Top 20 attractions of Orenburg, Russia

Orenburg can offer tourists historical, cultural, ecological, pilgrimage, extreme and recreation programs. Visiting sights, numerous monasteries, jeep tours around the surroundings, trips to the tracts and steppes of the Southern Urals, parachuting and rafting - these are just a small part of what you can do in the Orenburg region.

There is also something to see in the city itself: Sovetskaya Street saturated with history and the National Village complex will be of interest to travelers who are fond of the past and who want to learn more about the culture and life of different peoples. Expositions of local museums will tell visitors interesting stories and tell about little-known facts.

What to see and where to go in Orenburg?

The most interesting and beautiful places for walking. Photos and a short description.

Pedestrian bridge across the Ural River

The first wooden bridge across the river was built in 1835. Every year after the spring flood it had to be repaired. The modern metal structure was built only in 1982. The bridge has a certain symbolic meaning, as it carries pedestrians from Europe to Asia and vice versa. From the Ural embankment, you can climb it up a wide staircase with a classic balustrade.

Sovetskaya street

The main tourist alley of Orenburg is 3 km long. On one of the segments it is completely pedestrian. You can tell a fascinating story about almost every building located on this street: house number 1 is an aviation school that Yuri Gagarin graduated from, house number 2 is the former residence of the military governors of the city, in house number 3 the Decembrists were exiled in the 1820s, and house number 4 is one of the oldest buildings in Orenburg, built in the middle of the 18th century.

Cultural Complex "National Village"

Museum and ethnographic complex, built in the 2000s on the initiative of the city authorities. It represents the national farmsteads of the peoples inhabiting the Orenburg region. These are Tatars, Kazakhs, Ukrainians, Bashkirs, Mordovians, Belarusians, Armenians, Germans, Chuvashs. On the territory of the complex there are museums of life and culture, restaurants of national cuisine, libraries with literature in different languages.

Museum of the History of Orenburg

Local History Museum, located in a building of the XIX century, which in itself has considerable architectural value. It is made of red brick in the style of a European castle. It is interesting that such an original project was created by a self-taught fortress architect IP Skalochkin. The diverse exposition of the museum covers the period of the history of Orenburg from ancient times to the New Age.

Orenburg Museum of Local History

The first local history museum was founded in 1830 by decree of the military governor. Later, it was repeatedly disbanded, distributing the collection to other institutions. It was last opened in 1994 after many years of restoration work. As the name implies, the expositions are devoted to Orenburg and the region: life, culture, identity of peoples, history and nature.

Orenburg Museum of Fine Arts

The art exhibition appeared in 1960. It was placed on the territory of a mansion of the beginning of the 19th century, built for meetings of the city council. The collection was based on a collection of works by the itinerant artist L. V. Popov, a native of Orenburg. In the museum you can look at paintings by Russian and European artists created from the beginning of the 16th century. Among other things, ethnographic, decorative and applied exhibits and sculptures are presented here.

Drama Theater named after M. Gorky

Residents of Orenburg began to attend regular theatrical performances from the second half of the 19th century. The performances took place on the territory of the restored stone arena. At first, the plays were not popular due to the low professionalism of the troupe, but gradually the repertoire improved and the acting became more skillful. In the middle of the 20th century, the old building was completely rebuilt. In this form, it has reached our days.

Tower with chimes

The tower adorned Sovetskaya Street in 1997. The clock was made almost a decade earlier, but it was never installed due to the fact that the project was frozen. The landmark was finally completed in 2005, the restored clock was installed on the facade in 2013. The length of the structure reaches 40 meters, on the peaked roof there is a spire with a weather vane in the form of a bird with its wings wide open.

Water tower

The original engineering building of 1904, erected for cleaning purposes and provided the inhabitants of Orenburg with drinking water. The building is located in the city center, its appearance contrasts sharply with the surrounding buildings. Due to the fact that the tower was recognized as an architectural monument and provided with proper care, it has survived to this day unchanged and has become one of the popular attractions.

Gostiny Dvor

Gostiny Dvor was built in order to organize a suitable space for the development of trade with the peoples of Asia. Up to 150 shops could be accommodated in a two-storey classicist building. The complex still performs its original functions – merchant shops have been replaced by modern shopping areas. A complete reconstruction of the Gostiny Dvor was carried out in the 2000s.

Nikolsky Cathedral

Cathedral of Orenburg, founded in 1886 by local Cossacks. The building survived the 20th century, as it was not destroyed during the persecution of religion (the authorities limited themselves to closing). Since 1942, the archive of the NKVD bodies, evacuated from Moscow and Leningrad, has been located here. The temple started working again in 1944, a decade later its walls were repainted, in 1980-90 the back ones were restored and expanded.

Caravanserai

An architectural complex designed by A.P. Bryullov in eclectic style with elements of oriental style. It was erected on voluntary donations for the administration of the Bashkir army. There were hotels, schools, workshops, a mosque. The name "Caravanserai" was given to the building due to its Asian appearance and corresponding coloring. In the middle of the 20th century, a planetarium worked in the prayer hall, today there is again a mosque here.

Monument to Pushkin and Dahl

The monument was erected in 1998 for the next anniversary of Orenburg. The authors decided to place two prominent literary figures on one pedestal, whose creativity and work gave a powerful impetus to the development of the Russian language, significantly enriching it and expanding its boundaries. A. S. Pushkin wrote his "Captain's Daughter" after visiting Orenburg, V. I. Dal spent several years in the city as an official under the military governor.

Monument to Yuri Gagarin

The famous cosmonaut graduated with honors from the local flight school, although at some point they even wanted to expel him. A monument in his honor was erected in 1986 on April 12, Cosmonautics Day. The monument is a figure of Gagarin 4 meters in height, dressed in a spacesuit and with his hands up to the sky. A little behind are two steles, symbolizing a rocket heading towards an unknown and frightening Cosmos.

Monument to the Orenburg Cossacks

The monument is located near St. Nicholas Cathedral on the territory of the city square. It was installed in 2007. The sculptural group is dedicated to the Cossacks, who played a key role in the defense of the eastern borders of the Russian Empire during its active expansion. The monument represents a brave warrior on horseback. All the details of the image are drawn so clearly and realistically that it seems as if the sculpture is about to come to life.

Monument to V.P. Chkalov

After the death of V.P. Chkalov, Orenburg was renamed in his honor in order to perpetuate the memory of the test pilot (while Chkalov himself had never been in the city). The monument was erected in 1953 on the banks of the Urals. The bronze sculpture was cast in Moscow and placed on a granite pedestal. The total height of the structure is 13 meters. The monument stands surrounded by a flower bed and adorns the river embankment.

elizabeth gate

In 1755, Empress Elizabeth presented Orenburg with stone gates, symbolizing the entrance from Europe to Asia. They represent two massive pillars with sculptures of angels in niches and a crossbar with a bas-relief connecting them. Initially, they were installed on the ramparts, and then transferred to the Urals. Over time, the bas-relief was removed and placed in storage in the museum. In 2008 the gate was restored.

Stele "Europe-Asia"

A lot of obelisks have been erected in the Urals, marking the conditional border between Europe and Asia, but the very first stele was erected in Orenburg in 1981. It is a high square pillar 15 meters high, crowned with a spherical structure, to which a paved alley with flower beds, benches and lanterns leads. The structure is clearly visible from the road bridge across the Urals.

Frunze Garden

The garden was planted in the late 1930s, but during the Second World War all the plantings were destroyed. They were revived in 1948, and in 1973 they carried out a complete reconstruction, practically breaking a new one in place of the old square. In 2005, an exhibition complex and an open-air museum "Salute, Victory!", Consisting of expositions of military equipment, weapons and sculptural groups, were solemnly opened on its territory. After this event, the garden was revived again.

Poplar Park

City amusement park with many modern attractions for visitors of all ages. This is one of the best places in Orenburg for a weekend getaway with the whole family. The park has restaurants with summer terraces, cafes, a cinema, and concert venues. Free parking is available at the entrance for your convenience. Topolya is a cozy and well-groomed place and a real green oasis.