Tver

Tver is one of the oldest cities of Russia, historians still argue about the date of its founding. In 1246, Tver became the center of principality, and for more than two centuries competed equally with Moscow. The first Europeans visited India, having glorified the native city of Tver merchant Afanasy Nikitin, who has gone with companions in the famous "walking in the three seas". The city centre has found a modern lay-out in the XVIII century, when on the orders of Catherine II, the city was planned and built following the St. Petersburg example.

 

Tver is a major science and cultural center. The city with a population of 400 thousand people is incredibly beautiful: every building in the historic city center is a monument of architecture and culture: the central library, the oldest high school, drama theatre, philharmonic hall, children and youth theatre. The Volga River embankment is a river station, the chestnut avenue, city beach, amusement park with attractions. With a "ferris wheel" in the park, the whole city, drowning in snow or green is visible like on the palm.

 

You can take a sightseeing tour on a boat across the Volga River, or just ride on the tram from the station to the outskirts and feel the exciting atmosphere of the living history of one of the oldest cities in the country, coupled with a full swing life of a city youth.

 

In the museum of the Tver life and staying in front of the memorial estate, you can feel the atmosphere of the traditional Russian hospitality and learn about what lived the Ancient Rus. In the Imperial Palace that was built in 1763 for Catherine II under the Rossi's project, is a rich collection of art galleries.

 

In the heart of the Russian plains, at the Volga River basin, Tver region, which is the largest in Central Russia, is spread- territory of dense, fantastic forests, smooth rivers, calm lakes with attracting sapphire of Seliger. This is one of the most successful ecological regions in the European part of Russia. Here is the source of the great Russian river Volga.

 

In the region, there are many ancient villages and estates, cultural and historical monuments, ancient and new towns, whose names are continually found in the letters and works of Russian writers and artists in the history of Russia. Located between Moscow and St. Petersburg, Tver region has become a major transportation hub, the intersection of many tourist routes.

 

Seliger is one of the largest lakes in Russia and the largest lake of the Valdai Hills. It is situated between Tver and Novgorod regions, in the Valdai forests. The hills, lakes, swamps, boulders are all traces of a giant glacier. Seliger is a system of lakes connected among themselves by river channels. Here there are also islands-phantoms with impassable thickets. The Seliger forests are rich in mushrooms and berries, especially bilberry, and the lake is a windfall for fishermen. The climate in Seliger is mild, wet: summer is warm and sunny, short rains.

 

The Central Forest Reserve located at the watershed of the Volga and Western Dvina, is known for its rich fauna. The relief of the territory is flat, slightly hilly. Mezha River flows across the territory of the reserve. Most part of the reserve is covered with spruce forests of the central part of the Russian plains.