Chelyabinsk: Trans-Ural Chicago or the Capital of the Southern Ural

Chelyabinsk fortress on the banks of the Miass River was founded in 1736. By the end of the XVIII century the village, that grew up at this place, received the status of the city and its own coat of arms depicting a loaded camel — a symbol of trade. By the beginning of the XIX century Chelyabinsk became one of the centers of the fair trade of the Urals. In 1892 the Samara-Zlatoust railway passed through the city. It linked the European part of the empire with Chelyabinsk. And this Uralian town became one of the largest centers of trade in Russia. At that time there were about 1,500 business and industrial enterprises there with an annual income of up to 30 million rubles. For such a rapid growth Chelyabinsk was nicknamed the Trans-Ural Chicago. During the Soviet years several large plants and factories appeared in Chelyabinsk, and during the Great Patriotic War they provided the frontline with self-propelled artillery systems, Katyusha and T-34 tanks. For this reason the people gave it the name «tankograd». Today Chelyabinsk still has a status of a major industrial center of Russia.

However, it is also easy to find an old architecture in the city, such as the Alexander Nevsky Church of the early 20th century or the oldest house in Chelyabinsk — House of Batrakov, where a beer factory was located more than a hundred years ago. One can also look at the merchants’ mansions of the late XIX century on the oldest street of the city — Kirovka. Here, probably for a contrast, a 23-storied skyscraper Chelyabinsk City is located. From the top floor of the skyscraper one can see an unusual building of the historical museum of the South Urals on the banks of the Miass River, which houses a fragment of the famous Chelyabinsk meteorite.

Once in Chelyabinsk, one should definitely get acquainted with the local Ural cuisine, which found a place for the traditions of three nations at once: Slavonic, Finn and Ugrian and Turkic. The legendary Ural pelmeni are considered to be a visiting card of Chelyabinsk. Here people can and like cooking them not only with meat, but also with sauerkraut, mushrooms, fish, radish and even berries. Another local dish is a rich soup gruzdyanka cooked from several kinds of mushrooms, including milk mushrooms. This fragrant stew with the smell of autumn forest is served with thick sour cream and green onions. Among the first dishes the Urals okroshka is especially prominent. In addition to the usual ingredients sauerkraut is added to it. One cannot but also taste local baked goods, starting from the borrowed from the Perm region residents’ posikunchiki — tiny pies with a sprinkling filling, ending with the Urals shanga (a flat cake with potato and curd) and pies made of bird cherry flour. One can wash down all this with thick Urals jelly made of red bilberries and cranberries.

A special attraction are Chelyabinsk traditional holidays. One of the most beloved one is the December festival «Urals pelmeni on the Saint Nicholas’ Day». This is a big fair with folk festivals, amusing competitions, such as pelmeni hockey, sled races and indispensable tasting of traditional Ural pelmenis. During the festival, anyone can leave their special recipe for dumplings in a huge cookbook. Since 2011 Chelyabinsk has been hosting the annual South Ural Music Festival under the patronage of renowned pianist Denis Matsuev. The starts of the Mariinsky Theatre and Moscow Philharmonic as well as laureates of international music competitions perform in the Sergei Prokofiev Concert Hall. The traditional blacksmith festival «Kuzyuki. City of craftsmen» is organized in Zlatoust not far from Chelyabinsk in September. This is the place where one can try his hand at forging blades, making knives, creating engravings on steel, and then having a unique souvenir.

It is interesting to visit severe Chelyabinsk in December before the New Year, when a traditional ice town is built on the main square of the city and a cheerful festival of Ural pelmeni is held. But one can visit Museum of Local Lore, where the famous meteorite, that fell in the precincts of Chelyabinsk in 2013, is exhibited, at any time of the year!

Get directions

The most convenient way to get to Chelyabinsk is by plane. The city has an international airport, which is the largest transit point in the South Urals, linking Europe and Asia. The most popular among domestic flights are the routes to Moscow, St. Petersburg, Novosibirsk, Kazan, Sochi, Irkutsk, Gelendzhik and Nizhny Novgorod. One can come to Chelyabinsk by train. The railway station takes trains from Moscow, St. Petersburg, Adler, Ufa, Novosibirsk, Penza and other cities.