Kazan, the capital of the Republic of Tatarstan
Have you been thinking much about
spending your vacation in an absolutely unusual place? Have you
often been thinking about visiting the city where many cultures,
religions and epochs merge together? Would you like to see with
your own eyes the magnetic ancient architecture of a city which is
1000 years old next to the most modern and bright entertaining
complexes? Would you like to hear the echo of the old times and the
life rhythm of the 21st century in the city, which is unique enough
to unite east and west, the Christianity and the Islamic religion?
If you would want to visit the city whose beauty and originality
would make you fall in love with this city forever, I bet you would
have thought about Kazan.
Kazan turns 1000 years old in 2005.
This city used to be the capital of the Islamic Khanate, later,
after a long siege it was conquered by Ivan the Fearsome and had
become a part of Russia. Nowadays Kazan, which is the capital of
the republic of Tatarstan, has the population of 1.3 million
people. This is a large interesting and multinational city. Here
you can meet old restored Islamic churches next to the Orthodox
churches famous by their golden covers. Also there are synagogues,
German traditional churches, Hindu temples. UNESCO had acknowledged
the Kremlin of Kazan a cultural monument of a world wide
importance. Plenty of tourists are greatly attracted by the huge
number of comfortable hotels, by the well developed transportation
system, by the Aquapark, hundreds
of the night clubs and restaurants, bright colors of the historic
monuments and museums.
Cost of the tour:
Transportation: 140 euros/car
Excursion service: 6 euros/hour
Interpreting service: 5,5 euros/1 hour
The Raif monastery of Saint Mary
The founder of the Raif
monastery was Filaret - the monk, who was born in Moscow. After his
parents deceased, he followed the Gospel's word and gave all he had
to the poor ones and became a member of the Moscow Chudov
Monastery. He was deeply loved by the prior and the other members
of the monastery, he had spent all the vague times till the death
of the Patriarch Germogen very close to the Apostolic and had
deserved the dignity of the higher monk. He wished to follow the
ascetic life of anachorite alone, which was impossible in Moscow,
his acquaintances and family were breaking his loneliness. Thus, he
left that monastery and traveled to the provinces in the Volga
region. He had travelled through many monasteries and cities,
finally Filaret had arrived in Kazan, stayed there and became a
member of Kazan Spasopreobrazhensky Monastery.
Since Filaret mostly preferred to stay alone and in silence, he
often left the monastery and walked to the deep forests around
Kazan. One day like that Filaret left the city and went North-West,
to the places unknown to him. Walking through the virgin forest he
occasionally came to the shore of the unknown lake, its light green
waters were quietly moving in there. It was wonderful and
magnificent, but at the same time a little bit darksome as well, it
was pretty outlying and protected from the people by the dark
forest, all this had charmed the monk so much that he had decided
to stay there and build a little house for himself. It happened in
1613 and this is exactly the date of the Raif wilderness'
foundation.
The legend says the building of the chapel had been followed by
the bright sign of God's grace. One day some monk went outdoors,
looked in the sky and saw the hand, showing from the clouds and
blessing the place of the wilderness. The monk was delighted and
surprised to see such an unusual thing, he hurried to tell Filaret
about that, who had taken it as a very good sign. Later some monks
could hear an unusual sound of the bell, repeating with more or
less brightness.
Cost of the tour:
Transportation: 90 euros/car
Excursion service: 2 euros/hour
Interpreting service: 5,5 euros/1 hour
Cheboksary, the capital of the republic of Chuvashia
Republic of Chuvashia is
located along the picturesque shores of the the great Russian
river Volga. This is the place where one of the most numerous
nations of Russia - hardworking and peaceful Chuvash nation. The
population of the Republic is multinational: chuvash nation takes
67.7%, Russian nation - 26.7%, Tatar nation - 2.7%, Mordva nation -
1.4%, other nations - 1.4%.
Chuvash region is an interesting mix of the old times and the
modern civilization. The nature of the region is presented by the
virgin woods rich with the fauna, mushrooms and berries, quiet and
strict Volga Sur landscape.
The city of Cheboksary, the capital of Chuvashia is located in
the mid Volga region, between Nizhny Novgorod and Kazan. The
earliest written mentioning of the city is dated with May, 1496 and
deals with the war between Russians, led by Ivan Dmitrievich Run
and Tatars. The Complete Russian Chronicle says: "The very same day
they spent the night after traveling over 60 miles, in the morning
they had their breakfast in Roznezh and spent the night in
Cheboksary, and they traveled from Cheboksary day and all night and
arrived in Kazan early in the morning.
Chuvashia is rich with the historical monuments, witnessing
about the colorful historic past of the Chuvash nation. Plenty of
the places in this republic are so very interesting as historic,
cultural, inquiring places for the cultural tourism. The most
famous and visited places are the Beer Museum and the Museum of
Vasily Ivanovich Chapaev.
Cost of the tour:
Transportation: 65 euros/car
Excursion service: 5 euros/hour
Interpreting service: 5,5 euros/1 hour
Kozmodemyansk
Old little towns: They have absorbed the light of the past in
them. They bring joy with the new things, they surprise with
unusual things, which bring the proud of the people and make them
pass it to all the following generations. Kozmodemyansk is exactly
that type of the town.
In the 16th century Ivan the Fearsome had sent his serving
princes and part of the army. Those people together with the locals
- mountain Mari nation - they had founded the fortress and
Kozmodemyansk served its purpose as a military and administrative
place in the Eastern boundary of Moscow Land.
There is a certain visit card of Kozmodemyansk and the proud of
its cisitzens - this is an artistic and historic museum named
after Grigoriev A.V. Alexander Vladimirovich Grigoriev had gone all
the dramatic way of his generation. He was born on the 28th of May,
1891 in the village of Pertnury and died in Aug, 25 1961 in the
town of Tarusya, Kaluga region. Grigoriev was buried in Moscow, in
the Novodevichy cemetery. Grigoriev A.V. was one of the first
professional Mari artists and famous social person, who dreamt
about creating "small Tretyakov Gallery" in his native town. During
many years he had been investing in the fonds of the Gallery of the
museums, created by him.
Feb, 27 1979 was started
the building of the ethnographic museum under the open sky in
Kozmodemyansk. This museum was opened in summer 1983. This event
was occasional with Kozmodemyansk turning 400 years old.
It has become the major repository for the monuments of
architecture, the antiques of household, working and cultural life
which used to belong to the landowners and craftsmen in the Mari
region. The live exhibits help visitors to get a deeper
understanding of the history, make them proud of their glorious
ancestors. The museum is constantly building, growing and getting
more and more new exhibits. It is so very dear to all the people of
the region, it makes the national and international tourists very
interested.
Please, visit the Etnographic
outdoors Museum in Kozmodemyansk page.
Cost of the tour:
Transportation: 145 euros/car
Excursion service: 4 euros/hour
Interpreting service: 5,5 euros/1 hour
Chkarino horse riding complex and horse tourism in Mari-El republic.
Horse tourist complex "Verhovoy kruiz"
invites you to the rest in Mari-El region and offers you exciting tours in the
pure forest world of Mari-El republic.
We had arranged for you various pedestrian, bike and horse tours,
that will acquaint you with the history, culture, nature and national
cuisine of our region, give an opportunity to rest, to learn horse riding:
our riding academy will help you to do it. You will be always accompanied
with experienced riding masters, competent guides, who will do their best
to make your rest good and full of remarkable memories of the Mari region.
At your disposal:
horse, bike, pedestrian itineraries
trainer instructor services
horse riding training
trainings in the opened riding hall
riding trips, required equipment
local excursions, cozy dining-room
accommodation in the comfortable two-bed rooms
russian banya, barbecue rent, karaoke, billiard, table tennis
As far back as 10 years ago horseriding was available for professional
sportsmen and well-off people only. For people, belonging to the "coterie",
horse riding is an integral part of their activity (tennis, expensive fitness-club,
massage and now horse riding). Other people appreciate a unique opportunity to treat
horses - wonderful animals indeed. Some people do horse riding in due to be healthy;
they use horse as some kind of simulator. And for others horse riding is like psychotherapy -
they tone up and keep up their spirits. People, indulging in horse riding, open up more
new opportunities. For example, we have various horse tours for those, who have
already passed riding trainings. For those, who has never been in raptures spending
time with a horse, there is a riding academy with professional riding masters.
We have no age limits - you can start riding both in your 10s and your 60s.
Mari-El region is an ecologically clean area in the centre of Russia (Volga region).
The nature of the region is unique in its beauty and integrity, plenty of forests,
lakes, berries, mushrooms, and variety of animal world. That's why horse tourism in
Mari-El leaves remarkable impressions. For many years forests have been the place of
living, nourishment and holly temple for folk Mari, living in this area. Next to the
complex there is a picturesque church of Holly Mother Intercession, library-museum of
the mari writer Arkadiy Krupnyakov, culture centre, post office, shop.
In every season outdoor rest is a wonderful way to change the air, gain strength
and to be close with nature! Come here for fresh air, pure water, for silence and forest
sounds!
Please, visit the Chkarino horse riding complex page.
Cost of the tour:
Transportation: 50 euros/car
Excursion service: 4 euros/hour
Interpreting service: 5,5 euros/1 hour
The museum-reservation "Sheremetevo Castle", Yurino village
On the left bank of
Volga-river your attention is attracted by a castle, looking like a
medieval castle, with serrated towers, windows of stained coloured
glass, a dome of winter garden. With many legends, it attracts by
its unknown mystique and particular beauty...
There are few buildings on the Middle Volga like Sheremetev
Castle in Yurino village. German and Russian architects designed
this castle, Yurino`s artisans threw it up, and an Italian
craftsman was invited to Russia to decorate floors with mosaic.
The architecture of the castle has some traits of eclecticism
with the influence of Gothic, Orient, Romanesque and Ancient
Russian style. It is built of red and black bricks, and
white-bricked details look especially picturesque in this
background.
The south entrance leads in the winter garden, above which you
can see a glass dome, based on a huge ring, supported by 7 columns.
There are almost 100 apartments in the castle, among them "Picture
gallery", "Orient cabinet", "Oak room", "Skobelevsky hall" etc. You
can also enjoy cafe-bar and sauna there.
If you wish, we can combine excursions to Kozmodemyansk, Yurino,
Sheremetevo Castle in a two-days tour with living in the hotel of
Sheremetevo Castle.
Cost of the tour:
Transportation: 185 euros/car
Excursion service: 10 euros/hour
Interpreting service: 5,5 euros/1 hour
Living: 20 euros/person/day
A special offer for "Alina" agency clients!
We offer you to get married with your lady in a really dreamlike
and mysterious place of the Republic of Mari El - Sheremetevo
Castle. This bright and colourful event, accessible before only
for kings, now is available for you. You`ll never forget it! After
registration of your marriage, you can have wedding in a nearer
Mihailovo-Arhangelskaya church. And in the evening all the guests
will see off the newlyweds in a specially prepared apartment in
the castle.
