Orenburg Oblast.

History

A first fortress was laid at the mouth of the Or River in 1735, and today's Orenburg was founded on a new site in 1743 as a stronghold of Russia's frontier line. The governorate followed in 1744. In 1773–1774 the region was at the heart of Pugachev's Rebellion, and the city spent months under siege. Pushkin came in 1833 to research the uprising. From 1938 to 1957 the oblast was named after the aviator Valery Chkalov.

Culture & traditions

The region's emblem is the Orenburg downy shawl: the craft took shape in the 18th century, and the shawls won praise at the 1851 Great Exhibition in London. The finest lace-like 'cobweb' shawls and stoles are kept at the Museum of Down Shawl History in Orenburg. The city also has memorial apartments of Yuri Gagarin and Mstislav Rostropovich, and the Caravanserai, a historic Tatar ensemble with a mosque. The story of the governorate is told at the Orenburg Governor's Museum of History and Local Lore.

Nature

Steppe covers most of the oblast, and its main river is the Ural. The highest point is Mount Nakas, at about 668 metres. The Orenburg Nature Reserve, created in 1988, protects several sections of different steppe types, and in 2016 it opened a centre for reintroducing Przewalski's horse. The Buzuluk pine forest and Shaitan-Tau are also protected, while Sol-Iletsk has salt lakes and a mud spa.

Sport

The region's best-known club is Gazprom-Orenburg in table tennis. The city also has a football club, FC Orenburg. Volleyball player Nikolai Apalikov, an Olympic champion in 2012, comes from the oblast.

Food & drink

Orenburg Oblast is a major farming region growing wheat, rye, sunflowers and potatoes. Its table reflects the mix of Russian, Tatar and Kazakh traditions. Sol-Iletsk has long offered kumis cures, and the local goats give the famous fine down.

Practical information

The main gateway is Orenburg Tsentralny Airport, named after Yuri Gagarin, 25 km from the city; Orenburg has been a railway hub since 1876. Local time is Moscow plus two hours. The climate is sharply continental, with dry hot summers, plenty of sunny days and cold winters. Late spring and early autumn, outside the summer heat, are the best times to visit.

What to see

• Orenburg Nature Reserve — steppe in its many forms and a centre bringing back Przewalski's horse
• Museum of Down Shawl History — the finest Orenburg cobweb shawls and stoles
• Orenburg Caravanserai — a historic ensemble with a mosque
• Ural River embankment — a walk along the river that marks the Europe–Asia boundary
• Sol-Iletsk — salt lakes and a long-standing mud spa
• Buzuluk pine forest — a protected pine forest amid the steppe

Cities on the map

• Orenburg 536,515