Ural gold: where and how to relax in Tyumen and Tobolsk?

Do the Ural expanses look as beautiful as they are presented in Bazhov’s tales? “This is real magic!” – we will answer. And two jewels – Tyumen and Tobolsk – have already been added to the “malachite box” of our travels. Wild beauty is surprising and confirms the adage “It is better to see once than hear a hundred times.”

Although the Tyumen region, which includes the Yugra and Yamal regions, is not yet Siberia, it fascinates with its wild beauty and harsh character. The special flavor of the region is inextricably linked with the life of indigenous peoples.

Wherever you go, you feel how the spirits of the taiga forest are watching you. If you open your heart and ask them, they will surely fulfill your deepest desire. There are many such places of special power here. Until now, Ob Ugrians (Khanty and Mansi), Nenets, Siberian Tatars and other nationalities guard sacred sites, carefully protecting them from outsiders. But first things first.

Welcome your friend!

First of all, we recommend you to try the local cuisine; this is the best way to immerse yourself in the culture. So welcome to the tent! Yes, it is not simple: the museum-restaurant “Chum” is a unique place not only for Tyumen, but also for Russia as a whole. And not just because it was blessed by a real Khanty shaman. Inside is a magic object that makes wishes come true! The interior is lavishly decorated with clothing including furs, fabrics and folk embroideries, snowshoes and nozzles (a special fishing trap resembling cones made from branches).

The resort has been welcoming guests since 2007 and regularly ranks in the top of the best Ural (and not only!) restaurants. The facade of the building looks like an ordinary residential building, but when you cross the threshold you will be amazed by the original atmosphere of the Khanty-Mansi-Nenets way of life. Some dishes cannot be tried anywhere else. There are bear meat sausages on a block of ice, muksun stroganina, nelma and sterlet, blueberry tincture, healing cloudberry juice and unusual desserts – ice cream and bird cherry cake.

After tasting cedar-juniper liqueurs and hearty dishes, the following thought is spinning in my head: “But a chain of restaurants like “The Plague” can become a feature of the entire region!” It’s not just food, it’s a special and unique experience.

Russia Twin Peaks

The magic of the area seems to be in the air, but one place will definitely catch your heart! Outside the city, in the Tyumen region, is Lake Ipkul, which means “grain lake” from Tatar. Here pines and cedars pierce the sky and the air is so pure that the mind is enlightened. It is not surprising that the first Tyumen glamping site “Moreles” was located in this place. Here, the windows of the houses look out onto the forest or directly onto the lake; The aroma of pine needles and the sounds of water induce a pleasant sleep.

It’s especially nice to retire here with a book, collect pine cones and go boating. Sculptures by contemporary artists are pleasing to the eye – their images clearly refer to paganism.

And yes, there is also a magical place where wishes come true. In the cold season, you can warm up by the fire, sing songs accompanied by guitar, and spend time playing board games. It’s especially picturesque here during golden hour, so we’re sure you’ll get some great photos from your trip. Nature evokes associations with the lake area, in the spirit of the town of Twin Peaks: even the houses resemble “Slavic tents”.

Walking in Tyumen and Tobolsk

If Khanty-Mansiysk attracts attention with biathlon competitions and the Spirit of Fire film festival, then beautiful Tyumen is famous for its embankments, fishing places and wooden houses with platbands, as in Ershov’s tales. If you think about how many similar ancient monuments have been destroyed in the capital, then the soul is glad that the wooden buildings are well-groomed, without signs of disrepair.

Tobolsk was originally planned as a “gateway to Siberia”, and this is noticeable in the pearl of the city – the white stone Kremlin, which, by the way, never served as a defensive structure. Since the time of Ermak, who founded the outpost after the war with Khan Kuchum, the city has grown, but from a military-strategic facility it has increasingly become a center of trade with Asia. This is apparently why the city is comfortable and prosperous “for the people”. And today the region is developing rapidly due to resource extraction.

It is interesting that most Russians associate the Tobolsk Kremlin with a kind of “Tower” for rebels against the authorities. And this view is reinforced by the Siberian Museum of Hard Labor and Exile. But among the exiles there were not only notorious criminals, but also quite good people, for example, outstanding writers Dostoevsky, Chernyshevsky and Korolenko. Unfortunately, the last days of the Romanovs were spent in Tobolsk.

Although not everyone here was in captivity. Among the famous Tobolsk people are Dmitry Mendeleev and Grigory Rasputin.

Sweets and joys

Right next to the Tobolsk Kremlin is the Dvortsovaya restaurant, which is worth satisfying your hunger not physically but spiritually. And so. The concept of establishment and the menu are related to the date of appointment of regional governors and governors. Chef Sergei Spiridonov emphasized the originality of local gastronomy by reinterpreting the recipes of 18th century Siberian and European cuisine.

In bad weather, canned vegetables with rabbit meatballs and tender duck breast with celery cream and rosehip sauce will warm you up. If you want something original, get sugudai or old goose and redhead soup from muksun with Siberian tiger milk sauce.

For those who like a little bit of everything to enrich their taste palette, we recommend getting “Siberia”. In the power of taste.” For example, nelma appetizers on rice crispy with red caviar refer to the reign of Matvey Gagarin, the first governor of Siberia. He managed to establish close relations with China and thus add an oriental flavor to the eating habits of the people of Tobolsk.

Each snack references a page of the city’s history. Our favorites are the Beef Short Ribs with Burnt Onion Sauce, Sweet Potato Creme, and Cranberry Pine Nut Buttercream. If you want something sweet, then almost no one will remain indifferent to the Siberian snack of sea buckthorn and cedar (snacks were called delicacies until the 18th century, until the French word “sweet” came into the Russian language).

chemistry between us

Wandering around Tobolsk, it is impossible not to notice the special attitude of the townspeople towards Dmitry Ivanovich Mendeleev, the father of the periodic table of chemical elements. However, we advise you not to stand at the monument for a long time, directly to the Siberian bar “D. Ivanovich” was named after the great Russian scientist. In essence, this is a cultural and educational project aimed at reviving the culture of distilling and drinking circles in Tobolsk at the beginning of the 17th century. It is symbolic that the bar is located next to the branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences.

The vintage interior seems to evoke associations with a chemical laboratory. The bar team sheds light on Mendeleev’s scientific discoveries and biography through drinks.

Photo: “Margarita Savinova”