Guide to Russia || Udmurt Republic

Udmurt Republic — 18rus

General

Udmurt Republic (Udmurtia, 18rus), center — Izhevsk. Situated in the Northeast of the European part of Russian Federation, West of Ural mountains, in the basin of rivers Kama and Vyatka. About half of the area is covered by woods (conifers and mixed forests). In the far South oil fields are developed. Principal rivers — Kama with the right tributaries Votka and Izh, and Vyatka with the left tributaries Cheptsa and Kil'mez'.

Official languages of the Republic are Russian and Udmurt. About 60 percent of the population are Russian and 30 percent are Udmurt. Approximately two thirds of all Udmurts (formerly known as Votyak) live in the Republic; others are dispersed mostly in neighboring regions — Kirov, Perm' Regions, Tatarstan, and Bashkiria. Udmurt language is spoken by some 460 thousands (2002). It belongs to the Perm-Finnic group of Finno-Ugric family of languages. This means it is as close to Estonian and Finnish as say Spanish to English. The most closely related language is Komi. Linguists distinguish three dialects of Udmurt — Northern, Southern, and Besermyan (the latter is widespread in the North-West of the Republic in the basin of River Cheptsa). Udmurt is written on the basis of Cyrillic script, a number of newspapers are published, radio and TV broadcast part-time in Udmurt. A majority of native speakers are however elderly people, and the Udmurt language made it to the UNESCO list of endangered languages. A number of Udmurt native speakers currently decreases. The majority of Udmurts are Russian Orthodox, but many preserved pagan pre-Christian beliefs.

Finno-Ugric tribes populated the area of modern Western, Northern, and Central Russia since prehistory. The archaeological sources discovered at the territory of modern Udmurtia date from 8th century BC. Udmurts are mentioned in Muslim (Arab) sources from 12th century, and in Russian ones from 14th century (earlier Russian chronicles mention Perm which is apparently a common name of all Finnic tribes of Cis-Urals). Northern Udmurts at the time were already a part of Vyatka Territory — a frontier region formed in the course of Russian colonization of the North. Together with this territory, in 1489 they were annexed by Moscow Principality. Earlier, Southern Udmurts allied with Volga Bulgar state, which was situated at the territory of modern Tatarstan and was destroyed in 1236 by the Mongol troops of Batu-khan, advancing to Russia. After the fall of Volga Bulgars, Southern Udmurts entered the Golden Horde, the Mongol (later Tartar) state, and after the Golden Horde split out, they remained under the khan of Kazan'. In 1552, after Kazan' was taken by the troops of Ivan the Terrible, they also ended up in the Russian State. Until 18th century, Udmurt lands were so far from any kind of civilization that they did not really interest anyone. From 1740s the state starts some activity: First, forcible christianization of Udmurts, then industrial construction. The first to be built in 1756 was Bemyzh copper-melting works; in 1760 Izhevsky Zavod (Izhevsk works) was founded. In 1780, Vyatka Governorship was created, and in the same year 1780 the first two settlements — Glazov and Sarapul - obtained the (district) town status. Udmurts constituted the majority of the population of four districts and were designated to be state peasants. In 1775 the first scientific Udmurt grammar was published. After the 1917 October revolution, in 1920, Votyak (since 1932, Udmurt) autonomous region was formed. From 1934 it was known as Udmurt Autonomous Republic, and from 1991 — Udmurt Republic. In 1970s population migrated massively from the republic, many Udmurt villages were declared to have no prospective; their inhabitants were resettled to cities and towns. Currently, Udmurts are in minority in the republic, and the state basically does not stimulate interest in the Udmurt language.

Two principal railway lines run through the Republic: Moscow - Kirov - Ekaterinburg in the North and Moscow - Kazan' - Ekaterinburg in the South. These two are connected by a secondary railroad that passes through Izhevsk. Federal highway M7 Moscow - Kazan' - Izhevsk - Perm'. Passenger and cargo navigation on Kama.

What to see

1	Alnashi — Alnashi United Museum of Art and Literature, featuring Udmurt ethnography; Museum-houses of poet Ahalchi Oki and author Gennady Krasil'nikov.
	2	Kuzebaevo — tribal pagan praying house Badzym Kua (second half of 19th century).
1	Balezino — architectural monuments: office of the government of Balezino municipality (1780-1820); buildings of the railway station from the end of 19th century. Regional museum - history of the district and ethnography.
	1	Kamennoe-Zadel'e — wooden Trifonovskaya Tserkov' (St. Triphon Church, 1909-1913, architect Charushin).
	1	Kestym — wooden mosque (1903).
	1	Yunda — a department of the Regional museum, featuring the history of the village and Besermyan ethnography; Bogoyavlenskaya Tserkov' (Epiphany Church, 1914, architect Charushin).
2	Glazov — the settlement exists from 18th century; status of a town from 1780. Architectural monuments of 19th-20th centuries: merchants' houses and administrative buildings; buildings of alcohol plant. Sobornaya ploshchad' (currently ploshchad' Svobody). Fan-like planning of the town center (1784) is preserved. Glazov Regional museum: history of the town; archaeology; Udmurt life and culture; astronomy; an exposition featuring Cheptsa Mechanical Plant (the principal industrial enterprise in the town). Idnakar Museum-Reserve of history and culture — an uncovered settlement belonging to Cheptsa culture (8th-13th centuries); expositions featuring medieval life and crafts.
	1	Elovo — Troitskaya Tserkov' (Trinity Church, 1795, architect Roslyakov).
	2	Pudem — buildings of Pudem works (18th century); wooden buildings of the administration of the works (19th century) and the manager's house (1891). A dam (1759).
	1	Pyshket — Museum of Besermyan culture; Predtechenskaya Tserkov' (Church of John the Baptist, 1902, architects Druzhinin and Akimov).
	1	Yar — Yar Regional and Historical Museum: History of construction of the railroad Perm' - Kotlas.
	1	Yukamenskoe — the dam and the administrative building of former Yukamensky works (18th-19th centuries); folk art museum.
1	Igra — Regional museum of Igra district: Nature, history, ethnography; center of Udmurt culture in the village of Sundur; Tserkov' Ioanna Bogoslova (Church of John the Chrysostome, 1907, architect Charushin).
	1	Bachkeevo — Museum "Stage Point".
	1	Chutyr' — Sretenskaya Tserkov' (Visitation Church, 1829, architect Semen Dudin).
	1	Debesy — Museum of History of Siberian Highway: casern building and a restored piece of the highway.
2	Izhevsk (formerly Izhevsky Zavod) — former industrial settlement (founded 1760), numerous attractions. Architectural monuments of the beginning of 19th century in the classicist style (architect Semen Dudin): Zherekhov house (1807-1810); Lyatushevich house (1807); building of the gun works (1809-1844); Troitskaya Tserkov' (Trinity Church, 1814), Aleksandro-Nevsky Sobor (Alexander Nevsky Cathedral, 1820-1823), Arsenal (1823-1825). A dam and a pond (1760-1763). Carved wooden houses in the old city center. Stone houses of 19th century in the classicist style. Town Watch (1807; rebuilt 1852, architect Kokovikhin); house of the plant director (1854-1857, architect Kokovikhin); state-owned building of the gun works (1857-1858, architect Kokovikhin). Krestovozdvizhenskaya Chasovnya (Chapel of the Erection of the Cross, 1885, architect Kokovikhin); Uspenskaya Tserkov' (Assumption Church, 1916, architect Charushin). Buildings from 1930s in the constructivist style. Kuzebay Gerd National Museum of Udmurt Republic: archaeological and ethnographic collections featuring Udmurts and other peoples of the Republic; applied arts; traditional crafts and industries - Izhevsk arms, Mozhga glass, Votkinsk iron casting; history of Udmurtia; nature. Museum of Fine Arts of Udmurt Republic: Russian art of the end of 19th — beginning of 20th centuries, Udmurt artists. Museum-apartment of the author Gennady Krasil'nikov. Mineral springs.
	1	Gol'yany - Museum "In the memory of barzheviks" — 1918-1920 civil war in Volga and Kama area.
	1	Il'inskoe (Malaya Purga district) — Il'inskaya Tserkov' (Iliya Church, 1823, architect Roslyakov).
	1	Kiyasovo — Museum of artist Pyotr Aleksandrovich Krivonogov.
	1	Yakshur-Bod'ya — District regional museum: ethnography and history.
	1	Yus'ki — Pokrovskaya Tserkov' (Intercession Church, 1859, architect Konstantin Ton).
	1	Zav'yalovo Bogoyavlenskaya Tserkov' (Epiphany Church, 1830, architect Semen Dudin). Zav'yalovo Regional museum: history of the district and Udmurt ethnography. Botanical garden.
3	River Kama
1	Kambarka — appeared as a settlement attached to Demidov iron works (1761). Town from 1945. Recently became infamous as one of the centers where chemical weapons are stored. Three-step industrial dam (middle of 19th century). Kambarka district museum of History and Culture: history of the town and the machine-building plant; crafts. Picturesque surroundings (left bank of River Kama).
1	Karakulino — Museum of Karakulino district history: archaeology, history, and nature.
	1	Ust'-Bel'sk Natural Park — lower Kama landscapes. Cheganda caves.
1	Kez — Municipal museum: history and ethnography.
	1	Kuliga — the source of River Kama.
1	Kopki (Selty district) — Troitskaya Tserkov' (Trinity Church, 1845, architect Konstantin Ton).
1	Mozhga — ethnographical museum "Udmurt Folk Art".
	1	Bemyzh — the first industrial settlement in Udmurtia. Troitskaya Tserkov' (Trinity Church, 1825, architect Alferov).
	1	Komyaki — wooden water mill (end of 19th — beginning of 20th century).
2	Nechkino National Park — protects conifer and mixed (conifer and broad-leaved) forests and swamps of the right bank of River Kama. Rocky landscape of the right bank of River Kama. Archaeological monuments related to Finno-Ugric cultures.
2	Sarapul — founded in 16th century as the village of Voznesenskoe; status of a town from 1780. Before the 1917 October revolution — a wealthy merchant town. Numerous attractions. Historical building of the town center is preserved from 19th — beginning of 20th century. Ensembles of the following streets: Bogoyavlenskaya ulitsa (currently ulitsa Gor'kogo); Pokrovskaya ulitsa (currently ulitsa Truda); Sarapul'skaya ulitsa (currently Pervomayskaya ulitsa); Vyatskaya ulitsa (currently ulitsa Raskol'nikova). Many buildings of the beginning of 20th century in the modern style. Pokrovskaya Tserkov' (Intercession Church, 1782, architect Roslyakov); Voskresenskaya Tserkov' (Resurrection Church, 1817, architect Semen Dudin); Tserkov' Ksenii Peterburgskoy (Church of Ksenia of Saint-Petersburg, 1911, architect Maksimov). Merchants' houses of 19th century. Merchants' dachas (summer vacation houses) of the beginning of 20th century. Monuments of industrial architecture: a firefighter station with an observation tower (1887); a pump station (1910, architect Charushin). Middle Kama History and Culture Museum. The oldest museum in Udmurtia (founded 1909). Expositions: archaeology; ethnography; art collections - Russian art; history; nature. One of the departments is a museum-house of mining engineer academician Melnikov. Exhibition and art hall — former dacha of mayor merchant Bashenin.
	1	Kigbaevo — Mikhaylo-Arkhangel'skaya Tserkov' (Church of Archangel Michael, 1804).
	1	Mazunino — Preobrazhenskaya Tserkov' (Transfiguration Church, 1814-1836, architect Semen Dudin).
	1	Mostovoe — Troitskaya Tserkov' (Trinity Church, 1811, architect Roslyakov; rebuilt 1820, architect Semen Dudin).
	1	Nechkino — Bogoyavlenskaya Tserkov' (Epiphany Church, 1807, architect Roslyakov, in a critical state).
1	Vavozh Architectural monuments: Nikol'skaya Tserkov' (Nicholas Church, 1835, architect Semen Dudin), merchants' houses, administrative buildings. Vavozh Regional museum: Ethnographic collection and an exhibition hall.
	1	Gurez'-Pudga — Museum-house of poet Kuzebay Gerd.
2	Votkinsk (formerly Votkinsky Zavod) — former industrial settlement (founded 1759). Building of the town center — preserved features of an industrial settlement; wooden and stone buildings; town pond from 18th century. The most remarkable are the following streets: Gospodskaya ulitsa (currently ulitsa Tchaikovskogo), Popovskaya ulitsa (currently ulitsa Lenina), and Kontorskaya ulitsa (currently ulitsa Kirova). Blagoveshchensky sobor (Annunciation Cathedral, 1828, architect Postnikov); Panteleymonovskaya Tserkov' (Panteleimon church, 1889); Spaso-Preobrazhenskaya Tserkov' (Church of Transfiguration of Our Saviour, 1901, architect Charushin); Tartar mosque (1892). Museum-estate of Pyotr Il'ich Tchaikovsky: an ensemble of buildings dating from the beginning of 19th century, where the future composer was born and spent his childhood. Museum of History and Culture of Votkinsk: urban culture; natural exhibits.
	1	Sharkan — Sharkan Regional and Historical Museum: exposition on the life of Udmurt ethnographer and poet Grigory Egorovich Vereshchagin.

Additional Resources

Udmurt Republic

English:

Udmurt Republic. General information, history, some attractions.

Official website of the Udmurt Republic. General information. The Russian version of the same site contains more information.

Russian:

Cultural and Natural Heritage of Udmurt Republic. A list of objects under state protection (with descriptions and addresses, as of 2003).

Interactive map of Udmurt Republic.

Cultural tourism in Udmurt Republic. Collection of links, some of them being down. All links are in Russian, but some merely show pictures like traditional dress.

Archive service of Republic of Udmurtia. The website of the archive service. If you search well, there are many history-related articles.

Udmurtia Museums.

Udmurtia Museums at the website "Museums of Russia".

Maps of Udmurtia cities. Collection of links.

Photos of Udmurtia by Andrey Zykin.

Udmurt ethnos and language

English:

Information center of the Finno-Ugric Peoples. News, history, audiofiles of music, even recipes of traditional cuisine. Finno-Ugric Electronic Library (currently 5 books in Udmurt language).

Folk Art in Udmurtia. An introductory article (also in Hungarian). The Russian version also contains the text and illustrations of the book by Konstantin Klimov (still incomplete).

Russian:

Udmurts. An article in the encyclopedia "Chronos".

Independent Finno-Ugric Web Portal Kominarod. News and many articles of Finno-Ugric interest. The old version of the portal (slower and with other articles).

Udmurtology. A resource by Denis Sakharnykh. Udmurt language; Udmurt forum; links to other websites of Udmurt interest.

Udmurt Language. Bilingual (Russian and Udmurt) website, devoted to the Udmurt language. Several articles and a number of links to other websites.

Udmurt Ethnography. Website of the Department of Ethnology at Udmurt State University (Izhevsk). Several ethnographical articles.

Udmurt Music. A collection of musical files.

Peoples of Udmurtia. A huge bibliographical collection with a brief introduction.

Pagan Beliefs. A lecture by Alexander Shchipkov on the present-day situation with religions in Volga republics.

Encyclopedia "Udmurt elkun". Only in Udmurt.

Resources for individual attractions

This is a provisional list. The references will eventually be relegated to the pages describing individual attractions.

English:

Sarapul. The town website. In particular, history, architecture, and photos. Some parts of the English version do not work properly; Russian version contains more information.

Russian:

Industrial settlement. A project on the history of Izhevsk and Votkinsk.

Interactive map of Izhevsk.

Izhevsk. Photos and articles by Aleksei Mitrofanov.

Images of Izhevsk. Attempts to represent Izhevsk in literature. The authors mostly make fun of the readers. Only makes sense if you know Russian really well.

Nechkino National Park at the website of OOPT — Highly Protected Natural Reserves.

Sarapul by Nikolai Kuksin and Andrei Naymushin. A lot of interesting stuff, including articles on the history and old photos.

Sarapul. A journey of Georgy Fedosov. Also, his unsorted preparatory information for the journey. Both pages are big and downloaded slowly. Search the documents to find specific information on Sarapul.