KNYAZHPOGOST AREA

The district was formed on July 14, 1939. The area is 24.6 thousand square km. There are 48 localities. The largest of these settlements are Sindor and Chinyavoryk, villages and Shoshka Seregovo. The first inhabitants of the region Vym appeared many centuries ago. Hundreds of sites, settlements, and burial shrines are located around the lake Sindor. 29,7 thousand people in this area live. There are more than 70 nationalities. Over 75 per cent of the population of the district is Komi.

In 2004 the district Knyazhpogost was awarded a diploma "Gold Support", "UES of Russia" and "Komienergo" for its contribution to economic development and enhancing the economic security of the region. In 2005 the district took 2nd place in the Republic’s contest "The best municipality in the Komi Republic.”

Today there are 135 monuments of history and culture in this region. The area is located in the central part of the Komi Republic in the river basin Vym. It shares borders with Udora, Ust-Tsilma, Ukhta, Kortkerosskim, Syktyvdinsk and Ust-Vym areas. Through the district runs the railroad, "Kotlas-Vorkuta" and road "Syktyvkar Sosnogorsk."

The Knyazhpogost area is connected to Syktyvkar, Uhta and Aikino (Ust-Vym area) with hard surface roads, and to Koslan (Udora area) with winter roads. The regular bus from Emva goes to Syktyvkar, Uhta, Ust-Vym, Aikino, Mikun, Vizinga, Obyachevo, Kirov (Kirov Region), Ufa (Bashkiria).

Nature attractions

Complex reserve in Sindor

It's located around the lake Sindorskoe. A large area of the reserve is a pine and birch forests. The reserve is established for the preservation and reproduction of valuable game animals: beaver, muskrat, mink, and otter.

Sindorskoe Lake

It's located in the Vym basin, 13 km south-east of the railway station Sindor. This is the second largest natural lake in the Komi Republic. Is the remains of vast ancient lake that existed in the watershed of the rivers. The lake is interesting for its maze of islands between the mainland (13 large islands). In the lake Sindorskoe flow 5 tributaries originating from the wetland watershed. The most significant of them - the river Ugyum. There are fish: perch, bream, roach, ruffe, pike, burbot, and ide. On the shores of the lake in the early 20th century were discovered settlements by primitive people. The lake is located within the complex Sindor reserve.

Vym River

It's the main river area. It flows into the Vychegda from the right bank, 298 km from its mouth. It originates in the Middle Timan Ridge at Pokyuiz. It flows from north to south. Prior to the construction of the road to the mine upstream, Vym was difficult to access. Today, it's possible to reach by rented transport from Syktyvkar, Emva, and Mikuni. The river is interesting from the ecological and cognitive and athletic perspectives. The most difficult of rapids is located in the middle reaches of Vym called “threshold Russian.” The most convenient time for the trip in late July to early August.

Ichthyological reserve "Vym"

It's an area of 274,800 hectares. It is located in Ukhta, and Udora Knyazhpogost areas. The value of the reserve is determined by the fact that in the upper basin of Vym are significant woodlands, there are karst topography, several mineral springs, and lakes with plenty of sapropelic mud.

The gauge railway or "ghost road" 

It is the longest narrow-gauge railway in Russia, leading to the station in the colony Sindor "backwoods." From the narrow gauge railway is a branch of the hostel, located on the banks of the river Ugyum, 2 km east of Lake Sindorskogo.

Culture Attractions

The district has many archaeological monuments of federal significance (burials grounds and settlements). There are 135 historical and cultural monuments in the region. Among them are 5 temples under state protection, military memorials, and places commemorating history and archaeology.

Knyazhpogost historical museum

Organized in 1990 Major collections - numismatics, ethnography, written sources

169 200 Knyazhpogost district, Emva, st. Dzerzhinsky, 74

+7  (82139) 2-21-31      

Branch Knyazhpogost History Museum in Turiya "The Museum named after Pitirim Sorokin's"

The main collections - numismatics, ethnography, written sources

Knyazhpogost district, Turiya

The Knyazhpogost regional centre of national cultures

169 200, Knyazhpogost district, Emva, st. Communist, 9       

+7 (82 139) 2-17-53      

Knyazhpogost District House of Culture

169 200, Knyazhpogost district, Emva, st. Dzerzhinsky, 74

+7  (82139) 2-21-31      

Resorts

Recreation centre "White Lake"

Travel options: Hunting, fishing, trout farm, tour routes, boats, catamarans, boats, houses, cafes, river rafting, sauna, skiing

Russia, Komi Republic, Knyazhpogost area, Ukhta Street 22-16
+7(912) 947-60-64, +7 (912) 947-84-00

Russia, Komi Republic, Knyazhpogost district, settlement. Ropcha Street. Lenin d.7
+7 (82147) 5-07-29, 5-07-28, +79129476064, +79129478400

Chalet "Bear Kiss"

Russia, Komi Republic, Knyazhpogost district, settlement. Meschura

+7 (904) 861-94-28

Health resort "Seregovo"

Health resort "Seregovo" is located in the Komi Republic, 100 km from Syktyvkar, 40 km from the railway station Kniazha Churchyard, and 23 km from the port of Ust-Vym River Vychegda. Sanatorium "Seregovo" is on the high bank of the river Vym, surrounded by a large forest.

Russia, Komi Republic, Knyazhpogost district,. Seregovo, Sovetskaya str. 4

+7 (82139) 9-41-30, +7 (82139) 9-41-35

UST-TSILEMSKY AREA

Ivan Dmitrievich Lastka was the first known person to settle down here in 1542. However, it is known, that the most ancient settlements in these places appeared in the late Stone Age. Ivan Lastka came from Novgorod and the ethnographic images of ancient Novgorod immigrants are kept in Ust-Tsilma to this very day.

Ust-Tsilma -  the administrative centre of the Ust-Tsilemsky district – stands on the mighty river Pechora. The population of the district is about 15,000 people.

In Russia there is no other such unique place as Ust-Tsilma. Only here can you get acquainted with ancient customs, morals, manners and the mode of life of Ust-Tsilma. You will have a chance to try on elegant costumes and listen to local folklore. Ust-Tsilma is the depository of spiritual antiquity.

Ust-Tsilemskaya Gorka

It's a traditional, ritual festival of round dances of medieval Russia. Every year Ust-Tsilma hosts guests from Russia and from foreign countries to get together in open-air merrymaking. The festival takes place in summer (12th July – 16th July) on the glade in the centre of Ust-Tsilma.

History-memorial museum in the name of A.V.Zhuravski

A.V.Zhuravski - the founder of the Pechora agricultural experimental station (the first scientific institution in all of the European North!) The museum is situated in the building of the Pechora agricultural experimental station. There are more than 25 thousand exhibits. The museum is home to a unique collection of ancient Orthodox and old-printed books and icons.

Address: 101 Nagornaya Street Ust-Cilma

Tel.:  (82141) 91-7-66

Open from  10 am to 7 pm

Fishing on the river Pechora

Fishing is very popular in the Ust-Tsilemsky district. Pechora is rich for such kinds of fish as white-fish, broad whitefish, peled, omul, grayling, white salmon and salmon. Lucky fisherman can get all these kinds of fish at any season.

It should be taken into account that the catching of valuable species is regulated in Ust-Tsilemsky district. That is why it would be better to use the service of a tourist agency.

Information about the touristic agency:

Address: 4a Novyi Kvartal Ust-Tsilma 

Tel.: +7 (82141) 91242

sport_u_c@mail.ru

http://www.ust-cilma.ru/

 How to get to Ust-Tsilma?

Train from Syktyvkar to station Irael - 12 hours, sleeping carriage – 600 rubles; compartmental carriage – 1400 rubles

Then from Station Irael – Ust-Tsilma by bus or by car - 3 hours, 800 rubles

Where to stay

Hotel at the airport 

+7 (8-82141) 9-13-31

66 Dorozhnaya Street, Ust-Tsilma 

Hotel Centralnaya

+7 (8-82141) 9-19-58

12B Novyi Kvartal Ust-Tsilma

SYKTYVDINSKY AREA

Syktyvdinsky area is situated in the south-western part of the Komi Republic. Syktyvdin means “near Sysola mouth”. The region is densely populated. There are 13 settlements in the region. Syktyvdin is the largest Komi farmland.

Population – 24.746, the main town – Vylgort. It is situated within 7 kilometres from Syktyvkar. It is easy to get there.

Annual festival “Zavalinka”

Village Vylgort is situated near Syktyvkar where the festival takes place. It takes you only 30 minutes to get there from the centre of the city. (You should take bus №174 from the bus station “Университет”(“University”) in the direction of Vylgort.)

Raisa Smetanina ski stadium

It is not a winter without winter games, that is why you should visit Raisa Smetanina ski stadium.

Bus №101,174

Bus stop “Konechnaya” – “Конечная”

Price: 15 rub.

Big tubing – 120 rub./hour

Small tubing – 90 rub./hour

Skiing – 200 rub./day

Tel.: +7 (82130)77091

Open from 10 am to 19 pm

Center of folk craft “Zaran”

After having rest you may have some lessons – don’t be afraid, we are not going to school. In the centre of folk craft “Zaran” you may have some lessons of wood engraving, weaving, ceramics, batik, a network of beads, computer graphics. There are also excursions.

Bus №101,174

Bus stop “Leshoz” - “Лесхоз”

Price: 15 rub.

Admission:

Adults – 30 rub.

Children – 7 rub.

Teens – 15 rub.

Workshop – 300 rub.

Tel.: +7 (882130)72528

E-mail:centr-zaran@rambler.ru

 The old wooden building of the elementary school

After lessons, you may cross the road and see the old wooden building of the elementary school. Now it is Syktyvdinsky museum of history and culture. I suppose you didn't see Syktyvkar 30 or 50 years ago. With the help of this museum, you can look back. Here you can see old photos and letters, ancient utensils and clothes. It is exciting.

Bus №101, 174

Bus stop“Centr” - “Центр”

Price: 15 rub.

Admission:

Adults – 20 rub.

Children – 10 rub.

Teens – 15 rub.

Students – 15 rub.

Special arrangement – 30 rub.

Tel.: +7 (882130)71440

Republican school of horse riding

Now it is time for amusement.  Republican school of equestrian sport invites you to ride a horse or have an excursion. This school was founded in 1988 by Svetlana Zaharova. There are 40 horses of different breeds. Competitions are held annually.

Bus №101, 174

Bus stop “Byvshaya konechnaya” - “Бывшая конечная”

Price: 15 rub.

Tel.: +7 (88212) 71904, 79210

VORKUTA - A TOWN IN THE ARCTIC CIRCLE

Vorkuta is a small northern town. It is situated beyond the polar circle in a zone of permafrost. The settlement Vorkuta was founded in the early thirties by geologists in the tundra where coal stocks had been found. On the 26th of November, 1943 the settlement became the city. The name of a city is from the Nenets language and is translated as the "Bear day.” From the late thirties to the beginning of 1950s one of largest gulag camps was located in Vorkuta (Vorkutlag).

Nowadays Vorkuta is a modern city where about 100 thousand people live. It is the large centre of coal mining and the organizational-economic centre of the Pechora coal basin. The city’s industrial production is divided into two categories: coal mining - 74 % and electric power industry - 21 %.

Vorkuta is connected to the centre of Russia by the railway and daily train, Moscow - Vorkuta, and also flights - to Moscow, St.-Petersburg and Syktyvkar.

Winter lasts about 9-10 months and the average temperature is 35 degrees below a zero. Spring is a time of major snow-storms. In summer it is also cold, about 10 degrees above a zero.

Attractions of Vorkuta

The main features of this small town are frequent celebrations. One of such days is the Day of the Reindeer Herder, which usually falls on the 4th of November when the city is already full of snow. Reindeer breeders come from tundra and compete. This day you can see cervine races and races of snowmobiles. Also, you can drive on cervine teams, snowmobiles and to take photos with the aboriginals of tundra - Nentsy.

Despite a severe climate the city is rather interesting and has some places which are worth seeing. And one of such places is the city embankment.

From there you can see the wonderful nature of the north - tundra. In autumn it is especially beautiful. And also from the embankment, you can see the first constructions of a city. Going over the bridge across the river "Vorkuta" you will get to a place where Vorkuta has risen – the settlement Rudnick. There, the first deposits of coal were found. Unfortunately, now the settlement is almost destroyed, but still, you can see it and even to wander on its small streets. The settlement is near to the city centre and getting it is very easy. By buses № 10, 10A, 27, 5, 12 you will reach a bus-stop "Polar region" (Заполярье). Then it is necessary to turn to the right corner of a building “polar region” and you can start your walking tour.

The Vorkuta local history museum

There you can see museum subjects about the history of Vorkutlaga, interesting objects of fossil flora and fauna, works of the Vorkuta authors and artists, unique ethnographic collections and subjects and also a big collection of photos and materials about the city and its inhabitants’ history.

Address: Lenin Street 38.

Tel.: (82151) 4-31-36

E-mail: museum@vorkuta.ru

Site: http://www.museum.ru/M1251

Entrance fee is 10 rubles

Buses № 1, 5, 7k, 10, 10A, 11, 20, 22, 27 to a bus-stop "Museum" or "Pool".

Open daily 9.00 - 17.00. Sunday is the day off.

Victory Park

There are a different military memorabilia there (tanks, planes, guns). Near to the Victory Park, there is a church of the icon of Iversky God's Mother. The building is wooden and unusual in the size; it is quite small. Take buses № 7k, 10A, 11, 22 to a bus-stop “The Victory Square”.

If you go by foot from the Victory Square along Lenin street, you can see some more sights of the city such as the Central square, the House of Creativity of Youth, Vorkuta College, and the Miner Palace. Lenin Street is the central city street, all shops and cafe are located there.

UKHTA

Ukhta is the centre of petroleum industries in the Komi Republic (from April 1999). Ukhta lies within the Pechora River basin, an important oil and gas-producing region. The settlement was founded as the village of Chibyu in 1929, but in 1939 it was renamed Ukhta. It received town status in 1943 when it was linked to the Pechora Railway.

The distance to Syktyvkar by road is 331 km. Distance from Ukhta to Moscow - 1650 km. From the airport there are regular flights to Moscow, there is a railway station (north station to the Pechora, Usinsk, Vorkuta, Labytnangi), bus station (routes in the city: Syktyvkar, Vuktyl, Sosnogorsk)

The population is 127 thousand people, excluding the suburbs – 103,500. 

Sightseeing in Ukhta

Head of Lenin

Right above station on the mountain is the main attraction of Ukhta - the world's largest head of Lenin, made of metal pipes. In Soviet times, Lenin's head had built-in lights. This site is the hallmark of Ukhta.

Historical Museum

Exhibit: "How Ukhta was started," "Geology and Mineral Resources of the Timan-Severouralsk region," "Flora and Fauna of Ukhta," and "Ethnography of the Komi and Russian peoples of the North."

Address: Ukhta, st. Mira, 5b, tel. +7 (82147) 5-21-12, +7 (82147) 5-16-74

Open: Mon - Fri 9-00 to 16-00

State Museum "The nature of the Earth" (Ukhta)

Working hours: Monday - Friday: 8.00 to 15.00, except Saturday - Sunday

By appointment only

www.museum.ru/M2526

Tel: +7 (82147) 4-6768

Address: 169300, Komi Republic, Ukhta, st.Oplesnina 28

Directions: From the city of Syktyvkar bus 567. In the city of Ukhta buses 1, 11

A monument of Alexander Pushkin 

It is cast in bronze in 1937 by sculptor H. Bruni and installed in 1999. Address: Ukhta, Octyabrskaya Square.

Just opposite the monument, there is an interesting Church. Externally, the church looks like a theatre or cultural centre (actually, previously it was a house of culture) and is known only by the cross at the top of the building. A nun said that the architect built the structure during the Soviet era as a House of Culture (building churches being out of the question) and then put the dome inside the church.