Cultural tourism in Russia > Mari El

Mari El

There are 689 lakes in the Mari El Republic, about two hundred of them are large. The biggest one is Lake Yalchik. According to current research, the lake is still growing. The deepest lake is Tabashino, its depth is 57 meters. The purest and most transparent is Nuzh-Yar. The most unusual is Morskoy Glaz - the Sea Eye. Its shape is almost a perfect circle, and the water has an emerald color. The Sea Eye changes its depth from time to time for unknown reasons.

About 500 rivers and streams flow through the territory of Mari El. The largest river is the Volga - or Yul in Mari. The left tributary of the Volga is the Vetluga, a popular place for summer rafting. The Ilet River does not freeze all year round for almost its entire length, thanks to the mineral springs feeding it. The Voncha River flows through the wilderness, replenished with clean springs and small rivers. Research shows that the Voncha is the cleanest river in the world.

Mount Almaner, also known as the «Watchtower», is located in the Hill Mari District of Mari El. The mountain is 150 meters high. From the 11th century to the 15th, there was a fortified settlement that served as the cultural, political, and commercial center of the region. The remains of the moat and rampart have survived to this day. From the mountaintop opens a beautiful view of the Volga, which reaches the width of 20 km in that spot.

Sheremetev Castle

The Sheremetev Castle, located in Yurino village, was the family estate of the richest landowners of the Nizhny Novgorod Governorate. The castle is an architectural monument of federal significance. Its construction lasted several decades and was completed by the beginning of the 20th century. The castle features more than 100 halls and rooms, each having original decorative details. There is an ice cellar and a wine cellar. Every year, thousands of tourists from different regions of Russia, near and far abroad, Nock to Yurino to visit the Sheremetev castle.

Boundary mark

Between the former village of Dvoriki, the village of Sumki, and the village of Aktushevo, there stands a brick stele that once had a two-headed eagle above it - this is the Aktushevsky boundary mark of the 19th century. The famous road to Siberia, which the locals call Catherine's Tract, ran near the mark and along the territory of the district

Mariy Chodra

The name of the state natural national park «Mariy Chodra» means «Mari forest». The area of the park is 366 sq km. It was created in 1985. Nowadays over 150 paths run through the park. One of them leads to Pugachev's Oak, which is more than 400 years old. There are many clean karst lakes in Mariy Chodra: Yalchik, Konan-Er, Tot-Er, Shut-Er, Glukhoe, Kichier.

Vizimbir

The village of Vizimbir and its surroundings are known as Mari Switzerland. In these places, in the Kuzhener District, there is a nature reserve of republican significance called «Kamennaya Gora». In Mari Switzerland, you can find a «mountainous» landscape, unusual for Mari El, cascades of springs with water that is rich in silver, relict spruces and rare plants listed in the Red List.

The village of Shorunzha, located in the Morki District, is a center of Mari and Finno-Ugric culture and ethno-tourism. The ethnocultural complex opened here in 2015 includes a creative studio and an ethnographic museum complex «The Old Mari Farmstead». Many traditional holidays are celebrated here: Shorykyol (Christmas), Uyarnya (Shrovetide), Kugeche (Easter), Agavayrem (Feast of the Plough), Semyk (Great Commemoration of the Ancestors), Surem (Summer Prayers), Uginde (Feast of the New Bread).

Holidays

Several national holidays are celebrated in Mari El every year. Shorykyol is a winter holiday accompanied by rituals, fortune-telling, and a procession of mummers. Uyarnya (Mari Shrovetide) is a holiday of bidding farewell to winter and welcoming spring. Peledysh Pairem means «Flower Festival». The holiday marks the end of the spring work season in the fields. Peledysh Ayo is a song festival that attracts hundreds of participants annually: choirs, vocal ensembles, soloists, and musicians.

Summer Seasons is an open-air festival of opera and ballet, which has been held in Mari El since 2011. Within the framework of the festival, performances are held in various city venues and outdoor locations in the republic. Tens of thousands of spectators attended the memorable premieres of the operas «Boris Godunov», «The Tsar's Bride», and «Akpatyr», the ballets «Giselle» and «Sleeping Beauty» and other performances.