not by location, but for historical reasons. This is where the centralized state of Russia was born and Moscow, the capital of Russia, is located. This is the most developed part of the country, its economic and political core. -This is where most of the cultural and historical objects included in the list of World Natural and Cultural Heritage sites are located: in particular, the monuments of Vladimir-Suzdal land that we represent. Many cities and their surroundings combine historical, cultural and natural-landscape sights. Such objects include Russian noble estates of the eighteenth-nineteenth centuries. Yekaterinburg is one of the largest cities in Russia with a 1.5 million population. It is located 1667 km away from Moscow at the border between Europe and Asia, on the territory of the ancient Ural Mountains, creating a unique landscape of a place that is a “pass” from Central Russia to Siberia.
CITIES AND TOWNS
SUZDAL
Just a two-hour-trip from the center of Moscow by a high-speed train, and you will find yourself in Suzdal — one of the most beautiful cities in Russia, the “pearl” and the heart of the Golden Ring, a place where the Russian Fairy Tale lives. The tourist city of Suzdal in winter is the best open air ice-hotel in the world.
In addition to visiting five ancient monastery complexes, we highly recommend visiting the Russian bazaar famous for its souvenirs. Today Suzdal is one of the significant centers of arts and crafts in Russia.
The estate of the poet and philosopher Alexey Khomyakov in the Tula region is a wonderful tourist attraction, a unique example of literary “nests”
and rural shelters of Russian poets and writers, philosophers, artists that became the centers of advanced Russian thought of the 18-19th centuries. Music aspiration is here:
YOburg - slang version ofYEKATERINBURG
Yekaterinburg — is a city with history, events and people; everyone here will discover a lot of interesting things!
The architectural traditions of modern Russia originated in the era of constructivism, a large number of these monuments are located in the city of Yekaterinburg.
Gastronomic specialities
Suzdal GASTRONOMIC
After a walk in the frost or a ride in a sleigh or from a slide Suzdal restaurants will indulge you in beautiful cuisine. Joyful songs and dances, seasoned with famous Russian hot drinks and pickles — a festive table is waiting for you to appear. The open-air museum city needs to be carefully explored. Be the creators of your route through the Russian fairy tale.
BOGUCHAROVO GASTRONOMIC
Apples are the main riches of the Tula region… Russian culinary extravagances were collected by Sofya Tolstaya, the author of the Cookbook, wife and assistant to the great Russian writer Lev Tolstoy. His estate is not so far from Bogucharovo. A lifetime edition of the cookbook had never taken place place, and the forgotten manuscript lay in the archive for more than a hundred years. The Tolstoy notes on cooking and household secrets, in our opinion, are of practical value even today. Recipes for apple pies can be found here:
https://www.pravda.ru/
YEKATERINBURG GASTRONOMIC
In Yekaterinburg you can dine like the first president (Boris Yeltsin) of Russia! There is a restaurant “BAR-BORIS” and cafe “1991” in Yeltsin Center. These establishments cook modern Russian cuisine, a reworking of classic national dishes, but a special place on the menu is given to hot dishes and desserts based on the home recipes of Naina Yeltsin, the first lady of the country. Try the homemade bird cherry cake, you haven’t tasted it yet! Also you can try one of the biggest wine lists with new Russian wines. In general, the Yeltsin Center is a public, cultural and educational complex with the Boris Yeltsin Museum, an art gallery, a bookstore, a science amusement park and much more. It regularly hosts lectures, concerts, exhibitions, and many social events.
POINTS OF CULTURAL INTEREST
SUZDAL POINTS OF CULTURAL INTEREST
Although all new guests find winter in Suzdal freezing, it is difficult to deny that the city was created for this time of year. The majestic churches, the choirboy of the five monasteries seem to have grown out of pure snow reminding baptismal lace. Everything is within walking distance and in a day or two you can go around the whole city, which we strongly advise. Wooden houses preserve the warmth of their inhabitants.
Music aspiration for Suzdal trip.
BOGUCHAROVO POINTS OF CULTURAL INTEREST
Bogucharovo today is the Cultural and Educational Center and the Historical and Art Museum of a Russian thinker, poet, philosopher Alexei Khomyakov. And if in the linguistic environment of tsarist Russia the reliance was on the French language, the classical traditions of Italy were the heart of the architectural inspiration of the builders of the estates. The bell tower of the Church of the Presentation of the Lord — a copy of the Campanella of St. Mark’s Cathedral in Venice — serves a wonderful confirmation. It was erected in the 19th century in honor of the 90th anniversary of the philosopher Khomyakov, who considered the idea of uniting all Christian churches the salvation of mankind. The church is active.
Yekaterinburg POINTS OF CULTURAL INTEREST
Yekaterinburg is the street art capital of Russia. The city is permeated with street art, which we consider our landmark. Every year international street art festivals take place here. Since 2010, every year the festival “Stenography” takes place. In 12 years, 35400 m2 of drawings have been created, and there are 15 participating countries. But there are also original “illegal” festivals, for example since 2018 there is “Carte Blanche” – a guerrilla street art festival, the festival participants create street art objects without coordinating with the administration of the place where they will appear. This is really honest street art! The city has created an online map with pictures, on which most of the works are marked. Walking around the city you will definitely find and see street art.
CUSTOMS AND TRADITIONS FESTIVALS
SUZDAL CUSTOMS AND TRADITIONS FESTIVALS
There are more than 20 folk festivals taking place in Suzdal every year. In summer, the main event is the “Cucumber holiday,” but the winter Christmas tale is a journey that you will never forget… In the best hotel in Suzdal called Pushkarskaya Sloboda, a “Pushkar Day” takes place annually…
BOGUCHAROVO CUSTOMS AND TRADITIONS FESTIVALS
The lifestyle and the artistic expectations of the owners of the estates of that time embodied the worldview, social and spiritual well-being, all areas of cultural and political life of Russia. And it was closely connected with, even enriched by, the European cultural and artistic tradition… The culture of provincial estates has survived to this day, preserving the artistic charm of a bygone great era. The historical and art museum of the Russian thinker, poet, philosopher Alexei Khomyakov is located in the building of the manor. Every year there is a festival of the Khomyakov Home, to which we gladly invite you.
YEKATERINBURG CUSTOMS AND TRADITIONS FESTIVALS
Yekaterinburg is very diverse, what we have told above may be one of the itineraries, but it is in this section we will talk about why many people go here. The historical fabric of the city is permeated by unique old wooden houses – monuments of architecture. Finding such structures you will see carved lattices, colorful stained-glass windows, picturesque roofs, an endless variety of windows and doors, surrounded by patterned platbands and canopies. Now these houses are museums, small theaters, and somewhere embassies. You’ll find the most interesting ones on our map.
CURIOSITIES
SUZDAL CURIOSITIES
One cannot imagine a Russian winter without driving in a sledge harnessed by mighty horses, without a Russian bazaar with sweets and hot downs! Naturally, bears who forgot about winter hibernation walk in the streets of Suzdal, but even children are not afraid of them.
Russian proverb: “One can’t easily catch a fish from the pond.”
Meaning: Nothing can be achieved without perseverance and efforts.
BOGUCHAROVO CURIOSITIES
The main and faithful guardians of the spirit of Russian estates have always been pets. They are still guarded by cultural treasures… guarding the Venetian tower of Italy in the heart of Russia…
Quote from the works of Alexey Khomyakov: “Power is only there where love is, and love is only there where personal freedom exists.”
YEKATERINBURG CURIOSITIES
The person I want to talk about is Evgeny Roizman. He still lives in Yekaterinburg, once he was the mayor of the city, he was the founder of the fund “City without drugs”, he created the only hospice in the city, and now the “Roizman Fund”. He is also fond of art, he writes poems, collects paintings and he is the creator of the Nevyansk Icon Museum we told you about. Every weekend in the center, near the city pond, he gathers with the residents and conducts morning jogs, and then everyone drinks tea with pies together. He is also engaged in helping people. Everyone in the city knows that if something serious happens, you can go to a personal visit to Roizman. People in the city appreciate and respect him for his honesty and responsiveness.
People say about Yekaterinburg, once Sverdlovsk, that Sverdlovsk is a city of infinite passion, which probably stems from the fact that it is located at the junction of continents. Alexei Serebryakov
Tourist routes
There is a unique place in the city that we recommend you visit – it is the Nevyansk Icon Museum, the first private museum of icons in Russia, which has the rarest collection of the Ural mining old-believers icon painting (beginning of the XVIII century – to the first third of the XX century). The technique is original, has no direct analogues among other local icon-painting, it is distinguished by loyalty to Russian icon-painting traditions, a high level of execution.
And of course, the architecture of constructivism forms the modern face of Yekaterinburg. The city appreciates it, holds thematic festivals and excursions, opens museums and stimulates the development of architectural tourism, because the largest collection of avant-garde monuments (about 140) has been preserved here: the Glavpochtampt building, the Iset hotel, the residential complex – the town of Chekistov, the town of justice, the Dynamo sports complex, and of course the White Tower – come, you need to see it with your own eyes, only we have it. Music for constructivism trip is here:
https://youtu.be
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