Chelyabinsk’s “Paris” was founded in 1842 by Nagaybaks, who are an ethno confessional group in Russia. They are Christian descendants of Volga Tatars and former Cossacks of the Orenburg Host.
Nagaybaks still live in the “Little Europe” so one of the languages spoken here is Nagaybaksky, which has its roots in the Tatar language. The schools in this area previously taught French as well.
“We have a wonderful museum where one can get acquainted with the town’s history, not so long ago there was an opportunity to visit a real ostrich farm here. It was started by a local resident, although I have not been there but I heard a lot about it,” local resident Alena C. told RIA Novosti.
The ostrich farm was established by local businessman Nikolai Bartaev. He also arranges excursions called the “Parisian ostrich,” during which guests are shown other attractions in the town as well.
One of the main attractions of the town is a small copy of the Eiffel Tower. Its height is just 50 meters but tourists specifically come here to take selfies.
The tower was built for a practical purpose — it provides the town and neighborhood settlements with cellular signals.
“The Eiffel Tower has become the main place for get-togethers and evening dates amongst the youth. At weddings, everyone tries to take a picture next to it, it’s a new tradition,” Alena said.
She further said that there are a lot of tourists who visit their “Paris” from other cities and there have been some foreigners who have visited the town as well.
Then There is Berlin
“Berlin” is another settlement which was founded by the Nagabayks. Currently it is home to about 600 people.
Near this town there is a forest-steppe reserve called Trinity, where students studying plants and biology come for their practical studies from the city of Perm.
The town is quite small and apart from its name to the capital of Germany, it doesn’t share much in common with it. There is no smaller reproduction of Reichstag or the Berlin Wall here.
Not far from “Berlin” there is another township with an unusual name, Port Arthur. It consists of only four streets, where about 270 people reside in total.
Beach Town of Varna
Varna is a famous resort town in Bulgaria and it is also the administrative center of “Varna” district of Chelyabinsk region.
This town is trying to live up to its name. It has equipped beaches and an active cultural life. There is a 17-meter mausoleum called Kesene and it is located 200 km from Chelyabinsk. The tourists tend to stop here on their way to Chelyabinsk.
“The Kesene mausoleum, which is also called the Tamerlane tower, is a traditional hotspot for couples to get their photos taken on their wedding day. There is a special tree to which bride and groom tie a ribbon and make a wish,” one local resident, Olga K, told RIA Novosti in a comment.
“Varna” is quite a large town which has a lot to offer such as various cultural, sports events and also musical performances.
There are also museums and cafes for people to enjoy themselves in. However, as it often happens in such towns, local youth leave the town to go for their studies to big cities after which very few ever return.
