Oryol.

History

Oryol was founded in 1566 on Ivan the Terrible's orders as a fortress guarding the state's southern frontier. During the Time of Troubles the town suffered repeatedly from war and destruction. In 1778 it became a provincial capital. Occupied from October 1941, it was liberated on 5 August 1943, and Moscow marked the event with the first celebratory artillery salute, which gave Oryol the name "City of the First Salute".

Culture & traditions

Literature is Oryol's great pride. The Turgenev Museum occupies an 1860s mansion on Turgenev Street, and the Leskov house museum is set in a wooden estate from the 1870s. Bunin, Leonid Andreyev and the literary scholar Mikhail Bakhtin, who was connected with the city, have museums too. Other landmarks include the Noble Nest park, named after Turgenev's novel, the Magistrate building, the Epiphany Church and the Museum of Fine Arts.

Sport

The city is represented by FC Oryol in football. A curious local feature is a strong tradition of korfball, a mixed-team ball game from the Netherlands, with Oryol teams taking part in international competitions.

Practical information

Trains have run from Moscow to Oryol since 1868; five rail lines meet here, and the M2 highway passes nearby. Oryol Yuzhny Airport is not operating, so air travellers usually come via Moscow and continue by train. Trams, trolleybuses and buses serve the city. The climate is temperate continental, with changeable winters and warm summers; May to September is the nicest time to explore the literary sites.

What to see

• Turgenev Museum — an 1860s mansion devoted to Ivan Turgenev
• Leskov House Museum — the wooden estate of the author of The Lefthander
• Noble Nest park — grounds linked with Turgenev's novel
• Confluence of the Oka and Orlik — the spot where the town was founded
• Bunin Museum — honouring the Nobel laureate in literary Oryol