More-or-less between Moscow and Saint-Petersburg:
Bortenyevo
Torzhok
Vyshny
Volochek
Valday
Ostashkov
Staraya Russa
Novgorod...
Vologda
Yaroslavl....
Other:
Collective farm/
propaganda art
"WINTER IS THE SOUL OF RUSSIA"
~ ~ ~
E-mail:
paul_voytinsky
@yahoo.com
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From our in-house historian Present-day Ryazan was founded in 1095. Till 1778 it was called "Pereyaslavl-Ryazansky". The old (original) Ryazan is 60km south-east. In the year 1208 was as big as Paris. In December 1237 it perished, with all its villages, roads, and stone churches, in a fire set by Mongols. The survivors, headed by their leader Evpaty Kolovrat, attacked invaders from behind, and their bravery was recognized even by Mongol Khan Batu who uttered "we have never before seen such spirited fighters". By the end of the 14th century the Ryazan Kingdom, despite Mongol-Tartar attacks, grew strong and fought with Moscow. In 1386 Ryazan ruler Oleg won a battle with Moscow forces but instead of making Ryazan the capital of Russia her merely agreed to maintain peace with Moscow. In 1521 Ryazan joined Moscow after all other surrounding kingdoms did. The leader of Ryazan Ivan Ivanovich escaped to Lithuania and lived there by borrowing from local Jews. Unable to pay back he ended up a frequent guest at the local court, of which several records survived to our days. In 1610 Ryazan nobleman Ljapunov lead the uprising to overthrow the Polish King then in power in Moscow. In 1814 the Ryazan Infantly Regiment was first to enter Paris. One of its companies was lead to attack the Montmare??? by a priest who took command after the officer was killed. In 1904 Ivan Pavlov, born, raised, and educated in Ryazan, became the first Russian Nobel Prize recipient. Comment supplied by the famous Vovchik of Ryazan |
In Moscow and St. Petersburg at least, Ryazan serves as an epitome of provincial Russia, simple, loud, crass, crude, gauche etc. At the same time Ryazan generate outstanding people [examples famous names from Ryazan's history]. Perhaps from afar this 500 thousand town may be viewed as a concentrate of Russia and Russian-ness. Welcome to the world that not merely contains but is defined by extremes and inconsistencies. Expect noise, dirt, and stupidity supreme intermingled with beauty, dignity, intelligence, and wisdom. The local industry keeps making absurd consumer articles that haven't changed from the 70s along with competitive or even unique high-tech products. Newspapers will print porn and scandals side-by-side with discussions of the mathematical principles behind the use of shades by the 17th century Dutch painters. Be ready for lots of military uniforms: no less that 3% of Ryazan's population is employed by the army. The city is home to several major military centers, and to a large extent the army - along with drunks, hoodlums, and intellectuals -define the character of the place. I've been told that Ryazan has the world's only school of commandos where "students" are taught nothing but how to kill for four whole years. Lots of posters advertising judo and
karate events. Street fights are still common. At least I seem to witness one every time I'm there. There may be historic roots to Ryazan's high level of aggression: the city's role during the rise of the centralized state was to protect Moscow from steppe nomads. Political extremism is common, and in no other place in Russia will one find as many swastikas as you will see on walls and fences in Ryazan.
| A good half of the population supports communists who, in turn, seem to be fusing with the right wing of the Russian orthodox movement. |
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"Glory to Russia" on the best shopping mall in Ryazan. | ||
| "Death to the dark-skinned" on the fence around the construction site where migrants from the south work. Somewhere by the city cemetery. |
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On the positive side, Ryazan is one of the places where Moscow-style economic boom is about to take off. At the moment however Ryazan remains one of the cheapest places in Russia, so get your foot in the door while getting established is still affordable. Need a review of the business scene? Vovchik, a journalist, is the best resource on Who is Who in Ryazan, and will be happy to give you a free initial consultation, or to work on your project for a reasonable fee.
Where is Ryazan and how to get there
No, you will not end up in Ryazan by travelling between Moscow and St. Petersburg no matter how drunk you get. For reasons that are beyond the scope of this site Ryazan ended up part of my realm however, and I will be promoting it as a worthy travel destination. Thus this page.
The distance from Moscow is 180 (120 miles). You will go through Ryazan if travelling from Moscow to Kazan, Samara, Saratov, Volgograd, Astrakhan, Orenburg (South Urals), Chelyabinsk, and Ufa, the capital of Bashkorstan. You will also pass though Ryazan on your way to several cute states that end with -stan, where currency bears the picture of the current ruler but you don't need to count change, and your lost wallet is likely to be returned with its content intact.
Kolomna is one of the pleasant places to stop on your way to Ryazan if travelling by car.
Don't take the commuter train ("elektrichka") in order to get to Ryazan. Unless, that is, you are looking for a memorable experience and a culture shock of the tougher variety. I lasted for 10 minutes among vodka drinkers, aggressive sellers, ecstatic card players, and a whole crowd of people who don't know that socks can be changed daily. Be assured I am no abstainer, and selling useless services is my job, and I'm no stranger to obsessions - and I still could not take it.
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A church/monastery on the bank of Oka breaks the monotony of garages and potato plots surrounded by barbed wire fortifications |
So, unless you want to study the types and characters that make up the Russian society's huge underclass, the best option is an express train that leaves from the Kazan station in Moscow at 7:00am, 12 noon, and 6:20pm. The cost is $11-12, the time in transit is less than three hours, and the carriage is filled to no more that 2/3 of its capacity.
Hint: 2nd class is more comfortable than 1st. Uness you enjoy plastic flowers on your table and forced viewing of bad movies.
Hint No. 2: On weekdays you don't need to buy tickets in advance but one weekends, when people tend to travel more, this is highly recommended.
If you need to wait for your train, I recommend the VIP hall. After my commuter train experience I did not mind paying an equivalent of $4 to sit for two hours in a civilized environment, and greatly enjoyed seeing huge-breasted guard women chase ordinary mortals away from the privileged area.
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The level of comfort comparable with that of a good 3-star hotel can be found here for $3 for the first hour and $1-something for each consecutive one. | |
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I confess to liking the communist era art for something the old fuzzy me largely lacks: clarity and energy. |
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Getting back
Comfortable trains described above leave Ryazan at 7:05am, around 1pm, and then at 5pm. On weekends it is a good idea to buy tickets a few hours in advance.
Accommodation - hotels
Lovech Hotel, Dimitrov Square. For the first night I stayed at the Lovech Hotel on Ploshad Dmitrova, tel. (+7-0912) 92 69 20, 72 6682, fax 92 70 07. Lovech is a Bulgarian city that returned the favour by building an identical hotel and naming it "Ryazan". And comrade Dmitrov, I believe, is the No. 1 Bulgarian revolutionary. There is a statue of him, with an oversized fist, near my Ovchinnikovskaya apartment, for the connoisseurs of the communist era art. [photo]
For 550 roubles ($20) I got a small but clean and entirely functional room with a window overlooking some sort of a factory that generated an moderate quantity of noise throughout the night.
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Priokskaya, ul. Kalyayeva 13a, (0912) 28-9337, about $50 for a double room
Grand-Hotel, Zavodskoy Proyezd 1, (0912) 34-7608, fax 34-8681
An option for real special guests who fully understand the risks of Russian hospitality is to stay with Vovchik's mother Galina Alexandrovna. Write to vfroll@mail.ru
Accommodation - apartments
Here a a few numbers noticed on lamp poles around the center of Ryazan:
Russky Dom ("Russian Home"), (0912) 990696. Possibly the biggest apartment rental agency in Ryazan.CLOSED?8-910-568-5858
Gostiny Dvor ("Travellers' Yard), (0912) 292292. Apartment rental by the hour.
Added March 10, 2006. Noticed an apartment for rent in Ryazan at www.dayflat.ru A large apartment on the 1st floor of an old centrally located house for $50 for 1-3 person but can accommodate up to 5 easily. The ad was in Russian but you may try calling 8-910-638-1313 or 8-916-6554667
Sanatoriums
See http://www.staritsa.com/english.html.
(This is a different "Staritsa" than the one described at www.staritsa.info/staritsa.htm)
What to do
[Staraya Ryazan]
Safely
Although having calmed down considerably in the last few years, Ryazan remains a place where one should be on his alert, especially at night. LOTS of aggressive drunks. In Moscow ethanol tends to make people sociable. In Tver and northwards they grow lethargic save for an occasional axe fight. But south of Moscow alcohol seems to release a lot of energy in its devotees. In the Ukraine and further south this vitality is ritualized into singing and dancing. In Ryzaan and similar places extra energy takes the form of aimless moving, swearing, and otherwise acting as someone from whom cautious wimps like you and me should should maintain maintain safe distance.
[insert a quote from Illovaysky on the militant and troublesome nature of Ryazan people: .........]
Ryazan resources in English
Business support services in Ryazan: http://www.gc.ryazan.ru:8101/. Tried getting them to look after my client once but received no response.
Report prepared April 2005. Updated March 11, 2006.
Last update March 11, 2006
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