Mari El.

History

The Mari have lived between the Volga and the Kama since ancient times. In 1584, after the Mari lands became part of the Russian state, the fortress of Tsaryovokokshaysk was founded; it became Krasnokokshaysk in 1919 and in 1927 took the Mari name Yoshkar-Ola, meaning 'red town'. The Mari Autonomous Oblast was created on 4 November 1920, became an autonomous republic in 1936 and took its present form in 1990.

Culture & traditions

The republic's official languages are Russian and Mari, in its Meadow and Hill varieties. The traditional Mari faith treats nature as a living, sacred being: there are around 520 holy groves where ceremonies take place, with some twenty festivals a year. Folk music is played on the many-stringed kusle zither and the shuvyr bagpipe, and songs celebrate the Volga, the forests and the rainbow. Yoshkar-Ola has five theatres performing in Russian and Mari; the composer Ivan Palantai is among the best-known cultural figures.

Nature

The republic has 476 rivers and more than 700 lakes and ponds, with marshes in the west and hills in the east. Mari Chodra National Park, created in 1985 and covering 36,600 hectares, lies on the Mari-Vyatka ridge along the Ilet River. Its karst lakes, such as Yalchik and Kichier, draw summer visitors from all over Russia. The forests are mixed, with oak, maple, spruce and birch.

Sport

Active leisure here is mostly about nature: in summer the karst lakes of Mari Chodra draw swimmers and holidaymakers from all over Russia. The most accessible of them is Yalchik.

Food & drink

Food processing is one of the republic's main industries, alongside engineering and timber. Traditional Mari life is closely bound up with the forest and nature, both revered in the folk faith.

Practical information

Yoshkar-Ola Airport lies 9 km north of the city and has had flights to Moscow since 2012. A daily train links the capital with Moscow, and there are trains to Kazan. The republic is on Moscow time. Winters are long and cold, summers warm, around +25 °C in July. Summer, when the lake season is open, is the best time to visit.

What to see

• Mari Chodra National Park — karst lakes among mixed forests.
• Lake Yalchik — the most accessible of the park's lakes for a summer break.
• Bruges Embankment in Yoshkar-Ola — unexpected architecture on the Malaya Kokshaga.
• Annunciation Cathedral and Main Square — the ceremonial heart of Yoshkar-Ola.
• Republican Puppet Theatre — one of Yoshkar-Ola's five theatres.

Cities on the map

• Yoshkar-Ola 285,219