Traveling to cities in Russia and abroad

I already wrote about Ivanovo in the article Travel to the city of brides, or what to see in Ivanovo. I’ll immediately express my opinion that the city is not very interesting from a tourism point of view and is not very well-maintained, although it is not without its charm. Transport accessibility in Ivanovo is not the best, and the standard of living here is lower than in neighboring regions. Nevertheless, the Ivanovo region is rich in attractions that will be pleasant to visit.

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Plyos

Anna

The main attraction of the Ivanovo region is, of course, the city of Ples. It is no coincidence that the top officials of our state chose its surroundings for their country residences.

The places here are the most picturesque. The town is located on the high bank of the Volga. The Volga does not meander here, but flows straight, hence the name of the city. Plyos was first mentioned in chronicles at the beginning of the 12th century. Before the construction of the railway in 1867, it was a major port on the Volga for the transport of textile products, then fell into disrepair. Life in the town became quiet and measured.

Read the article What to see on the way from Moscow to Ivanovo.

Levitan Museum in Ples

In 1888, the great Russian landscape artist Isaac Levitan visited the city and chose it as his summer residence.

Here he painted the famous paintings “The Quiet Abode”, “Evening Bells” and others.

In 1972, the Levitan House Museum was opened in the city, which houses many of his paintings, as well as works by other Itinerant artists - Polenov, Savrasov, Shishkin and others.

The museum is located at st. Lunacharsky, 4/1, tel. excursion department: (49339) 4-37-82. Link to the museum website.

Unfortunately, I was not able to get into this museum when visiting Plyos. In 2014, five paintings from the museum were stolen. After this, investigative actions were carried out there for a long time, and the museum was closed. Currently, the museum's exhibition has been resumed again. But I ended up in the Museum of Russian Landscape. There are paintings by contemporary landscape artists, many of whom worked here in Plyos. In the museum you can buy books about painting, reproductions of paintings and other souvenirs.

There are several other interesting museums in the city: the Museum of Folk Crafts, the Museum of the Old Russian Family, the Museum of Ancient Fisheries, and artist galleries.

Monuments of Plyos

Despite the fact that the population of modern Plyos is only about 2000 people, it, as befits an ancient Russian city, is located on 7 hills. The most famous of them is called Mount Levitan. Here is the sculptural composition “Palette” depicting the artist. I was lucky enough to see him in September. The artist stands with an easel on the high bank of the Volga, looking at the landscape, as if straight from the canvas of his famous “Golden Autumn”. Nearby is the wooden Church of the Resurrection, brought here to the site of the burnt chapel of the Perapavlovsky Church, depicted in Levitan’s painting “Above Eternal Peace.” The stone church was dismantled during the Soviet period, and an electrical substation was equipped in the preserved refectory building. Currently, the substation has been moved, and the building has again been transferred to the temple.

In 2010, for the 600th anniversary of the city, another monument to Levitan was erected not far from his house-museum. Opposite the Landscape Museum is the sculpture “Summer Resident”, the prototype for which is considered to be Levitan’s friend, artist Sofya Kuvshinnikova. Another famous sculpture of Ples is “Cat”, the prototype of which was the cat Mukha, who died protecting her kittens from dogs. There are other interesting monuments here - to Prince Vasily, the founder of the Plyos fortress, “Gorodovaya”, “Captain” and others.

Ples Hotels

There are about 50 hotels of different levels in Ples. The prices here are quite high, but despite this, hotel accommodations are well stocked, especially in the summer. The hotels Favorit and Guest House Itil have fairly affordable prices. The Villa Fortecia hotel with its own SPA and wellness centers is popular. Hotel spaces fill up quickly and it is best to book in advance.

Anna

During the period of festivals - and this is the famous international festival "Mirror" named after Andrei Tarkovsky, the Levitanov Music Festival and others - it is difficult to find hotel rooms not only in Ples, but even in Ivanovo.

Interactive map of Ples hotels:

How to get to Plyos

There is a daily bus from Moscow to Plyos. Buses from Ivanovo run approximately every hour. The distance from Ples to Ivanovo is about 85 km. See bus schedule and prices HERE.

What else needs to be done in Plyos

1. Walk along the embankment. Its length is about 2 km, the embankment is very picturesque. 2. Buy souvenirs at the ancient Market Square. 3. In the summer, visit one of the sandy beaches and swim in the Volga. 4. In winter, go skiing. 5. Participate in master classes for children and adults in city museums.

Notes

1. ↑ 123
   www.gks.ru/free_doc/doc_2016/bul_dr/mun_obr2016.rar Population of the Russian Federation by municipalities as of January 1, 2016
2. THE USSR. Administrative-territorial division of the union republics on January 1, 1980 / Compiled by V. A. Dudarev, N. A. Evseeva. - M.: Publishing house "Izvestia of the Soviets of People's Deputies of the USSR", 1980. - 702 p. — P. 122.
3. Order of the Government of the Russian Federation of July 29, 2014 No. 1398-r “On approval of the list of single-industry towns”
4. ↑ 1234567891011
   www.MojGorod.ru/ivanovsk_obl/privolzhsk/index.html People's encyclopedia “My City”. Privolzhsk
5. [demoscope.ru/weekly/ssp/rus59_reg2.php All-Union Population Census of 1959. The size of the urban population of the RSFSR, its territorial units, urban settlements and urban areas by gender] (Russian). Demoscope Weekly. Retrieved September 25, 2013. [www.webcitation.org/6GDOghWC9 Archived from the original on April 28, 2013].
6. [demoscope.ru/weekly/ssp/rus70_reg2.php All-Union Population Census of 1970 The size of the urban population of the RSFSR, its territorial units, urban settlements and urban areas by gender.] (Russian). Demoscope Weekly. Retrieved September 25, 2013. [www.webcitation.org/6GDOiMstp Archived from the original on April 28, 2013].
7. ↑ 123
   [ivanovo.gks.ru/wps/wcm/connect/rosstat_ts/ivanovo/resources/4ce371004da3f783837cf741cd117b4b/itogi_vpn2010_table_volume_1.pdf Results of the 2010 All-Russian Population Census, volume 1. Number and distribution of the population of the Ivanovo region]. Retrieved August 8, 2014. [www.webcitation.org/6Rfo0NidC Archived from the original on August 8, 2014].
8. [www.perepis2002.ru/ct/doc/1_TOM_01_04.xls All-Russian Population Census 2002. Volume. 1, table 4. Population of Russia, federal districts, constituent entities of the Russian Federation, districts, urban settlements, rural settlements - regional centers and rural settlements with a population of 3 thousand or more]. [www.webcitation.org/65AdCU0q3 Archived from the original on February 3, 2012].
9. [www.gks.ru/bgd/regl/B09_109/IssWWW.exe/Stg/d01/tabl-21-09.xls Number of permanent population of the Russian Federation by cities, urban-type settlements and districts as of January 1, 2009]. Retrieved January 2, 2014. [www.webcitation.org/6MJmu0z1u Archived from the original on January 2, 2014].
10. [www.gks.ru/free_doc/doc_2012/bul_dr/mun_obr2012.rar Population of the Russian Federation by municipalities. Table 35. Estimated resident population as of January 1, 2012]. Retrieved May 31, 2014. [www.webcitation.org/6PyOWbdMc Archived from the original on May 31, 2014].
11. [www.gks.ru/free_doc/doc_2013/bul_dr/mun_obr2013.rar Population of the Russian Federation by municipalities as of January 1, 2013. - M.: Federal State Statistics Service Rosstat, 2013. - 528 p. (Table 33. Population of urban districts, municipal districts, urban and rural settlements, urban settlements, rural settlements)]. Retrieved November 16, 2013. [www.webcitation.org/6LAdCWSxH Archived from the original on November 16, 2013].
12. [www.gks.ru/free_doc/doc_2014/bul_dr/mun_obr2014.rar Table 33. Population of the Russian Federation by municipalities as of January 1, 2014]. Retrieved August 2, 2014. [www.webcitation.org/6RWqP50QK Archived from the original on August 2, 2014].
13. [www.gks.ru/free_doc/doc_2015/bul_dr/mun_obr2015.rar Population of the Russian Federation by municipalities as of January 1, 2015]. Retrieved August 6, 2015. [www.webcitation.org/6aaNzOlFO Archived from the original on August 6, 2015].

Shopping in Privolzhsk

Privolzhsk lies on the route between Ivanovo and Ples and does not have such beauty and historical sites as its famous neighbor. Moreover, despite the name, the city is not located on the Volga. We will look here, continuing the theme of Ivanovo shopping. In the center of the city in 2010, a two-story store-showroom was opened where you can buy products from the Krasnaya Presnya factory, the leader in the production of silver products in our country. It produces several thousand types of products. The factory has modern equipment installed and the latest technologies are used. Here they produce not only silver products, but also gold products, including those with precious and semi-precious stones.

Anna

No one will leave here without shopping. Even if you don't plan to spend money, it's hard to resist buying a trinket as a keepsake or as a gift. For example, a raking spoon or a money mouse, which are placed in a wallet to attract money. And they cost only about 100 rubles.

In general, the store has a large selection of costume jewelry, which is very cheap, but looks like items made of real gold or silver. To produce it, real gold or silver is used for sputtering. Of course, over time, the coating may become thinner and wear off, for example, on fasteners, but until then, the product will delight you for several months, or even years. Prices in the store at the Krasnaya Presnya factory are lower than anywhere else. Therefore, tourists often come here on excursion buses on their way to Plyos.

At this time, large queues form in the store, and it becomes difficult to buy anything. Opposite the store, taking advantage of the opportunity, several more jewelry stores opened. They say that their prices are higher than in the factory store. But I wasn’t there myself, so I can’t say anything specific.

In Privolzhsk there is the St. Nicholas Convent, on the basis of which an Orthodox pilgrimage complex has been opened. You can get to Privolzhsk by bus from Ivanovo. Buses depart from Ivanovo railway station approximately every 20 minutes, the fare in 2022 is 125 rubles. Travel time is one hour. The cost of a taxi from Privolzhsk to Plyos is about 200 rubles. There is also a direct bus from Moscow. See schedule and cost HERE.

Other interesting places in the Ivanovo region

Continuing the topic, I’ll briefly tell you about other places in the Ivanovo region that are worthy of a visit.

Palekh

This is a small village in the Ivanovo region, famous for its folk crafts. It was once famous for its icon painters, but after the revolution they had to retrain, and in 1920 a new craft was born - the famous Palekh lacquer miniature. It is always on a black background, the symbol of Palekh lacquer miniature – the firebird, which can be seen in many works.

Anna

The products are not cheap, but in Palekh itself their prices are lower than elsewhere.

The village welcomes its guests. It houses several interesting museums as well as temples. There are several small hotels with low prices. It is more convenient to get here by bus from Shuya or from Ivanovo.

Kineshma

The city is located 100 km from Ivanovo on the right bank of the Volga, which in this place is the wide Gorky Reservoir. This is the final station of the train from Moscow that goes to Ivanovo (see schedule and cost HERE.

The city is also connected by bus to different cities of Russia. The schedule and cost can be found HERE. The city is famous for its theater - one of the oldest in Russia, churches, ancient buildings and museums: art, local history, and the Ostrovsky Theater Museum. There is a felt boot museum with the largest felt boot measuring 186 cm, a museum of the domestic automobile industry and others.

Shuya

Shuya is the third largest city in the Ivanovo region (after Ivanovo and Kineshma). It was once a large center of the textile industry; now there is only one weaving factory, “Shuya Calico”, as well as several sewing enterprises left in the city.

There are museums: the Konstantin Balmont Literary and Local History Museum, the Local History Museum, and the Soap Museum.

Story

The charter of boyar S. Saburov in 1484 mentions the village of Yakovlevskoye. In 1560, the village came into the possession of the Ipatiev Monastery. In 1763, 620 souls lived in the village. Since 1774, the village of Yakovlevskoye has been assigned to the College of Economy.

By decree of the All-Russian Central Executive Committee of December 2, 1918, the Yakovlevsky Village Council was formed. In 1924, the village of Bolshoye Yakovlevskoye was transformed into the working settlement of Yakovlevsky. By decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the RSFSR dated October 26, 1938, the working village of Yakovlevsky was transformed into the city of Privolzhsk.