Tourism and Sightseeing
The Udmurt Republic is one of the most beautiful regions in Russia. A visitor can enjoy a unique combination of opportunities for recreation, hunting, fishing, horse riding and hiking and other kinds of sports. He can taste the Udmurt cuisine and learn a lot about local folklore along with the traditional hospitality of the Udmurt people. Each city of the Udmurt Republic can offer its visitors a wide variety of historical and cultural attractions. Izhevsk, the capital of the Udmurt Republic, is a large industrial, scientific and cultural center of the Volga Federal Region. In the last years a number of cultural institutions have been built in Izhevsk like Udmurt State Circus – one of the best in Russia and Europe, Kalsahnikov Museum, opened in celebration of the world famous designer of the AK-47, Mikhail Kalashnikov who lives and works in the capital of the Udmurt Republic.
Izhevsk State Circus
Mikhail Kalashnikov Museum Next, Izhevsk’s guests could visit performances at the Udmurt Republic State Theatre of Opera and Ballet and the State Symphony Orchestra, enjoy performances of the State Ensemble ‘Italmas’ and the Theatre of Folklore Song ‘Aykay’ that have been giving superb shows popular both in the Udmurt Republic and abroad. The museum of the world renowned skier – four times Olympic champion Galina Kulakova is also one of the main attractions of the Udmurt Republic situated in the vicinity of Izhevsk. Within several kilometers fr om Izhevsk there is a historic and ethnographic open air museum "Ludorvay". The exposition of the museum presents the history, culture and every-day life of the peoples living in Udmurtia. According to the old Udmurt tradition the guests are welcomed with bread, honey and butter. At the Museum the visitors enjoy the performance of a national folklore ensemble and taste the dishes of the Udmurt cuisine. There is an exhibition of various handcraft items, and guests may watch the process of their manufacture. The City of Votkinsk is located 50 km away from Izhevsk. One of its main attraction sites is the Tchaikovsky's estate, wh ere the great Russian composer was born and lived for eight years. The Tchaikovsky Museum is located on the bank of the picturesque Votkinsk Lake. Every year in the end of April the Museum hosts the Tchaikovsky Festival dedicated to the birthday of the composer. Thousands of tourists usually come to Votkinsk to participate in this event.
Tchaikovsky Museum in Votkinsk Near Votkinsk along the Kama banks there is the National park «Nechkinsky» with 745 kinds of plants growing in the forests, meadows, rivers and moors and 1114 kinds of animals inhabiting the area of the reserve. Within the park there are also numerous archeological, historical and cultural monuments. Several resorts and recreation centers are situated there as well. The National Park "Netchkinsky" gives a wonderful opportunity to get close to the wild life and historical past of the land and the peoples of the Kama region. Along with that the National park accommodates a new sport and tourist center «Nechkino», a modern complex for mountain-skiing and recreational activity in the region. There are two more natural parks in Udmurtia The Ust’-Bel’sk Natural Park is located in the most south-eastern part of Udmurtia, in the Karakulino District, at the conjunction of the Belaya and Kama rivers. The park’s total area is 1770 hectares. The park is notable for the diversity of its animal and plant life, it is inhabited by a large number of rare and endangered species of plants and animals, many of which are listed in the Red Data Book of the Udmurt Republic, such as carpenter-bee, red-bellied toad, erne and other species). Besides, among plants found in the park there is species listed in the Red Data Book of Russia, Cephalanthera rubra. The Ust’-Bel’sk Natural Park is a recreational, fishing and hunting area by the picturesque Kama River. The Sharkan natural park is located in the Sharkan District and covers an area of 16.5 thousand hectares. The park’s terrain is remarkable, as the heights here vary from 150 to 285 meters above sea level, and the area is known as the “Udmurt Switzerland”. The combination of its terrain features and the diverse flora and fauna creates the unique image of the Sharkan natural park. This park is very promising in terms of hunting, hobby fishing, mushroom and berry gathering. Tourist routs have been prepared for hikers – 12.5 to 15 km and horsemen – 35 to 60 km long. Another city, Sarapul, was founded on the bank of the Kama river 400 years ago. It is one of the oldest cities in Udmurtia and is famous for its Museum of history and culture of the Middle Kama region. The Museum possesses a rich archeological collection from numerous archeological excavations at ancient settlements in the Kama region. Apart from that, there is a collection of the Russian paintings dated back to the end of the XIX - beginning of the XX century. From the port of Sarapul tourists may travel by comfortable boats along the Kama, Volga and Don rivers. The city of Glazov, situated in the north of the republic, is remarkable for the fact that during the Tsar times it used to be the place of exile for well-known Russian writers A.I.Herzen, M.E.Saltykov-Tshedrin and V.G.Korolenko. Moreover there is a famous 200 year - old Siberian Road that served the main route to deport the convicts to their exiles in Siberia. The Museum of the Siberian Road at Debesy village has collected detailed information on those events. Idnakar, an archeological and historical monument, is another place to learn about the culture and every-day life of the northern Udmurts of the IX-XIII centuries. Museums The history of museums in the Udmurt Republic dates back to early XIX century when factory museums were established at the Izhevsk and Votkinsk factories. The first public museum in Udmurtia, the Sarapul Zemstvo Museum (today it is called Museum of the Cultural History of Middle Kama Region), was opened in 1909. In 1920 a museum of local lore, history and economy was established. Today this largest and leading museum in the Udmurt Republic is called the National Museum of the Udmurt Republic named after Kuzebai Gerd. In 1940 Tchaikovsky museum was opened in the composer’s native city of Votkinsk. In 1980 the Republican Fine Arts Museum was opened. In late 1990s the Idnakar History and Culture Museum was established in the city of Glazov. In 2003 the Ludorvai Architecture and Ethnography Museum was granted the status of an independent institution. The opening of the M.T.Kalashnikov Museum and Exhibition Small Arms Complex became a significant event in 2004. Today there are 32 museums in the Udmurt Republic; 6 of them are state museums, and 26-municipal museums – museums of local lore, history and economy, literature and fine arts museums and exhibition halls, memorial museums and conservation area museums. Besides, there are 140 non-state (public) museums at schools, universities, agencies and enterprises. Museum funds in the Udmurt Republic amount to 600 thousand exhibits, including a unique collection of Izhevsk-made, Russian and foreign firearms dating back to the XIX century, collections of XVIII and XIX centuries fine arts, jewelry, coins (some of unique, e.g. sablinitsa ancient Russian coins, kopeks minted in the XVI century, in the times of Ivan the Terrible, tsar Fedor Ioannovich and Boris Godunov), archeological (some dating back to VIII B.C.) and ethnographic artefacts, exhibits of decorative arts and crafts, memorial exhibits, such as Tchaikovsky’s grand piano. One of the museums’ missions is to present the Udmurt Republic to visitors. More than 700 thousand people visit museums annually, over 15,000 excursions, 2000 lectures and special events, over 500 exhibitions are held every year. All museums, together with public organizations of ethnic cultures, participate in the organization of national holidays, reviving the cultural traditions of peoples living in the Udmurt Republic.
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