Фото:pro-sarapul.ru
The first city in our series of articles is Sarapul. It is also called the “city of the red-haired girl”. The merchant city of Sarapul is located in the Republic of Udmurtia, on the banks of the Kama River, 62 kilometers from the city of Izhevsk. The city is very cozy and colorful. Sometimes it seems that time has stopped here — this is emphasized by the bright merchant architecture, which has been well preserved to this day. You can admire the majestic Kama by walking along the landscaped embankment, which offers panoramic views of the main river of the republic.
Why “the city of the red-haired girl”?
Almost 100 years ago. in 1929, a book by Lidia Budogoska was published called “The Tale of the Red-haired Girl”. The youth of the main character, Eva Kuhn, takes place in the small town of Sarapul at a difficult time for the country. On the pages of the book, the reader will find a subtle and charming description of the city, its character and atmosphere. Once in Sarapul, from the first moments you feel that the pages of the story seemed to come to life and appeared before you in all their glory, because most of the described streets, parks and buildings have been preserved in the city. All of them exist to this day and welcome travelers with gratitude.
What to do in Sarapul?
1. Walk in the footsteps of a red-haired girl
Getting to know the city through the prism of a story and a bright character. You will find amazing merchant architecture, picturesque places and interesting stories. A guided walk will allow you to plunge into the times of a century ago, get acquainted with the history of the city and the fate of the people of that era.
2. Visit the “Museum Quarter”
Photo: cepia.ru
The “Museum Quarter” of Sarapul is a unique urban space and a popular tourist route. The entire social infrastructure of the early twentieth century is represented here: a hospital, a museum, a women’s gymnasium building, the cottage of the mayor and philanthropist Pavel Bashenin and much more. We recommend visiting the interactive “lesson in the gymnasium”, during which the class lady will immerse you in the atmosphere of everyday life of pre-revolutionary high school students who gravitate towards knowledge.
3. Visit the “Bashenin’s Cottage”
Another point of attraction in the “Museum Quarter” is the Bashenin cottage. It is not by chance that we single it out as a separate item. The two-storey old mansion, made in the Art Nouveau style, is an architectural monument of the early twentieth century, an object of cultural heritage of federal significance and one of the most recognizable symbols of Sarapul. Here you definitely need to taste hand-picked Vyatka tea, you can have a cup on the veranda, where the merchant Bashenin himself once liked to do it.
4. Take cool photos
Фото:pro-sarapul.ru
Attractive and interesting points for colorful photographs await you in the city center: merchant mansions, well-maintained wooden houses with carved architraves, a panorama of the Kama River and, of course, stunning urban landscapes.
5. Enjoy the Kama cuisine
Photo: cepia.ru
Of course, a good trip and long walks should be accompanied by delicious food. In Sarapul, you will be offered cuisine for every taste, local restaurants are famous for dishes based on ancient recipes of the Kama region. For merchant specialties, we recommend looking into the art cafe “Richi”. The best desserts and a cozy atmosphere are waiting for you in Ekaterina Kamasheva’s Dessert confectionery studio. Let’s tell you in secret that our absolute favorite is meringue roll!
Sarapul will not let you go without souvenirs. Another of our delicious recommendations is the products of the Sarapul confectionery factory. Of course, we recommend buying sweets for a red-haired girl. It is impossible to leave the city without the red-haired girl herself: in Sarapul you will find the story of the same name, including in a gift edition and, of course, a handmade doll of the same girl ― Eva Kuhn is the heroine of the book.
Sarapul is one of the oldest cities in the Kama region, and it carefully preserves its historical and cultural heritage, joyfully shares it with travelers. We have told you only about a small part of the wealth of attractions that you can see in this city.
The city participates in the All-Russian competition of the subjects of the Russian Federation for the implementation of state support for regional programs for the design of the tourist code of the city center, implemented by the Ministry of Economic Development of Russia. The developers of Sarapul’s application are a consortium of Travel Business School and the YARUS Design and Consulting Center.
