Orenburg is a Russian metropolis located on the European side of the Ural River, which forms the border with Asia. The city’s history began with the construction of the Orenburg fortress at the mouth of the Or River in the Urals in 1734, which was done to ensure the expansion of the Russian Empire towards Asia. The following year, a smaller town arose around the fort, but due to recurring floods, Orenburg was moved in 1741, and the first town was called Orsk. This site also proved unsuitable, and in 1743 the town was founded for the third time, this time on the site of present-day Orenburg. The city developed into a strategically important city for the Russian military and became the center of the Orenburg Cossacks.

Orenburg played a significant role during the Pugachev Rebellion, which unfolded as a civil war of 1773-1775, with Yemelyan Pugachev leading a major peasant war. The rebellion spread around Orenburg before it was put down by Aleksander Suvorov. The city was visited by Aleksander Pushkin in 1833, and during this time Orenburg formed the base for Russian expeditions against the Khiva Khanate. After the successful conquest of Central Asia, Orenburg became an important trading city for the new territories and a railway hub after the opening of the Trans-Aral railway. Orenburg even served as the capital of present-day Kazakhstan from 1920 to 1925, when the city and the area around Orenburg became part of the Russian Soviet Republic. In the years 1938-1957, Orenburg changed its name to Chkalov; named after the test pilot and Soviet hero Valery Chkalov.

Today, Orenburg is an interesting city with several sights. A round trip can be started in the nice park that lies along the street Sovetskaya ulitsa/Советская улица at the place where Ulitsa Leninskaja/Улица Ленинская crosses. The park is adorned by one of the city’s statues of Vladimir Lenin, and to the west of the park you can visit the Orenburg Regional Museum of Fine Arts/Оренбурский областной музей изобразительных искусств. From the park you can walk south along Sovetskaya ulitsa. Here you pass some of the city’s university buildings and a little east of the southernmost part of the street is Muzej Istorii Orenburga/Музей истории Оренбурга, which is a local history museum.

There is a special attraction in Orenburg that cannot be found in many other places in the world. The city is located on the northern bank of the Ural River, and it belongs to Europe. South of the river and thus on the other side of the water are some of Orenburg’s Asian suburbs. And it’s easy to get from Europe to Asia, as there is a pedestrian bridge over the Urals in continuation of Sovetskaya ulitsa, which is Orenburg’s main thoroughfare. North of the bridge is the Valery Chkalov Monument/Памятник Чкалову, and after some stairs you can cross the river with a view of Orenburg’s river promenades and beaches. On the bridge, the border between Europe and Asia is clearly marked.

If you instead go north along Sovetskaya ulitsa, you can experience Orenburg’s administrative center, which was built during the Soviet Union. Sovetskaya ulitsa is reminiscent of Lenin Square/Площадь Ленина, where there is also a statue of Lenin. In connection with it is the square Skver U Doma Sovetov/Сквер У Дома Советов. It is named after the regional administration building, which is located to the west of the square. The building was erected as the local Supreme Soviet, designated Dom Sovetov/Дом Советов. Dom Sovetov was built 1936-1940 and is today the parliament and seat of administration for the Orenburg region.

East of the city is another interesting place. It is the National Village Cultural Complex/Культурный комплекс Национальная деревня. There is an open-air museum, established in 2007, so that residents of the Orenburg region and visitors learn more about several nationalities and the history, culture, traditions and customs of their people. In the area there are a number of buildings with museums, cafes and eateries. A visit to the cultural village brings you close to ethnography, history and everyday life.