Top 25 attractions of Simferopol, Russia

Simferopol has great tourism potential. First of all, it is interesting for its museums, the architecture of historical buildings of the 18th-20th centuries, which has a charming southern accent, and shady parks with an abundance of lush greenery. It's nice to come here on an excursion from the sultry Crimean coast, tired of the traditional joys of a lazy beach holiday.

One of the most picturesque places in the city is the Salgirka park, where centuries-old oaks grow and graceful estates of past centuries stand among well-groomed alleys. Of considerable interest are the buildings of the Karaite kenassa and the Kebir-Jami Friday mosque. In addition, a new thematic cinema park "Viking" has been created in the vicinity of the city, where the harsh atmosphere of the Middle Ages is recreated. This place can be visited by the whole family and get an unforgettable pleasure from immersion in bygone eras.

What to see and where to go in Simferopol?

The most interesting and beautiful places for walking. Photos and a short description.

Salgirka Park (Vorontsovsky Park)

Botanical garden and public park located on the banks of the Salgir River. It was created in 1795 by the German scientist P. S. Pallas, who at that time was in the public service in the Russian Empire. The 200-year-old plane tree planted by the founder still grows in the park. Within the garden there is the original 19th century Vorontsov House and a classic late 18th century manor with an astronomical tower.

Gagarin park

The largest city park in Crimea, opened in the 1960s. For many decades it has been a favorite place for walking among the residents of Simferopol. Crimean pines, plane trees, beeches, acacias, chestnuts, poplars and willows grow in abundance here. In the central part of the park there are two small lakes where a flock of ducks lives. The main walking street of the park - the Walk of Fame - leads to the Eternal Flame memorial.

children's park

The children's park was established in 1958. Previously, a nursery was located on its territory, where fruit plants were bred for sale. The place was unique for the USSR of that time. An aquarium, a green theater, the Crimean Regional Children's Observatory, a testing ground for models created by young technicians were built in it. A long-lived oak grows in the park, which is 600–700 years old. The diameter of its trunk exceeds 6 meters.

House of Vorontsov

Mansion in the classical style, located in the park "Salgirka". The house was erected in the 19th century for the governor of Taurida, D. M. Naryshkin. Later it was sold to Prince M.S. Vorontsov, who ordered to plant an orchard around the building and renovate the park that had fallen into some desolation. In 1837, the royal family stayed here. Nicholas I really liked the estate and the park, he even called the house a "little palace".

Naples Scythian

The ancient city-fortress, which was the capital of the late Scythian state. The first excavations were carried out in 1827, the subsequent ones only at the beginning of the 20th century. The most significant artifacts were discovered during excavations in 1950-60. In Soviet times, it was planned to create an archaeological park on the territory of the settlement, but the project was implemented only in 2011.

Simferopol kenassa

Religious building of the ethnic group of Karaites, who lived on the territory of Crimea for many centuries. Kenassa was built at the end of the 19th century at the expense of the Karaite community. The architecture of the building is a mixture of Byzantine, Moorish and Gothic styles. For almost the entire XX century, the building was used for other purposes and fell into disrepair. In 2014, the kenassa was returned to the community.

Kebir-Jami Mosque

The Cathedral Mosque of Simferopol, the residence of the chief mufti of the Crimean Muslims. The construction of the temple dates back to the beginning of the 16th century, so it is the oldest building in Simferopol. The building was reconstructed several times, but after the Great Patriotic War it was abandoned for a long time. The revival of the mosque began after the return of the Crimean Tatars from deportation in the late 1980s.

Holy Trinity Convent

The monastery was founded in 2003 around the Holy Trinity Cathedral, built according to the project of I. F. Kolodin in the 19th century. The classical facade of the temple is decorated with Corinthian capitals, arches and blue church domes. The relics of St. Luke Voyno-Yasenetsey (Crimean) are kept inside. Thanks to the efforts of the Greek Orthodox community, the temple continued to function during the Soviet era and avoided destruction.

Alexander Nevsky Cathedral

Simferopol Cathedral, erected in 1829 according to the project of I. I. Charlemagne in collaboration with I. F. Kolodin and blown up in 1930. The idea of ​​building a temple belonged to Catherine II, but it was not possible to start construction during her reign. In 1999, a decision was made to rebuild the temple. Work began in 2003. According to the project, the new building of the Alexander Nevsky Cathedral differs from the historical one.

Peter and Paul Cathedral

The cathedral was erected in 1860 instead of a dilapidated wooden church of the early 19th century. Since 1866, under him, women's and men's schools were opened. In the 1930s the temple was closed and turned into a warehouse, the dome and the bell tower were dismantled. Restoration was carried out in the 1980s. under the guidance of architect O. I. Sergeeva. Thanks to information from the archival documents of the Synod, the temple was able to return to its original appearance.

Central Museum of Taurida

Museum, which exhibits archaeological, ethnographic and natural science expositions. The collection covers a wide time period. The museum exhibits Scythian stone sculptures, Egyptian artifacts, documents from the era of the Crimean Khanate, engravings, maps, medieval decorations and much more. There is also a scientific library, which contains more than 40 thousand volumes about the history of the peninsula.

Crimean Ethnographic Museum

The ethnographic exposition is a branch of the Central Museum of Taurida. It is located in a historic building of the XIX century. The collection gives an idea of ​​the history and culture of the peoples and ethical groups inhabiting Crimea - Karaites, Russians, Ukrainians, Crimean Tatars, Belarusians, Estonians and others. The museum funds contain 3.5 thousand exhibits, about 700 items are constantly exhibited.

Simferopol Art Museum

The gallery was established in 1922 as a branch of the Central Museum of Taurida. Since 1937, a separate building has been allocated for the art exhibition. Almost the entire collection, consisting of ancient icons and paintings of the 18th - early 20th centuries, perished during the Great Patriotic War. The gallery was reopened in 1947. The funds were formed from exhibits that were sent from the main museums of the USSR.

Museum of the history of the city of Simferopol

The museum was established in 2009 by decision of the city authorities. The exposition is located in the central part of Simferopol in a 19th century building. Museum funds are formed with the active participation of city residents. The collection consists of documents, paintings with views of Simferopol, household items, photographs of the late 19th - early 20th centuries, memorabilia from the First World War and the Civil War.

Chocolate Museum "Salon du Chocolat"

"Salon du Chocolat" - a patisserie, a cafe and a small exhibition about the history of chocolate, located in the same building. Here visitors can try dozens of desserts, pastries and cakes. To create museum exhibits, confectioners needed about a ton of material. Here you can see world sights, fabulous castles and houses, portraits of famous people, bouquets and figures made from different types of chocolate.

Museum of Human Anatomy

The exposition opened in 1931 in a historic building of the 18th century at the Crimean Medical University named after S. I. Georgievsky under the guidance of Professor V. V. Bobin. The collection is divided into thematic sections: "History of the Crimean morphology", "Human Anatomy", "N. I. Pirogov and the Crimea. The anatomical section (the so-called "Crimean Cabinet of Curiosities") contains about 1,200 natural exhibits.

Museum of Electric Transport "Krymtrolleybus"

The museum was opened in 1977 on the initiative of the Crimean trolleybus department. The exposition, located in the administrative building of the enterprise, tells about the history of the creation of trolleybuses and trams, about the development of routes connecting Simferopol with the southern coast of the peninsula, as well as about the enterprise itself, its achievements and employees. The museum collection contains more than 3 thousand exhibits.

Crimean Academic Theater named after M. Gorky

The Simferopol Theater traces its history back to 1820, when a Moscow merchant and enthusiastic theatergoer Volkov organized the first stage in a former barn located on the territory of the courtyard of the local noble assembly. In 1873, a separate building was erected for the theater with a hall for 410 seats. The current building appeared in 1911. It was built according to the design of the architect A. N. Beketov.

Crimean Academic Puppet Theater

The theater was founded in 1938. Especially for him, a building was erected according to the project of the architect B. I. Belozersky, which was subsequently blown up during the Great Patriotic War. After the end of hostilities, the theater resumed work in the premises of the House of Culture of power engineers. In 2000, 2001, 2004 and 2012 international and thematic festivals of puppet theaters were held here.

Cinema "Simferopol"

The cinema is located in a monumental neoclassical building of the 1950s, designed by V.P. Kalmykov. The structure resembles a real palace with balustrades, Greek-style columns and elegantly decorated arched windows. Along the edges of the facade are two symmetrical round towers that complete the architectural appearance. Behind the cinema there is a small urban garden.

Cinema named after T. G. Shevchenko

The oldest cinema in Simferopol. The building was erected at the beginning of the 20th century in the Art Nouveau style, which dominated the minds of the architects of that time. Inside there was a spacious cinema hall with 800 seats, equipped with separate boxes. In between viewings of tapes, an orchestra played for the venerable audience. In 2003 and 2011 renovations have been carried out. The cinema currently has five screens.

Cinema Park "Viking"

A family amusement park that was opened on the basis of scenery from the set of the Russian saga Viking. It is located next to the Red Caves in the Simferopol region. The cinema park is a historical reconstruction of the settlement of the 8th-11th centuries. - Viking Village. Inside are houses, craft workshops and watchtowers. Theatrical fights in full dress, master classes and games are organized for tourists.

TNA-400 radio telescope in Shkolnoye

The first radio telescope created on the territory of the USSR for launching spacecraft to the Moon. The control center was located here, where the first images of the lunar surface were taken. The object was used until the end of the last century. In the period 2003–2014 all buildings of the radio telescope were destroyed and sold for building materials. Only the TNA-400 antenna with a diameter of 32 meters survived. Roskosmos plans to fully restore the facility's performance.

Station Simferopol-Passenger

The main railway station of the city, which was built in 1951 according to the project of A. N. Dushkin. The building was rebuilt in 2000. The complex of the modern station is a building in the classical "southern" style with arches, galleries and a 42-meter clock tower, harmoniously fitting into the overall architectural concept of Simferopol. The station serves long-distance routes and suburban destinations.

Denisovskaya ostrich farm

An amusement park for the whole family, located 6 km from Simferopol. The farm conducts excursions, organizes horse trips to the picturesque places of the Crimea and fishing. In addition to ostriches, peacocks, geese, Vietnamese pigs, ducks and other animals live there. Children will be interested in riding donkeys. There is a restaurant serving ostrich meat dishes for guests.