Penza boasts a rich history and cultural traditions. The city was founded as a fortress to protect the state border, more than once it had to experience the raids of wild steppe nomads. In the 18th-19th centuries, it developed as a spiritual center thanks to the active construction and development of monasteries and temples.
The fates of M. Yu. Lermontov, V. G. Belinsky, V. E. Meyerhold, V. O. Klyuchevsky - famous cultural figures who have made an invaluable contribution to the intangible heritage of our country - are associated with Penza.
The tourist potential of the city is enormous. Museums, theaters and architectural sights will be of interest to fans of educational travel, visits to monasteries and churches - to pilgrims, the natural beauty of the banks of the Sura River - to people who prefer ecological routes.
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What to see and where to go in Penza?
The most interesting and beautiful places for walking. Photos and a short description.
Monument "First Settler"
The monument is dedicated to the founders of the city, it was installed in 1980. It is a sculptural group on a pedestal, consisting of figures of a horse and a man standing next to him with a spear and plow in his hands, symbolizing war and a farmer (the first settlers had to have a variety of skills in order to survive). There is an observation deck around the monument, from where you can look at the panorama of the city.
Fountain Square
The central square is one of the favorite walks of the townspeople and the dates of lovers. In the hot season, a large number of people gather around the color-musical fountain to enjoy the refreshing spray of water jets. During holidays and public events, a stage is set up here, where concerts are held and artists perform. In winter, the main Christmas tree of Penza is decorated on the square.
Moskovskaya street
The street is located in the historical center, it can be called the main alley of the city - all tourists certainly come here in order to get the first impression of Penza. The local "Arbat" has existed since the 18th century; stone houses were the first to appear here. At the beginning of the 20th century, a meat and fish passage operated in Moscow, today there are banks, hotels, shopping centers and cultural institutions.
Drama Theater named after A. V. Lunacharsky
The stage was founded at the end of the 18th century. The very first performance was a production based on a play written by Empress Catherine II. That very first theater was designed for only 100 spectators. At the beginning of the 20th century, the building of the People's House named after Emperor Alexander II ”, which existed until the 2008 fire. In 2009, a new building was erected for the theater in an architectural style, where modernity and recognizable elements of the classics were mixed.
Museum of one painting named after G. Myasnikov
Quite an interesting institution with an original concept that has no analogues in Russia. There is no permanent exhibition here, visitors are offered to look at the only exhibit - a painting, which is selected each time according to strict criteria. Guests sit in the auditorium and listen to a lecture on the life and work of the artist, his works, while studying and examining all the details of the canvas.
Art Gallery named after K. A. Savitsky
Art Museum, founded in 1892. The collection is based on canvases from the private collection of Governor ND Seliverstov. A separate building for the gallery was built in 1897. Together with the exhibition halls, an art school was housed in it. The exposition was replenished due to the fact that famous artists donated their paintings to the museum. By the beginning of the 20th century, the number of canvases reached several hundred. The gallery displays works by Russian and European masters of the 17th – 20th centuries.
Museum of local lore
The museum was founded by members of the local society of natural history lovers, at first it housed natural science collections. After the institution was opened to the public in 1911, the variety of the exhibition began to expand. At the moment, there are 8 permanent exhibitions of ethnographic, artistic, archaeological and historical orientation. The total number of exhibits exceeds 95 thousand.
"House of Meyerhold"
Theater-museum, organized on the territory of the house, where the famous director and actor V. Meyerhold lived. The exposition is dedicated to his life and work, it consists of more than 10 thousand items. The theater is an experimental platform where performances are staged using the creative heritage of Meyerhold. The institution is located in a picturesque wooden manor house built in 1881.
Museum of Folk Art
The exposition is located on the territory of a wooden house of the first half of the 19th century - a unique architectural monument. The museum was opened in 1975. The main mission of the institution is to study and popularize traditional folk crafts of the Penza region. Here you can see an Abashev toy, items made of fluff and glass, ceramic dishes, crafts made of wood, straw and textiles.
Museum of V.O. Klyuchevsky
The museum was opened in 1991. The exposition was placed on the territory of a wooden house in which the famous historian V. Klyuchevsky was born and lived up to 20 years. The exhibition consists of two sections: the first contains furniture, books, interior items, clothing and archival documents dating back to the 19th century, the second presents Klyuchevsky's scientific works, his autographs and photographs.
Meat passage
The shopping arcade, built at the end of the 19th century from red brick according to the project of V.P.Semechkin. The complex turned out to be quite lush and elegant, with a large number of decorative elements, despite its purely practical focus (it was intended to accommodate butcher shops). The rows were used for their intended purpose until the 1970s; today, public institutions are located on their territory.
Assumption Cathedral
A picturesque temple of the early XX century, built in an elegant pseudo-Russian style (with elements of the Byzantine) of red brick. The center of the architectural composition is a round tower topped with a dome. In 1934, a military warehouse was located on its territory, but in 1945 services were resumed in the cathedral thanks to the persistence of the parishioners, who constantly applied for the establishment of the institution.
Spaso-Preobrazhensky monastery
The monastery was founded at the end of the 17th century by the authorization letter of Tsar Ivan V. Presumably, it arose as a result of the merger of three previously existing monastic communities. In 1794, the monastery was moved to the site of the Ascension cemetery and the entire complex was rebuilt. After the closure in the 1920s and the placement of stables and residential apartments on the territory, the buildings fell into disrepair. In the 1930s, almost all churches (except for the Transfiguration Church) and other structures of the monastery were destroyed. The revival began in the 1990s.
Trinity Convent
The history of the monastery began with the construction and consecration of the wooden church of the Life-Giving Trinity in 1702. Almost simultaneously with the temple, cells were erected for the first nuns and nuns. From the middle of the 18th century, the buildings were replaced by stone ones. By the second half of the 19th century, the territory of the complex had increased significantly, the construction of new buildings was actively carried out. Under Soviet rule, after the closure of the monastery, it was devastated and destroyed until its revival began in the 1990s.
Intercession Bishop Cathedral
The cathedral was erected immediately after the founding of Penza, but literally a couple of years later it was burned by nomads during a raid on Penza.Until 1765, the temple was rebuilt from wood several times, until a stone building came to replace it. After it was closed in 1931 until the 1970s-1980s, there was a cinema on the territory of the church, then the building was empty and destroyed. Restoration work began in the 1990s, and services were resumed at the same time.
Monument to Military and Labor Glory
The monument is considered one of the most important in the city, as well as the most recognizable monument and symbol of Penza. It is dedicated to local residents who performed military and labor exploits during the Second World War. The sculptural group was installed in 1975. It is located on the top of a hill on a granite pedestal and consists of figures of a woman and a child, whom she holds in her arms, as well as a protector warrior, as if covering the mother and child with a wide cloak.
Glory Monument "Sprout"
The monument in the form of a peaked stele resembling a sprout is located on the embankment of the Sura River. It symbolizes the continuous and progressive development of the city. The obelisk, 25 meters high, was created in the 1970s, and a letter to descendants was placed inside the structure. Near the monument there is a small square - a place for walking the townspeople, holding holidays and organizing various shows.
Traffic light tree
An unusual art object that in 2011 adorned the city square between Suvorov Street and Oktyabrskaya Street. The author of the idea was the city mayor, who saw a traffic light tree in London and decided to create the same one in Penza. The attraction was assembled from 36 old, decommissioned (but at the same time working) traffic lights. As a result, the creators got a complete work of contemporary art.
Penza Zoo
The zoo was founded in 1981. Today, more than 200 animal species live in it, 70 of which are listed in the Red Book. There are also many rare representatives of flora growing here (some trees are more than 180-200 years old). On the territory of the zoo there are open pavilions where animals are released in summer, and closed rooms where they can stay during the cold season.
Botanical Garden named after I.I. Sprygin
The Penza Botanical Garden appeared thanks to the initiative of members of the city society of natural science in 1917. Since its inception, it has become a platform for scientific research carried out by renowned botanical researchers. In 1966, a fire broke out here, destroying the greenhouse with tropical and subtropical species (unfortunately, it was never restored).
"Bridge of Friendship"
The pedestrian bridge was built in the 1970s. At that time, the structure represented the pinnacle of engineering achievements. The structure is a suspended pontoon 600 meters long. It received the name "Bridge of Friendship" in 2008 after the Regional Congress of Non-Governmental Organizations of the Council of Europe. In the evening, the bridge is illuminated with bright lanterns, offering views of the river and the city.
Sura river
Penza stands on the banks of the Sura - the right tributary of the Volga and one of the most picturesque rivers of the Volga Upland. The water artery has a very winding bed. In the 16th century, it was the border separating the Kazan Khanate and the Moscow principality. After the conquests of Ivan the Terrible, fortress cities began to be built along it to protect the borders of the expanded state, one of which was Penza.
Belinsky park
The park was founded in 1821 as part of the decree of Alexander I on the improvement of cities; it is one of the oldest in Russia. This place was repeatedly visited by emperors (Alexander I, Alexander II, Nicholas I), famous scientists, writers and statesmen. During the Soviet era, the park continued to develop and expand. Today it is a complete and modernly equipped area for walking and entertainment.
Sculpture Park "Legend"
"Legend" appeared in 2008 after the First Sculpture Symposium, which brought together representatives from different countries. The park consists of sculptures created by masters from all over the world from a variety of materials: stone, bronze, marble, steel, wood, plastic. It is a full-fledged cultural complex with a hotel, exhibition space, conference rooms and a spa center.
Museum-reserve "Tarkhany"
The complex is located 100 km from Penza. This is the family estate of the Lermontov family, where Mikhail Yuryevich spent his childhood. It was here in 1942 that his body was brought from Pyatigorsk for reburial at the family cemetery. The museum-reserve on the territory of the estate was organized only in the 1960s, practically all the buildings that had fallen into disrepair were restored.
