Krasnodar’s history comes to life in two distinct ways: in the rebuilt Alexander Nevsky Military Cathedral and in the Catherine II Monument, whose past has been marked by dismantling and restoration. The “Neskuchnaya kukhnya” tour adds a culinary perspective on the city to these historical themes.
The Cathedral and the Monument: Two Stories of Restoration
The Alexander Nevsky Military Cathedral was completely dismantled in 1932. The rebuilt cathedral is a copy of the original and was consecrated in 2006. The Catherine II Monument’s history took a turn earlier: in autumn 1920, it was dismantled by order of the Kuban Extraordinary Revolutionary Committee. A group of artists led by A. A. Apollonov worked on its restoration; on September 8, 2006, the monument was ceremoniously unveiled in Yekaterininskiy Square.
The two dates in 2006 mark different events: for the cathedral, the consecration of a rebuilt copy; for the monument, its ceremonial unveiling following restoration. Those exploring Krasnodar’s history through its buildings can bear these differences in mind: dismantling and restoration do not mark the same kind of return, even though both stories reached a turning point that year.
Kuban Appetizers and an Excursion in the Historic Center
The “Neskuchnaya kukhnya” tour begins in the courtyard of “Stan,” a restaurant serving Cossack cuisine, with a presentation and tasting of Kuban appetizers. The Krasnodar excursion also includes a bus ride, a walk, and visits to three restaurants serving national cuisine, as well as attractions in the historic center. This brings together a distinctly culinary start and several different parts of the excursion.
The appetizer tasting gives the start a clear culinary theme; the full program also includes restaurant visits and attractions in the historic center. The tour runs year-round. Check current availability before your trip.
Krasnodar Region: Wine Route and Coastal Landscapes
Beyond the city, the Krasnodar Region offers other themes to explore. The “Vinnye dorogi Krasnodarskogo kraya” route covers more than 2,500 years of viticulture and winemaking, from antiquity to the present day. Interactive exhibitions and installations are part of the route, as is the opportunity to visit 20 wineries. It passes through Anapa, Taman, Golubitskaya, Sennoy, Moldavanskoye, Novorossiysk, Abrau-Dyurso, Fedotovka, and Gelendzhik. Check the current route before planning your trip.
Coastal landscapes are another regional attraction. In the “Azovskie kosy” Nature Park, sea waves and currents shape sand and shell into spits and islands with varied outlines. Coastal shallows, the tips of the spits, and sandy islands are home year-round to colonies of various species of gulls, terns, and cormorants; their presence varies by season. Visitors to the “Anapskaya peresyp” Nature Park can walk along the coast’s wide, golden beaches. Farther from the sea, the sand forms a series of high dunes. Together, the wine route and nature parks offer different kinds of discovery in the Krasnodar Region.
Discover more destinations: Krymsky District, Otradnenskiy rayon, Pavlovskiy Rayon, Uspensky District, Timashevskiy rayon, Gulkevichsky District, Primorsko-Akhtarskiy rayon, Kanevskiy rayon.
For the overview of the wider travel area: Krasnodar Region.
