Most of the cities near Moscow have a rich history, they have preserved architectural monuments. If you want to see something new, interesting, admire nature and breathe more or less fresh air, then you should visit Podolsk in the Moscow region.
Podolsk is a small town in the Moscow region, located 15 km. from the Moscow Ring Road and formed from the village "Podol". It is believed that the name is associated with the location of the settlement. Usually the Slavs called the hills, the hills on the banks of the river, on which the city dwellers lived. The name was very common in Ancient Rus.
There is a legend about the origin of the name of the city, it is associated with the Empress Catherine II. She was driving through the village and accidentally got the hem of her dress wet. The area was named after the hem of the Empress's dress. This is just a legend, which is not confirmed by anything.
The Empress is considered the founder of the city, since it was by her order that the village was transformed into a city (October 5, 1781). Local residents are registered as merchants and bourgeois, a total of 856 citizens and 108 households.
In the fall of 2008, a monument to Catherine the Great was erected in Podolsk, it is located in the park, which bears the name of the empress (next to the Podolsk station).
The city has a rich history, but not all architectural monuments have survived. Some actually exist, but are not marked on city maps. For example, on the banks of the Pakhra River (next to the bridge and Lenin Avenue) there is a building that resembles a manor. It does not have a number and is not marked on the map as a local landmark.
In my opinion, the main attraction of Podolsk can be called the historical and memorial museum-reserve of Podolia. The point is not that it is here that the house of the teacher V. P. Kedrova is located, which was rented by the Ulyanov family (V. I. Lenin twice stayed in this house). It is here that traces of human life from the Mesolithic era were found, therefore the place is historical. Alternatively, you can breathe in the fresh air and admire the beauty of nature.
Part of the territory of Podillya is fenced off, there are beautiful gardens next to the houses, but there is also a so-called "wild part".
Several old mansions have survived in the city; they are located on Lenin Avenue. Most of the city's buildings were erected in the second half of the 19th century, it was at this time that the city began to develop.
During the Patriotic War of 1812, the Russian army under the command of MI Kutuzov was in Podolsk, the city was briefly occupied by French troops, they caused significant damage. In 1832, the Trinity Cathedral was erected in memory of this historical event (Cathedral Square, doi 3).
Not far from the cathedral (on Revolutsionny Prospekt 53/44 and 80/42) there are two more architectural monuments: the house of the merchant M. A. Solodkov and the Printing House of N. A. Toshchakov.
In the Ivanovskoye estate there is a local history museum, it is located on the banks of the Pakhra River.
Podolsk is suitable for a day trip from Moscow, it is easy to get to it. The city is located in the Kursk direction, MCD-2 passes through it (electric trains run to Podolsk at intervals of 12 minutes, long-distance trains stop).
There are few cafes in the city, shops are hard to find, there is McDonald's.
