From Moscow to Kazan by car: where you should definitely stop by on the way

1. Alexandrov

• Distance to Kazan: 763 km.

The road to Kazan runs through the Vladimir region. You can immediately go to the M-7 Volga federal highway through Reutov and Balashikha or go around Moscow from the north. In the second case, you should definitely stop by Alexandrov - a place both interesting and sinister. At the end of the 16th century, the small town was the personal residence of Ivan the Terrible and the de facto capital of the country. It was here that the murder of Tsarevich Ivan took place in 1581 (the scene from the painting by Ilya Repin, well-known to everyone).

Architectural the Alexandrov complex began to take shape as early as the time of Ivan III. From this period, the fortress walls, the Intercession and Assumption churches, the Trinity Cathedral and the Church of Alexei the Metropolitan remained in the city. In addition to religious buildings, buildings for domestic purposes have also been preserved: refectories, royal chambers, stables, and a dungeon. If you have time, take a tour: you will be told in detail about the life of the first persons of the state of the 16th century.

2. Orekhovo-Zuevo

• Distance to Kazan: 741 km.

The city appeared as a result of the merger of three villages: Orekhova, Zuev and Nikolsky. This place was a significant center of factory life in Russia. At the beginning of the 20th century, almost 25,000 people worked here in cloth and paper mills. It was here that the Morozov strike took place in 1885. It ended in failure for the organizers, but thanks to it, factory legislation appeared in Russia, regulating workers' rights.

A monument to the participants of the strike was erected on the Oktyabrskaya Square of Orekhovo-Zuev. And ironically, not far from the monument to the fighters against capitalism, there is also a bust of the founder of the entrepreneurial dynasty, Savva Morozov.

Even in the city, you can look at industrial architecture, for example, the House of Soviets, built in 1912. It is worth going to the local history museum, where you will be told about the animal world of the city's environs, and about the intricate history of the labor movement. Also take a look at the Dulevo Porcelain Museum: not only fabrics and paper were made in Orekhovo-Zuyevo, but also dishes with folk patterns.

3. Cover

• Distance to Kazan: 718 km.

The perfect place to take a break during roads. This is an exemplary quiet town in Central Russia, which arose around the monastery, and now has several old churches and a small center with historical buildings.

If you are not a fan of such an atmosphere, it is worth stopping at least to buy edible souvenirs. Pokrov is a major hub of the Russian food industry: chocolate and gingerbread are made here. The city has a modern bronze monument to chocolate, and a whole museum dedicated to this delicacy. In it, you will not only learn how sweets are made from overseas cocoa beans in the center of Russia, but you will also be able to buy a delicious souvenir on the road. But if chocolate production appeared here only in the 20th century, then gingerbread was made two centuries before that. The main difference between the Pokrovsky gingerbread and the rest is that eggs are not laid in it, but spices (cloves, cardamom and cinnamon) are abundantly added. You can buy such pastries in the company store of the Pokrovsky gingerbread factory.

4. Petushki

• Distance to Kazan: 701 km.

This place is specially visited only by fans of the alcoholic poem by Venedikt Erofeev "Moscow — Petushki». If you are not one of them, a car trip to Kazan is a good opportunity to look into this city for an hour. In Petushki, of course, there is a museum of the writer.

Other attractions include the Church of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, built in 1910, a hyperboloid water tower designed academician Vladimir Shukhov (author of the famous tower on Shabolovka in Moscow) and a small Museum of the Rooster, which is likely to appeal to children.

5. Vladimir

• Distance to Kazan: 642 km.

Vladimir deserves a separate thoughtful visit. For a visit in a couple of hours, you will have to make a short must see. For example, first of all, it is worth examining the Russian church architecture of the 12th century. The Assumption Cathedral, founded by Andrei Bogolyubsky, is the same age as the Cathedral of Notre Dame in Paris. Inside, the architecture is impressive, but the main thing here is the original frescoes by Andrei Rublev and Daniil Cherny. After examining them, you will understand that pre-Mongolian Rus was an integral part of European civilization. The best examples of ancient Russian painting are in no way inferior to the works of, for example, the Italian artist Giotto.

Near the Assumption Cathedral - Dmitrovsky. It is notable for the detailed white stone carvings on the façade. Among the plots are not only biblical motifs, but also references to Slavic and ancient mythology.

And of course, take a trip to Pokrova on the Nerl - a building familiar from childhood on the covers of textbooks of literature and the Russian language. This small but spectacular white stone church against the backdrop of a beautiful rural landscape is certainly one of the Russian sights that worth seeing at least once in a lifetime. A particularly impressive view of the building opens during the spring flood, when the Intercession on the Nerl is completely on the island.

6. Gorokhovets

• Distance to Kazan: 491 km.

Gorokhovets looks like compact Russian cities from pre-revolutionary postcards: a river, a lot of greenery, churches, monasteries and old buildings. Everything can be seen in an hour. Pay attention to the rare Russia stone houses of the 17th century. At that time, this was almost never built of stone, but several wealthy merchant families lived in Gorokhovets, who built not only churches, but also their own dwellings in the city. These are the houses of Ershov, Oparin, Shiryaevs and Kanonnikov.

Gorokhovets is also notable for its wooden Art Nouveau monuments. An ornate architectural style popular in Europe at the turn of the 19th-20th centuries, made from this material is found almost exclusively in Russia, and in such quantity, it seems, only in Gorokhovets. Pay attention to the houses of Shorin, Kuchin, as well as the mansions of Morozov and Prisheltsov.

Fans of temple architecture will also be impressed: there are three ancient monasteries and two churches in the city.

7. Nizhny Novgorod

• Distance to Kazan: 390 km.

Nizhny Novgorod, like Vladimir, is hardly suitable for a cursory inspection, but you can gain impressions here even during a short stop. Perhaps the main attraction of the city is not even ancient architecture like the chambers of the 17th century, but nature itself. The lower one stands at the intersection of the Volga and Oka, so upon arrival, admire the two great rivers from the high Kremlin hill, and then go to the arrow.

The Alexander Nevsky Cathedral is also located here, and nearby are the remains of the steel structures of the main pavilion of the World Industrial Exhibition of 1896. They were built using the same technology as the Eiffel Tower. Then go to the Kremlin and visit two museums: the Arsenal Gallery exhibits contemporary art, and the Art Museum exhibits classical art. Among other things, the works of El Greco and Auguste Renoir are kept here - the paintings came to the city after World War II war.

Finally, take a walk along the pedestrian streets - Pokrovka and Pyatnitskaya.

8. Sviyazhsk

• Distance to Kazan: 60 km.

Not far from Kazan, on a small peninsula, is the village of Sviyazhsk. Now it is an open-air museum-reserve. In different years, a monastery, a prison, a psychiatric hospital were located in Sviyazhsk. The museum will tell about the confusing past of the place, which reflected the difficult episodes of the history of Russia in the 20th century. Here they will tell the legend that supposedly Pushkin It was the visit to Sviyazhsk that inspired the creation of the fabulous Buyan Island.

The main attraction of the village is the Mother of God-Assumption Monastery. In 2017 his recognizedAssumption Cathedral in Sviyazhsk is included in the UNESCO World Heritage List / TASS a UNESCO World Heritage Site. All because of the unique frescoes of the 17th century, among which the image of St. Christopher with a horse's head stands out. Don't miss also the small Trinity Church. This is one of the oldest wooden structures in Russia (only the Lazarevskaya Church on the Kizhi Island is older than it). The building was erected by order Ivan the Terrible in 1551, together with the fortress, which became a springboard on the way to the capture of the Kazan Khanate.

Before leaving, be sure to try the Sviyazh fish soup, local bread and local mead (but only if someone else is driving!).

9. Pechishchi

• Distance to Kazan: 54 km.

Directly in front of Kazan, on the opposite bank of the Volga, is the small village of Pechishchi. Here, back in the Middle Ages, limestone was mined, from which the white-stone Kazan Kremlin was later built. Now on the territory of the village, right by the river, there are remains of industrial furnaces of the 19th century.

This shore offers the most advantageous view of Kazan - the city center with the Kremlin, the Syuyumbike tower and the Kul-Sharif mosque. In Pechischi, there is the only museum in Russia of the Belarusian writer Yanka Kupala (Ivan Dominikovich Lutsevich). Here in 1941-1942 he was evacuated.

From Pechishchi you can get to Kazan by river: the ferry crossing is 8 km away, in the village of Verkhny Uslon. Some 40 minutes along the picturesque waves of the Volga, and you will find yourself in the capital of Tatarstan.