The first mentions of Sterlitamak should be dated back to the middle of the 18th century. It was at this time that the government of the Russian Empire decided to begin the construction of postal stations, which in those days were called pits, along the road from Ufa to Orenburg. One of these was organized on the site of a Tatar village near the Sterli River. The merchant Savva Tetyushev did a lot for the development of this settlement. It was here that he proposed to build a salt pier. Thus, the town became not only one of the main settlements for the extraction and shipping of salt, but also an important communication center, which began to develop thanks to the commissioning of metallurgical plants in this region of Bashkiria.
Museum of History and Local Lore
Which attraction of Sterlitamak should tourists start their excursion with? The local history museum will tell you about the history of this region. It is located in a solid, beautiful, high-quality building. About a hundred years ago it belonged to one of the branches of the Siberian Merchant Bank. The two-story red building with large windows located almost close to each other, framed by white molding, looks simply fabulously beautiful. The museum contains several tens of thousands of rare exhibits.
Visitors are especially impressed by the geological exhibition. And this is not surprising, since the Ural land is a kind of jewelry box. Here you can find jasper, rock crystal, agate and many other types of semi-precious stones. The exhibition also includes the famous Sterlitamak meteorite. Also interesting are exhibitions dedicated to the culture, history and life of the local population, as well as the years of the Second World War.
Attractions in the vicinity of Sterlitamak
There are a lot of interesting things in the vicinity of the city, but most of all tourists highlight the natural attractions, recommending them for inspection to everyone who comes here.
Sterlitamak shihans
- Coordinates: 53.700495, 56.083379 (Kushtau), 53.554833, 56.098579 (Toratau), 53.741913, 56.097730 (Yurkatau).
Not far from Sterlitamak there is a unique geological monument. Shihans are cone-shaped hills, which are more than 230 million years old. One of the local shihans was Shakhtau, the same one whose memory is captured in the city Stone Museum. Now there are only three objects left.
The largest in area is Kushtau, its peak reaches a height of 327 m. In winter, a ski slope is opened on it. The most famous is the shihan of Toratau, 427 m high. It was once considered a “sacred mountain”, and today it has migrated to the coat of arms of one of the Bashkir cities - Ishimbay. The third shihan is called Yurkatau.
Isheevskie caves
- Coordinates on the map: 53.629293, 56.143356.
When going to Shikhany, you cannot ignore the cave system, which is more than a kilometer long. It is located near Shikhan Tratau, 15 km from the city of Sterlitamak. The gypsum caves, called Isheevsky, were formed as a result of drainage. There are many intricate passages inside, the walls are strewn with stalagmites. This is where you get some really memorable photos and selfies.
Crater of the Sterlitamak meteorite
- GPS coordinates: 53.603349, 55.586464.
This facility is located 20 km west of the city center, near the village of Oktyabrskoye. An iron meteorite with an estimated weight of 300 kg reportedly fell at this location on May 17, 1990. It formed a fairly large crater - now there is a lake in it, against the backdrop of which tourists take pictures of themselves. They also come here in the hope of finding at least a small fragment of an extraterrestrial cosmic body.
Tatian Church
An interesting landmark of the city is the Tatiana Church. Sterlitamak can be proud of this beautiful temple.
It is located in the courtyard of the Mother of God-Tabynsky convent. At the very end of the 19th century, the church was founded by Tatyana Dyakova. Under her, an almshouse named after the Fedorovs was also opened. Like many Orthodox churches of other denominations, the Tatian Church was closed in the thirties of the last century. However, in the forties it was returned to believers. Moreover, for its help in raising funds for the front, the shrine received gratitude in 1945 from the Commander-in-Chief.
This, however, did not prevent the communist authorities from closing the Orthodox church in 1959. This time a medical school was placed in the church building. Of course, the unique wall paintings were barbarously destroyed during the redevelopment of the building. After the collapse of the Soviet Union, the building, thoroughly mutilated, was returned to the Orthodox Church. Now you can visit the temple and admire the interior decoration and beautiful appearance of the light pink building with a three-stage spacious bell tower and shiny domes.
Entertainment and recreation with children in Sterlitamak
If the question arises about where to go with your child, Sterlitamak will offer several places that will be interesting for children to visit. There is not a lot of entertainment here, but there is some.
Sports complex "Sterlitamak-Arena"
- Address: Kommunisticheskaya st., 101.
Sterlitamak Arena is a modern sports complex built in 2012. A venue for competitions in various sports, concerts and other public events. Fans of active recreation can have a great time here: there is an ice skating rink, grounds for team sports games and a fitness room on site. There are several catering outlets, including children's ones.
Park of Culture and Leisure named after Yuri Gagarin
- Address: st. Furmanova, 15.
In honor of the first cosmonaut in the history of the planet, Sterlitamak was named a place suitable for both relaxation and active entertainment. In the Central Park of Culture and Culture you can stroll along the alleys, as well as ride on a variety of attractions of varying degrees of extremeness - both for very young children and toddlers, as well as for young people and the whole family.
Guests of any age category will be able to feel like “a little Gagarin” here. Young visitors will be attracted by the dinosaur figures installed in the park, and there are trampolines for those who want to jump. The park area also often hosts arcade games and prize slot machines.
Nur al-Iman Mosque
What attractions should tourists see (Sterlitamak)? About twelve years ago, the Nur al-Iman mosque was built in the city. Translated into Russian, the name means “ray of light.” The beautiful building, surrounded by rising green minarets, looks majestic. And if you climb to its upper platform, you can see the panorama of the city.
Monuments and natural attractions
In the fifties of the last century, a monument to the first teacher was opened near school No. 8 in Sterlitamak. The head of the city district administration decided to erect the monument. Also, near school No. 31, another monument to the first teacher was erected. What is this monument? On the pedestal stands a female teacher in a formal suit, next to her is a girl with bows and a bag on her shoulder.
Among the natural beauties of the region, the Sterlitamak Shihans, which are four mountains, should be noted. About 300 million years ago they were coral reefs. Tourists should definitely see the magnificent Lake Tugarsalgan.
Stelitamak museums and theaters
The cultural life of Sterlitamak is also diverse - in its museums and theater institutions you can see a lot of interesting, educational and beautiful things.
Stone Museum
- Address: Ishimbaysky district, Shakhtau-1 quarry.
In the 80s In the 20th century, the surroundings of Sterlitamak became the site of geological research: the Shakhtau quarry of the Early Permian period was discovered here. Ivan Skuin, a miner working in a quarry, became the initiator and inspirer of the Stone Museum, which today bears his name.
The museum opened its doors in 1985 and is still a popular tourist attraction. Among its more than 3,000 exhibits, it displays interesting fossils discovered during quarry exploration: limestone and faunal remains that are approximately 300 million years old.
The attraction is constantly visited by organized groups of schoolchildren and students, excursions are held free of charge, the costs of maintaining the exposition are now covered by the commercial organizations "Raw Materials".
Sterlitamak Art Gallery
- Address: Kommunisticheskaya st., 84.
The center of fine arts and artistic culture of the city of Sterlitamak is a branch of the Bashkir Museum of Fine Arts, which has been operating here since 1997. The gallery is a place where works of famous artists of the region from Ufa, Sterlitamak and other cities are exhibited.
Particular attention is paid here to contemporary art. Exhibitions of paintings from the collections of the main museum are often held. The gallery carries out educational work; creative evenings, lectures, master classes and other entertaining and educational events are held on its territory, which you can watch on your own.
Russian Drama Theater
- Address: st. Khudayberdina, 18.
One of the main theaters of the city, existing since 1946. Founded by a resolution of the Council of People's Commissars of the Bashkir Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic on the basis of the Beloretsk Drama Theater that toured in the city. The most outstanding leader in the history of the institution is considered to be Konstantin Khristoforovich Shakhbazidi, who in August 1946 replaced the first director I.I. Chernyshevsky-Tolkachev.
Today the repertoire of the cultural attraction includes more than 600 performances. Much attention is paid to the classics. Performances and performances are based on famous plays and classic works of Russian and world literature. The works of Tolstoy, Ostrovsky, Chekhov, Schiller, Shakespeare, Gorky, Gogol, Bulgakov, Camus and many other authors are embodied on stage.
Sterlitamak State Theater and Concert Association
- Address: ave. Lenina, 30V.
Includes the second most important in the city, the Sterlitamak Bashkir Drama Theater, as well as the State Philharmonic Society. This drama theater has been operating since 1991. It stands out because it has a national flavor; in the life of the establishment, much attention is paid to local authors and stories.
The date of its opening is considered to be the premiere of the play “Heirs” based on the play by local author Dulat Isabekov. There are many honored and people's artists of Bashkortostan in the troupe. The team has become a laureate of many competitions, the artists successfully tour with their productions throughout the country.
The State Philharmonic, located in a separate building, employs five groups. The most famous are the Dance Theater and the pop and folk ensemble Sabri. An important event in the cultural life of the city are performances by the local folk orchestra. A literary and musical lecture hall operates on the basis of the Philharmonic.
