Ivanovo is a textile region. This region has been known for precisely such specialization in the field of economics since the 19th century. The textile industry required the participation of women, so Ivanovo also became a "city of brides", which even influenced its recognizable coat of arms (a woman with a spinning wheel). The area is small, but there are enough interesting places.
Small cities of Ivanovo region
The textile region is interesting not only for its enterprises and chintz, but also for Levitan places. From Ivanovo it is worth a trip to the small town of Ples on the banks of the Volga. It has about 2,000 inhabitants, several museums and almost a dozen ancient churches, both stone and wooden. With its small size, the city deserves a visit at all times of the city, because it is very photogenic, and various festivals are often held here.
Yuryevets, which is located in the northeast corner of the region, is interesting for its high bell tower and a museum rare for Russia directed by Tarkovsky. On his canvases he was depicted by the artists Levitan and Savrasov.
In the city of Shuya there is also a high bell tower, and it is also worth stopping by to visit an unusual soap museum and an interesting local history museum.
From Shui you can reach the villages of Palekh and Luh. The first is known for its miniature throughout Russia, and the second for the onion festival in late August.
Between Ivanovo and Ples there is the city of Furmanov, where the majestic red-brick temple in the Russian style has been preserved.
Sights of Ivanovo
The center of the textile region is the city of Ivanovo, which, although poor, is interesting for its museums and pre-revolutionary and Soviet architecture of 1920-1950. It just so happened that in those years it developed rapidly. Some objects are rare for Russia, for example, a cinema, which is named "Lodz" in honor of the Polish center of light industry.
Of the old buildings, it is worth noting the Shudrovsky tent of the 17th century, the houses of manufacturers of the 19th and early 20th centuries, and buildings in the avant-garde style of the 1920s: ship-house and horseshoe house.
How to get to the Ivanovo region?
Although it is located in central Russia, all the western lines of the Trans-Siberian Railway pass through the territory of neighboring regions. Consequently, you can come to Ivanovo from Moscow by night train or on one of the many intercity buses that follow to Kineshma or Yurevets. For 1,000 rubles, it’s really possible to get a day flight from the capital to Yuryevets, and for 500 rubles a night flight from Moscow to Ivanovo in a seated carriage. By highways, you can enter the region from the side of Kostroma and ancient Suzdal.