Things to do in The Urals
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Perm State Art Gallery
Housed in the grand Cathedral of Christ Transfiguration on the banks of the Kama, the Perm State Art Gallery is renowned for its collection of Permian wooden sculpture. These brightly coloured figures are a product of an uneasy compromise between Christian missionaries and the native Finno-Ugric population. The latter, while agreeing to be converted, closely identified the Christian saints these sculptures depict with their ancient gods and treated them as such eg by smearing their lips with the blood of sacrificed animals.
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Wild Cherry Funky Foods
This place offers exactly what the name promises – a funky menu including options for vegetarians, funky tunes and ‘positive-minded staff ’ (to quote the job advert posted on the door).
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Dvorets Sportom Molot
Perm's professional basketball team, Ural Great, has not won the championship for a few years, but they still have a loyal fan base. They play from September to April.
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Ashkhane Guzel
Customers buzz like bees around the counter of this popular canteen that offers belish (meat pie), tukmas (chicken broth) and other Bashkir fare.
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Lenin Museum
In Lenin’s later years, he and his family spent time at the 1830s Murozov manor house, set on lovely wooded grounds 32km southeast of the capital. Designed by Fyodor Shekhtel, it now houses a Lenin museum, where you can see a re-creation of Lenin’s Kremlin office, as well as his vintage Rolls Royce – one of only 15 such automobiles in the world. Bus 439 (R50, 30 minutes) leaves every 1½ hours for the estate from the Domodedovskaya metro station in Moscow. By car, follow the M4 highway (Kashirskoe sh) 11km past MKAD, then turn left to Gorki Leninskie.
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Romanov Death Site
On the night of 16 July 1918, Tsar Nicholas II, his wife and children were murdered in the basement of a local merchant's house, known as Dom Ipatyeva (named for its owner, Nikolay Ipatyev). During the Soviet period, the building housed a local museum of atheism, but it was demolished in 1977 by then-governor Boris Yeltsin, who feared it would attract monarchist sympathisers.
Today, the site is marked by an iron cross dating from 1991, and a second marble cross from 1998 when the Romanovs' remains were sent to St Petersburg for burial in the family vault.
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Ekaterinburg Guide Centre
An enthusiastic group that organises English-language tours of the city and trips into the countryside, including all destinations described in the Around Yekaterinburg section and the difficult-to-reach village of Verkhoturye (where Grigory Rasputin started his spiritual journey), as well as hiking and rafting expeditions. Day trips cost anything between R1900 and R5000, depending on the number of people in the group.
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Urals Mineralogical Museum
For a stunning introduction to the Urals semiprecious stones, visit Vladimir Pelepenko’s private collection, also known as the Urals Mineralogical Museum, in Bolshoy Ural Hotel. This impressive collection contains thousands of examples of minerals, stones and crystals from the region, many crafted into mosaics, jewellery and other artistic pieces.
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Kafehe Kymyz
In the park near the Yulaev horseman statue, this café has outdoor seating - a perfect place in summer to sample some classic Bashkir snacks. Try vak-belyash (a delicious pastry filled with ground beef and potato) or lulya kebab(minced-meat sausage cooked on an open flame and served in a pita). Wash down with some kumiss (fermented mares' milk).
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Church upon the Blood
The massive Byzantine-style Church upon the Blood dominates this site. While many believe these funds might have been better spent, this new church was built to honour the Romanov family, now elevated to the status of saints. Rumour has it that this controversial church contains the most expensive commissioned icon in all of Russia.
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Zhivago
The choice of name for this posh restaurant has angered Perm’s literati, especially since there is a hidden play on words – Zhivago sounds like zhevat (to chew). But Mr Pasternak’s metal head by the entrance looks bemused rather than annoyed by the people chewing experimental dishes such as rabbit with cuttlefish ink.
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Ural Expeditions & Tours
This group of geologists from the Sverdlovsk Mining Institute has found a unique way to market their skills and knowledge – leading trekking, rafting and horse-riding trips to all parts of the Urals, including Taganay and Zyuratkul national parks. English-speaking guides. To reach the office get trolleybus 3 or 7 to the Gurzufskaya stop.
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Georgian Kitchen
This is a classic Georgian place, complete with kitschy artwork and Christmas lights. But the shashlyk, kharcho (rice with beef or lamb soup) and khachapuri (cheese bread) are spicy and delicious. And the keyboardist-crooner belting out the ballads never fails to inspire some dancing (or perhaps that's the Georgian wine).
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National Museum
The National Museum is housed in a fantastically renovated art nouveau building. Despite the fancy name, most of the exhibits are standard Soviet history and stuffed animals, typical of a regional museum. The interesting exhibits on Bashkir history and current events are the exception.
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Lights Of Ufa
This shiny modern building includes a host of entertainment options, including a concert hall, a sports bar and your traditional disco. The microbrewery Brau Haus is the most fun, featuring live jazz, dancing and fresh-brewed lager. From ul Lenina, take any bus north to ‘Dom Pechati’.
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Chapel of the Revered Martyr Grand Dutchess Yelizaveta Fyodorovna
The pretty wooden Chapel of the Revered Martyr Grand Dutchess Yelizaveta Fyodorovna honours the imperial family’s great-aunt and faithful friend. After her relatives’ murders, this pious nun met an even worse end when she was thrown down a mineshaft, poisoned with gas and buried.
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Port Stanley
The sunny terrace on the banks of the Iset makes this a top spot for dining in summer, while the modern interior is also pleasant. The menu is seafood - not from the Iset, we hope. Sample Russian favourites, like grilled sturgeon or herring salad, or more-exotic fare, like sea bass or lobster.
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Le Café Valida
'Coffee…like Art' reads the menu at Le Café Valida. Coffee is not the only thing that is artistic at this trendy place: a DJ works the wax in the midst of funky, modern décor, and Perm's fashionable set nibble on creative salads and snacks while checking each other out.
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Nesterov Art Gallery
The Nesterov Art Gallery, also recently renovated, contains a fabulous collection of artwork by the Ufa native Mikhail Nesterov and 50 paintings by Ukrainian futurist David Burlyuk, which he left in a Bashkir village when escaping from the Red Army during the Civil War.
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Ekaterinburg Guide Center
An enthusiastic group that organises English-language tours of the city and trips into the countryside. Popular excursions include rafting, hiking and biking trips in the Urals, as well as Ganina Yama and the Europe-Asia border. Also arranges discounted accommodation and home stays.
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Istorichesky Skver
The city of Yekaterinburg grew up around Istorichesky skver, where today you'll find a clutch of tiny museums housed in the historic buildings. Peek into the old water tower, one of the city's oldest structures, then head over to the old mining-equipment factory and mint buildings.
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Duslik
Ufa meets Samarkand in this elaborate Uzbek palace. The interior, over the top by some estimates, re-creates a sumptuous terrace, complete with bamboo ceiling, greenery and flowing fountain. It is a popular spot with businesspeople, especially for the tasty plov.
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Coffee-Time
One of Ufa’s most popular spots for a coffee break. Jazz music, B&W photos and a menu featuring crêpes instead of bliny give this place a European flair. In the evening, the café is often crowded with couples on dates and other fashionable young folk.
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Gordon’s
Yekaterinburg has a bevy of places posing as English, Scottish or Irish pubs, although in fact they are rather expensive restaurants/nightclubs with a strict dress code. The most famous of them is the Scottish Gordon’s, part-owned by an Irishman.
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