Ufa

Ufa is the capital of the Republic of Bashkortostan, a major industrial, cultural and scientific centre in the Southern Urals, spread along a high bank above the confluence of the Belaya and Ufa rivers. The city surprises visitors with its combination of eastern and European cultures: Orthodox churches stand alongside mosque minarets, merchant mansions alongside Soviet blocks, and above the river rises the famous monument to the national hero Salavat Yulaev.

Ufa in general

Ufa is one of the oldest cities in the Urals: its official founding date is 1574, when a fortress was laid out on the site of an earlier settlement by order of Ivan the Terrible. Over the centuries the small stockade grew into a city of more than a million people and the capital of Bashkortostan. Today it is one of the most extended cities in Russia, stretching almost fifty kilometres along the peninsula formed by the two river channels.

Ufa is multi-ethnic: Bashkirs, Russians, Tatars and other peoples together form its distinctive character. Oil refining and machine building are well developed, and there are theatres, universities and museums. For a visitor it is a convenient base for exploring the republic — the routes to the mountains, caves and nature reserves of Bashkiria start here.

Where Ufa is

The city lies on the border of Europe and Asia, in the Cis-Urals, on the elevated Ufa peninsula between the rivers Belaya (Agidel) and Ufa (Karaidel). For centuries this position made Ufa a crossroads of trade routes and a meeting point of East and West. The distance to Moscow is about 1,160 km as the crow flies. The terrain is hilly: the centre stands on a high bank with wide panoramas over the river valleys and the country beyond.

Getting to Ufa

There are several ways to reach the capital of Bashkortostan:

• By air — Ufa International Airport handles flights from Moscow, St Petersburg and other cities; the flight from Moscow takes about two hours.
• By train — Ufa is on the Trans-Siberian Railway and long-distance trains pass through it; the railway station is not far from the centre.
• By car and bus — the city is linked by the M5 "Ural" and M7 federal highways, and there are regular bus services to neighbouring regions.

Around the city itself, buses, trolleybuses and shared minibuses are convenient; the historic centre is compact and suited to walking.

When to visit Ufa

The climate in Ufa is moderately continental, with warm summers and frosty, snowy winters. The most comfortable time to travel is from late May to September, when the weather is warm, the parks are green and it is pleasant to walk along the embankments. City festivals take place in summer, including the Bashkir folk festival of Sabantuy. Golden autumn is good for photography and quiet walks. Winter suits those travelling on to the republic's ski resorts.

The sights of Ufa

Two days are enough to see the city's main symbols and get a feel for its character. Below are the places worth visiting first.

The National Museum of the Republic of Bashkortostan

One of the oldest museums in the Urals, founded in the 19th century. Its extensive displays cover the nature, history and ethnography of the region: archaeological collections, national costume, Bashkir household objects, minerals and specimens of Ural wildlife. The museum gives a coherent picture of the republic and makes a good start to exploring Bashkortostan.

The monument to Salavat Yulaev

The chief symbol of Ufa and of the whole of Bashkiria is the equestrian monument to Salavat Yulaev, the national hero and poet who fought alongside Pugachev in the 18th-century peasant rebellion. The monument stands on the high bank of the Belaya and is considered one of the largest equestrian statues in Russia and Europe. The rider, pressing forward, stands out dramatically against the sky and the river valley. The viewing platform beside the monument is one of the best vantage points in the city.

The Lala Tulpan mosque

An elegant congregational mosque that has become an architectural symbol of modern Ufa. Its two minarets are shaped as opening tulip buds — a flower that in Turkic culture signifies rebirth. There is a madrasa attached to the mosque. The building combines the traditions of Muslim architecture with contemporary forms and looks fine at any time of day.

The Nesterov Bashkir State Art Museum

An art museum named after the distinguished painter Mikhail Nesterov, a native of Ufa, who gave part of his personal collection to the city. The holdings include Russian and Western European painting, works by Bashkir artists, and works by Nesterov himself. The museum occupies an old mansion and is among the republic's leading cultural venues.

The Ufa Lemonarium

An attraction unusual for a Ural city — a large greenhouse where lemons are grown under glass, along with figs, pomegranates, coffee and other subtropical plants. It is especially pleasant in the evergreen garden in winter: in the middle of snowbound Ufa you can find yourself in a warm orangery among citrus trees. The place is popular with families.

Dovlatov's Courtyard and the city's public gardens

Sergei Dovlatov was born in Ufa in 1941, where his family had been evacuated; the courtyard of the house they lived in is marked by a commemorative art object and is known locally as Dovlatov's Courtyard. Around it the centre has kept some pleasant historic quarters with merchant buildings, quiet courtyards and street sculpture. A walk through the old streets lets you sense the city's pre-revolutionary character, see the carved window surrounds of the wooden houses and look into atmospheric courtyards.

The "Seven Maidens" fountain

A musical fountain with lighting in the city centre, devoted to the Bashkir legend of seven sisters. Bronze figures of the girls in national dress circle in a dance above the water. In the evening the lighting comes on and the fountain becomes one of the most romantic places for a walk.

The Cathedral of the Nativity of the Mother of God

The largest Orthodox church in Ufa, an example of ecclesiastical architecture with a richly decorated interior. Together with the Lala Tulpan mosque, the cathedral clearly reflects the multi-confessional character of a city where different cultures and religions have coexisted peacefully for centuries.

Where to walk in Ufa

Ufa is a green city with many parks, avenues and clifftop embankments, so even on a short visit it is easy to find a route for an unhurried walk.

Walks along the Belaya

The Belaya embankment is one of the locals' favourite places to relax. From the high bank there are panoramas over the river valley, and below runs a landscaped promenade. From here you get a good view of the confluence of the Belaya and the Ufa — the natural junction around which the city grew.

The Salavat Yulaev Garden

The park next to the monument is a green corner on the edge of the bluff. Shaded avenues, benches and viewing platforms make it a convenient place to rest and to take fine photographs with the river behind you.

Victory Park

A memorial park dedicated to the soldiers of the Second World War. There are monuments and military equipment displayed in the open air, and from the high bank another panorama of the river expanses opens up. The place combines memorial solemnity with quiet landscaped recreation.

Sofyushkina Alley and the central boulevards

A historic lime-tree avenue in the centre, named after the wife of a local bishop, is a quiet green space for walking. Together with the other boulevards and gardens of the centre it forms a comfortable pedestrian environment where it is pleasant to end the day watching the unhurried life of the Bashkortostan capital.

Over two days Ufa reveals itself as a city of contrasts: eastern and European cultures, water and high banks, history and the present day combine here into a single expressive image — and make the republican capital an excellent starting point for further travel around Bashkiria.