Travel Notes

Selling murder 

A new tour takes travelers to places connected with the last days of the Russian Imperial Family. Organized by the center investigating the murder of the Romanovs, the 11-day tour is called “Russian Golgotha.” The itinerary starts in St. Petersburg and includes visits to Tyumen, Tobolsk, Alpaevsk, Perm and Yekaterinburg. The tour costs $1,500 for foreigners and about $400 for Russians (see Post Script, page 64). 

One of the sites on the tour will be the soon-to-be-completed Cathedral on the Blood in Yekaterinburg, which is located on the spot of the former Ipatyev House, the last residence and execution site of the Romanovs. The cathedral has already had a tragic beginning: four workers have died in construction accidents.

The site will also house the Patriarch’s residence in the Urals. The residence is expected to be completed by July, when Patriarch Aleksii II will visit Yekaterinburg to consecrate the cathedral.

Pskov prepares

City to celebrate

1100th anniversary

In honor of the city of Pskov’s 1100th anniversary in 2003, a museum of Pskov books and writings will be opened in the so-called Mason’s House, a nobleman’s mansion built in the early 20th century. The museum will house about one third of the manuscripts and books kept in the Pskov Museum-Reserve complex, some dating to the 9th century. Not all items will be behind glass; some will also be available in the museum’s reading hall. (RIA Novosti)

Vlad out, Boris in

Village to honor 

its favorite son

The residents of Butka village in the southeastern part of Sverdlovskaya oblast are planning to replace their sole remaining statue of Vladimir Lenin with a bronze statue of their most famous former resident: Boris Yeltsin, Novye Izvestiya daily reported. The news came shortly after Yelstin’s representatives made a pledge on the ex-president’s behalf to equip the poverty-stricken village’s school with computers. Previously, Butka residents reportedly bore a grudge against Yeltsin, who did not show up at Butka’s anniversary celebrations in 2001 and even forgot to send his greetings. Yeltsin was born in Butka in 1931 and spent the first five years of his life there. 

Reserve action

Moscow authorities have announced plans for reconstruction of the popular Kolomenskoye museum reserve. Originally, it was announced that there were plans to populate the 390 hectare open-air museum with hotels, restaurants and modern housing. But museum workers and local residents protested this plan in an open letter to President Vladimir Putin, Moscow Mayor Yuri  Luzhkov and the Moscow City Duma. Authorities backed off of that development plan and say the primary aim of the reconstruction project is to support the reserve. 

All aboard!

In November, the Railways Ministry introduced several new rules designed to boost customer service. 

First, passengers whose trains arrive late are now entitled to receive 3% of the cost of their tickets for each hour that their train is late. Passengers of suburban trains will also receive compensation for unplanned cancellations–a frequent headache for people who travel in and out of Moscow every day. Passengers must apply for refunds within 45 days of their travel, and payment must be made within 30 days of application. 

Second, passengers in sleeper compartments may now carry 50 kg of luggage instead of 36 kg, as before. Third, passengers may now bring two pets on the train with them, including muzzled dogs. 

Finally, passengers can get a full refund on unused tickets if they return them at least 15 hours before their scheduled departure.

Bilingual Metro

The Moscow metro began installing bilingual signs and maps in December in an attempt to make life easier for tourists in Moscow. Station names and maps inside stations and cars will be written in Latin transcription as well as in Cyrillic.

New Consulate

Russia has opened a new Consulate General in Toronto. There are two other Russian diplomatic posts in Canada–an Embassy in Ottawa and a Consulate General in Montreal.

Hyatt Comes to Moscow

Russia’s first Hyatt hotel opened in Moscow in October. The Ararat Park Hyatt Moscow was built on Neglinnaya street by the restoration and construction company Lucine. It replaces the dilapidated Armenia hotel and the Ararat cafe. The new five star hotel, estimated by its owner Murad Sargsyan to have cost $60 million to build, has 219 rooms in the $200-1100 price range. 

Tourism Stats

About 2 million tourists from abroad, including the CIS countries, visited Moscow last year. They spent about $1000 each, or $2 billion, in the city, according to City Hall Tourism Committee officials. The committee estimates that foreign tourists stay in Moscow an average of 3.5 days. The government’s target is to bring the annual flow of tourists from non-CIS countries to 5 million a year.

Credit Cabs

It may soon be possible to pay for a Moscow taxi ride with your credit card, Kommersant daily reported. Guta Bank signed an agreement with Elex Polus Taxi whereby the bank will equip taxis with special meters and imprinters. Elex Polus Taxi plans to launch 25 card-friendly taxis as a test of profitability.

New Museums

A private museum of Russian myths and superstitions has opened in Uglich, Yaroslav region. Owner Darya Chuzhaya (pictured at right) has called her creation: “Museum – Creative Workshop of Myths and Superstitions of the Russian People.” Located in a wooden house in the center of town, the museum features representations of a kikimora, a leshis (wood-goblin), a domovoi (house spirit) and other creatures. 

A museum devoted to poet Gavriil Derzhavin will be opened in St. Petersburg in May. The opening will coincide with the city’s tercentenary and the 260th anniversary of Derzhavin’s birth. It will be located in Derzhavin’s mansion at Fontanka nab. 118 and feature, among other objects, the famous portrait of Derzhavin painted by Vassily Borovikovsky, donated to the museum by the Tretyakov Gallery. The mansion will also serve, as it did centuries ago, as a cultural center for literary evenings, festivals, concerts and performances. (RIA Novosti) 

Russia’s first Tool Museum was opened in St. Petersburg last November. The museum’s collection traces the evolution of tools from early hand drills to modern electric tools, and features, among other objects, axes and joiners which, according to some historians, were used by Peter the Great to build his fleet. The collection includes over 2,000 objects, both Russian and foreign, and is located at Novgorodskaya ulitsa, 13, in the exhibition hall of “Prommashinstrument” company. It is open daily from 10 am to 6 pm. Visits and excursions are free. (Rosbalt news agency)