garment travel bag

Russia

 
 Having made river cruise through the European part of Russia one can explore this part of the country. Cruises from Moscow to Saint Petersburg and routs along the Volga River are also offered. Volga is the biggest river of the European Continent. It is mentioned in national songs and legends. The river runs through the fields and hills of the Central Russia and flows into the Caspian Sea. Volga is called the Great Russian River. Since the old days, Volga has been the major transport and trading artery of Russia. The cities founded on its banks in different centuries have become the largest cultural and industrial centers of the country. Having made travel along. Volga you can explore the cultural heritage of Russia and enjoy the beauty of its nature.

     Cruise over Volga starts from Moscow. The ship goes to the north through Moscow Canal and then stops in some towns of the Golden Ring - Uglich, Myshkin, Tutaev, Yaroslavl, Kostroma. Some of the cruises go through Tver. This old Russian town was rebuilt after the great fire in the 18th century. It is known with beautiful temples and manors of the 18th-19th centuries in the styles of baroque and classicism.

     Ancient Russian village Krasnoe-na-Volga is known for the jeweller's art. Picturesque small town on the bank of the Volga River is known for the outstanding Russian artist Levitan who lived there. He has reflected the beauty of local places in this pictures.

Volga River

   

  Moving to the east down Volga, we will come to Nizhni Novgorod. Old wood carving and painting traditions were carefully kept in Gorodets -- a small town located not far form Nizhniy Novgorod. Nizhniy Novgorod is the third large city in Russia a big industrial and cultural centre. It is worth visiting a magnificent monument of Russian arcitecture -- the Kremlin in Nizhniy Novgorod. Ancient stone fortress with 13 towers -- the Kremlin of Nizhniy Novgored - raises on the bank of Vloga. Each of the fortress towers has its own name and history. Local authorities, art museum, philharmony and park are located on the territory of the Kremlin. The city is rich with theatres and museums. Many cultural festivals are held there.

   

     The next point of the route - city of Kazan - is located at the place where Vloga flows from the east to the south. Kazan is the capital of Republic of Tatarstan. It is 1000 years old. This city is the capital of the Tatarstan Republic and the centre of the Muslim culture in Russia. The Kazan Kremlin is included into the list of the World's Cultural Heritage of UNESCO.   

     The Kazan Kremlin is the main sight of the city. Main and the brightest Kremlin sight is seventier Tower Suumbeki, Kazan spiritual symbol and historical pride. The tower name is connected with the name of the last Kazan tsarina. According to the legend she fell from its peak after Kazan invasion by Ivan the Terrible.

   
    Suumbeki Tower is recognized as the falling tower. Its peak deviates from the vertical line almost for 2 meters. The town of Sviyazhsk is located on the the small island of the Volga River near to the capital of Tatarstan. The town was founded by tsar Ivan the Terrible in the 16th century. Originally Sviyazhsk was built as an important military town, then became a big centre of trade, but by the 20th century it became a silent town-monastery. The town has been neglected for a long time.

     Today Sviyazhsk is a reserve rich with beautiful monuments of church architecture of the 16th century.

     Moving south along Volga we are to Samara -- one of the largest cities of the Volga Region. Historically it was the city of merchants. Important commercial roads passed through the city.
     Perfect collection of Russia avant-guard of the 20th century beginning is exhibited at the Regional Art Museum of Samara. Picturesque views of the Volga Rivet open from the river embankments. Old towns of the Volga Region -- Syzran and Saratov are rich with architectural monuments and museums -- are located down the river. The bridge over Volga near Saratov is one of the longest bridges in Europe. On the 12th of April, 1961 the first cosmonaut - Yuri Gagarin - landed near Saratov. The main cities of the southern Volga region are the cities of Volgograd and Astrakhan.
    

 Firstly Volgograd was called Tsaritsyn, later from 1925 till 1961 it had been called Stalingrad. The city of Volgograd is inseparably tied with the most important events of the Great Patriotic War. In 1942-1943, in the city then called Stalingrad, a series of crucial and forest combats between Soviet Army and Nazi troops took place. Grandiose memorial complex of Mamaev Kurgan was erected in honor of the defenders of the city. Its dominant is the monument of the Motherland, which is one of the tallest statues all over the world made of reinforced concrete (the height of the statue is 85 meters).
   

   Astrakhan is located in the top part of the Volga River delta. It is the farthest point of the cruise down the Volga River.This old town on the south of Russia has been the large trading and industrial centre for a long time. The trade routes from Asia to Europe passed through Astrakhan. The city is located on the islands of the Volga delta and divided with branches and channels of the river. Valuable monuments of architecture were kept in the central historical part of Astrakhan. Main of them are Astrakhan Kremlin with white stone walls and towers and also the Assumption and Troitsky Cathedrals of the 16th century. The farmsteads of the east merchants,the mosques and Catholic church are well preserved in the central part of the city. Each of the Kremlin towers has its own name and history.