Tobolsk (1.5 days) – Salekhard – Surgut

The heart of Tobolsk is undoubtedly the Kremlin. The only stone kremlin beyond the Ural Mountains. Almost from the moment of its foundation, Tobolsk turns into an exile city. The earliest building on the territory of the Tobolsk Kremlin is the oldest church in Siberia, the St. Sophia Assumption Cathedral, which was built in 1683-1686, the main space of which is used as a museum of ancient Russian painting. The Tobolsk province presented Russia with many wonderful people, including a famous writer Pyotr Pavlovich Yershov. Young citizens of the country begin to get acquainted with the work of the wonderful author at a very early age, reading fairy tales about the Humpback Horse and the Firebird.

The next point on our route will be the old village of Uvat known since the XVII century. Currently, it is extremely interesting for tourists to visit the local Museum of Irtysh Legends. One of the most unorthodox exhibitions of the museum is dedicated to the legendary Golden Baba (woman), and here you can see a dummy of the famous idol reproduced according to the chronicles. In other halls, you can get acquainted with the nature of Uvat. Visitors are accompanied by sounds characterizing each thematic exposition. Traditionally the popular and spectacular event in Uvat is the festival of wooden park sculpture "Miracle Workers". Masters from different parts of Russia come to compete in the art of creating sculptural compositions. The A. I. Tikhonov Biathlon Center is also located in Uvat. In winter, biathlon competitions are held here.

Next stop is Khanty-Mansiysk. Khanty-Mansiysk was founded in 1930 as a work settlement of Ostyako-Vogulsk after the obsolete names of Ostyaks and Voguls for the Khanty and Mansi peoples. Khanty-Mansiysk is also called the city of pyramids and mammoths due to the archaeological park "Samarovsky Ostanets" located by the mountain, which can rightfully be called the symbol of the city. On the territory of the park there are sculptures of ancient animals, people, and a famous sculpture of mammoths in full size. The mammoth sculpture has become the main symbol not only of the archeopark, but also in the entire Khanty-Mansiysk. Khanty-Mansiysk is a skiing and alpine skiing center of global importance. Biathlon World Cup competitions are annually held in the city, and tourism infrastructure has been developed here quite well. The city was the venue of the 2003 and 2011 Biathlon World Championships, and in 2005 the first Mixed Biathlon Relay Championships took place here, and again in 2010. The 2011 IPC Biathlon and Cross-Country Skiing World Championships where skiers with a physical disability compete, took place in Khanty-Mansiysk in March–April 2011 as well. Khanty-Mansiysk was home to the 2015 Winter Deaflympics and the HC Yugra of the Supreme Hockey League. The city includes the Ugra Chess Academy, which has been the venue of the 2010 Chess Olympiad and the Women's World Chess Championship 2012. In 2010, the Olympic Hotel was built just to house the players in the Olympiad. It also hosted the 2005 Chess World Cup, the 2007 Chess World Cup, the 2009 Chess World Cup and the 2011 Chess World Cup. It hosted the World Rapid and Blitz Championship in 2013 and the 2014 Candidates Tournament. In May 2015, the FIDE Grand Prix tournament was held here. The 2018 FIDE Women's World Championship was held here on November 2–23, 2018. It included 64 chess players from 28 countries and was won by Ju Wenjun.

In Siberia there is a settlement Beryozovo, which was known in Tsarist Russia for exiles. Everyone was taken here. Currently, Beryozovo is a quiet and friendly place, with a population of 7 thousand residents. One of the most visited attractions is the Church of the Nativity. Many famous historical figures rest in peace in the church backyard, which ended their days in disgrace. Among them are dukes Menshikov and Dolgoruky. Likewise, our dear travelers will be interested to see the House of Merchants Dobrovolsky located in the city center of Beryozovo since 1876 and much more.

Our next stop on the picturesque bank of the Ob River will be a village with an interesting name Muzhi. It is a unique village, for it is home to the Komi-Izhemtsy (Zyryans) people who moved in the nineteenth century from the shores of the Pechora River. Those were the first people settled in the area of the current village of Muzhi in the 1st millennium BC. In Khanty language "muzhi" means "not dying water". This name was given to the village because there is a lake nearby, where the nation could fish all year round.

The main attraction of the village is the house-museum "Komi-Izba". Log walls, which even during hot summer days remain a pleasant coolness. The old objects of Zyryansky life in the interior exhibition creates a sense of home for the bearers of traditional culture. However, the image of the Khanty village of the early 20th century can be seen in the natural and ethnographic park-museum "Zhivun" located in the village of Khanty-Muzhi. Centuries-old cultural traditions are carefully preserved.

Next on the route is "Settlement on the Cape" — this is how the name of the city of Salekhard is translated from the Nenets language. The uniqueness of Salekhard is simple:  it is the only city in the world located directly on the Arctic Circle, on the 66th parallel, which separates Siberia from the Arctic. In this place a huge stele is installed in the form of two cones in the shape of the Nenets chum and a semicircle between them. All the components of the monument are covered with reflective plates, which allows you to see them from distance. The stele was opened in 2003 and has been a symbol of the city ever since. Guests of Salekhard are given an unusual opportunity: inside this stele, you can walk around and you even get a personalized certificate confirming the crossing of the Arctic Circle. One of the decorations of the city is a white stone building: the Church of the Apostles Peter and Paul, built in 1883 in the classicism style. High arched windows and hipped roofs with crenellated cornices and gold crowns on the peak. It is impossible to believe that some time ago it was a hostel for immigrants

For the first time, the Koda Land (now the Oktyabrsky District) was mentioned in the Vologda-Perm Chronicle in 1484. Today, Oktyabrsky district is a territory with a rich 4-century history, natural and cultural resources, monuments of stone and wooden architecture, temples, and ancestral communities of indigenous small-numbered peoples of the North. There are also particularly quiet places in this village, which are loved by many travelers and pilgrims, and one of them is Kondinsky Holy Trinity Monastery. In June 1918, the ship called Red Star approached the gangplank of the Kondinsky monastery, on which troops of Red Guards arrived. A few days later, the commander announced to the villagers about the nationalization of the monastery’s possessions. The monastery was looted and attempted to be dismantled for building materials, during which the church lost its bell tower, crosses and dome. Later, the district communication center was located in the remains of the church building. From 2010 to 2016, many caring people restored the building of the Holy Trinity Church of the ancient Koda monastery. Well, when the soul asks for new knowledge and impressions, travelers are happy to open their doors to the cultural and information center of the village of Oktyabrskoe, which regularly hosts concerts, exhibitions and fairs.

We will visit one of the oldest cities Surgut. Back in the time of Peter I, it was generally considered the cultural capital of Siberia. The Surgut Museum of Local Lore is the landmark of the city. It preserves hundreds of historical exhibits of the city and the region. Starting with the history of bone carving, iconography painting, printed and handwritten books. One of the permanent and most favorite exhibitions is called "Soldier of the Fatherland". Local residents of Surgut joke that you cannot call yourself a real Surguter if you have not visited the house of the merchant G.S. Klepikov. Therefore, this tour is a mandatory part of our program. The building itself is an example of Siberian wooden architecture. In fact, it is a museum of local lore, which brings us back in time.

In addition, a must-see of our program is the ethnographic open-air village "Old Surgut". In the open-air village, you will get acquainted with local iconography, a collection of flora and fauna, and this is just a small list of what can be found in this ethnographic village. You can not only see but also make a souvenir for yourself at one of the offered master classes, try national dishes, take part in sport competitions or try on old clothes.