Perm offers several ways to shape a trip: theater history, museums, and walking routes each provide a different focus. When choosing a holiday apartment, you can first consider which themes you want to define your stay. The Kama River embankment is one of Perm residents’ most important places for walks and recreation, complementing the cultural attractions with another place to stroll and linger.
Culture between the stage and the city’s history
A notable historical landmark is the Perm Opera and Ballet Theatre. Its official history begins in 1870, when Mikhail Glinka’s opera “A Life for the Tsar” was first performed there. In 1879, the theatre moved into a three-story stone building in the style of late Russian Classicism. The building was constructed to a design by architect Rudolf Karvovsky. The first performance and the later move to the new building mark two distinct stages in the theatre’s history.
The Diorama Museum and memorial complex on Vyshka Hill are dedicated to the events of the First Russian Revolution of 1905 in Motovilikha. The Perm Artillery Museum focuses on the history of the Motovilikha Plants, one of the oldest enterprises in the western Urals still in operation. The Perm Museum of Antiquities has a different historical focus: it explores the history of the Earth, as well as plants and animals from past geological eras studied by paleontology.
The history of the PERMM Museum of Contemporary Art also brings together art and local context. The exhibition “Russkoe bednoe” was shown in Perm in 2008 and laid the foundation for the museum that followed. After moving in 2014 to a temporary building on Gagarin Boulevard, the collection was expanded intensively during this period with works by contemporary artists from Perm. The exhibition projects became more strongly focused on the local context.
Walking routes with different focuses
The “Zelenaya liniya” can be explored independently, without a guide; the walk takes about 1.5 to 2 hours. The route includes 41 historical and modern stops, including the Chapel of Saint Stephen of Perm, the sculpture “Permyak — solenye ushi,” and the Meshkov House. The selection of stops may change, so it is worth checking the current route before setting out.
Other routes explore the city through specific themes. The “Krasnaya liniya” leads to well-known people who lived in Perm. The “Imperatorskaya liniya” is an archival historical and memorial tourism project: its excursion route leads to memorial sites in Perm associated with members of the Romanov dynasty. The two routes therefore focus on different stories—former residents on one, and places commemorating the Romanovs on the other.
The “Obshchiy marshrut” runs through the valley of the Yegoshikha River between the PERMM Museum of Contemporary Art and the Jewish section of the Yegoshikha Necropolis. Along the walk, you encounter an unusual natural setting and learn about the site’s history and Jewish culture. Artworks and tours created by their authors convey stories and meanings associated with the route. Before setting out, check local conditions and confirm whether tours are currently available.
A different perspective on Perm Krai
The wider destination of Perm Krai also has distinctive cultural attractions. Khokhlovka is the Urals’ first open-air architectural and ethnographic museum of wooden architecture. The museum includes homesteads belonging to the Komi-Permyaks and Russians from the late 19th to the early 20th century, as well as a tent-shaped windmill. Khokhlovka also features wooden churches and a bell tower that are more than 300 years old, along with an architectural complex of a saltworks. The open-air museum opened to visitors in September 1980.
Discover more destinations: Dobryansky District, Kishertsky District, Osinsky District, City of Gremyachinsk, Dobryansky District, Suksunsky District.
Return to the main travel overview: Perm Krai.
