How to get to Samara
Flights to Samara
Samara Hotels
There are three ways:
- The plane ride takes about one and a half hours. Landing at Kurumoch airport named after. Sergei Korolev, located in the village of Bereza (35 km north of Samara, 45 km east of Tolyatti). There are buses and minibuses from Kurumoch airport, but they run quite rarely. The best option to get to the city center is to take a taxi or car sharing.
- By train from Kazansky station in Moscow. The drive takes 13 hours (on the fastest route to Samara). Upon arrival, you will see a modern building made of glass and concrete in the form of a skyward pyramid. The railway terminal was put into operation in 2000 and so far it is the highest station complex in Europe (height with spire - 101 m). At a level of 95 m there is an observation deck. You can get your bearings and plan a route.
- River cruise Moscow - Samara. A great summer adventure lasting 5-6 days. The Samara river port has connections with six seas and accepts ships of any class, including river-sea.
Volzhskaya embankment in Samara
If you find yourself in Samara using method No. 3, then when you go ashore, don’t waste time, start exploring the city from the promenade along the Volga embankment.
Breathe in the free river air, hear the bass whistles of motor ships over the mighty expanse, look around the vast expanse of the Central Russian Plain lying in front of you, remember how many glorious events took place on these banks. Perhaps it will be easier for you to immerse yourself in Russian history and understand the motives of the mysterious Russian soul.
Samara embankment is one of the longest on the Volga. Modern and restored, the real “face of the city.”
In summer, citizens and guests of the city sunbathe on equipped beaches. And when you get tired of basking in the sun, go on a bicycle or an electric scooter. The city is equipped with bicycle parking near all significant tourist sites.
The embankment along the entire city is equipped with piers and landing stages. In summer, numerous “water buses” run from them. On a hot day, take a ride to the Samarskaya Luka State Natural National Park.
View of the Volga near Samara
A fortress built by the will of the king
It was in this year that the history of Samara began, founded on the banks of the river of the same name, not far from its confluence with the Volga. The time was extremely turbulent, and in order to protect the region from the constant raids of nomads, as well as to protect the watercourse from Kazan to Astrakhan from them, Tsar Fyodor Ioannovich ordered Prince G.O. Zasekin to build a fortress here.
The question of how Samara was formed has been considered by many generations of Russian historians. It turned out that by the will of the king, a small prison first appeared, which over time grew and turned into a fortress, which gave rise to a large city on the Volga. Its foundation and further construction are described in detail in the documents we received. They also contain the name of the city, which eliminates any doubt about the name of Samara previously.
Sights of Samara
The development of the city is conventionally divided into five periods:
- Ancient city – built 1586–1706.
- Earthen rampart, defensive structures - 1706–1780.
- County town, buildings and structures – 1780–1850.
- Provincial town, pre-Soviet period – 1850–1917.
- Space Kuibyshev, 1960–1970 – everything related to aircraft construction and the space industry.
Let's try to highlight the most significant objects in each period that are worth visiting in Samara.
A little history
Did you know that Russia has its own analogue of the Great Wall of China?
It's time to learn and be surprised at the scale with which the Russians had to defend themselves from the raids of the steppe peoples: the Bashkirs, Nogais and Kalmyks. The Zavolzhsky historical rampart is a system of ancient fortifications, XIII century. The total length of five-meter earthen embankments and ditches is more than 2000 km. The beginning of this protective wall is the current Samara region, the end is the foothills of the Middle Urals. The cyclopean structure has been completed and remodeled, supplemented and rebuilt over the centuries.
Serif
Beautiful Samara, erected by decree of Tsar Fyodor Ioannovich in 1586, was one of the fortresses in the structure of these defensive structures.
For the construction of the fortress, Prince Grigory Zasekin chose a place on the high left bank of the Volga. Natural protection from the steppe was provided by the mouth of the Samara River. The fortress was located just south of the former Valve Factory. Today, neither the plant nor the ancient fortress walls remain, but in honor of the 400th anniversary of Samara in 1986, on the corner of Kutyakova and Vodnikov streets, a fragment of historical buildings and a log house imitating one of the towers were recreated. There is a memorial plaque on the wall. Nearby there is a monument to the founder of the city.
The monument to Prince Grigory Osipovich Zasekin, the first governor of Samara, was erected in 2014. It is located at the end of the Field Descent, on the Volga embankment, along the banks of which Zasekin founded three fortresses: Saratov, Perevolokh (Volgograd) and Samara.
Samara boat
Another monument built in honor of the 400th anniversary of the city (architects: Anatoly Yankin and Igor Galakhov).
The Samara boat is a symbol of the ancient history of the Volga region
The Samara boat is a massive concrete composition on the Oktyabrskaya embankment. A twenty-meter snow-white boat, with its nose pointed towards the Zhiguli Mountains, personifies the ancient history of the region, when the canoes of Russian knights and merchants majestically sailed along the Volga. Samara in those days was the main river port and the largest fair of the Moscow kingdom.
The Samara boat is one of the symbols of the city, regularly appearing on postcards and souvenirs. A great place for a photo shoot with a view of the Volga.
In those days, there were essentially no other means of communication. And Samara, built on the main waterway leading to the center of Russia, is quickly becoming a center of trade and shipping.
The prosperous city attracted adventurers of all stripes. The main events of the 17th–18th centuries were peasant riots led by Stepan Razin and Emelyan Pugachev. By the way, Samara residents greeted both chieftains with bread and salt and the ringing of bells.
There are not many echoes of these events in the city. Here are just a few toponyms:
- The Pugachevsky tract is an ancient road leading to the city of Pugachev (formerly Nikolaevsk), where in the Mechetnaya Sloboda the fugitive Yaik Cossack Emelyan, Ivan’s son, declared himself Tsar Peter III and moved his scattered regiments through Samara to the center of Russia.
- Stepan Razin Street (at different times Simbirskaya, Zemlyanaya, Voznesenskaya). Old city. If you move up Razin, then in ten minutes you will find yourself on the Samara “golden mile” - the largest concentration of historical monuments. And on this street you can look into the oldest surviving cathedral in Samara - Voznesensky. Here in 1897, the wedding of the young journalist of the Samara Newspaper, Alexei Peshkov (Maxim Gorky), took place with the proofreader of the same newspaper, Ekaterina Volzhina.
The first mentions of the Samara River and the city of the same name
The name of the city is directly related to the name of the Samara River, which is a tributary of the Volga. The first mention of it is found in the notes of the secretary of the Arab embassy Ibn Fadlan, who visited it in transit in May 922. He calls it the Samur River, referring to the name given to it by local nomads. However, the Arab diplomat does not mention any settlements.
Regarding what Samara was called before, that is, before it was officially fixed on the maps of Russia, researchers have a certain hypothesis, according to which its former name is consonant with the current one. This is evidenced, in particular, by the surviving Venetian map of 1367, which indicates a settlement called Samar in the Middle Volga region.
The settlement of the same name can be traced on another map, compiled in 1459 by the Catholic monk Fra Mauro, traveling along the Volga. However, there are skeptics who question the validity of identifying ancient Samara with the city that arose on the banks of the Volga in 1586.
Samara merchant
The historical and administrative centers of the city are located quite far from each other. There are a lot of attractions and you won’t be able to see everything at a gallop in one day. Therefore, when planning a route, you will have to choose: ancient or modern. The Samara Regional Museum of History and Local Lore named after P.V. Alabin (Leninskaya Street, 142) will help you decide
Pyotr Vladimirovich Alabin (1824-1896) - statesman and public figure, the most respected mayor of Samara, military writer and journalist, active state councilor, honorary citizen of the cities of Vyatka, Samara and Sofia and an extraordinary person.
A river diesel-electric ship is named after him. Peter Vladimirovich was buried in the necropolis of the Orthodox women's Samara Iveron Monastery.
Iversky Monastery
The local history museum will tell you about the past in detail and give you a tour of the present day of Samara. If you have more time than one day, be sure to check it out. If not, let's move on.
Historical center of Samara
In many ways, the historical center of Samara has retained the features of a provincial merchant city: two-three-story buildings with houses on a stone base and a wooden roof. Often in such buildings, shops were located in the same place where the owners themselves lived. The district, and later provincial Samara, grew and became richer. The three largest Russian fairs - Vozdvizhenskaya, Kazanskaya and Sobornaya - were the main trading platforms. Such activity generated great fortunes.
One of the richest merchant families is the Shikhobalovs. With the money of numerous representatives of the dynasty and major patrons of the arts, many buildings of historical value and included in the list of cultural heritage of the peoples of Russia were rebuilt in Samara:
- Subbotin-Shikhobalov mansion (Aleksey Tolstoy St., 3),
- a whole block of Shikhobalov family buildings at the intersection of Ventsek streets, 55-59 and Molodogvardeiskaya, 54,
- Shikhobalov Hospital (Leninskaya Street, 75).
More information about the buildings can be found in the collection “Merchant Samara”.
Unfortunately, some buildings and places of worship erected with the money of the Shikhobalovs have not survived. For example, the luxurious Cathedral of Christ the Savior, built in the neo-Byzantine style, was destroyed in the early 30s during the anti-church campaign.
Merchant style
Now on the former Cathedral, now Kuibyshev Square (one of the largest in Europe), there are:
- academic opera and ballet theater,
- monument to Valerian Vladimirovich Kuibyshev (architect M. Manizer),
- four squares with flower beds,
- in one of the squares from the street. Krasnoarmeyskaya - a monument to Dmitry Shostakovich (sculptor Z. Tsereteli).
Kuibyshev Square in winter
Experts recognize eclecticism, Russian “brick” style, stylization of European romanticism and elements of modernist movements of the early 20th century in “merchant chic”. Yes, our merchants were no slouch!
Take a look at the mansion of Alexandra Kurlina , now the Museum of Art Nouveau (the intersection of Krasnoarmeyskaya and Frunze streets), one of the first in Samara, created in the bright traditions of the early 20th century. Already in 1903, the building was equipped with all the achievements of urban civilization - electric lighting, a hot air heating system, water supply, sewerage and telephone. The unusual appearance and location in the city center firmly inscribed the house in the history of Samara.
House with elephants
The whimsical “House with Elephants”
Other wealthy people of the city were also noted for their architectural eccentricities. What is the “House with Elephants” worth - the dacha of the extravagant merchant and philanthropist Konstantin Golovkin. Construction in Art Nouveau style, 1909. The first Samara motorist, an artist at heart, an archaeologist and traveler by heart, K. P. Golovkin is a prominent representative of Samara bohemia. A bronze monument to the Samara philanthropist (sculptor N. Zhukov) was unveiled near house No. 72 on Leningradskaya Street.
Other architectural masterpieces of “merchant” Samara:
- mansion of Ivan Andreevich Klodt (139 Kuibysheva St.), now the Children's Art Gallery,
- building of the Peasant Land Bank (Kuibysheva St., 153),
- building of the Samara Regional Art Museum (Kuibysheva St., 92).
Address: st. Soviet Army, 292.
Blog "Apartments"
The scientific, industrial and cultural center in the Middle Volga region was founded in 1586 at the junction of trade routes from Asia to Europe. The Volga River, Rocket and Space, Soviet attack aircraft Il-2, Zhigulevskoe beer, the folk song “Samara-town” are local symbols that are known throughout Russia.
The symbol of Samara is a goat in the Strukovsky Garden above the grotto. Samara © Glazkov Vladimir / Photobank Lori
Walking excursion route
Despite the impressive area of the city, getting around Samara is easy. The bustling life of the metropolis is in full swing near the Volga, so traffic goes either “to the river” or “from the river”.
Samara embankment
A popular vacation spot for citizens and guests of Samara and the starting point of excursion routes is the 5-kilometer Embankment, which descends in terraces to the river.
Until the middle of the 19th century, this territory was chaotically built up with barns and timber exchanges. Its arrangement began in 1935. As a result of the work, granite retaining walls, landscaped beaches, and cascades of stairs appeared. The modern reconstruction of this territory has made it possible to unambiguously answer the question “what is Samara famous for?” The city is famous for its Embankment.
A lot of greenery, flower beds, benches and tiled walkways create a resort atmosphere in this part of the city.
In the warm season, the Volga sandy beach becomes a focal point for vacationers, to which special descents are equipped from the Embankment. There are observation platforms on the embankment that allow you to admire the waters of the Volga.
In the historical part of the Embankment there are many attractions of Samara. There is a monument to the founder of the city, Prince Grigory Zasekin.
Nearby is the most “Samara” architectural object in spirit - the “Rook” memorial sign. It was erected in honor of the 400th anniversary of the city.
The “Sail” fountain, located on the Leningradsky Descent of the Embankment, has become the symbol of Samara. Its structure is formed by 620 water jets - according to the number of cabin boys who died in wartime.
The originality of small architectural forms is what Samara is famous for. Among the interesting objects, one should highlight the bronze figure of Comrade Sukhov, installed between Leningradsky and Nekrasovsky descent.
In the area of the 6th berth of the River Station there is the Alekseevskaya Chapel, to the right of it there is a monument to the Patron of Samara, Metropolitan Alexy, and to the left is the figure of Sergius of Radonezh. The building was erected in the Russian eclectic style on the site of a religious building that was destroyed in 1930.
Strukovsky Garden
Strukovsky Garden, founded in 1851, is also part of the Volga Embankment.
Samara Academic Drama Theater named after M. Gorky
Adjacent to the Strukovsky Garden is one of the oldest Russian provincial theaters - the dramatic one. It traces its history back to the enterprise of E. Strelkov, created in 1851. The theater's repertoire is constantly updated; it includes classical and modern works.
Samara Academic Drama Theater named after. M. Gorky © FotograFF / Photobank Lori
Monument to Chapaev
This monumental composition by I. Langbard and M. Manizer was installed directly opposite the drama theater in 1932.
Historical development of Kuibysheva Street
On Kuybyshev Street, many buildings from the 19th and early 20th centuries have been preserved. Among the most interesting objects is the Samara Art Museum, founded in 1897.
Its permanent exhibition includes over 1000 works of Russian and foreign painting of the 16th-20th centuries, Russian and European ceramics, and decorative art of the Eastern countries.
The building of the Samara Regional Court (before the revolution - the district court), built in 1870 according to the design of the architect Zasukhin, is known for the fact that V. Lenin worked there as an assistant sworn attorney.
In 1865, the Lutheran Church of St. George was erected on Kuibyshev Street in the neo-Gothic style. The church is currently operational and regularly hosts organ concerts.
One of the key attractions of the city is the mansion of engineer Klodt, built in 1898. Nowadays, a children’s art gallery is opened in the building, designed in a deliberate “gingerbread” style.
The house of the Samara leader of the nobility A.N. Naumov, located opposite the Strukovsky Garden, stands out with its strict lines in the neo-Renaissance style.
In 1911, a public meeting building was erected in Art Nouveau style. Today it hosts an exposition of the Museum of the History of Military District Troops.
Historical development of Leningradskaya/Frunze streets
On most of Leningradskaya Street, the historical appearance of buildings has now been recreated and a pedestrian zone has been formed. The street is a concentration of entertainment venues and retail outlets.
Among the most famous objects of this historical quarter, the building of the old synagogue stands out. It was built in 1908 and was one of the ten most beautiful synagogues in the world. Now the building is in a state of disrepair.
The Polish church was built in 1906 in the neo-Gothic style. Today this 47-meter building is one of the architectural dominants of the city. The temple is operational, open for individual tours and is often used for music concerts.
The mansion of merchant Sandra Kurlina was built in 1903. The decoration of its façade is a portrait bas-relief of the mistress of the house. Currently, this building houses a branch of the local history museum.
The Samara Philharmonic opened its doors to visitors in 1988. Each of its events becomes a great cultural event.
On Frunze Street we recommend visiting the Chelyshov apartment building, A. Savelyev’s mansion, and the half-timbered house. There are also museums here: the revolutionary Frunze, the city of Samara and the Stalin museum-bunker. This facility, declassified in 1990, was erected during the war as a reserve location for the headquarters of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief. The bunker is a 37-meter shaft.
Today it houses a museum exhibition. Read more about Stalin's bunker.
Iversky Convent
An active Orthodox convent. The tragic history of the monastery began in 1850. After the establishment of Soviet power, the monastery existed for some time under the guise of a sewing artel, and in 1925 the monastery was closed. In the early 1930s, the monastery Assumption Church, the second largest temple in Samara, was blown up. Only in 1992 did the revival of the monastery begin. The temples, belfry and cell buildings built in neo-Byzantine style are located in cascades on the Volga slope. This gives the city panorama expressiveness and picturesqueness.
Zhigulevsky brewery
On the Embankment, not far from the Iversky Monastery, you can see the red brick buildings of the brewery. The plant was founded in 1881 by Austrian citizen Alfred von Vacano. The main recommendation of city residents is to take a tour of the territory of this plant. Next to the working buildings there is a branded beer restaurant, as well as the iconic bar “At the bottom”. Only the best unfiltered varieties of brewing products are offered here.
The Von Vacano factory, the birthplace of Zhigulevsky beer. Russia, Samara © Vadim Orlov / Photobank Lori
Samara Regional Museum of History and Local Lore named after P.V. Alabina
The museum was founded in 1880 and has been actively developing since then. The museum's collection contains over 200 thousand exhibits. The museum has extensive collections of rare books from the 18th–20th centuries and weapons from the 14th–20th centuries.
The figure of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker near the house in which “Zoya’s standing” took place
House No. 84 on Chkalov Street receives many excursions and pilgrimage visits. Here, according to church traditions, in 1956 an event took place known as the “standing of Zoya.” A girl who decided to dance with the icon of St. Nicholas the Pleasant on New Year's Eve was literally petrified. She stood, clutching the icon in her hands, without food or drink, for 128 days. Currently, a figure of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker is installed next to the house.
Wooden buildings on Buyanova Street
After visiting the house where “Zoya’s standing” took place, be sure to visit the neighboring Buyanova Street, where ancient Samara wooden buildings have been preserved.
Monument rocket "Space Samara"
In 2001, the Soyuz rocket, manufactured by the Kuibyshev enterprise Progress and serving as a simulator at the Plesetsk cosmodrome, was installed at the launch position on Lenin Avenue in Samara. At its foot there is a museum exhibition.
River walk
You can take a walk along the Volga from the River Station, located on the Embankment.
This is one of the best ways to get to know Samara, since the city panorama is most impressive from the river area.
Samara onion
In the bend of the Volga, called the Samara Luka, a national park was formed. The bizarre relief, unique features of fauna and flora have earned it worldwide fame. You can explore Luka during a river walk, which should take the whole day.
What to bring from Samara?
A good gift from Samara would be beer produced by one of the oldest breweries in Russia. This gift goes well with an original beer mug.
An excellent addition to the signature beer will be a Volga souvenir - smoked and dried river fish.
Years of revolution and civil war
Throughout the revolutionary years, the city was closely associated with the name of Valerian Vladimirovich Kuibyshev, a revolutionary and statesman.
Kuibyshev's address in Samara is the apartment building of the merchant Pokidyshev (Frunze St., no. 140). By the way, there is more than one memorial plaque on the facade. At different times lived here:
- V. Ya. Litvinov - the first director of the Samara rocket manufacturing plant,
- family of Marshal Klim Voroshilov,
- composer Dmitry Shostakovich, who completed and first presented to the public his famous “Leningrad” Symphony No. 7 in C major in Samara.
However, let's return to Kuibyshev. It was he who, in October 1917, from the stage of the Olympus circus theater, announced the victory of Soviet power. On the site of the old circus, where Alexander Blok, Fyodor Chaliapin, Vladimir Mayakovsky, Leonid Sobinov, and Ivan Kozlovsky performed over the years, the Samara State Philharmonic Society (Frunze St., 141) is now located, but the features of the old circus were preserved during the reconstruction of 1974.
Samara, aka Kuibyshev
During the Civil War, V.V. Kuibyshev was a commissar and member of the Revolutionary Military Council of the Workers' and Peasants' Red Army (RKKA). After the establishment of Soviet power, J.V. Stalin’s closest associate moved to Moscow and held leadership positions until 1935. After his death, Samara was renamed Kuibyshev.
But we got ahead of ourselves again. In June 1918, Samara became the capital of the Russian Republic for four months, created by former members of the constituent assembly - adherents of the values of the February bourgeois revolution. Several provinces of the Volga region, occupied by the White Czechs - former soldiers of the Austro-Hungarian army, swore allegiance to this republic. You remember that since 1914, the Russian Empire was drawn into the First World War? If not, read separately where the volunteers of the Czechoslovak Legion came from in Samara.
We invite you to Chapaev Square (the Paris Commune until 1932), named after the legendary Red Army division commander, whose fighters liberated Samara from the White Czechs.
Chapaev Square and “Taking of the Regional Committee”
Monument to Chapaev.
In the background is the Academic Drama Theater named after Gorky. The square is formed by the confluence of Frunze, Kuibyshev, Vilonovskaya and Shostakovich (formerly Rabochaya) streets. In the center on the pedestal we see a multi-figure composition: Vasily Ivanovich with a saber on a hot war horse, he is surrounded by a commissar, a sailor, a fighter (Bashkir), a loader in a torn shirt (Tatar), a peasant partisan and a woman in a headscarf. All images are portraits of real participants in the Civil War. His son posed for Chapaev's image.
The dynamic composition is directed towards the Institute of Culture (formerly the Samara Regional Committee of the CPSU). Hence the popular name.
The monument was made in 1932 in Leningrad. The then First Secretary of the Leningrad Regional Committee of the All-Union Communist Party (Bolsheviks) Sergei Mironovich Kirov, having seen the sculpture before being sent to Samara, asked the authors - I. Langbard and M. Manizer - to make a copy, which still stands in St. Petersburg in front of the Military Academy of Communications. S. M. Budyonny.
There are several more interesting tourist sites on Chapaev Square:
- Samara Drama Theatre,
- Samara State Institute of Culture (with Stalin's Bunker underneath),
- Museum of the history of troops of the Volga-Ural Military District.
Strukovsky Garden
Adjacent to the square is the Strukovsky Garden (M. Gorky Park) - one of the oldest parks on the Volga. The year of its foundation is considered to be 1820, when the actual state councilor and manager of the Iletsk salt mines, Grigory Nikanorovich Strukov, built his estate here.
If you want to relax, take a walk in the garden to the sounds of the ancient Russian waltz “On the Hills of Manchuria.” The first performance of this sad melody by Ilya Alekseevich Shatrov, bandmaster of the Moksha Infantry Regiment, took place here.
How the idea of renaming was born
The first of my interlocutors was Doctor of Historical Sciences, Professor Pyotr Kabytov. It was he who was the author of the initiative that caused a stir. Pyotr Serafimovich is not a native Samarian. However, his contribution to the study of the history of our region cannot be overestimated. In the 1970s, Kabytov was invited as a teacher at the newly opened state university. The young scientist turned to local archives. And I found out how interesting information they contain about pre-revolutionary Samara. At that time, perhaps, only Professor Kuzma Nayakshin systematically studied the history of the Middle Volga region. But he presented the information in his works from the point of view of Marxist ideology. Many sources spoke about old Samara in a derogatory tone: they say, “a cultureless, dusty city in which there are many more churches than schools.” I remembered these words from the text of the tour of the Lenin House Museum. Pyotr Kabytov, getting acquainted with archival documents, felt the injustice of such statements. He recalls the events of the late 80s:
— General Secretary of the CPSU Central Committee Gorbachev was concerned that his wife did not have a social burden. The Soviet Cultural Foundation was created, where she became the main trustee. The regions received an order to organize local branches. I received a call from the White House and, as the chairman of the regional society for the protection of cultural monuments, was invited to a meeting. It took place at the Actor's House, and a huge number of people came to the meeting. The Writers' Union, artists already united in a guild, architects and other creative intelligentsia. The then head of the regional department of culture, Boris Ivanovich Sharkunov, spoke with a call to support and organize. Then came the speeches of the leaders of creative associations. They were essentially just reports of achievements. No fresh thoughts or initiatives.
Pyotr Serafimovich sat in the back rows and thought about how to stir up this meeting. And when he was called to the podium, he made a long-held proposal: “I think we all need to start by returning the name to the regional center. Do you remember what our city was called? Samara! It was in Samara that Lenin began his revolutionary activities. And Kuibyshev, I believe, will not be offended by us if we return the city to its historical name!”
The hall met these words with silence. Then there were shouts: “You’re aiming at something sacred!”
Soviet period and Great Patriotic War
By 1930, Samara had become a large industrial city, the center of the Middle Volga region, and also a granary and food supplier for the young Soviet republic. With the beginning of the Great Patriotic War, a number of industrial enterprises from the western regions of the country captured by the Nazis were evacuated here, along with staff and families. Soon government offices, Mosfilm and the Bolshoi Theater were also located here. Kuibyshev secretly became the reserve capital of the USSR.
Stalin's bunker
Stalin's bunker inside
Samara's most surreal building, Stalin's bunker, dates back to the same period. The object was so well hidden that no one suspected its existence until 1990, when “perestroika and glasnost” lifted the ban on Soviet secrets. During the same period (1991), Kuibyshev regained its original name - Samara.
The bunker still does not have the status of a full-fledged museum; its owner is the Russian Ministry of Emergency Situations. Excursions here are conducted as groups are recruited. And since there is almost no queue of people interested, you can visit the bunker almost any day. As soon as you see the tail from the courtyard of the building of the modern Academy of Culture and Art, sit down and buy a sandwich. You'll have time to eat while you wait. At the same time, grab some water. You'll probably get a dry throat when you find yourself 37 meters below the surface.
The builders of the bunker were mainly prisoners of Bezymyanlag.
Address: st. Frunze, 167.
Nameless
Industrial enterprises evacuated to Kuibyshev, down to a single screw, were reassembled in a place called Bezymyanka, named after a small river flowing nearby. Back in 1903, one of the sidings of the Samara-Zlatoust Railway was founded here.
Just before the war, the Defense Committee under the Council of People's Commissars of the USSR ordered the construction of as many as three new aircraft factories in this place - aircraft and engine manufacturing. By 1941, the sites were prepared, the Bezymyanskaya Thermal Power Plant and a cement plant were built. It’s amazing how far-sighted the leaders of the USSR were, because literally a couple of months later no less than ten defense enterprises from Kyiv, Smolensk, Dnepropetrovsk, Voronezh and Moscow moved here.
Samara became the forge of our victory. Already on December 10, 1941, the first Il-2 assembled here took off.
The first inhabitants of the Samara town
According to historians, the Samara fortress, which has not survived to this day, was located in the part of the city where the reinforcement plant is located today. Although at that time they had no idea about shock construction, the ruler’s order was carried out without delay, and the fortress was built surprisingly quickly - in just three months.
The new city of Samara, still fragrant with fresh resin (as it was commonly called in the old days), was inhabited by military personnel: archers, artillerymen and “collar workers,” that is, those who had to guard the gates from any charming person. By decree of the Tsar, even boyar children were exiled here to serve the Motherland.
The history of Samara in the 17th century is a chronicle of tireless work to strengthen and expand it. As a result, in 1700 the city consisted of five defensive lines, including the Kremlin, two prison lines and the same number of nadolba lines, which were soon destroyed due to decay. However, this seemingly powerful outpost had a very significant drawback: all its buildings were wooden, which had the most devastating effect during the fires that engulfed the city in 1700 and 1703.
City's legends
The story about Samara will be incomplete if we do not dwell on the unofficial but impressive stories circulating among citizens and tourists.
Greve Brothers Cave
Samara stands on sedimentary deposits of the Cretaceous period. The easily washed away soil creates bizarre cave shapes, one of which is located right within the city.
The cave got its name from the names of two sons of a pharmacist who lived in Samara at the beginning of the 20th century. According to legend, the search for the boys lost in the cave took two weeks. They found only one, but he also ended his days in an insane asylum. And the second one still wanders in the depths of Sokolya Mountain and scares impressionable speleologists.
The cave is a natural monument of regional significance. The total length of the labyrinth is more than 700 m. The cave has many branches and grottoes. We recommend going there only with a guide.
Treasure of Stepan Razin in the Zhiguli Mountains
Stepan Razin was a robber. In those days, robbing river merchant ships on the Volga was extremely profitable. Having settled in Samara, the bandits used the Zhiguli Mountains as an observation deck. From above, the target moving along the river was clearly visible. While the ship makes a loop along the Samara Bow, the bandits are already waiting for it downstream. The loot was taken into numerous caves. Shall we look?
Stone Zoya
It’s amazing how the story about a daring Komsomol member who, in the absence of her gentleman, decided to dance with the icon of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker and was petrified for 128 days, was passed on from mouth to mouth and reached the farthest corners of the Union. But the fact remains that the entire USSR knew the story of “Zoya’s Stand.” And it happened here, in Kuibyshev, on the street. Chkalova, 84. If you have time, come in and look at the eerie abandoned house in the private sector and the chapel of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker next to it.
Where did the name come from
It is known that the toponym Samara comes from the Scythian Samarchus and was first found in the chronicles of the French medieval philosopher Hugh of Saint-Victor.
Moreover, the city marked on the map of Scythia, according to the philosopher, was under the control of two sovereigns - Christian and pagan. Messire Hugo can only be confirmed or refuted through archaeological research. So, dear travelers, go ahead and get Scythian gold. In the end, Herr Schliemann excavated Troy, also relying solely on faith in the veracity of the events described in the Illiad.
The flag of Samara, which has become a symbol of new times
Throughout the entire period of communist rule, before the start of perestroika, party ideologists tried in every possible way to destroy people’s memories of what used to be called Samara. The same trend is observed in other renamed cities of the country.
However, already in 1990, at the very beginning of the democratic transformations that swept the country, the city was returned to its historical name, and eight years later, by decision of the City Duma, the flag of Samara was approved. It would not be an exaggeration to say that for the townspeople it became not only the official symbol of the municipality, but also the visible embodiment of the changes brought by perestroika in the life of every citizen of Russia.
Places for the best photo shoots
There are many “folk” monuments in Samara - symbols of the city, figures of literary and cinematic heroes, made in full height and especially for photo sessions. Let's list the “addresses and appearances”:
- Uncle Styopa is a policeman. A huge figure of a man in uniform, surrounded by bronze children. Sculptor: Z. Tsereteli. Where: pedestrian Leningradskaya street.
- Pinocchio. The bronze figurine bears a portrait resemblance to actor Dmitry Iosifov, who played Pinocchio in the film of the same name. The figurine is installed near the house-museum of Alexei Tolstoy. Here the writer lived for a short time with his parents. Sculptor: Stepan Karslyan. Address: st. Frunze, 155.
- Good soldier Schweik . The writer Jaroslav Hasek was among the Czech volunteers in Samara in 1918 and lived nearby. Sculptors and architects: A. K. Kuklev, N. A. Kuklev, K. N. Tsiber. The composition is located on the corner of Kuibyshev and Nekrasovskaya streets.
- Lady with a racket . Installed in honor of the 100th anniversary of the Russian Tennis Federation. And it all began here, in Samara. An avid tennis player, Maria von Barader (she is the one depicted with an umbrella and a racket) persuaded her husband Alfred von Vacano, founder of the Samara Brewery and philanthropist, to pay the costs of hosting the first tennis tournament. The sculptural composition is located in Pushkinsky Square, not far from the entrance to the territory of the Iversky Monastery. Sculptors: Alexander and Nikolai Kuklev.
- Cat on the window . The fluffy Samara cat took the warmest place - above the radiator. The composition is dedicated to the 150th anniversary of the invention of the cast iron heat radiator. There is an unusual monument next to the entrance to the Samara State District Power Plant on Volzhsky Prospekt. Sculptor: N. Kuklev.
- Barge Haulers on the Volga . Artist Ilya Repin painted his masterpiece in the village of Shiryaevo, Samara region. For Repin’s anniversary in 2014, a bronze 3D composition was installed on the Leningradsky descent to the embankment. Author: N. Kuklev.
- Comrade Sukhov . According to the plot of the film “White Sun of the Desert,” the Red Army soldier Sukhov strives to return to his homeland – Samara. The screenwriter of the Soviet film masterpiece, Valentin Ivanovich Yezhov, also lived here. The monument is made in human height and has a pronounced portrait resemblance to the actor Anatoly Kuznetsov, who played the role of Sukhov. Sculptor: K. Chernyavsky. Where: Volga embankment between Nekrasovsky and Leningradsky descents.
From watchtower to industrial giant
Following the guidance of bitter experience, the Samara people built a new, this time earthen fortress on the site of ancient ashes. During archaeological excavations carried out in 2013-2014, the remains of this structure were discovered in the Khlebnaya Square area.
In 1851, the Samara province was formed, and from that moment on, the city, which became its capital, received a powerful impetus for economic and cultural development. At the end of the 19th century, Samara was even called the “Russian Chicago” due to the rapid growth of industrial production and trade. The city, which in those years numbered fifteen thousand inhabitants, was replete with various enterprises, warehouses and steam mills.
It is interesting that it was here that for the first time in Russia the horse-drawn tram was replaced by a tram, which left the city depot in 1915. As newspapers of the time noted, it was entirely assembled from domestic parts and materials. Samara is also the birthplace of our favorite beer, Zhigulevsky, the production of which began in 1881 at the plant of the Austrian entrepreneur Alfred von Vacano. By the way, at first it was called “Vienna”, but then it received a more patriotic name.
Samara Hotels
There are many hotels, apartments and hostels in the city. Here are a few well-rated places located close to the historical center.
- Holiday Inn Samara . The Volga embankment is a 5-minute walk. The hotel has a swimming pool, sauna, underground heated parking, free Wi-Fi. Good breakfast buffet. Address: st. Alexei Tolstoy, 99.
- Hampton by Hilton Samara . 500 m from Samara railway station and 15 min walk to Kuibyshev Square. Cozy rooms, good breakfast, free parking, close location to the city's central attractions. Address: st. Leo Tolstoy, 131.
- st West Club . 5 min walk to Samara Square. There are many inexpensive cafes nearby, Kuibyshev Square is a 10-minute walk. Good sound insulation, free Wi-Fi, spa area with sauna, Italian restaurant on site. Address: st. Sadovaya, 210A.
Project on the theme “My hometown is Samara” for 2nd grade
Goal of the project: As part of studying the subject “The World Around You,” talk about your hometown, its attractions and memorable places.
Find information about his story and share it with your classmates. Tell schoolchildren about Samara and why I love her. Prepare a report and presentation in the form of a photo story. Project plan:
- Location on the country map.
- History and symbols.
- Samara in the present.
- Attractions.
- Places of military glory.
- Conclusion.
- An example of a finished photo story-presentation.
Restaurants and snack bars
- " At Wakano's." Branded restaurant of JSC “Zhigulevskoe Beer”. Address: Volzhsky Prospekt, 4.
- Bar "At the bottom". A remarkable establishment, located at the same address.
- Red Rak Shellhouse . Drinking beer without crayfish in Samara is bad manners. Check it out here. Local reds are very good. Address: Kuibysheva, 91.
- Restaurant "Old Pier". Where: embankment at the exit to Volzhsky Prospekt. Be sure to order the “Volga fish soup with pike perch”;
- Restaurant "Russian Hunting" . There is a live fireplace in the interior, and on the table there is a fish soup and a roast “Russian Hunt”: boar, elk and roe deer seasoned with vegetables and herbs on a sizzling frying pan. Where: near Kurumoch airport.
If you come to Samara with children, be sure to try the local Sampo ice cream. There are branded kiosks on the embankment, and it also happens in supermarkets.
