Tula.

History

Tula is first mentioned in the Nikon Chronicle under 1146; at first it was a fortress on the border of the Ryazan principality. After it came under Moscow, the town gained a brick kremlin, built in 1514–1521. In 1607, during the Time of Troubles, Ivan Bolotnikov's forces held out here for four months against the tsar's army. An arms factory founded on Peter the Great's orders in 1712 made the town a centre of gunsmithing for centuries. In autumn 1941 Guderian's panzer army was stopped near Tula, the city covered the southern flank of the Battle of Moscow, and in 1976 it was named a Hero City.

Culture & traditions

The Tula kremlin contains the Assumption Cathedral of 1764, and the town's older churches include the Annunciation Church of 1692. Tula's oldest museum, devoted to the history of weapons, was founded by the Demidovs in 1724. The town was a major centre of samovar making, which gave Russian its version of "coals to Newcastle": you don't take your own samovar to Tula. The Tula accordion is named after the city, which still makes them. The region's great literary shrine is Yasnaya Polyana, where Tolstoy wrote War and Peace and Anna Karenina and where he is buried.

Sport

The city's main club is FC Arsenal, whose name recalls Tula's gunsmithing fame. There is also the AKM ice hockey club. Many well-known athletes were born in Tula.

Food & drink

The Tula pryanik, a gingerbread stamped with a pressed design, has been baked here since the 17th century and is the city's great food symbol. Together with the samovar, it is the heart of a Tula tea party.

Practical information

Trains have run from Moscow to Tula since 1867, and the city is a major rail junction with lines to Oryol, Kursk and Kaluga. The M2 highway passes nearby. Tula has no regular passenger flights, so air travellers usually come via Moscow. Trams, trolleybuses and buses serve the city. The climate is humid continental with warm summers and cold winters; Yasnaya Polyana is loveliest from May to September.

What to see

• Tula Kremlin — a red-brick fortress of 1514–1521 with the Assumption Cathedral
• Weapons Museum — the city's oldest museum, founded by the Demidovs in 1724
• Yasnaya Polyana — Leo Tolstoy's estate and grave, 14 km from Tula
• Tula pryanik — a stamped gingerbread baked here since the 17th century
• Annunciation Church — one of the town's oldest churches, from 1692