The best present is a souvenir from Voronezh and it is a brass hand bell.

A Russian proverb says that "Its better to see it once than to hear about it a hundred times." Well, it is hard to argue with this, especially when it comes to seeing new cities, some of which may not be so new but no less interesting.

And it is hard to debate the fact that Voronezh is one of the ancient and outstanding Russian cities. It has been situated on the banks of the river of the same name and scientists have come up with a number of versions about the meaning and etymology of its name. It is not our purpose here to name all the multitude of them, but we just want to point out that Voronezh has no more crows (in Russian ‘voron’ means ‘a crow’) than in any other city, although among them you may find some curious ones. And there are only few hedgehogs (a ‘ezh’ is a hedgehog in Russian) which live in the gardens of the summer houses located in the picturesque valleys near the city.


 

Now that we are done explaining the mysterious name of the heart of the Black Soil Region, we can talk about the worthy representatives of the local fauna. To get to know them better we suggest that you go to Lizukova Street where… yes, you are right… where lives the famous cartoon Kitten. He lives on a tree, never gets bored as he has a Crow for a companion (remember we told you about some curious examples). And both the citizens of Voronezh and our guests visit the cheerful Kitten with great pleasure and take photos and enjoy themselves.

Among the famous citizens of Voronezh there are authentic Russian literature masters: Ivan Nikitin, Aleksey Koltsov, Ivan Bunin, Andrey Platonov. Streets, parks, theatres and museums have been named after them and many other outstanding citizens of Voronezh.

Strolling around the historical center of the city you can admire ancient Voronezh cathedrals and churches. One of the most ancient is Alexis’s Akatov monastery. Its foundation dates back to the beginning of the 17th century. The Annunciation Cathedral is approximately of the same age. It was closed down and destroyed during the Soviet times. In 1998 the metropolitan bishop Methodius initiated the reconstruction of the cathedral. It has practically been completed and now it is a pleasure to look at for the citizens of Voronezh and its guests with its intricate golden crosses sparkling in the sun.


Since we are talking about Russian Orthodox cathedrals and its inalienable attributes it is impossible not to mention the truly unique Voronezh company which specializes in bell casting. This craft has always been highly respected in this country but after the 1917 revolution its traditions have been practically lost. And it was in Voronezh at the end of the 1980s when the first bell casting workshop in Russia was founded. Now Voronezh bells ‘sing’ in many Russian cities: Zvenigorod, Tomsk, Valaam, Kaliningrad, Astrakhan, Abakan, Syktyvkar, Samara, Zadonsk, Krasnodar, Murmansk, Mirnii to name a few. There are quite a few of them abroad. Recently Voronezh craftsmen have made exact copies of Danilov Monastery for the bell tower of Harvard University. Voronezh bells now please the hearing of the city dwellers in Canada, Korea, Serbia, Poland, Greece, and Japan.

Well, our brief tour of Voronezh is coming to an end. Now the guests of our city need to choose what to keep as a memory of Voronezh or what souvenir to take to your loved ones. Not a postcard which will sit in a box forever, but a true masterpiece of Voronezh craftsmen – a souvenir bell decorated with an intricate ornament of Voronezh landscapes. It will be a really memorable gift for you, your family and friends. It is not just a beautiful thing, but also a protective amulet. When you purchase a souvenir bell, you purchase a wonderful decoration, happiness and protection for your home. Then you can be sure that your trip to Voronezh has been a success.