Cheboksary is a Russian metropolis that is the capital of the Republic of Chuvashia and is located on the banks of the Cheboksary Reservoir, which was formed by damming the Volga River. The history of the current city started in 1555, when Russians established a fort and a settlement in it in the form of a kremlin built of wood. The foundation happened when the archbishop of Kazan stopped in the future Cheboksary to mark the framework of the new city kremlin, which happened on behalf of Ivan IV. At the same time, a temporary church made of linen was established on the site where the city’s cathedral was later built.

There was a garrison, housing and various administrative functions in Cheboksary Kremlin, and the town’s development took place with wooden buildings until the middle of the 17th century. A fire destroyed large parts of the church, and from the 1660s, stone was built, such as the construction of Vredensky Cathedral and several other churches. However, Cheboksary was ravaged by fires several times, and in 1704 it was decided not to rebuild the city’s Kremlin. Instead, the city grew throughout the 18th century with, among other things, merchants’ townhouses, which were stone houses on one or two floors, and during this time the city’s streets were radically changed from the wooden architecture of earlier times.

In 1820, a new town plan was established for Cheboksary with a modern street network with right angles and architectural alignment of many buildings. However, large parts of the plan were not carried out, and some of the planned areas were not realized until the 20th century. Over time, the population increased from 456 in 1625 to approximately 5,000 around the year 1900, which was the start of a century of great growth. New industrialization and new suburbs have since brought the population to around 500,000, and one of the major projects in and around the city was the damming of the Volga, which occurred with the construction of a dam in 1980 in Novocheboksarsk to the east of the city.

Today, there are several attractions in Cheboksary, where monuments, museums and other places of interest are within walking distance of each other. You can start at Republic Square, which is the center of the city and which until the 1930s was the marketplace. There is a green area in the middle of the square where you can see the city’s statue of the head of state Lenin, and in the years 1950-1996 the square bore Lenin’s name. On this side you can also see the turreted building that houses the Chuvashia Agricultural Academy, while the Chuvashia government building is to the west. The government building was built in Stalinist classicism as Dom Sovetov from 1940.

You can also take a nice walk around Cheboksary Zaliv, which is a small bay close to the center. There are promenades all the way around the bay with good views of the water and several sights along the way. On the eastern bank is the square Krasnaya Ploshad, where you can see the State Drama Theater of Chuvashia, located in a beautiful neoclassical theater building from 1961. Next to the theater, you can visit the National Museum of Chuvashia, which has exciting exhibitions on, among other things, the history and culture of the region. On the western side of the bay is the modern opera and ballet theatre, which opened in 1960. On this side also stands the Protecting Mother Monument, Cheboksary’s landmark. The 46-meter-high monument was inaugurated in 2003.

Around the city there are other interesting things to see. In the northern part of the center, in the area close to the Volga, you can see the Victory Park, located at Cheboksary’s highest point. From here there is a beautiful view of the Volga and the city area. The park was established as a memorial to the fallen during World War 2, but there are also monuments to other wars and efforts, and central is the park’s central sculpture group and an eternal flame. In the same area you can visit the Chuvashia State Art Museum. The museum’s collection includes icons, Russian and foreign art from the 18th-20th centuries. century, and you can also see more recent works by Chuvashia artists, folk art and decorative arts from Chuvashia and other parts of Russia.

Finally, you should also take a walk in the city’s old quarter along the Volga in the area west of Cheboksary Zaliv. It is a neighborhood characterized by beautiful old houses and churches along the streets Ulitsa Konstantina Ivanova and Moskovskaya Nabereshnaya. At the latter street you can also enjoy a day at Cheboksary’s beach in the summer season. In the center of the quarter, you can visit Vvdensky Cathedral, which was built in its current version in the mid-17th century. The cathedral is thus the oldest preserved building in Cheboksary, and in the church, you can see preserved frescoes and the cathedral’s fine iconostasis. From the cathedral you can go east to the area’s other churches and the Holy Trinity Monastery.