Central Russia is located in the European part of Russia. The most
populated part of the country and its historical center over the past
six centuries. It is formed from the regions surrounding the capital of
the country, Moscow and the Moscow Region. The world-famous tourist
route through the historical cities of the country "Golden Ring" has
been laid through the cities of Central Russia.
Central Russia
lies in the basin of the Volga River in the upper reaches and its
tributaries, the main of which is the Oka River.
The Moscow region is a region that, due to its location, is oriented in directions from Moscow, and is economically and transportally connected with the capital. The Moscow region has two of the busiest and most famous airports in Russia - Sheremetyevo and Domodedovo. Many large cities are very close to Moscow or even border on it, like Mytishchi, Balashikha or Podolsk. In the view of the inhabitants, the Moscow region contains many settlements and cities in which tourist attraction is not obvious at first glance. In contrast to this version, one should note the most interesting historical cities with unique temple architecture, kremlins or monasteries: Kolomna, Zaraisk, Dmitrov, Sergiev Posad, Zvenigorod, Mozhaisk. Of interest are estates near Moscow, historical sites, museum-reserves, for example, the Borodino field. Of the natural objects, the Prioksky Terrace Reserve can be noted. Well, less well-known and locally located objects are searched on the map, there would be a desire and thirst for travel.
The Vladimir region is an ancient Russian land that has preserved architectural masterpieces that are part of the Golden Ring. The region is interesting for numerous monuments of ancient Russian architecture, picturesque small towns, as well as production and a rich museum of crystal. There are no famous natural sights in the vicinity of Vladimir, but the low population density for Central Russia, the absence of industrial giants and convenient transport links make the Vladimir Region a great place for small hiking and water trips.
Ivanovo Region is a small region located along the right bank of the Upper Volga in its lower reaches. The region is a well-known center of textile production, with its center in the "city of brides" Ivanovo. The cultural and historical traditions of the region are interesting. In addition to the regional center, two more settlements - Ples and Palekh are included in the Golden Ring of Russia. The city-museum and climatic resort Plyos is closely associated with the name of the artist I. Levitan, and Palekh is world famous for lacquer miniatures and the school of icon painting. However, the list of interesting objects does not end there. Most often, tourists come to the Ivanovo region during cruises along the Volga, on the other hand, independent ecological tourism is developing, the region is known for good fishing and hunting.
Not being a hyped tourist region, the Kaluga region, however, is able to satisfy the most versatile travelers. Close proximity to Moscow economically and industrially developed area makes the region easily accessible. In the regional center, it is interesting to study the space theme in the Museum of Cosmonautics with a planetarium or the house-museum of Konstantin Tsiolkovsky, and the intelligent provincial town-reserve on the Oka River will enchant travelers with the silence and poems of Marina Tsvetaeva. There are other ancient Russian cities in the region, whether it be the legendary Kozelsk, honey-colored Medyn or Borovsk painted with urban graffiti. For nature lovers, the Ugra National Park and the Kaluga Zaseki Reserve are of interest, and pilgrims will experience the goodness of visiting the historic monasteries of Optina and Tikhonov Pustyn.
The Kostroma region is a region of the central part of Russia that is difficult to access, along with the Ivanovo region, which most people associate with cheese making and a developed jewelry industry. A significant water artery, the Volga River, flows in a short section of the territory along the southwestern edge of the region, and here is the historical city of the Golden Ring - Kostroma, famous for the Ipatiev Monastery and classicism in the building of the city. The rest of the region is that still wilderness with small towns scattered among the forests, each of which, however, has its own peculiarity: the baroque of Nerekhta, the historical heritage of Galich, or, for example, the balneological resort of Soligalich, may be of interest to the traveler.
The Ryazan region inherits the objects of the Great Ryazan principality, the fate of which was significantly influenced by the location between Moscow and the eastern khanates. In the center of the industrial, populated Ryazan, in the historical center, there is a beautiful Kremlin, and many cities of the region began as defensive points on the Zasechnaya line. In the north-east of the region on the Oka there is an interesting city of Kasimov, the capital of the historical Tatar Kasimov Khanate, with a mosque and khan's tombs. In the immediate vicinity of the border with the Moscow region, there is the picturesque village of Konstantinovo, a museum-reserve that attracts admirers of S. Yesenin's work. Of the natural objects, the Meshchersky National Park and the Oksky Biosphere Reserve should be noted.
The Tver region is rich in water resources, and the main tourist life is actively connected with them. Military-memorial, ecological and pilgrimage tourism is developing. Known throughout the country, Seliger and Ostashkov, and the less known source of the Volga River, attract travelers to the north-west of the region. Many small historical towns - Staritsa, Torzhok, Zubtsov, Kalyazin, and Tver itself stands on the Upper Volga or its tributaries. And the northeastern, Bezhetsky corner, is a real wilderness, a paradise for hunters and fishermen. Pilgrims aspire to the Nilova Hermitage, and the magnificent ensemble of the Holy Dormition Monastery attracts connoisseurs of architecture. In the west of the region, you can find evidence of military feats of the Second World War, and the first military field of the region - Bortenevskoe, has been known since 1317.
The Tula region has a developed industrial potential and solid agricultural resources since ancient times. Tula samovar or Tula gingerbread have long become household names, Tula gunsmiths are also known. Tourists visiting the Tula land are primarily attracted by the well-known objects of Russian history - the Kulikovo Field, the rocky banks of the Beautiful Sword River and the neighboring sparsely populated village of Epifan are interesting in the district. Also known are the estates of Russian artists Polenovo and Yasnaya Polyana, as well as the historical cities of the region Aleksin, Venev, Belev, the former county Krapivna and Odoev. The latter lie among the former forests of the Great Zasechnaya Line, which for centuries was the southern border of the Russian state.
The Yaroslavl region is a popular region for domestic Russian tourism, which, due to its location on the banks of the Upper Volga, is rich in ancient Russian cities, many of which are part of the Golden Ring of Russia. The basis of the attractions is temple architecture and complexes, illustrating the historical development of the central part of Russia. The routes of the region, which is located in close proximity to Moscow, are actively replenished with museums and other attractions, and the region's water resources contribute to the development of active recreation. On the banks of the great Russian river, on which cruises on motor ships are regularly carried out, are the famous Uglich and Yaroslavl, as well as no less interesting Myshkin, Tutaev and Rybinsk. On the shores of Lake Pleshcheyevo and Lake Nero lie Pereslavl-Zalessky, and one of the oldest cities in Russia - Rostov the Great. To the north, on the banks of the Rybinsk reservoir, is Poshekhonye, which gave the name to the Russian brand of cheese.
In the 7th-12th centuries, the lands of modern Central Russia were
inhabited by Slavic and Finno-Ugric tribes: Krivichi, Vyatichi,
Radimichi, Meshchera, Golyad. At the end of the 10th century, with the
growing influence of Kievan Rus, the territories of the tribes were
conquered, and the conquered lands were given to the sons of the Kievan
princes. At this time, the Vladimir and Ryazan principalities, Moscow,
Smolensk and others were formed.
In the 13th-14th centuries, the
Grand Duchy of Moscow was strengthened and the surrounding
principalities were subjugated, until in the 16th century the Russian
lands were united into the Russian kingdom under the rule of Moscow. In
the future, territorial expansion continued, and Central Russia became
the heart of the future Russian state.
At present, the regions of
Central Russia, together with the regions of the Chernozem region, form
the Central Federal District.
Official language is Russian. In large cities, some segments of the population will be able to understand the traveler in English.
By plane
From most major air hubs in the world you can get to one
of the airports in Moscow. The total share of Sheremetyevo, Vnukovo and
Domodedovo in the total volume of air transportation in Russia is over
50%.
By train
Moscow is the largest railway junction of the
country, most of the major cities of Russia and the countries of the
former USSR are connected with it by direct trains. The most significant
directions:
Northwest: from St. Petersburg, the Oktyabrskaya road
is one of the most active in the country.
Northeast: from the Vologda
and Arkhangelsk regions, as well as along the northern route of the
Trans-Siberian Railway from Komi, the Kirov region and the Perm
Territory.
Eastern: from the Nizhny Novgorod region, Tatarstan,
regions of the Urals, Siberia and the Far East.
South: from the
Lipetsk, Voronezh regions and regions of the South of Russia
Southwestern: from the Orel, Kursk and Belgorod regions, as well as from
Ukraine
Western: from Belarus and the Baltic countries.
By car
Moscow is the starting point of 11 federal highways:
M1 "Belarus"
(Moscow - border with Belarus)
M2 "Crimea" (Moscow - Tula - Orel -
Kursk - Belgorod - border with Ukraine (to Kharkov))
M3 "Ukraine"
(Moscow - Kaluga - Bryansk - border with Ukraine (to Kyiv))
M4 "Don"
(Moscow - Voronezh - Rostov-on-Don - Krasnodar - Novorossiysk)
M5
"Ural" (Moscow - Ryazan - Penza - Samara - Ufa - Chelyabinsk)
M7
"Volga" (Moscow - Vladimir - Nizhny Novgorod - Kazan - Ufa)
M8
"Kholmogory" (Moscow - Yaroslavl - Vologda - Arkhangelsk)
M9 "Baltic"
(Moscow - Volokolamsk - border with Latvia)
M10 "Russia" (Moscow -
Tver - Veliky Novgorod - St. Petersburg)
M11 "Neva" (Moscow - Tver -
Veliky Novgorod - St. Petersburg)
On the ship
Regular
interregional water communication in Russia is not developed. Cruise
ships can be reached from the cities of the Volga region and the Rostov
region, as well as from St. Petersburg.
The entire
territory of Central Russia has high transport accessibility. First of
all, this is due to the location of Moscow as the largest transport hub
in the center of the region.
By plane
Ivanovo and Kostroma
have lightly loaded regional airports with a couple of weekly flights
from Moscow.
By train
From Moscow, railway tracks diverge
radially in all directions, the regional centers of the region are
connected with Moscow by express trains. On the one hand, this increases
the accessibility of Moscow itself from other cities, on the other hand,
chord interregional directions are very poorly developed, and most often
it is faster to get to the adjacent region through Moscow than directly.
The most significant chord directions are Ivanovo-Yaroslavl (two trains
and two PDS per day) and Kaluga-Tula (two parrot trains per day).
It should be borne in mind that "parrots" (express trains) are
formally considered PDS, tickets for them are sold with indication of
places and sold out in advance. Frequent travelers on the Moscow Railway
can purchase a subscription for several trips, which gives a small
savings.
By car
Similar to railway lines, the region's road
network lacks chord directions. In addition to the above main routes,
significant interregional roads A133 Yaroslavl - Kostroma - Ivanovo -
Vladimir and P73 Vyazma - Kaluga - Tula - Ryazan can be distinguished.
Museums of military equipment in the Moscow suburbs:
Kubinka (armored vehicles) and Monino (aviation)
Year-round ski
slopes in Krasnogorsk
Fishing on Seliger
The Golden Ring
is a circular route through historical cities.
Green Ring - nature
reserves and national parks around Moscow.
Channel them. Moscow -
connects the Moscow and Volga rivers, a large-scale hydraulic structure
of the 30s with many locks and beautiful landscapes of the Moscow
Upland.