Hotels, motels and where to sleep
Oryol is a city (since 1566) in Russia, the administrative center of the Oryol Region and the Oryol Region, which is not included in itself. As a city of regional importance, forms the municipality of the urban district of the city of Oryol. Located 368 km south-west of Moscow, on the Central Russian Upland in the European part of Russia, on both banks of the Oka River and its tributary Orlik. Oryol and Oryol region are part of the Central Federal District, as well as the Central Economic Region. It is a city of military glory (honorary title awarded April 27, 2007). The population of the city - 315 308 people. (2018).
Administratively, the city is divided into four
districts: Zavodskoy, Sovetsky, Zheleznodorozhny and Severny. Apart from
the remote and uninteresting Northern region for tourists, the rest are
logically separated by the Oka and Orlik rivers and coincide with the
historical division of the city since the time of Catherine II:
The railway district is located on the right bank of the Oka: it is the
Zaokskaya or Moscow part of the city
The Soviet district is located
on the left bank of the Oka north of Orlik: this is the Zaorlitskaya
part or the Upper Town
Zavodskoy district - on the left bank of the
Oka south of Orlik; Old town or Kromskaya part
A central highway runs
through the whole city, consisting of Moskovskaya (on the right bank of
the Oka) and Komsomolskaya (on the left bank) streets. The first goes to
the highway to Moscow, and the second - to the highway to Kromy and
further to Kursk.
Tourist information center, st.
Saltykov-Shchedrin, 33. ☎ +7 (4862) 50-98-58. 9:00–18:00. It is located
behind the building of the regional administration next to Lenin Square.
Free consultation on tourist sites of the city and region, there are
paper maps and guides. You can buy souvenirs.
Here, at the confluence of the Orlik River into the Oka, in 1566 a
wooden fortress was laid, from which the modern Orel originates.
Although nothing has survived from the prison, the place remains the
hallmark of the city with picturesque views and a landscaped area. The
history is reminiscent of a small park "Oryol fortress" with a memorial
stone "Detinets". Strelka is the very center of the city, from which
three of its central districts diverge along the banks of the rivers.
1 Memorial of the 400th anniversary of the city. The complex was
opened in 1966 in honor of the 400th anniversary of Orel. A 27-meter
obelisk made of granite dominates here, on which a chronicle with
significant dates in the history of the city is carved, and the coats of
arms of all seven cities of the region are depicted on the back side. A
monument was erected nearby in honor of the liberation of Orel from Nazi
troops on August 5, 1943 - now it is the day of the city. The curved
metal strip on the obelisk symbolizes the first victorious salute that
thundered in Moscow on that day.
2 Monument to Ivan the Terrible. The
first Russian monument to Tsar Ivan IV was created by the famous
sculptor Oleg Molchanov and opened in October 2016. Although the
monument caused controversy on an all-Russian scale, it was nevertheless
presented to the Orlovites in the year of the 450th anniversary of the
city. Initially, they wanted to install it near the building of the Free
Space Theater, but under pressure from the protesters, they moved it
here, closer to the site where the Oryol Fortress was founded. Now the
disputes have stopped, and the monument looks great against the backdrop
of the Epiphany Cathedral. The king-founder of the city solemnly sits on
a horse, holding in his hands the symbols of military and spiritual
power: a sword and a cross.
3 Bogoyavlensky Cathedral ,
Bogoyavlenskaya Sq. 1. ☎ +7 (4862) 54-31-59. 7:00–20:00. The oldest
stone building in the city traces its history back to a wooden church
built next to the Oryol fortress in 1641-1646. The stone temple was
erected in the first decade of the 18th century in the Naryshkin baroque
style, and in 1837 it was expanded and rebuilt in the style of late
classicism; from the baroque, mainly the upper part and the bell tower,
which was in the XVIII-XIX centuries. the tallest structure of the
Eagle. By the middle of the 19th century, it tilted, becoming the local
Leaning Tower of Pisa, and was dismantled in 1900, and a new one was
erected in 1908 already above the gates of the temple in the neo-Russian
style. However, this bell tower was also destroyed under the Soviet
regime, but the temple itself survived, having managed to visit an
anti-religious museum and a puppet theater. In 1994, the cathedral was
returned to believers; over the next 20 years, it was completely
restored and painted, and the bell tower was rebuilt according to the
model of the 18th century. In front of the entrance to the temple there
is a chapel above the well, 140 meters deep.
4 Monument to Seraphim
of Sarov. Opened in 2016 on the square in front of the Cathedral of the
Epiphany in honor of a visit to Orel by a famous Russian church ascetic,
who raised funds here for the construction of his own monastery. The
monument was created at the expense of the former regional governor
Vadim Potomsky as a gift to the city in honor of its 450th anniversary.
The historical center of the city behind the former Oryol fortress
was built up according to the regular plan of the end of the 18th
century. Now here, in the area of modern Gostinaya Street, the most
interesting part of the surviving pre-revolutionary architecture of Orel
is compactly located.
5 Trade Rows (Gostiny Dvor), st. Living
room, 2. A long building of old shopping malls with a bypass gallery
stretched out from the Epiphany Cathedral along the even side of the
Gostinaya Street. The modern building was built in the middle of the
19th century according to the project of the architect D.V. Orekhov on
the site of previously existing wooden shops and a one-story stone
gostiny yard of the 1780s, destroyed by fire in April 1847. The new
two-storey city trade center housed the Gostiny Dvor and the best shops
of the Oryol merchants. During the post-war restoration of Orel, the
third floor was added to the building, as was the case with the long
residential building located opposite the Central Market - an imitation
of shopping arcades was also built there for symmetry. Now there are
shops on the first floors of the building, and various cultural
institutions, including the Regional Museum of Local Lore, on the upper
floors.
6 Commercial bank building, st. Living room, 6A. One of the
most prominent buildings in the city was built on the banks of the Orlik
in 1897-1899. for the Oryol Commercial Bank, which was located here
until 1908. The bright red building with hipped roofs and kokoshniks,
stylized as Russian architecture of the 16th-17th centuries, was
designed by the famous architect S.K. Rodionov and consists of two
buildings connected by a covered gallery. Now the regional department of
the Central Bank of the Russian Federation is located here. The best
view of the building opens from the Alexander Bridge, where there is
even a separate observation deck for this.
7 Building of the City
Duma (Magistrate), pl. Karla Marksa, 2. The majestic building in the
style of classicism was built for the city council and the magistrate in
1799 and became the center of city government. It was an eight-column
rotunda with a spire, which was adjoined by two two-story wings,
elongated in the middle of the 19th century. After partial destruction
during the war, the building was restored in the same style and adapted
for the theater of the young spectator, which is now called "Free
Space".
8 The building of the male gymnasium, per. Voskresensky, 3.
The most prestigious educational institution of the pre-revolutionary
Orel, the Oryol classical gymnasium was formed from the Main Public
School, for which this strict two-story building was built in 1795. Many
famous people studied within the walls of the 4-grade gymnasium,
including the writer Leskov, who, however, was expelled after finishing
only two classes. Now the Faculty of History of the Oryol State
University is located here, and in front of the rusticated facade there
are busts of famous graduates of the gymnasium, including P.A. Stolypin
and writer L.N. Andreeva. Inside the building there is an exposition
“From the Classical Gymnasium to the Classical University”.
9 Monument to N.S. Leskov. One of the most interesting monuments of the
city was erected in 1981 on the right bank of the Orlik River for the
150th anniversary of the birth of the famous writer. Leskov is depicted
sitting on a sofa in front of the gymnasium where he studied, and small
sculptures of the heroes of his works are scattered around the writer:
Lefty, the enchanted wanderer, Lady Macbeth of the Mtsensk district, the
stupid artist and others. The monument is popular with newlyweds and
tourists who like to sit on a bronze sofa next to Nikolai Semyonovich.
10 Monument to General A.P. Yermolov. Attempts to erect a monument in
Orel to the legendary general, who came from local nobles, were made as
early as 1864 and 1911, but, despite the funds raised, these plans were
never realized. As a result, Yermolov appeared in the square that bears
his name only in 2012 as part of the celebration of the 200th
anniversary of the victory in the Patriotic War of 1812. The work of the
sculptor Ravil Yusupov in style and pedestal strongly resembles the
famous Bronze Horseman in St. Petersburg and looks no less impressive,
especially against the backdrop of the domes of the Assumption Church.
11 Assumption (Mikhailo-Arkhangelsky) Cathedral, Mikhailo-Arkhangelsky
per. 20. ☎ +7 (4862) 76-15-48. 7:00–19:00. The largest domed building in
the city and a bright representative of late classicism. The temple was
built in 1801-1817. on the site of the dismantled dilapidated stone
church of the Assumption of the Virgin of 1678. Until the second half of
the 19th century, it was the largest church in the city. In September
1823, a divine service was held here with the participation of Alexander
I, and in January 1826, the body of the already deceased emperor spent
the night in the temple on the way from Taganrog to St. Petersburg. The
life of the writer Leonid Andreev, who was baptized here, is also
connected with the church. The temple is repeatedly mentioned not only
in the work of Andreev, but also in the works of other Oryol writers.
The territory on the left, steep bank of the Orlik (modern Sovietsky
district) began to be actively built up in the second half of the 18th
century as the number of nobles, merchants and officials grew in the
city. By the end of the 18th century, the district was the leader in
terms of the number of stone mansions and the level of street
improvement. Here they built the governor's house, a number of
administrative buildings, and later known "noble nests" also began to
appear here. Now it is not only the administrative, but also the
cultural center of the city, where most of the houses-museums of the
Oryol writers are located.
12 Lenin Street (former Bolkhovskaya).
The main pedestrian street Orla connects the Old Town with the building
of the regional administration. The length of the street is 660 meters,
and its significant slope gives a good view of the Smolensk Church,
located quite far below. The lower part of the street starts from the
well-maintained Alexander Bridge over Orlik, from where you can admire
the building of the former commercial bank. The architectural appearance
of the street was formed from the end of the 17th century - the best
shops of the city and houses of noble people were located here, but many
buildings were significantly damaged during the war, and their post-war
restoration was carried out without an emphasis on historical heritage.
Since 1857, the Jordan Hotel has been located in the house 19/2, where
Turgenev and other famous people stayed. On the foundations of the
former St. George's Church (house 22), in 1952, a large cinema "Pobeda"
was built in the neoclassical style, in which, after the current
reconstruction, they plan to place the central registry office. Now the
street is a pleasant pedestrian area where you can walk along the
remains of historical cobblestones, listen to street musicians and visit
numerous cafes and coffee shops.
13 Lenin Square. The central square
of the city, where the building of the regional administration, the
Salyut hotel, the drama theater and several interesting historical
buildings are located. One of them is the building of the former North
Bank, built in the Art Nouveau style in 1908. In the 2000s, it underwent
reconstruction, a third floor was added, but it all looks very stylish.
In 1950-1951. Opposite, the building of the House of Communications was
built in the style of classicism, with colonnades and sculptural groups
- now the Main Post Office is located here. The square is the main place
for all city events, and in winter there is a skating rink.
14 Monument to I.A. Bunin. The bronze sculpture of the Nobel Prize
winner in literature was installed in October 1995 on Proletarian Hill.
The writer is depicted by the sculptor Vyacheslav Klykov at full height
with his arms crossed, and behind him there is a spacious view of the
children's park and the arrow of the Oka and Orlik. Ivan Alekseevich
from 1889 to 1892 worked in the local newspaper Orlovsky Vestnik. The
newspaper was closed during the Soviet era, but since 1991 it has
resumed its activities, and an autographed portrait of Bunin is depicted
on its modern logo.
15 Monument to I.S. Turgenev. Installed on the
so-called "Turgenevskiy Berezhka" next to the central park of the city
for the 150th anniversary of the classic of Russian literature (1968).
Although there are several more sculptures dedicated to Ivan Sergeevich
in Orel, this is the most monumental and famous. The writer sits on a
polished granite pedestal, looking thoughtfully at the banks of the Oka.
16 Monument to General L.N. Gurtiev. The work of one of the most famous
Soviet sculptors, Yevgeny Vuchetich, is dedicated to the hero of the
Great Patriotic War, who died during the liberation of Orel on August 3,
1943. A bronze statue of a general in dress uniform leaning on a saber
was installed in 1954 at the site of the original burial. Across the
road, don't miss the neoclassical building of the regional library
(1958), which was built on the site of the Peter and Paul Cathedral
blown up in 1940 and even retained several architectural elements of
that old temple.
17 Holy Assumption Monastery , Monastyrskaya Sq. 3.
☎ +7 (4862) 42-36-31. 6:30–20:00. The monastery appeared in the middle
of the 17th century at the Church of the Epiphany near the Oryol
fortress, but after a fire in 1680 it was moved to Vvoznaya Gora
downstream of the Oka. By the end of the 19th century, an extensive
complex of five temples and outbuildings, as well as a cemetery where
famous people were buried, grew up here. However, in Soviet times, the
monastery was destroyed to the ground, with the exception of a small
Trinity church-tomb of the family of the Oryol governor A.V. Kochubey,
built in 1843-1845. Since 1992, the gradual revival of the monastery and
the construction of modern churches began according to new projects:
Uspensky (2002), Kazansky (2008) and Annunciation (2013). Currently, the
territory is well landscaped and looks very modern, but construction
work is still ongoing. The sparkling domes of the new temples are
clearly visible from the Herzen bridge across the Oka.
18 Victory
Boulevard. The second pedestrian street of the city begins immediately
behind the building of the regional administration. On the boulevard you
can see several busts dedicated to the heroes of the war: for example,
General A.V. Gorbatov, who commanded the liberation of Orel in August
1943. At the very beginning of the boulevard in May 2010, a ten-meter
granite stele "Eagle - the city of military glory" was installed.
19 Trinity Church , st. Leskova, 17 (at the Trinity cemetery). ☎ +7
(4862) 41-67-03. 8:00–19:00. It was erected in 1828 in the forms of late
classicism at the Trinity Cemetery, where in 1861, the hero of the
Patriotic War of 1812, General A.P., was buried next to his father.
Ermolov. This was the reason for the expansion of the temple: in 1867, a
special chapel was created at the donation of the emperor, where the
graves of the famous general and his relatives were moved. After the
revolution, the church became renovationist and did not suffer much from
the actions of the new government. In 1954, a memorial plaque with a
bas-relief of A.P. was installed on the eastern side of the temple.
Yermolov.
20 Noble Nest. A landscape park at the very end of
Oktyabrskaya Street, on the steep bank of Orlik, not far from the house
where Leskov spent his childhood. Here in the first half of the 19th
century there was a city estate, in which the prototype of Lisa Kalitina
from Turgenev's novel "The Noble Nest" lived. The two-story wooden
"Kalitins' house" is now being actively restored, but the square itself
is very well landscaped. On its very edge, near the cliff, there is the
so-called “Turgenev Arbor” - a rotunda, from which good views of the
city open up. Opposite the pavilion stands a marble bust of Ivan
Sergeevich. "Noblewoman" is an important literary place in Orel, which
was opened to the general public back in 1903.
The right bank of the Oka has historically been a center of trade,
there was a large Oryol pier, but there are practically no interesting
pre-revolutionary buildings here. On the other hand, the most
outstanding buildings of the Orel of the post-war period were erected
along the central Moskovskaya Street.
21 Monument to tankmen.
The main military memorial of Orel is dedicated to the tank heroes who
liberated the city. The first tank was installed right in hot pursuit,
on August 7, 1943 - it was a T-70 knocked out by the Germans, later
replaced by the T-34. Behind the tank is the Tank Square with a mass
grave, an eternal flame, a guard of honor and a monument to Marshal Ivan
Baghramyan (2016), who led the liberation of the city, and in 1963 lit
an eternal flame on the square. The five-story house across the road is
interesting because it was over it that the Red Banner was solemnly
raised in 1943, and it is also a good example of pre-war Soviet
architecture with a tangible influence of Art Deco (1936).
22 House
of Books, st. Moskovskaya, 17. The three-story post-war building at the
intersection of Moskovskaya and Stepan Razin streets is made in the
forms of neoclassicism (1953-1956) and is richly decorated with high
reliefs of Russian writers, poets and composers. On the ground floor,
there is still a bookstore where you can buy, including souvenirs. This
is one of the most beautiful buildings in the city.
23 Monument to
N.N. Polikarpov. The famous aircraft designer, one of the founders of
the Soviet aircraft industry, was born in 1892 in the Livensky district
and graduated from the gymnasium in Orel. The 1958 monument shows
Polikarpov sitting on a stool with a model aircraft in his hand. Nearby
is the Technological Institute of the Oryol University, built according
to the project of the house of culture of the early 1930s and therefore
combining the traditions of constructivism with post-war Soviet
architecture. A memorial exposition was opened at the institute, telling
about the life and work of Polikarpov.
24 Iverskaya Church, st.
Privokzalnaya, 9. ☎ +7 (4862) 55-34-50. 7:00–19:00. The latest
pre-revolutionary church in the city was built in 1899-1902. according
to the project of N.I. Orlov at the expense of the Oryol railway workers
and for them - it is not without reason that the temple is located near
the station. This is the best building of Orel in the pseudo-Russian
style: it suffered from both the Bolsheviks and the Germans, but has now
been restored to its original form. Tiered domes and a hipped bell tower
give the church a special elegance.
25 Station square. The complex in
the spirit of post-war Stalinist architecture serves as the gates and
"facade" of the city, and therefore would look incomplete without an
eagle sculpture. Previously, the eagle was simply made of branches, but
by the 450th anniversary of the city, it was replaced with a bronze
“anniversary eagle” on a pedestal in the shape of a globe. Behind the
monument is the Palace of Culture of the Railway Workers (1955) with a
memorial complex opened in 2018 dedicated to the contribution of the
railway workers to the victory in the Great Patriotic War. Here you can
see an ER 795-11 steam locomotive, a heating wagon, a BTT-1 tank
tractor, a Katyusha rocket launcher, as well as modern sculptures and
granite steles.
26 Akhtyrsky Cathedral, st. August 5, 18. ☎ +7 (4862)
55-11-23. 8:00–19:30. It was erected on the old Pyatnitsky churchyard on
the site of the dismantled Nikitsky church of the 16th-17th centuries.
The new temple was built in 1773-1775. Oryol merchant K. Pastukhov in
honor of the Akhtyrka icon, which saved him from illness during a trip
to the fair in Akhtyrka, near Kharkov. Later, the church was expanded
with new aisles, a high four-tiered bell tower and a refectory. It was
closed before the war, but after the liberation from the German
occupation, it was returned to believers and since 1962 it has been
turned into a cathedral. The church is beautifully illuminated at night,
and its tall bell tower is visible from different parts of the city.
27 Vvedensky convent, st. 1st Kurskaya, 92. ☎ +7 (4862) 55-49-99.
7:30–20:00. It was founded in 1686 in the center of the city on the site
of the ancient Afanasyevsky churchyard, but after a fire in 1843 it was
moved to the southeastern outskirts to the Church of the Nativity
(1800-1822). By the beginning of the 20th century, it was one of the
largest and most comfortable monasteries in the area. The monastery is
mentioned more than once in the works of the Oryol writers: it is
believed, for example, that it was here that Liza Kalitina left
Turgenev's "Noble Nest". In Soviet times, the main Cathedral of the
Nativity of Christ was blown up, and other buildings were significantly
damaged. The gate Tikhvin Church (1865), as well as the Church of the
Resurrection, the chapel of Elisaveta Feodorovna and part of the fence
with two towers have survived to this day. All this was handed over to
believers in 1996, and the monastery began to slowly recover. Now
construction work continues in the monastery, and the temples are open
only during worship.
The largest and most populated part of the city, stretched along the
main Komsomolskaya (former Kromskaya) street. There are not many
outstanding buildings here, since before the revolution, mainly
representatives of the lower and middle strata of society lived here.
But some of the surviving buildings of the second half of the
XIX-beginning of the XX centuries. may be of interest on the way from
the center to the bus station. On the very outskirts of the district, a
modern GRINN complex was built with a developed infrastructure and many
original sculptural compositions.
28 Serebrennikov House, st.
Komsomolskaya, 63. Built in 1907, the profitable house of the merchant
Serebrennikov reproduces the Moscow mansion of Ryabushinsky designed by
the architect Shekhtel. The modern decor was copied quite accurately,
but local craftsmen worked on the shape of the building and its cladding
- not quite successfully, although it is still the best Art Nouveau
Orel's mansion: simply for lack of competitors. Now it houses the
regional department of culture.
29 Smolensky Temple, st.
Normandie-Niemen, 27. ☎ +7 (958) 569-22-51. 7:30–19:00. The majestic
temple in the Russian-Byzantine style is clearly visible when descending
the pedestrian Lenin Street. It was built in the Russian-Byzantine style
(1857-1889) and is the largest in the city in terms of volume, but not
in height, since the 52-meter bell tower was dismantled in Soviet times.
The temple itself was also closed and only in 1995 was returned to
believers.
30 Nikolo-Peskovskaya Church (Ilyinskaya), st.
Normandie-Niemen, 73. ☎ +7 (4862) 59-17-15. The temple in the style of
early classicism was built like a ship. The first chapel was erected in
1776 in honor of Nicholas the Wonderworker (whence the name
Nikola-on-the-Sands), and the main church with the Ilyinsky altar was
completed in 1790. During the fire of 1858, the refectory and the bell
tower were damaged, later rebuilt. In Soviet times, the church housed a
garment factory, in 1995 the church was returned to believers.
31 Monument to Komsomol members who died in the Great Patriotic War.
Monument of 1972 designed by sculptor A.N. Burganova depicts a warrior
who raises the Red Banner high with one hand, and with the other
supports a wounded comrade. It is located opposite the main building of
the Oryol University, whose students sometimes call the sculpture a
monument to drunken Komsomol members. Although the composition is made
in a fairly typical Soviet style, on the way from the center to the bus
station, this is one of the most remarkable places, and nearby you can
go to the military history museum.
32 Topiary eagle. The first work
in Orel by landscape designer V.A. Antropov, creator of the Abakan park
of topiary art. Initially, the eagle was made from birch branches and
installed in May 2008 in front of the railway station. The wicker bird
aroused great interest not only among the guests of the city, who
massively took pictures with it, but also among the townspeople, who
criticized it for the violation of proportions and unnatural gray-brown
color. Subsequently, the proud bird was remade from kochia branches and
summer cypress, and it became less creepy. As an original symbol of the
city, the eagle immediately got on magnets and souvenirs. In 2016, the
station eagle was replaced with a bronze sculpture, more formulaic and
less expressive, and the wicker bird “flew” to the overpass in the 909th
quarter, becoming less accessible to pedestrians, although it is clearly
visible from vehicles on the way to TMK GRINN. Now the sculpture has
lost its popularity and is not in the best shape: the branches have
thinned out and knocked out of the frame. Nevertheless, this is the
longest-lived topiary object in the city, and after the success of the
eagle, a lot of them were installed, but many did not last longer than
2-3 years.
33 Genre sculptures by TMK GRINN. The GRINN complex, which
appeared in 2007 on the southwestern outskirts of the city, is
surrounded by extraordinary sculptures. A five-meter founding eagle is
installed near the landscape cafe: a formidable bird holds in its claws
a commemorative plaque with the diploma of Ivan the Terrible, guarded by
archers with weapons of the 16th century. Nearby is a sculptural group
dedicated to Russian travelers, a little further - a literary square,
where there are almost no trees, but each of the Oryol writers is busy
with their own business: Bunin and Andreev are sitting on benches,
Leskov is standing by the balustrade, Fet is reading, leaning on a
chair, and Turgenev with a gun and a dog going hunting. At the thematic
composition "Station for tourists" you can see a real steam locomotive
9Pm-178, following the route "Eagle-Paris". The original sculptures are
dedicated to Russian business: for example, an entrepreneur dragging a
cart of bureaucratic cargo to Russia of the future, or the composition
“Officer and Entrepreneur”, where a fat and thin one rests their
foreheads on watches. You can also find sculptures dedicated to a
family, a tourist guide, or a gazebo for newlyweds.
Literary museums
1 Museum of I.S. Turgenev, st. Turgenev, 11. ☎ +7
(4862) 76-15-74. 9:00 a.m.–6:00 p.m. except Friday. 70 rub. It was
opened in 1918 on the occasion of the 100th anniversary of the writer's
birth in the house of his distant relative. The basis of the museum
composition was made up of personal belongings, furniture and a library
taken out of the Spasskoe-Lutovinovo estate destroyed by fire. After the
restoration of the estate, most of the things and memorial furniture
were returned, but the museum opened in Orel remained an important
center for Turgen studies. Now here you can see portraits, photographs,
sculptures of the writer and part of his personal library, and museum
staff will talk about the life and work of their famous fellow
countryman. The museum building often hosts temporary exhibitions.
Next to the Turgenev Museum, in subsequent years, three more museums
were opened (Orlov writers, Bunin, Granovsky), which are located in
neighboring houses and form the so-called Literary Quarter - a specially
preserved area of \u200b\u200bone-story houses in the noble part of the
city.
2 Museum of Oryol writers, st. Turgenev, 13. ☎ +7 (4862)
76-15-74. 9:00 a.m.–6:00 p.m. except Friday. 70 rub. Located in a noble
mansion of the 19th century, the house of the Galakhovs, relatives of
I.S. Turgenev - the writer's museum was originally located here, until
it was transferred to a neighboring building, and this was given over to
an exposition dedicated to Fet, Apukhtin, Prishvin and other classics
who had not “grown up” to their own museum.
3 Museum of I.A. Bunina,
Georgievsky per. 1. ☎ +7 (4862) 76-13-72. 9:00 a.m.–6:00 p.m. except
Friday. 70 rub. The museum in honor of the first Russian Nobel Prize
winner in literature was opened in 1991 in a noble mansion, which has
nothing to do with Bunin, but is located in the literary quarter. The
personal belongings of the writer are collected here, and the exposition
tells about the life and creative path of the writer with an emphasis on
his Oryol period.
4 House T.N. Granovsky, st. November 7, 24. ☎ +7
(4862) 76-34-65. 9:00 a.m.–6:00 p.m. except Friday. 70 rub. The house of
the second half of the 18th century, in which the historian and public
figure Timofei Nikolaevich Granovsky was born in 1813. The exposition of
the museum is dedicated both to him personally and to his like-minded
people, as well as to some lesser-known Oryol writers and publicists.
5 House-Museum of N.S. Leskova, st. October, 9. ☎ +7 (4862) 76-33-04.
9:00 a.m.–6:00 p.m. except Friday. 70 rub. The only museum in Russia of
N.S. Leskov was opened in 1974 in a wooden house of the 19th century,
which belonged to the city estate of his father, where the future writer
spent his childhood years. Personal belongings of Nikolai Semyonovich,
lifetime editions of his works, portraits, photographs, documents,
manuscripts are exhibited here. The two-story noble mansion is no longer
located in the literary quarter, but next to another famous literary
place in the city - the Noble Nest.
6 House L.N. Andreeva, st. 2nd
Pushkarnaya, 41. ☎ +7 (4862) 76-48-24. 9:00 a.m.–6:00 p.m. except
Friday. 70 rub. The house of the Andreev family, where the future writer
lived as a child, before his departure to St. Petersburg University. The
main exhibit is the house itself, which has been preserved almost
unchanged. Here you can see some personal belongings of Leonid Andreev,
but the main interior items have been recreated. The museum opened in
1991 for the 120th anniversary of the writer.
7 Local Lore Museum, st. Living room, 2. ☎ +7 (4862) 47-13-91.
Tue–Fri 10:00–18:00, Sat–Sun 10:00–17:00. Adult: 100 rubles, children:
50 rubles, excursion up to 15 people: 1500 rubles. The expositions tell
about the history and nature of the Oryol region from mammoths to the
end of the 20th century, there are ethnographic exhibitions, collections
of antique furniture and household items, and many old photographs. The
museum traces its history back to 1897, and since 1932 it has been
located in the historic building of the old shopping arcade.
8
Military History Museum, st. Normandie-Niemen, 1. ☎ +7 (4862) 59-06-45.
Tue–Fri 10:00–18:00, Sat–Sun 10:00–17:00. Adult: 100 rubles, children:
50 rubles, excursion up to 15 people: 1500 rubles. Opened in August 1983
in the former mansion of the merchant Chikin as a museum-diorama "Oryol
Offensive Operation". Now expanded to 9 rooms and two dioramas dedicated
to the military history of the Oryol region. Here you can see samples of
weapons, military uniforms, documents, photographs and equipment from
different eras, but the main focus is on the liberation of Orel. A
Soviet T-70 tank is installed in front of the entrance, which originally
stood in the Square of Tankers.
9 Museum of Fine Arts, st. October,
29. ☎ +7 (4862) 76-27-41. 10:00–17:00, except Monday. The main
exposition - 75 rubles. The basis of the collection is Russian painting,
icons, sculptures and graphics of the 18th-20th centuries, but there is
also Old Russian and Western European art. Some of the items were
transferred from the local history museum, the other part of the
collection was formed during the nationalization of the property of
noble estates. The museum has been operating since that time - May 1919.
Temporary exhibitions by various artists are often held.
10 Museum of
M.M. Bakhtin, st. Gorky, 23. ☎ +7 (4862) 43-40-32. 11:00–16:00, except
Sunday. Museum of Mikhail Mikhailovich Bakhtin (1895-1975) - Russian
philosopher, culturologist, theorist of European culture and art. It was
opened in 2005 in the former estate of the thinker's father, next to the
Literary Quarter. In addition to personal belongings, photographs and
documents of M.M. Bakhtin, you can often see exhibitions of contemporary
artists here.
11 House-Museum of V. A. Rusanov, st. Rusanova, 43. ☎
+7 (4862) 54-45-31. Wed–Fri 10:00–18:00, Sat–Sun 10:00–17:00, weekends:
Mon and Tue. Adult: 100 rubles, children: 50 rubles, excursion up to 15
people: 1500 rubles. Museum of the geologist, geographer and polar
explorer Vladimir Aleksandrovich Rusanov (1875–1913). Located in a
one-story wooden house with a mezzanine, which belonged to the father of
the famous polar explorer. In addition to expositions telling about
Rusanov's expeditions, here you can learn about the life of the peoples
of the North and the urban life of Orel in the late 19th and early 20th
centuries.
12 Academic Theater named after I.S. Turgenev , pl. Lenina, 2. ☎ +7
(4862) 76-16-39. The main drama theater of the city. Its history began
in 1815, when Count S.M. Kamensky, the son of the founder of the
Saburovskaya fortress, created the first public fortress theater in the
city - at that time it was one of the first public theaters in the
country. After the revolution, the theater was nationalized, and in 1975
it moved to its modern building on Lenin Square. The repertoire includes
both classical and modern performances. There are main and small stages.
13 Dramatic Theater "Russian Style" named after MM. Bakhtin, st.
Turgenev, 18. ☎ +7 (4862) 76-20-24. The Chamber Drama Theater for 50
seats was opened in 1998 and is very popular among the residents of the
city. Located in an old mansion next to the Literary Quarter. There are
morning performances for children and evening performances for adults.
The repertoire is more modern, but there are also classical productions.
14 Youth theater "Free space" , pl. Karl-Marx, 2. ☎ +7 (4862) 43-02-08.
Founded in 1976 as the Theater of Young Spectators (TYuZ). It is located
in the building of the former City Council, there is a large and small
stage. The repertoire is aimed at a young and children's audience,
although there are also classical productions.
15 Puppet Theatre, st.
Sovetskaya, 29. ☎ +7 (4862) 55-48-03. Children's puppet theater founded
in 1942 during the German occupation. Performances based on Russian
fairy tales and modern children's works.
16 Park of Culture and Leisure. The city garden on the picturesque
high left bank of the Oka was opened by the governor N.I. Schroeder on
May 1, 1823 and at first bore the name of its founder. After the
revolution, the city garden, previously divided into paid "aristocratic"
and free "philistine" parts, was united and made public. Now the area of
the park is 14.5 hectares: here, in addition to green spaces, there is a
cascade fountain, attractions, a Ferris wheel, a cinema hall, and dance
floors. City events are traditionally held in the park, and in the
summer there are various entertainment venues and cafes. From time to
time, funny topiary figures appear in the park, like an eagle in the 909
quarter.
17 Children's park. A modern landscaped park on the left
bank of the Orlik is connected by a small pedestrian bridge to the
Strelka. Equipped with playgrounds for all ages and walking areas along
the Orlik embankment. Popular place for walking.
18 Victory Park. A
large forest park with an area of 35 hectares was founded by veterans of
the Great Patriotic War in the middle of the last century, but after the
collapse of the USSR, it fell into disrepair and for a long time was an
overgrown forest. It was recently landscaped and solemnly opened on City
Day in August 2021. Now it is the most modern park with war memorials,
wide pedestrian and bicycle paths, cafes, children's and sports grounds.
It is connected by paths to the famous Noble Nest. On the side of the
stadium there is a large free car park.
19 Botanica Park. A small
park in the southwest of the city. Not as much landscaped as the central
parks, but next to it is Lake Svetlaya Zhizn - the main place for a
beach holiday.
Folk etymology connects the name of the city with the events that
allegedly took place during its founding in 1566. By order of Tsar Ivan
the Terrible, the construction of a fortress city began to protect the
southern borders of the Russian state from the raids of the Crimean
Tatars. When they began to cut down an oak that grew on the bank at the
confluence of the two rivers Oka and Orlik, an eagle flew from the top
of the tree. “Here is the owner,” said one of the men. Ivan Vasilyevich
ordered to name the city after the bird.
According to the
scientific version, the name may come from the hydronym of the river
Orel (Orel) - the left tributary of the Oka, mentioned in the "Book of
the Big Drawing" (1627), and from the 2nd half of the 19th century as
Orlik. There is a version about the Baltic origin of the name - cf.
numerous Baltic hydronyms: Prus. Arle (later Orlen), Arelen, Erling;
lit. Arlìnė, Ar̃liškė, Arlìškės, Arlìškiai; Latvian. Arlan̦i, Arlath,
Erle; probably here are Arelen, Erling, Arley, Orley, M. Eaglet, Orel.
Ultimately, hydronyms go back to lit. erlos ‘hay meadow’, other
Prussian. arelis ‘eagle’, or a word from ancient European languages,
ultimately ascending to the Indo-European root *er- ‘to move’, etc.
The history of the city dates back to 1566. It was then that, on
the orders of Ivan the Terrible, a wooden fortress was cut down at
the confluence of the Oka and Orel rivers to protect the southern
borders of the Moscow state. The city was thus named after the
river, although it itself was later renamed Orlik. However, the
legend is also popular that the city got its name in honor of an
eagle that flew up into the sky from one of the oaks during the
construction of the fortress. As a result, the proud bird ended up
on the coat of arms and on numerous modern sculptures throughout the
city.
The position of the city at the turn of the "wild
steppes" did not play into his hands: he repeatedly suffered from
the raids of the Crimean Tatars, in the Time of Troubles the first
two False Dmitrys passed through it with a sword and a kind word,
and Oryol joined the uprising of Ivan Bolotnikov voluntarily. At
that time they even said: "Eagle and Kromy - the first thieves." As
a result, by the end of the Time of Troubles, the city was left with
ashes, and the local population went to Mtsensk, and only a couple
of decades later the city began to be rebuilt - the need to cover
the southern border of the state had not gone away. True, during the
18th century Russia grew so much with new lands that Orel was far
from the border, so the rapidly dilapidated Kremlin was dismantled
as unnecessary.
From the middle of the 18th century, Oryol,
which found itself at the junction of routes from the fertile
southern regions to Moscow, became a major grain trading center. By
the end of the century, industry began to move to the city for
wealth: linen, hemp spinning, cloth factories and numerous food
enterprises were opened. The growth of Orel and its favorable
transport position led to the fact that since 1778 it became the
center of a large province, which included, in addition to the
current Oryol territory, the modern Bryansk and Lipetsk regions. The
city was also noted in the Napoleonic Wars - it became the rear base
of the Russian army, where, among other things, an evacuation
hospital was organized. In the 1860s and 70s, the main railways
Moscow-Kursk and Riga-Yelets passed through Orel, strengthening its
position as a transport hub, and in 1898 Orel became the second city
in the Russian Empire after Kiev with tram traffic.
During
the Civil War, the Red Army near Orel stopped the grand offensive of
the White Army on Moscow: in October 1919, General Denikin, after
spending a week in Orel, began his retreat to the South from here.
But the city was less fortunate in the Great Patriotic War: it was
taken by the Wehrmacht almost without a fight and spent two years in
occupation, while remaining practically on the front line. So, even
though the liberation of Orel during the Battle of Kursk became a
national holiday (in honor of this event, the first artillery salute
in the history of the Great Patriotic War was given in Moscow, and
Orel and Belgorod, liberated at the same time, received the honorary
titles of “the city of the First salute”), but industry and
infrastructure were almost completely destroyed. For this reason,
Orel even entered the list of the 15 most affected cities, the
restoration of which had to happen first.
The priority of
restoration, alas, did not play into the hands of Orel - in order to
increase the pace, the city was built up with Soviet microdistricts,
and most of the historical buildings were demolished. The urban
industry was also updated, laying the potential for the growth of
the city, so that by the collapse of the USSR, the territory of Orel
had increased significantly. After the collapse of the USSR, the
city managed to retain some of the enterprises, and at the same time
the title of a major industrial and agricultural center of the
Chernozem region. The restoration of churches and the return of
pre-revolutionary names to Soviet streets began. In memory of the
events of the Great Patriotic War in April 2007, Oryol, along with
Kursk and Belgorod, was the first to receive the honorary title of
"city of military glory", as recalled by the stele installed at the
beginning of Pobeda Boulevard.
Modernity
Now Orel is one
of the smallest regional centers of the Black Earth region, ahead of
only Tambov in terms of population. In the old center, despite the
significant losses of wartime, a lot of historical buildings have
been preserved. There are many universities and foreign students in
the city, and in terms of the number of students per thousand
inhabitants, Oryol is among the top ten cities in the country.
Literary history plays a special role in Orel: Ivan Turgenev
(1818), Afanasy Fet (1820), Nikolai Leskov (1831), Leonid Andreev
(1871) and many others were born in the city and its environs. Here
Ivan Bunin began his career by publishing the first collection of
his own poems. There are many literary museums in the city, and in
2021 Oryol received the official title of the Literary Capital of
Russia.
By plane
From the former local airport "Oryol-Yuzhny", flights to
Moscow were previously operated on the Yak-40. Since 2010, planes no
longer fly to Oryol, and the airport itself has fallen into disrepair,
and there are no prospects for its restoration in its original place.
The nearest operating airports are in Kursk and Bryansk, although you
can just as well fly to Moscow and get there by train.
By train
All trains from Moscow and St. Petersburg towards Belgorod and Kursk
pass through the city, as well as part of the trains heading to the
Krasnodar Territory. From Moscow, it is most convenient to travel by
daytime high-speed Lastochka, plying 6 times a day through Tula; travel
time - about 4 hours, from Tula - 1 hour 50 minutes. You can also go to
Bryansk (4 pairs of rail buses, 3 hours on the way), Kursk (7-8 times a
day, 1.5-2 hours on the way) and Zheleznogorsk (3 pairs of diesel
trains, 2.5 hours on the way).
1 Station "Eagle", Privokzalnaya
sq. 1. The modern building in the Stalinist Empire style was erected in
1949-1950. on the site of the old neo-Gothic railway station destroyed
during the war (1868), the basement of which has been partially
preserved. This is one of the most beautiful stations of the Soviet era.
In 1968, a tower clock was installed in front of the main entrance,
playing a melody from the first symphony of the Oryol composer V.S.
Kalinnikov.
2 "Luzhki-Orlovsky" station, st. 6th Oryol division, 16.
A small station on the southern outskirts of the city, where now mostly
suburban trains stop in the direction of Liven and Zheleznogorsk.
By car
Orel passes the federal highway M2 "Crimea", bypassing the
city from the east, the entrance to the city along the Moscow highway.
Travel time from Moscow 4-5 hours. Between Orel and Kursk on the M2
highway there is a branch to Kyiv. Also, roads to Tambov through Lipetsk
and to Smolensk through Bryansk pass through Orel.
By bus
From
Moscow there are bus flights from the Shchelkovsky bus station (passing
buses Moscow - Kharkov and Moscow - Chisinau), from the
Krasnogvardeiskaya bus station and from the square of the Kursky
station. Most direct buses from Moscow come to the Orel railway station.
In addition to Moscow, flights depart from the Orel bus station to
Kharkov (every two days, 11 hours), Gomel (1 time per day, 10 hours),
Belgorod (1 time per day, 5 hours), Bryansk (7-10 buses per day , 2
hours 45 minutes), Voronezh (2 times a day, 7 hours), Kaluga (2 times a
day, 7 hours 30 minutes), Kursk (about 10 flights, 3 hours 20 minutes),
Lipetsk (2 times a day, 7 hours), Ryazan (1 time per day, 10 hours),
Smolensk (3 times a day, 7 hours), Tula (5 times a day, 3 hours 50
minutes).
3 Bus station, Bus station st. 1. ☎ +7 (4862)
72-11-11. 5:00–23:00. There is a large waiting room on the second floor.
On the ship
Although the Oryol is located on the Oka River, its
depth within the city is insufficient for navigation, so only river
pleasure boats can go here.
Public transport in Orel is represented by buses, trolleybuses, trams
and fixed-route taxis. The fare is the same everywhere (2023): 25 rubles
in cash or 22 rubles for contactless bank cards, there are terminals
everywhere. Recently, minibuses have become the most popular and fastest
transport: they run more often, faster and have a more extensive route
network. Municipal buses, trolleybuses, have old rolling stock, run
slowly, and now they are mainly used by pensioners and beneficiaries -
but they have a lot of space.
You can get from the center
directly by minibuses to any part of the city, and you don’t need
transport to see the central sights - there is a convenient network of
pedestrian bridges. During the repair of the central Red Bridge (at
least until the end of 2023), trams passing through it have been
canceled, and trolleybuses, buses and minibuses go around. Detailed and
up-to-date information about all public transport routes in Orel (with
their display on the map) can be found on the official website of public
transport.
From 10 pm to 6 am, catching public transport,
especially to a remote part of the city, is problematic - it is better
to use a taxi. The Yandex-taxi aggregator operates in the city: the fare
in the city is 100-200 rubles, depending on the distance and time of the
trip.
An unusual local souvenir will be the Oryol list - traditional red
thread embroidery, usually on towels and tablecloths with strange, some
kind of primitive images, which, it is believed, were supposed to be
protected from evil spirits. You can see such embroidery in the museum;
now only individual masters work in this style, whose products can
sometimes be found in galleries selling souvenirs. As a souvenir, it is
easier to find a local gingerbread, which is called “Orlovsky Souvenir”,
and this is not a banal fake near Tula, but an old tradition revived by
the Orlovsky bakery, which has more than a dozen branded stores
throughout the city.
1 TSUM, pl. Mira, 1. 10:00–22:00. A
four-story building of the 1960s on the site of the Pokrovsky Cathedral
blown up by the Bolsheviks. There are "Pyaterochka", "Children's World",
clothing, cosmetics, electronics, jewelry stores, as well as fast food
and a modern cinema.
2 Central market, st. Cherkasskaya, 13. ☎
9:00–18:00. The main market of the city, where you can buy food,
clothes, household goods, as well as fix equipment or have a bite to eat
inexpensive fast food.
3 Shop "Orlovskie Souvenirs" , 1st
Posadskaya st. 15. 10:00–19:00. Standard birch bark and nesting dolls,
but there are also many handicrafts from local Orel craftsmen.
4
"MegaGRINN" shopping center, Kromskoe highway, 4 (on the southwestern
outskirts). 10:00–22:00. The largest shopping center in the city. There
is a large selection of clothing stores, restaurants and cafes at the
level of the capital's shopping centers, there are walking galleries,
fountains and luminous escalators. It is part of the huge tourist
multifunctional complex (TMC) GRINN with a modern hotel complex and
business services for business events and concerts. Around the complex
there are original sculptures and a small Literary Square. The complex
is quite far from the center, but there is a lot of public transport
here, and there is a large free parking for motorists.
5 Hypermarket
"Europe", st. Moskovskaya, 67. 8:00–23:00. Hypermarket of the Europa
retail chain in the city center with a large free parking lot and
several clothing and electronics stores.
6 TC "Atoll", st.
Oktyabrskaya, 27. Around the clock. One of the few shopping centers in
the central part of the city with a 24-hour food hypermarket. Also in
the shopping center there are clothing stores, electronics, pharmacies,
cafes and restaurants.
7 RIO shopping mall, 175 Moskovskoe shosse.
10:00–22:00. A large shopping and entertainment center at the entrance
to the city from Moscow. Food hypermarket, McDonald's, Fix Price, chain
stores of furniture, clothing, electronics, cosmetics, bowling, etc. In
style and concept, it does not differ from RIO shopping centers in
Moscow and other large Russian cities. Near the shopping center there is
a large parking lot and a Rosneft gas station.
Oryol land is rich in various food products: Oryol bread, Oryol
cheese, the already mentioned gingerbread, as well as Oryol ham and
other meat products from the Znamensky Selection and Genetic Center,
whose stores with the simple name "Fresh Meat from the Manufacturer" are
found in Orel as often as the Velikoluksky Meat Processing Plant, which
is familiar in the cities of Central Russia.
Cheap
1 Cafe
"Yolka" , st. Leskova, 1. ☎ +7 (930) 063-32-24. around the clock. Hot:
150-280 rubles. Inexpensive 24-hour cafe near the Victory Park and the
Noble Nest; here you can order both a full meal and the whole set of
fast food. From Monday to Saturday from 11:30 to 15:30 business lunches
for 215 rubles.
Heat Pizza. from 79 rub. for a slice of pizza. A
chain of inexpensive pizzerias where you can also order fast food
chicken and potatoes, soups, salads and drinks.
2 st. Herzen, 2D.
9:00–22:00.
3 st. 1st Posadskaya, 13. 9:00–22:00.
4 Oktyabrskaya st. 27. 9:00–22:00.
5 Tavern "Pelmenov" , st.
Saltykov-Shchedrin, 34. 11:00–00:00. average check 500 rubles. A wide
selection of dumplings and dishes of Russian cuisine at affordable
prices, not far from Lenin Square.
Average cost
6 Burger "Karl
Marx", st. Karachevskaya, 12/3. 10:00-22:30. burger 300 rub. Burgers,
salads, soups, cheesecakes; in the very center of the city.
7
Restaurant "Sokol", st. Rusanova, 21A. Mon-Thu: 10:00-23:00, Fri:
10:00-01:00, Sat: 11:00-01:00, Sun: 11:00-23:00. hot from 400 rub.
American restaurant with steaks and burgers. There is a summer terrace
and business lunches from 12:00 to 16:00.
8 GRINN Beer Restaurant, 4
Kromskoye Shosse. Sun-Thu: 12:00–1:00, Fri-Sat: 12:00–2:00. hot from 300
rub. Nice German style restaurant with its own brewery and wooden
furniture. It is located in TMK GRINN, visitors of the business events
of the complex often eat here.
Expensive
9 Restaurant
"Slavutich", st. Living room, 2A. 12:00–00:00. One of the most famous
restaurants in the city is located in the building of the Trade Rows.
Large selection of dishes of Russian and European cuisines. Focused on
banquet and corporate events. In addition to the restaurant itself and
the summer veranda, in the arch of the Torgovykh building nearby, there
is a window with cheap hot pastries, which is very popular with the
townspeople.
10 Chester Pub Restaurant, st. Komsomolskaya, 36.
12:00–1:00. hot from 500 rub. A prestigious brasserie offering beer
snacks, steaks, grills, salads, soups and seafood. The interiors are
decorated like an English pub.
11 GRINN Restaurant, 4 Kromskoye
Shosse. 7:00–0:00, the lobby bar is open around the clock. hot from 500
rub. The most respectable restaurant in the GRINN complex with a large
selection of dishes and luxurious interiors.
12 D.O.M. Park
Restaurant (former cafe "Boyarskoye"), Kromskoe shosse, 4. 12:00–1:00.
hot 500 rub. A landscape restaurant on the territory of TMK GRINN with a
large outdoor area, summer verandas and separate gazebos for guests. In
the cold season, works indoors. In front of the entrance to the
restaurant complex there is a three-meter sculpture of the founding
eagle, which attracts tourists.
1 Night club GREEN STAR , Kromskoe highway, 4. Fri-Sat 22:00–6:00.
A popular nightclub in the TMK GRINN building
2 Night club
"Versailles", st. General Zhadov, 9A. 18:00–6:00. Night club with a
karaoke bar and an Italian restaurant next to the Victory Park
Cheap
1 Hotel-dormitory of the Ministry of Internal Affairs,
Oktyabrskaya st. 53. ☎ +7 (4862) 59-52-12. Budget hotel with old
furniture, where you can rent a whole room or a bed.
2 Hotel
"Rus", st. Maxim Gorky, 37. ☎ +7 (4862) 47-55-50. From 800 rub. for
a small single room. A Soviet-built economy class hotel with not the
newest furniture and appliances, but on Lenin Square.
3 Hostel
City 57, Kromskoe highway, 13 (opposite TMK GRINN). ☎ +7 (930)
063-44-24. From 670 rub. for a place in a 6- or 12-bed room. Hostel
on the southern outskirts of the city, next to a large shopping and
entertainment complex.
Average cost
4 Hotel "Eagle", pl.
Mira, 4. ☎ +7 (4852) 55-05-25. 1800 rub. for a standard double room.
A large Soviet hotel after renovation in the very center of the
city. One of the most beautiful post-war buildings in Orel.
5 Salyut Hotel, st. Lenina, 36. ☎ +7 (910) 300-44-82. Standard
double room: 2500 rub. A large Soviet-built hotel on Lenin Square
with not the newest furniture, but all rooms include a buffet
breakfast.
6 Albert Hotel (former Retrotour), st. Left Bank of
the Orlik River, 15. ☎ +7 (4862) 49-05-02. From 2400 for a
double room with breakfast. A small modern hotel in the center on
the Orlik embankment. All rooms are air-conditioned and have Wi-Fi.
Expensive
7 GRINN Hotel, Kromskoe shosse, 4. ☎ +7 (4862)
44-01-94. From 3750 rub. for a standard three-star double room up to
23,500 rubles. for a presidential suite in a five-star complex. The
largest and most modern hotel in the city, paired with a shopping
and entertainment complex, offers a wide range of services for
business events and entertainment. It consists of two parts: a
three-star business hotel and a five-star luxury hotel.
8 Hotel
"Atlantida", st. Fomina, 4. ☎ +7 (4862) 71-72-33. Standard double
room from 3000 rubles. on weekends, on weekdays: from 3700 rubles.
Modern hotel in the city center with a spa complex. All rooms with
hot tub. Jan 2022 edit
9 Hotel "DejaVu", st. Moscow, 24A. ☎ +7
(4862) 54-16-66. From 3600 rub. for a double room. A small hotel
with a SPA complex and a restaurant in the city center.
10 Hotel
"The Enchanted Wanderer" , st. Maxim Gorky, 23 (opposite the
theater "Russian Style"). ☎ +7 (4862) 73-16-23. From 3400 rubles for
a single standard with air conditioning. A three-star hotel complex
with a restaurant and billiards in the style of a provincial noble
estate, not far from Lenin Square. Nicely renovated rooms, delicious
breakfasts.
The telephone code of the city is (4862). All federal mobile
operators MTS, Beeline, Megafon, Tele 2, Yota work in Orel - 4G mobile
Internet speed. Most hotels and restaurants in the city have free Wi-Fi.
Main post office, st. Lenina, 43. ☎ +7 (800) 100-00-00. 🕑 Mon–Fri
8:00–22:00, Sat–Sun 9:00–18:00. Zip code: 302000. Located in the House
of Communications on Lenin Square.
Orel has a standard criminal environment for a large city. During the day it is safe everywhere, and at night it is better not to walk in the areas north of the railway station and south of TMK GRINN.
The Oryol region, which suffered during the war, is not very rich in
sights. The glory of the literary region is brought to it, mainly, by
Turgenev's estate Spasskoe-Lutovinovo and neighboring Mtsensk. Bolkhov
is also interesting - a small town typical for the Black Earth region
with the surviving old buildings and temples, picturesquely standing on
the high bank of the river. In the southern direction, there will be
nothing remarkable until Kursk itself, although you can turn to
Zheleznogorsk, where the Mikhailovsky mine is located - the center of
the Kursk magnetic anomaly.
75 km northwest of Orel, at the
junction of mixed forests and forest-steppe, there is the Oryol Polesye
National Park. The local bison population is the largest in Russia and
the second in the world after Belovezhskaya Pushcha. In addition, there
is a good zoo.
If you do not plan to leave Orel far, then you can
see the surrounding area.
1 Saburovskaya fortress , p. Saburovo.
The former estate of the Counts Kamensky, stylized as a Turkish
fortress, was built at the end of the 18th century. The perimeter of its
brick walls is about 1.5 km, the height reaches 4 m. This is one of the
few fake fortresses built in those years when real fortresses were still
relevant, and it is all the more surprising how well it has been
preserved. Despite its uniqueness, the fortress is in a dilapidated
state: parts of the walls, four towers and parts of the walls of the
fortress theater have been preserved. From the count's house located in
the center of the complex, only fragments of the foundation remained,
and instead of a luxurious garden, now there are high thickets. Of
particular interest are two brick pyramids in the western part of the
fortress, made in the form of Turkish powder magazines, which,
apparently, were used as glaciers for storing food, although some
visitors see them as Masonic symbols with mystical properties. Next to
the fortress is the Church of Michael the Archangel, built in 1755 in
the Baroque style - the authorship of the temple is attributed to
Rastrelli or his students. Here was the tomb of the Counts Kamensky,
plundered in 1930. Now the church is active, but is in the process of
restoration. The fortress is located 10 km southwest of Orel, can be
reached by car (there is a sign on the road). Access is free.
2
"Vyatsky Posad" Spiritual and Orthodox Center, Vyatsky Posad village,
st. South, 1A. ☎ +7 (4862) 59-20-64. 8:00–19:00. A modern Orthodox
complex built in 2015-2017. funded by state-owned companies a few
kilometers south of Orel. In the center is a seven-domed two-story
Sretensky temple, built in the neo-Byzantine style with a 40-meter bell
tower. Nearby, on a beautiful well-groomed territory, an Orthodox
gymnasium, a school of crafts, a refectory and a font with changing
rooms were built. On ordinary days, there are practically no people
here, but on weekends there are themed Orthodox holidays and events that
attract visitors. Since 2018, the annual international festival
"Traditions of Holy Rus'" has been held in Vyatsky Posad. The most
convenient way to get there is by car (there is a large parking lot),
there are also bus 356 and minibus 444 from Orel.
3 Crypt of
Athanasius Fet, p. Kleymenovo. For several centuries, the Shenshin
family estate, to which the father of the famous poet belonged, was
located on these lands. Here, according to his will in 1892, Afanasy
Afanasyevich himself was buried. His grave, along with the grave of his
wife, is located in the family crypt at the local Intercession Church.
The tomb of Fet is attached to the existing temple and is closed at
night with a castle, a memorial bas-relief is installed near the
entrance. Although nothing remains of the Shenshin estate, literary and
musical holidays in honor of Fet are held here annually in May.
You
can get to Kleymenovo from Orel by car: first drive 25 km along the M2
highway towards Moscow, and in the village of Stanovoye turn left
following the sign for Kleymenovo. There will be another 10 km to the
grave of the poet along a road that is not of the highest quality, but
passable.
Orel is located in the time zone MSK (Moscow time). The offset of the applicable time from UTC is +3:00. According to the applied time and geographic longitude, the average solar noon in Orel occurs at 12:36.
The climate of the city is temperate continental. Winter is
moderately cold. Its first half is somewhat softer than the second, with
frequent thaws. In January - February, the weather is mostly frosty,
sometimes severe frosts are possible. February is the most severe month
of winter. March is moderately cool, climatic spring comes in the second
half of March. From year to year, depending on atmospheric circulation,
March can be like a full-fledged "spring", with a positive average daily
temperature, virtually complete absence of snow cover, the beginning of
the growing season (1989, 1990, 2004, 2007, 2008, 2014, 2015, 2016,
2017, 2019, 2020) and absolutely “winter” (2011, 2012, 2013, 2018).
Summer is followed by periods of heat and relative coolness. Both
periods of intense heat without rains, and periods of heavy rains and
cool weather are possible. Autumn is quite warm. The average annual
temperature is +6.7 °C. Oryol is one of the few cities in Russia where
the absolute minimum temperature was recorded in March.
The
lowest temperature since 1960 was recorded on March 7, 1964: -37.8 ° C.
The highest ever observed was in 2010, when the absolute record was
broken more than once in just a few days. On August 5, 2010, the air
warmed up to a maximum of 39.5 °C.
The annual average sunshine is
1,852 hours, with minimums between November and February.
The main river of the city and the region is the Oka (a tributary of
the Volga), which flows meridionally from south to north and makes a
number of turns within the city. In the center of the city, its left
tributary, the Orlik River, flows into the Oka. The rivers are not
navigable. The level of rivers is increased by dams.
In the
southern part there is Lake Svetlaya Zhizn (a former sand pit). Other
lakes and ponds are mainly located in the northern and northeastern
parts of the city along its outskirts. Their mirror area is very small.
The air pollution index in the city was 5.26 units (2010), which is considered favorable for living (norm: 4 - 7 units), but compared to 2006, this figure increased by 7.8%. Motor transport accounts for the bulk of emissions of harmful substances, including: carbon monoxide - 94.4%, nitrogen dioxide - 86.5%, sulfur dioxide - 79.0%, hydrocarbons - 97.3%.