Tourism in Russia > Penza region

Penza region

The Penza Region is located in the southwestern part of the Mid-Volga area, at the meeting-point of three native zones: forests, steppe and forest-steppe; it occupies the ter-ritory of 43 thousand square kilometers. Representatives of almost 100 nationalities live and work here. The city of Penza was founded in 1663 as a fortress to protect the borderlines of the Moscow state from the incursions of the nomads. Since 1801 Penza has become a provincial center that played an important role in the political and cultural life of Russia.

The region has a powerful industrial and economic potential. Its enterprises manufacture chemical equipment, compressors, medical and pharmaceutical products. The volume of international trade increases with every passing year. The Penza Region belongs to agricultural Russian re-gions. The rapidly developing local processing industries manufacture highly competitive products.

The tourist potential of the Penza Region is significant. There are more than 100 historical and cultural monuments in it. In the southwest of the region there is a famous culture preserve «Tarhany» where Mikhail Lermontov spent his childhood. In the region there is also the Belinsky Museum and his country estate, which is one of the best literary museums of the country. Besides there is the Radishchev Memorial Museum situated in his former family estate.

Five-domed Troitsky Cathedral in Narovchat (the 17th century), Spas-Preobrazheniya Gospodnya Church in Penza, Rozhdestvenskaya (Christmas) Church in the village Ablyazovo with its unique gilded wood carved iconostasis (the 18th century), Troitse-Scanov Monastery (the 17th century) with a cave complex, built by monks, always attract thousands of tourists and pilgrims.

Simple life in a small rural house - what can be better after the stone jungle of a megalopolis? People have been settling down in the Sura region since olden days. Wonderful mild climate, gross vegetation, rivers full of fish, abundance of berries and for living in harmony with nature.

Even after few hours of journey the whole world of new opportunities arises before the traveler. Morning fogs over steppe, hunting, fishing, mushrooms, horse rides and breakfast on the grass. And in the evening - a real Russian bath and swimming in a river. Almost virgin beauty of the local nature leaves nobody indifferent. This land is covered with the peculiar coat of mystery because of its history events of which are reminded by the ruined fortresses of Peter times, battle places with Mongolian conquerors and legends about sacred springs. The Sura land conceals many secrets and certain people only can reveal them. But the one, who will listen to the rustle of leafage of venerable woods and silence of dawn over Sura, will understand the soul of this land. And he will keep deep in his heart the happiness of a free cheerful person for ever.

Sura river, forms an extensive water storage basin. Because of its size, the water storage basin received the name of the Surskoye Sea. According to old fishermen's legends, the bream bites excellently here. Fisher's catch may also include roach, crucian carp, ide, chub, perch, zander, pike and sheatfish.

In the 17-18th centuries, service class people received from the Tsar not only allotments and meadows, but also fishing places as an award. In those days, the Caspian salmon dwelled in Sura, and the trout dwelled in cold channels.

Even wives of landlords enjoyed fishing and especially for them planters were constructed. During the journey through Penza, it would be convenient for a fisher to call at Alferyevka, Ust-Uza, Shemysheika on the way and then at Old Yaksarka that are located on the coast the Surskoye Sea. If you want to go fishing on Sura below Penza, it is necessary to go the North on the highway Penza - Nizhni Novgorod by car. Bessonovka, Grabovo and Lunino are the settlements adjoining here the river's flood plain. Besides, these places are striking beautiful and they'll stick in your memory for ever.

The Penza Region is famed for skillful craftsmen. The folk craft, the most traditional of which are pottery, ceramics, crystal and glassware, are widely spread all over the region.

Poim history architect museum

It is mentioned from the end of 17 centuries, but it is more known as an ancestral lands of Sheremetyevi. The village is remarkable that it was and remains the centre of church split in the Volga region, well-known for the crafts.

Museum exhibits have been carefully gathered within the last 45 years. These are ancient subjects of a life and art of settlers. The village always was a popular place for fans of rare antiques and admirers of olden time, both among Russians, and among foreigners. In 1995 Alexander Solzhenitsyn visited Poim, he has enthusiastically responded about the careful relation of local residents to the heritage. Some of exhibits, for example, the silver coffin, subjects of fulfilment of religious practices represent special art value and contain in special storehouse. For their viewing the special permission is required. Poim — an open-air museum. Folk customs, crafts, religion of Old Believers and new orthodox, various architectural styles — all has intertwined here. The modern shape of village has the big art value. Here it is possible to glance in the house-museum of the writer A.P.Anisimova.

Address: Penza region, BeLinskiy district, Poim

Belinsky's memorial estate

History has given to Belinsky a role of a literary critic. However he has allocated the key figures of the intellectual mainstream which have become a world heritage - Lomonosov, Gogol, Pushkin. Today a rich collection of materials about a life and creativity of the critic it is placed in . a building of the former district school and the two-storeyed house of merchants Artushini.

Address: Belinsky city, Borisheva St., 4. Ph.+7 (841-53) 2-16-57

A.N.Radishchev's state museum

The museum displays household things belonged to Radishchevs, rare, unique ' books and engravings of the late 18th century, and a manuscript of the writer's main book "Traveling from Petersburg to Moscow". While in Radishchevo, pay attention to the Nativity of Christ Church built by Radishchev's great-grandfather in 1724. The original iconostasis of this ancient temple is executed in baroque style of the mid 18th century.

Address: Penza region, Kuznetsk district, village Radishchevo. Ph.: +7 (841-57) 6-16-25.

Zolotarevskoye gorodishche

One of the latest finds - an archaeological monument of medieval history. Here for 6 centuries a large city existed, which in 1237 has rebuffed groups of khan Batiy. Up to 7000 people died in fight.

Museum of Kuprin

We advise to visit a museum of the Russian writer A. Kuprin. The museum of the Russian writer Alexander Kuprin is opened at the support of the writer's daughter K.A.Kuprina, who transferred the family archive of the emigration period to the museum, as well as the writer's personal things and books from his library. The collection is also interesting by the lifetime editions of Kuprin's works, with original illustrations to them. Here one can see film and photo materials depicted A.I.Kuprina's stories about her father.

Address: Penza region, village Narovchat, Kuprin Street, 3. Ph.: +7 (841-63) 2-13-41

Nikolsky museum of glass and crystal

In 1789, owner of the Nikolsky crystal factory N.A.Bakhmetev started to collect the best pieces of the factory's production.

Crystal was really excellent - from Nikolsk it was delivered to the imperial court and crowned persons in different parts of the world, and also to high nobility, churches and monasteries. In 1829, at the first exhibition of manufactured products, the factory received a gold medal for the presented exhibits.

Special admiration causes an exhibit "a glass with a fly", made by request of the landowner which son has conceived a liking for alcohol. How many the son poured an ominous potion - it seemed to him, that there a fly floating in a glass. Today, the museum houses items from different national schools, and ancient crystal from the Nikolsky factory decorates the collections in the Hermitage and Pavlovsky Palace.

Address: Nikolsk, Komsomolskaya Street, 27, ph.: +7 (841-65) 3-83-46.

The cultural life of the region is diverse. The love to the stage, drama, music and art has always been one of the regional features for more that 2oo years.

The State Lermontov Culture Preserve in Tarkhany

A world famous Russian poet M. Lermontov spent his childhood and adolescence in a family estate of his grandmother E. Arsenyeva in Tarkhany where he found real delight and repose.

The culture preserve was opened in 1939. Nowadays hundreds of tourists come to that place to show their love to the national genius. All Russian Lermontov’s celebrations annually take place every first Sunday of July.

The hospitable land is ready to welcome tourists from every part of the world and to create necessary conditions for their good recreation.

Many great discoveries await museumlovers in the Penza region!