Samara Information

At last summer has come! There is nothing better than a vacation on the Volga River. We would like to present you the city of Samara, Russia. Samara is located on the left bank of the Volga River in a breathtaking landscape with the Zhiguli Mountains full of old Russian legends and folktales.

Samara, from 1935 to 1991 Kuybyshev, is a major city situated in the southeastern part of European Russia, Volga Federal District, the administrative center of Samara Region. Its geographical location is 53º 14'N 50º10'E. The population of the city is 1,157,880.

It was founded in 1586 as a defense outpost, and later grew into a major grain-trading center for the Volga region and in 1935 renamed after the Soviet politician Valerian Kuybyshev.

Now it is a large industrial and transportation center of European Russia. Important manufacturing in the metropolitan area of Samara-Togliatti-Syzran is concentrated in motor vehicle, railroad equipment, chemicals, oil and gas (Yukos), machinery, metal, and confectionery (Nestle') industries. The city also has an aerospace industry, namely TsSKB-Progress, producing the Soyuz and Molniya launch vehicles. Due to this industry the city was a closed city during the Cold War.

The city was the secondary capital of the Soviet Union from 1941 to 1943 when German troops threatened Moscow.

During this period the city was nicknamed The Second Baku because of the crisis, in which the Soviet State Defense Committee decided to transfer the main forces of oil-workers and oil enterprises of Baku to the regions of Volga, Ural Mountains, Kazakhstan and Central Asia for the enforcement of the oil extraction there.

Along with its many universities (including Samara State University), theaters and museums, the city is also a major intellectual and academic center in Russia. The city is served by highways and railways, as well as international airlines, among them Lufthansa flying to and from Frankfurt, or Czech Airlines flying to and from Prague with convenient connections worldwide, which makes it an attractive tourist destination as well. Kurumoch airport code is KUF. It also has a rapid transit system, the Samara Metro, though with only 8 stations at present.

One popular tourist location in Samara is Stalin's bunker, a World War II bunker built to house military operation in the event that Moscow was taken.

Samara is also a model name of a Lada car made by the VAZ auto company in Togliatti, in Samara Region.

Beautiful Russian ladies live here. Imagine a night steam boat trip along the Volga river, stars, lapping of waves, light breeze and a pretty woman next to you.