Surgut is one of the oldest cities in the Tyumen region, located on the right bank of the great Siberian Ob river. It was founded at the end of the 16th century near the Khanty fortress. If earlier the main occupation in this city was fishing, today it is the unofficial oil-producing capital of Russia. The weather here does not spoil: winter reigns up to 8 months a year. Despite this, many tourists come to this city of oil workers.
Oil rigs and pipes of the state district power station, soaring into the sky, numerous oil rigs, the endless Ob - this is the ordinary landscape of Surgut. Despite its typically industrial features, this city has many cultural attractions that deserve attention. In the center of Surgut stands a monument to the founders of the city. This is a huge four-figure composition. Voivode Vladimir Anichkov and Prince Fyodor Boryatinsky, who arrived in Western Siberia by tsarist decree to build a new city, are immortalized in bronze. Two other persons - an unnamed Cossack and a priest - personify the people with whose hands Surgut was built. The height of the monument is 15 meters. You should definitely visit the historical and cultural complex Old Surgut. At the very entrance to its territory there is a monument to the Black Fox - the symbol of the city. Local residents have a tradition: rub his ears or tail and make a cherished wish. Apparently there is no end to those who wish, since these body parts at the monument are pretty worn. On the territory of the complex itself there is a whole street of reconstructed wooden buildings. Here you can see houses with stained-glass windows and carved platbands in a specific Siberian manner. There is also a wooden church, erected without a single nail, as well as a merchant's house and even a real chum. The territory of Old Surgut is everywhere decorated with wooden sculptures, and in winter, ice compositions also appear here. A pedestrian bridge across the Saimaa begins near the historical complex - a symbolic place for local lovers. It is studded with bunches of various locks and locks. They are hung by couples in love so that love is strong, like a steel lock. The most famous Surgut bridge is undoubtedly the one-pylon cable-stayed bridge across the Ob. It was opened in 2000. With a total length of 2,110 meters, the bridge has the largest span in the world, supported by a single pylon. If you want peace, go to the park "Beyond Saimaa", where there is a botanical garden with the rarest varieties of trees and shrubs. This is a corner of wildlife in the industrial Surgut, so it is always crowded here. Here you can really relax your soul. On the street 30 years of Victory there is a very original monument called "Smile". It stands at the entrance to the local history museum. The monument is a composition of a smiling fish and a graceful mermaid sitting on its back. In addition, a hat with earflaps flaunts on the mermaid's head. The sculptural composition stands on a round pedestal with a commemorative text written around its entire perimeter. To read it, you will have to go around the monument more than once. There are many churches in small Surgut. The Cathedral of the Transfiguration of the Lord deserves special attention, which is considered one of the most beautiful temples in Ugra. It has a huge bell that weighs 6 tons. The temple was built near the river according to the project of Moscow architects in the shape of a cross. It received its first parishioners in 2002, and it is worth visiting the Barsovaya Gora, which is 16 kilometers from the city. This is a unique archaeological site. Once upon a time, this place was a sanctuary of indigenous people - the Khanty. Many ancient relics were found here, including cult jewelry, daggers, iron products, knives and other weapons. These findings are kept not only in Siberian museums, but also in the Hermitage and even in museums in Western Europe.
