Top 30 Attractions in Orel

Eagle and the region specialize in literary and cultural tourism. Many sights of the city are associated with the names of famous Russian writers - I. S. Turgenev, N. S. Leskov, I. A. Bunin. Orel has several literary museums, a couple of atmospheric theaters, themed squares and monuments.

Tourists will also be interested in monuments of temple architecture of the 17th - 19th centuries, built in different architectural styles: from traditional Russian architecture to strict classicism. The city center, the banks of the Orlik and Oka rivers are a picturesque historical space built up with mansions, beautiful churches and consisting of squares and well-groomed alleys. It is very pleasant to walk and admire the city landscape.

What to see and where to go in Orel?

The most interesting and beautiful places for walking. Photos and a short description.

Sculpture "Eagle-Anniversary"

The eagle sculpture was installed on the Station Square in 2016, since then it has been considered a symbol of the city. A bronze bird spreading its wings greets everyone who arrives in Oryol by train. She sits on a pedestal in the form of a globe. The monument was made by a local sculptor at the expense of GRINN Corporation JSC, which decided to make a gift to the city in this way.

Lenin Street

Pedestrian street in the historical center of the city, which is the main walking area of ​​Orel. Along it in the former noble mansions there are shops, cafes, offices and administrative institutions. The length of Lenin Street is about 600 meters, it starts at the Alexander Bridge and ends at Lenin Square. From the end of the 19th century until the 1970s, trams ran along it, but as part of the improvement of the city, traffic was stopped.

Oryol Museum of Local Lore

The museum was founded at the end of the 19th century, so it is the oldest in Orel. The number of exhibits in the collection is more than 170 thousand. The institution has two branches: the House-Museum of V. A. Rusanov and the Military History Museum. The exhibition areas feature paintings, documents, household items, old coins, crystal, porcelain, textiles and antique furniture.

Military History Museum

The collection is a branch of the Oryol Museum of Local Lore. She appeared in 1983. The main exhibit is a diorama depicting the events of the Oryol offensive operation of 1943. The canvas, 33 meters long and 9 meters wide, was created by the artist A. I. Kurnakov. In 11 halls of the museum there are items dedicated to military topics: archival documents, letters, awards, photographs, personal belongings of soldiers.

Art Museum

The art gallery was opened in 1919. For almost a hundred years, more than 7 thousand exhibits have accumulated in its funds: paintings, sculptures, drawings and objects of decorative and applied art. Of particular value is the collection of icons of the 18th-19th centuries, as well as a selection of portraits of aristocrats and members of the royal family of the same period. The gallery has a foreign section, which exhibits several hundred works by authors from England, Italy, Germany, Poland and Austria.

Museum of Collectible Dolls

A young exposition that opened in Orel in 2016. It is made up of dolls depicting famous characters: actors, stage stars, writers, artists. In total, the collection consists of approximately 1000 exhibits. The museum is popular with visitors of all ages and professions - children, experienced theater directors, and reputable doctors will find something interesting for themselves.

Museum of I.S. Turgenev

The exposition dedicated to the writer opened at the beginning of the 20th century on the territory of a noble estate of the 19th century, which once belonged to a distant relative of I. S. Turgenev. The specially created Turgenev Society was engaged in the collection of exhibits and the formation of the collection. In 1976 some of the items moved to the author's family home in Spassky-Lutovinovo.

Museum of I. A. Bunin

The house-museum is located in the historical center of the city. In the 1960s, a unique collection was assembled, including manuscripts, letters, books, documents, personal belongings of I. A. Bunin, which numbered several thousand copies. Officially, the institution opened only in 1991; it was housed in a 19th-century mansion. The exposition tells about the fate of the writer, his life in Russia until the 1920s and in exile.

House-Museum of N. S. Leskov

Another house-museum, the exposition of which is dedicated to another famous writer - N. S. Leskov. It is also located on the territory of an old mansion of the 19th century, built on the site where the Leskov family estate was located even earlier. The exhibition is located in six halls, it consists of several hundred copies, which include books, portraits, documents, autographs and furniture.

House-Museum of V. A. Rusanov

V. A. Rusanov is a scientist and researcher of the Arctic. He was born in Orel and died at the age of 38 in Taimyr. The museum named after him is located in a wooden mansion located in the historical center of the city, where, as a rule, wealthy merchants settled. The collection occupies only part of the building;

Theater "Russian Style"

Chamber theater, designed for only 50 seats. It is the youngest in Orel (founded in 1994). Over the past years, he has formed a repertoire, and formed his own grateful audience. The playbill of the theater includes plays based on the works of A. N. Ostrovsky, N. S. Leskov, A. P. Chekhov, V. M. Shukshin, L. N. Andreev, as well as performances by modern playwrights.

Theater "Free Space"

The scene was founded in 1976 as the Oryol Youth Theater. The first performances aroused great interest and were positively evaluated by the audience. Since the 1990s, the troupe has been going on tour to other countries, the administration has invited foreign directors to the productions, thanks to which the professionalism of the actors is constantly growing, and the theater's repertoire is expanding.

Cathedral of the Epiphany

The temple was built in the 17th century; it is the oldest stone building in Orel and the only surviving building in that part of the city where the Oryol fortress once stood. The church that has come down to us is a construction of the beginning of the 18th century (the second stone building in a row) in the Naryshkin baroque style. In 1837 it was expanded and rebuilt in a classical manner, in 1900 the bell tower was remade in the neo-Russian style.

Temple of the Smolensk Icon of the Mother of God

The current building of the temple was erected at the end of the 19th century, partly at the expense of representatives of the wealthy Serebrennikov family. For quite a long time, a school for the poor was functioning at the church, during the Soviet period the building fell into disrepair, but after restoration it again acquired an elegant and even luxurious look. A particularly revered shrine of the temple is the icon of the Smolensk Mother of God "The Tsaritsa".

Iberian Church

The Iberian Church was built in the late 19th - early 20th centuries in honor of the enthronement of Nicholas II. Funds for the work were allocated by the Oryol railway workers. Apparently, therefore, the building was decided to be located near the railway station. The building was erected in a picturesque eclectic style - in its appearance you can see the features of Russian, Byzantine and even Romanesque manners.

Akhtyrsky Cathedral

The church is located on the high bank of the Oka in the center of the city (previously Pyatnitskaya Sloboda was located here), thanks to which its bell tower is visible from afar. It is believed that it was built with the money of the merchant K. Pastukhov at the end of the 18th century, who, thanks to miraculous prayer, was healed of an old illness. In Soviet times, the cathedral was closed for a short time, but then services resumed and in 1962 it was given the status of a cathedral.

Michael the Archangel Cathedral

A magnificent building in a classical style, located on the banks of the Orlik River. The temple was erected at the beginning of the 19th century on the site of two old churches, which no longer accommodated all the parishioners and, moreover, dilapidated. Mikhailo-Arkhangelsky Cathedral is considered the most beautiful temple in the city. After its construction, it was used for celebrations and receptions of royalty.

Holy Dormition Monastery

Male monastery of the 17th century. Its architectural ensemble was finally formed by the end of the 19th century, but already in 1917 the monastery was closed, and a children's colony was placed on its territory. The complex reopened in 1998. Today it consists of the main Cathedral of the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God, two churches, a chapel and administrative buildings.

Vvedensky Monastery

Convent founded in the 17th century. In 1844, after a big fire, the monastery was moved to another place on the outskirts and began to be rebuilt. In the 1920s, the complex of buildings was converted into a railway workers' settlement, and the main temple was completely demolished. Monastic life resumed in the 1990s. After the restoration, the churches of the Tikhvin Icon of the Mother of God, Elisaveta Feodorovna and the Resurrection of the Word were reopened.

Monument to tankers - liberators of the city of Orel

The monument is located on the territory of the Square of tankmen. It is a model of the T-34 tank mounted on a pedestal. Until 1968, its place was occupied by the T-70 model, which was subsequently transferred to the Military History Museum. A picturesque alley paved with paving stones leads to the monument with a flower bed, along the edges of which slender rows of trees are planted.

Monument to A.P. Ermolov

The outstanding military leader A.P. Ermolov was born and buried in Orel, he came from a family of local nobles. A monument in his honor was erected in 2012 on the territory of a small square, also named after the commander. A five-meter equestrian sculpture, somewhat reminiscent of the Bronze Horseman, was made of bronze by R. R. Yusupov. Together with a granite pedestal, the monument exceeds 9 meters in length.

Monument to N. S. Leskov

The monument to the writer was erected in the 1980s opposite the former Oryol gymnasium, which he once graduated from. It is part of a sculptural composition consisting of literary characters from the works of N. S. Leskov: Lefty, Lady Macbeth of the Mtsensk district, the Tupei artist, the Enchanted Wanderer, the Cathedral. The writer himself sits on a bench, looking thoughtfully into the distance.

Library named after I. A. Bunin

The regional library is the largest and oldest in the city and throughout the region. It was opened in the 1830s by decree of the governor. During the 19th century, the book collection was closed twice, and in 1917 it was nationalized. To date, the funds store more than 600 thousand printed publications and electronic materials. A particularly valuable part of the collection is several hundred books of the 15th-18th centuries and about 10,000 pre-revolutionary publications.

Railway station building

The building of the railway station is a real decoration of Orel, its appearance pleasantly surprises passengers who have just stepped off the train. The building is distinguished by original architecture with notes of monumental classics, Art Nouveau and even Portuguese Manueline (the edging of the roof is made in this style). On the sides of the building there are open galleries, where wide staircases lead.

The building of the branch of the Central Bank of the Russian Federation

The incredibly expressive building of the Central Bank of the Russian Federation occupies an entire city block. It was built in 1899 in the pseudo-Russian style designed by S. K. Rodionov for the Commercial Bank and is the best example of this style in the Oryol region. Its bright red façade and ornate towers brighten up the surrounding area, giving the streets a more festive feel.

Park of Culture and Leisure

The park was founded in 1822 at the initiative of the governor, who thus took care of the cultural leisure of the townspeople. In the 19th century, fairs were held on its territory and gypsy ensembles performed. The zone was divided into a paid part for wealthy Oryol residents and a free part for everyone else. After 1917, the entire park was opened to free access. In the 1950s and 60s, a complete reconstruction was carried out after the destruction of the Second World War.

"Noble Nest"

A park and literary reserve located on the banks of the Orlik River. In the 19th century, the estate of local aristocrats with a wooden mansion stood here, where the heroine of I. S. Turgenev Liza from the work “The Noble Nest” lived. The garden of the same name was opened in 1903, at the same time a bust of the writer was erected and a pier was built. Performances, concerts and musical evenings were often held here. The place is mentioned in the works of I. A. Bunin, N. S. Leskov and K. D. Balmont.

Memorial Square "Strelka"

The square is located at the confluence of Orlik and Oka, where a fortress was founded in the 16th century by decree of Ivan the Terrible. On its territory there is a memorial obelisk 27 meters high, on which an image of an ancient coat of arms is placed, as well as a chronicle of the main historical events associated with the city. Nearby is a monument to the 400th anniversary of the founding of Orel.

Saburovskaya fortress

Saburovskaya fortress is called the preserved section of the manor fence of the Kamensky estate, made in the form of a fortress wall, four towers, as well as the preserved buildings of the theater and the church of Michael the Archangel. The architectural complex is considered the main attraction of the Oryol region. In the 1970s, an attempt was made to reconstruct the fortress (a museum was even opened on its territory), but later it was abandoned due to lack of funds.

Spasskoe-Lutovinovo Museum-Reserve

Spasskoye-Lutovinovo is the family estate of the mother of I. S. Turgenev, located 70 km from Orel. Ivan Sergeevich spent all his childhood here, and after 1850 he inherited the family nest, ceding the rest of the estates to his brother. At the time when the writer lived in the estate, he wrote several of his works. His guests were I. S. Aksakov, A. A. Fet, L. N. Tolstoy.