Discover 11 hidden attractions, cool sights, and unusual things to do in Samara (Russia). Don't miss out on these must-see attractions: Monument of Glory, Strukovsky Garden, and Samara Mosque. Also, be sure to include Sacred Heart Church in your itinerary.
Below, you can find the list of the most amazing places you should visit in Samara (Samara).
Table of Contents
Monument of Glory
The Monument of Glory is the focal point of Slavy Square in Samara, Russia, overlooking the Volga river to the north-west. It is dedicated to the Kuybyshev workers of aircraft industry, who were working hard during and following the Great Patriotic War. The monument is one of the most prominent symbols of Samara. Moscow sculptors Pavel Bondarenko, Oleg Kiryuhin and architect A. Samsonov created a design of the thirteen-meter-tall figure, made from high alloy steel with wings raised over his head and forty-meter pedestal. The pedestal symbolizes ray of light rising to the sky.
The monument was erected between 1968 and 1971 for donations of Kuybyshev workers and other staff members of production plants. Every worker could donate only one rouble. Kuybyshev mayor's office chose a place for the monument in the city centre in the Leninsky district. The opening ceremony took place on 5 November 1971.[1]
Strukovsky Garden
Amusement park in Samara, Russia. Strukovsky Garden is a central urban park in Samara, Russia, named after Russian colonel and Active State Councillor Grigory Nikanorovich Strukov. It is the oldest park in the city. The park was established in 1849 in the city Centre. It is located in the Leninsky District between Vilonovskaya Street, Krasnoarmeyskaya Street, Maxima Gorkogo Street and Kuybysheva Street.[2]
Samara Mosque
Also known as: Самарская соборная мечеть
Mosque in Samara, Russia. The Samara Mosque in Samara is one of the largest mosques in Russia. It was built in the late 1990s in red brick. The main dome is 13.5 meters in diameter. The minaret rises to a height of 67 meters. The building was designed by Rasim Walshin, an architect from Samara. There is an apple orchard by the walls. The New Mosque should not be confused with the pre-revolutionary mosque dating back to 1891.[3]
Address: ул. Стара-Загора, 54, 443081 Самара
Sacred Heart Church
Also known as: Храм Пресвятого Сердца Иисуса
Building. The Sacred Heart Church is a Catholic church, of neogothic style located in the historic center of the city of Samara, Russia.
In 1902 it was decided to expand and build a church of red brick neo-Gothic style. At a cost of 80 thousand rubles, the project was entrusted to the Polish architect Bogdanovich (or Bohdanowicz), who built the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in Moscow. Under the patronage of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, it was consecrated in February 1906. Its two towers of 47 m in height made it for a long time the tallest building in the city.
The parish was disbanded by the Soviet authorities in the 1920s. Later, they closed the church, and it was vandalised. In 1941, a regional museum was installed there.
In 1991, the Catholic community regained the church for worship.[4]
Address: Ulitsa Frunze (ул. Фрунзе), 157, Samara
Golovkin's dacha
Also known as: Дом со слонами
Mansion. Golovkin's dacha is an unorthodox residential mansion designed and constructed by Konstantin Golovkin, a merchant, entrepreneur and self-taught artist, in Samara, Russia during the period 1908–1909. The building is marked by modernist influences, linked to the Vienna Secession style, and even premonitions of Art Deco. It is inscribed in the Russian Cultural Heritage list as object number 6310041002.[5]
Address: Ulitsa Sovetskoy Armii (улица Советской Армии), 292, Samara
Chapaev Monument
Sculpture in Samara, Russia. Monument to Vasily Chapaev – is a monument to Vasily Ivanovich Chapaev in Samara, installed in Chapaev Square in front of the drama theatre.[6]
Address: pl. Chapaeva, 443010 Samara
Kuybyshev Square
Also known as: Площадь Куйбышева
Kuybyshev Square is a public square in Samara, Russia, located in the city's historic center between Chapaevskaya, Vilonovska, Galaktionovskaya, and Krasnoarmeyskaya streets in Leninsky District. Kuybyshev Square is one of the largest city squares in the world at fifteen hectares, and is the largest public square in Russia and in Europe. The Samara State Academic Opera and Ballet Theatre and public gardens covering seven hectares are located on the square.[7]
Samara State Aerospace University
Also known as: Самарский национальный исследовательский университет имени академика С. П. Королёва
University in Samara, Russia. Samara National Research University, in is one of Russia's leading engineering and technical institutions. It is located in the City of Samara.[8]
Samara embankment
The Samara embankment is a 5 km long pedestrianized street along the left bank of the Volga river in Central Samara, Russia. It spans between Lesnaya Street and Samara river port.[9]
Stalin's Bunker
Museum in Samara, Russia. Stalin's Bunker is an air raid shelter located near Samara State University of Culture in Samara, Russia. It is a subterranean bunker complex constructed between February and October 1942. It was the alternative Supreme High Command General Headquarters of the Soviet Armed Forces intended for Joseph Stalin during World War II. Stalin's Bunker is located 37 metres beneath the Kuybyshev CPSU oblast Committee building, 100 metres south-east of the Samara Academy Theater. Stalin's Bunker was declassified in 1990. Now the civil defence museum occupies the former air raid shelter. The air-raid shelters for the Soviet High Command were built also in Yaroslavl, Gorky, Kazan, Ulyanovsk, Saratov and Stalingrad.[10]
Address: Frunze st., 167, 443010 Samara
Raketa Soyuz and Space Museum
Also known as: Памятный комплекс ракеты-носителя «Союз»
The Soyuz carrier rocket monument is a monument in Samara, Russia dedicated to Samara rocket builders. It is located at the center of Samara on Lenina Avenue between Novo-Sadovaya and Chelyuskintsev Streets next to Rossiyskaya metro station. The opening ceremony took place on October 1, 2001 and was held in conjunction by the 50th anniversary of the First Manned Spaceflight performed by Yuri Gagarin.[11]
Address: Prosp. Lenina (пр. Ленина), 21, Samara