Udmurtia

Udmurtia (Russian: Удму́ртская Респу́блика ood-MOORT-skuh-yuh rees-POOB-lee-kuh or Удму́ртия ood-MOOR-tee-yuh) is a region in the Upper Volga, bordering Kirov Oblast to the west and north, Perm to the east, Bashkortostan to the southeast, and Tatarstan to the south. Regions Cities Izhevsk — the capital city is most famous for its weapons manufacturing, especially for its AK-47 factory, designed by native Mikhail Kalashnikov, who still resides in the city; be sure to visit the Udmurt Presidential Palace, the Kalashnikov Museum, and check out Italmas—an Udmurt folk theater and dance company Glazov — a mid-sized industrial city on the Trans-Siberian Railway; there is an ancient Udmurt settlement, Idnakar, just outside the city that is worth investigating Paravay — a small village that is a center of contemporary Udmurt shamanism Sarapul — the second largest city in the region Sep — a picturesque Udmurt village in the Udmurt National Cedar Forest Sundur — this village is a stronghold of Udmurt national culture Votkinsk — a mid-sized industrial city with a big ICBM plant and the birthplace of the great Russian composer Tchaikovsky Other destinations Understand Udmurtia is named for its native Finno-Ugric Udmurt people, who have inhabited the Volga Region since at least the days of Ancient Greece. The majority of the Udmurt's recorded history has been devoted to fighting for survival and rebelling against their more powerful neighbors, the Mongols, Tatars, and Russians. But the Udmurts were perhaps finally subdued by the USSR, which purged most of the Udmurt nationalist intelligentsia and relocated large industries from Central Russia and with them large numbers of ethnic Russians, who now comprise the majority of the region's population while Udmurts now are represent only about a third. The Udmurts are of especial interest to anyone interested in paganism—Udmurtia is one of Europe's last remaining strongholds of organized shamanism, despite its active repression under the Tsarist and Soviet governments. Travelers interested in Udmurtia's native religion should try to seek out a recent Udmurt film, "Shadow of Alangasar." Shamanist structures and sites persist to this day in isolated villages throughout the region. Perhaps top on anyone's list of things to do in Udmurtia is to see the Udmurt national folk theater and dance company Italmas. Talk The Udmurt language shares official status with Russian, but you can expect that anyone you meet will be at least bilingual in Russian. Udmurt is a Finno-Ugric language closely related to Komi. Get in Flights arrive in Izhevsk from Moscow, Saint Petersburg, and Yekaterinburg. The flight from Moscow takes about 2 hours. Trains run to Izhevsk from Moscow (daily, 18 hours), Saint Petersburg (~31 hours), Yekaterinburg (11 hours), Kazan (6 hours), and Perm (10 hours). Glazov is a stop on the Trans-Siberian Railway. Get around See Itineraries Do Udmurtia would make an interesting destination (to say the least) for hunting, fishing, horseback riding, and hiking. Eat There are a few restaurants in Izhevsk where you can sample Udmurt cuisine, but outside of those, it should not be too hard to find some Udmurt pies (perepechi). Drink Try the Udmurt national drink, Kumiska. Stay safe Get out The next stops on the Trans-Siberian Railway are Zuevka, Kirov Oblast to the west and Perm to the east. This article is an outline and needs more content. It has a template, but there is not enough information present. Please plunge forward and help it grow!