Trips and Tales (Part 34)
More About Perm
Perm‘s Beaten Track
It sounds like a “happening” place, Perm, if my cruise around the ‘Net is anything to go by. I was searching for clues, to see why a person should stop by… And there’s a good case to make for a visit.
By all reports, the “scope” of the city appears vast. Notwithstanding its historically-established scientific, industrial and manufacturing base, there are also a wide range of educational and artistic institutions too; all (apart from some Stalinist Blocks) in a classical package from which the intense glass and steel of sky-scraping urban development is notably missing. A more classical atmosphere then, frequented by low mansions and an ongoing programme of renovation to preserve and restore the city’s architectural assets and perpetuate its freer, moderately paced feel.
The focal point of the city is the large central bazaar of anything and everything… – well, everything that you would reasonably need or want from fruit to leisure-tech, at any rate. Another strong aspect of Perm’s identity, its multiculturalism, becomes apparent in this place: stalls attended – and indeed patronised – by Georgians, Armenians, Tatars. Caucasian Russians too, of course. And the Chinese-Vietnamese market, renowned for its deals on bargain clothing. Another benefit of a diverse society is, of course, diverse food, with various origins represented alongside traditional Russian fare. Prepare to eat out in a range of styles.
Naturally, multiculturalism extends also to creed, so you can find a mosque, a synagogue and several Catholic churches, as well as traditional orthodox houses of worship. And what about that “monolithic” Soviet feel? Well, that’s also present: the squares, the parks, the statues, all stating that Yes, this is still a Russian city, come what (and who) may. There’s a concession to the West too, in the form of modern shops creeping along Komsomolsky Prospekt, although mercifully commerce has not erased the long-held (and earnt) character of the place.
Getting around is facilitated by bus, trolley bus, taxi-bus and tram, extensively webbing the city to the outskirts. Do keep your bearings and note the names of the stations to-and-from, though, so you can get back home again safely.
Perm is also big in the performing (and other) arts, featuring the Russian Academy of Theatre Art, the Institute for Culture and Art, the world-touring, prize-winning Tchaikovsky Opera and Ballet Theatre, the Perm Academic Drama Theatre and the Perm Art Gallery, which houses a wide range of works from old masters to modern artists, all in an establishment centrally located inside a former cathedral.
Another notable artistic endeavour is the annual winter Ice Sculpture Festival held in Gorky Park, and featuring artists from all over the world. It is worth noting at this point that the winters are not quite so brutal in and around Perm – by Russian standards, that is. Typically temperatures hover around a relatively tropical -15°C in January and peak around 25°C in July/August, coaxing residents and visitors out to sunbathe on the sandy beach-banks of the Kama. It would seem odd to us, breaking out the trunks in temperatures of only a warm-ish room! Spot the Westerners in their woolly jumpers… But I digress.
Back amid the city’s cultural offerings: there’s the expansive Artillery Museum, representing Perm’s historically-rooted military connections, and the “Khokhlovka” Architectural Ethnographic Museum, displaying original 17th century wooden buildings, complete with lifestyle trappings and tools of the time.
Finally, as antidote to Perm’s abounding high-brow-ness, something more visceral: basketball and ice hockey at Molot Stadium, and Russian premier-league football in stadium “Zvezda”. Most, if not all, bases covered then.
Next time: Headlining
Some news items on the plight of Mongolians in the 21st century.
[Photo by esoloviev]