It is beautiful, interesting and delicious. What to see and try in Perm

Sculpture “Permyak salty ears”. Photo: ATOR

If a guest of the city touches a bear by the nose, he will definitely return to the Perm Region. Photo: ATOR

The city has taken care of tourists: special hiking trails have been created for self-exploration of the city. The “green” line begins near the sculpture “Permyak – salty ears” and leads along the architectural and cultural monuments of the city. There are stands with a brief history of the attraction near each point of the route. The Red Line starts near the former Royal Rooms Hotel, a three–storey Art Nouveau building. This route is dedicated to the romantic stories of celebrities who once lived in Perm. By the 300th anniversary of Perm, a new tourist route has appeared on the streets of the city – the “Imperial Line”, which will take you through the memorable places of the city associated with representatives of the Imperial house of Romanov.

In addition, you can take a ride around the city along the tourist excursion route “Perm-300: the city on the Kama”. The tour is accompanied by an audio guide with information about the history of Perm, iconic places and outstanding people born in the Perm Region.

There is a tour bus in Perm. Photo: ATOR

COMFORTABLE IN PERM

Perm is the greenest million–plus city in Russia, which the capital of the Kama region is very proud of. The preservation of green spaces is one of the priorities, and much has already been done for the 300th anniversary of the city within the framework of the Green Ring project.

The largest “green zone” in the city is the Chernyaev forest with an area of about 700 hectares. This is one of the best places for walking, where everything is provided: from ecological trails, equipped jogging and cycling routes, playgrounds to vending machines where you can buy nuts for local squirrels for little money.

The largest “green zone” in the urban area of Perm is the Chernyaev forest with an area of about 700 hectares. Photo: ATOR

Chernyaev forest is one of the best places to walk in Perm. Photo: ATOR

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And there is also a Garden of Eden and a Rock Garden in Perm. The Garden of Eden, opened back in 1865, is located on the site of the former Motovilikha factory. In 2010, the park space was put in order, a rotunda and a stone statue of a rescue dog were installed. Whole families come here after work and on weekends, wedding motorcades are often visible. It is not always possible for newlyweds to start their family life from the Garden of Eden, but Permians can!

The Stone Garden is located right on the forecourt: it is considered a branch of the museum of the Geological Faculty of Perm State University, therefore, rock samples of the Western Urals are collected here.

A walk in Gorky Park will also be great: there are dozens of attractions, a “street” with souvenir and toy shops, a shooting range, a rope park and other activities. One of the local celebrities is the robot Dunyasha, the one who became famous at the SPIEF two years ago. Its creators are Perm developers, and in her free time Dunyasha “works” in a cyber cafe. An android can make coffee and serve ice cream, pose for a photo, chat and answer a couple of simple questions.

Robot Dunyasha robot – Perm development. Photo: ATOR

IN PERM INTERESTING

Perm is the cultural capital of the Urals. The city was an important cultural center in the 19th and early 20th centuries. The author and inspirer of the “Russian Seasons” Sergei Diaghilev spent his childhood here, writer Pavel Bazhov and radio inventor Alexander Popov studied here. It is Perm that is considered the scene of Chekhov’s “Three Sisters”, and the city of Yuryatin from “Doctor Zhivago” is copied from Perm down to the details, and in the “house with figures” the mansion of the merchant Gribushin is guessed.

In the 2000s, Perm declared itself as a center of contemporary art. In 2008, the PERMM Museum of Contemporary Art was opened, which has become one of the most prominent representatives of this trend in Russia. Temporary exhibitions are held here, as well as lectures, workshops and performances. Over the years, PERMM has implemented more than 200 exhibition projects, each of which can be called unusual.

PERMM Museum of Modern Art. Photo: ATOR

For example, this season a ton of steel is singing in the White Hall, embodied in several dozen objects. From the point of view of genres, SONATRIP 2 (this is the name of this exhibit) is an interactive sound sculpture, but at the same time it is a musical work, the score of which is inseparable from the instrument, its physical properties and shape.

Interactive sound sculpture at the PERMM Museum. Photo: ATOR

The “music box” is also surprising – an exhibit of the “Yes and No” exhibition, which tries to question the idea of a black-and-white world. The object is “stylized” as a rustic toilet: it has all the relevant recognizable details, but not everything is so clear. The opera sounds from inside. It is impossible not to smile, admire the presentation and unexpected reading – definitely yes.

A very unusual music box. Photo: ATOR

However, Perm is famous not only for modern art. Everything is fine with the classics in the capital of the Kama region too. The artistic pearl is the Perm Opera and Ballet Theater, whose productions compete with the performances of the Bolshoi Theater in Moscow and the Mariinsky Theater in St. Petersburg. Permyakov’s repertoire includes Russian and world classics, and once a year the International Diaghilev Opera and Ballet Festival is held here.

The theater “By the Bridge” is very popular, with classical and modern plays on the poster. The main director of the theater, Sergei Fedotov, is sure that the classics should be staged exactly as the author intended it, and played in the scenery and costumes of the corresponding historical era. A rare performance does without a full house, so it is better to purchase tickets to the theater “At the bridge” in advance.

The theater “By the bridge”. Photo: ATOR

You can go beyond Perm for interesting things. For example, go to the Khokhlovka Museum complex, located 40 km from the city on the banks of the Kama River. 23 samples of wooden architecture were collected in the open air, including a church, a watchtower, a barn yard of a salt factory. The museum hosts folk festivals, themed festivals and historical reenactments. You can take a walk on your own or with a guided tour.

Khokhlovka is an open-air museum. Photo: ATOR

Folk festivals are held in Khokhlovka holidays, themed festivals and historical reenactments. Photo: ATOR

Khokhlovka is located in a picturesque place on the banks of the Kama River. Photo: ATOR

IT’s DELICIOUS IN PERM

The national Komi-Permian cuisine is a separate and very tasty reason to come to Perm. The local cuisine is based on game, wild plants, fish, mushrooms and berries.

The local cuisine is based on game, wild plants, fish, mushrooms and berries. Photo: ATOR

One of the local gastronomy specialties is the famous posikunchiki. These are small pies with filling. When you bite into them, the juicy filling literally splashes into your mouth (and in the old days they used to say “it sizzles”). There are recipes for posikunchiki with fillings of radish, pumpkin, cabbage, mushrooms. And there are – with pistachios – with young shoots of horsetail. Fried pies are served hot and together with “makalo” sauces based on mustard and vinegar, or kefir and sour cream.

One of the local gastronomy – famous posikunchiki. Photo: ATOR

You should also try traditional dumplings with fish, mushrooms or turnips, shangi, or shanezhki, resembling cheesecakes, salted ginger and porcini mushrooms, smoked game.

In Perm, you should try dumplings with fish and venison. Photo: ATOR

In Perm, you can try smoked game. Photo: ATOR

There are many gastronomies with local cuisine in the city. One of the most colorful is the cafe of Komi–Permian cuisine “Choskyt Kerku”, where a wide variety of dishes, tinctures and posikunchiki are presented. It will be delicious in the Tretyakov House, which is based on the author’s cuisine dishes from Perm products, and in the cafe Perm Sweets, where some of the most delicious desserts in the city.