Perm Russia
Russia
Frequently Asked Questions
At the landing on the Kama River, below the city, in the Urals. Passengers come almost immediately upon the local emblem: huge red letters set on the embankment.
A contemporary art installation that became the city's emblem. They declare in Russian, 'Happiness is not beyond the mountains' — the most photographed work in Perm, and a summary of its outlook.
Yes, the centre works on foot or by tram, among 19th-century merchant houses, Soviet buildings and new-generation cafés. The landscaped promenade along the Kama extends the walk naturally.
The State Gallery and its Permian gods first, then the Kama embankment and the red letters. With time left, follow the 'green line', a marked walking route linking the milestones of local history.
Polychrome wooden sculptures carved between the 17th and 19th centuries by local craftsmen, kept in the fine arts gallery housed in the former Cathedral of the Transfiguration. These seated, pensive Christs blend Orthodox iconography with local tradition: a treasure unique in Russia.
Because it was while studying the rocks of this Ural region that the geologist Roderick Murchison named the Permian in 1841 — the era preceding the dinosaurs. Few cities have given their name to a chapter of Earth's history.
Sergei Diaghilev, founder of the Ballets Russes, grew up here, in a family house now a place of remembrance. The city's opera house, one of the oldest in Russia, carries Tchaikovsky's name, and its ballet company has a reputation reaching well beyond the region.
A walking route marked on the ground linking the main milestones of local history. It is the simplest way to explore on your own: just follow the line, no map or guide required.
Honey from the Ural foothills, forest berries and freshwater fish. Steaming pelmeni are eaten everywhere — the dish that warms you when the wind off the Kama picks up.
The Russian rouble and Russian. Bring cash, as foreign-issued cards cannot be relied on. English is not widely spoken, including in the museums: a guide makes the Permian gods far more rewarding.
