A small but very comfortable city of Saransk is the capital of the Republic of Mordovia. It is in the Volga region, not far from Nizhniy Novgorod, Kazan, Ulyanovsk and Samara, large Russian cities located directly at the Volga river.
Saransk was founded in 1641, as a fortress of the Zasechnaya Cherta (fortified line), which stretched from Belgorod to Ulyanovsk. The strongest fortifications were built in Saransk in 1703. In 1670 Saransk was captured by the troops of Stepan Razin. In July 1774 the host of Yemelyan Pugachev stayed in the city.
It will be very interesting to have a tour of the historical center of Saransk. All tourists note an agreeable, well-kept and beautiful look of the city. All main tourist attractions are within a walking distance from one another and the historical center looks well-balanced.
The most interesting sights of the city are near the Pushkin Park. It was just there, on the high bank of the small river Saranka, that the city fortress was located. Now a big park is on the low bank of the river. And on the high bank of the river the Cathedral of St. Theodor Ushakov and the memorial military complex are located. Fontanny spusk (Fountain descent) is between the park and the Soviet Square. There are always walking a lot of people on the spusk.
The Millennium Square is to the north of the Cathedral of St. Theodor Ushakov. The square was opened in 2012 by the Thousandth Anniversary of the Unification of Mordovian and Russian peoples. It is a very big and beautiful square. The Star of Mordovia, the Russia`s highest fountain, is in the center of the square. The beautiful glass building of the Mordovia State University towers over the Millennium Square.
By all means should you visit the Museum of Fine Arts to acquaint oneself with the work of a famous Mordovian sculptor Stepan Erzya (Nefedov), as well as see the pictures of well-known Russian and Mordovian painters.
