Ufa

Ufa is the capital of the Republic of Bashkortostan, Russia. Ufa is one of the industrial centres in the Western Urals area, and is situated at the joining of the Belaya and the Ufa Rivers. Industries include electrical and mining equipment, oil refining, petrochemicals, synthetic rubber, and processed foods. The city began as a fortress built on the orders of Ivan IV in 1574, and originally bore the name of the hill it stood on, Tura-Tau. The city began to be called Ufa, meaning "small" in Turkic, by locals and the name stuck. In 1802, Ufa became the principal city of Bashkiria.

City Overview
The discovery of oil in Bashkiriya made Ufa one of the centers of the USSR oil extracting and oil refining industries. The city stretches 45 kilometers from the southwest to the northeast and occupies over 750 square kilometers. Ufa's population exceeds 1 million people representing over a hundred nationalities and ethnic groups. The bulk of the population is composed of Russians, Bashkirs, Tatars, Chuvash and Maris. Ufa believers profess mostly Christianity and Islam. The city numbers over 1,000 streets totaling about 1,000 kilometers, 22 bridges and overpasses, 6 river ferries. Ufa is the largest river port in the Urals. Vessels sailing down the Belaya, the Kama and the Volga deliver cargoes to the remotest places of the country. Branch-lines of the Kuibyshevskaya Railway connect Ufa with all major Russian cities. Ufa Airport has an International Terminal. The airport has a capacity of 400 passengers an hour.
More than a half of Bashkortostan's total manufacturing potential is concentrated in Ufa. The principal industries are fuel production, chemical and petrochemical branches, engineering and metal machining. 196 manufacturing companies are located in the city. The largest of these are three oil refineries, "Ufaorgsintez", "Ufachimprom", Engine-building and Instrument-building Associations, "Immunopreparat" and others. Joint-venture companies with foreign firms have been established and representation offices of foreign firms have been opened.
The capital of the Republic of Bashkortostan is closely associated with brilliant figures of culture - writer S.T. Aksakov, singer Fyodor Chaliapin, numerous scientists, publicists, actors, playwrights and writers. Ethnic culture festivals and recitals of Turkic, Slavonic and other nations are staged in the city. Ten scientific institutes have been created under the Ufa Research Center of the Russian Academy of Sciences, as well as Botanic Gardens, Museum of Archeology and Ethnography which comprises a unique collection of verbal poetic and musical folk lore, exhibits in archeology, ethnography and anthropology.

Culture
Theatres
RUSSIAN ACADEMIC DRAMA THEATER OF BASHKORTOSTAN
The first theatre in Ufa was established in 1861 under the initiative of S. Aksakova, the wife of Ufa Governor. This event started the tradition of Ufa theatrical life and became the origin of Russian Drama Theater in Bashkortostan, whose aesthetics from the very beginning was based on the traditions of Russian school of theater. The repertoire of the theater includes dramatic works of Russian and foreign authors, both classic (plays by Aristofan, W. Shakespeare, K. Goldoni, K. Gozzi, N. Gogol, A. Ostrovsky, A. Chekhov. M. Gorky) and contemporary
Address: Oktyabra ave., 79
Tel.: (3472) 330073
BASHKIR STATE ACADEMIC DRAMA THEATER NAMED AFTER M. GAFURI
The oldest theater in the Republic, established as early as 1919, went on its first tour to Petrograd (Petersburg) already in 1922. In 1935 the theater was awarded the title "Academic", in 1970 it was given the Red Labor Banner Order, and in 1971 it was named after the prominent Bashkirian writer M. Gafuri. The repertoire of the theater is formed on the basis of national, foreign and Russian classics as well as modern multi-genre drama works.
Address: Frunze st., 34
Tel.: +7(3472) 234743
BASHKIR STATE PUPPET THEATRE
Ufa Puppet Theater was established in 1932. It did not close even during the difficult years of Great Patriotic War, giving its performances before the soldiers of Karelian Front. The theater boasts of two companies - Bashkir and Russian. The repertoire is made up by Bashkir and Russian fairy tales as well as classics of Russian, Tatar and Bashkir literature: A. Pushkin, M. Lermontov, N. Gogol, A. Chekhov, G. Tukay, M. Karim, etc. Based on the best traditions of Russian theater, enriched by mutual influence of Russian and Bashkir cultures, the activities of Bashkir Puppet Theater is original and dynamic in its development. As early as the Seventies witness active search for the new artistic language resulted in experimental staging of dramas, comedies and tragedies.
Address: Oktyabra ave., 158
Tel.: (3472) 313603
Music
NATIONAL SYMPHONIC ORCHESTRA OF BASHKORTOSTAN REPUBLIC
The orchestra was established in 1992 under the initiative of its artistic leader and leading conductor Tagir Kamalov. In no time it mastered the repertoire of a significant scope (from old madrigals to the works of the authors of the Twentieth century) and became one of the leading symphonic orchestras in Russia. The orchestra serves as a "laboratory" to create modern national symphonic music. In 1997 the camera part of the orchestra participated in the Twelfth International Symphonic Music Festival in Tunis. National Symphonic Orchestra is the initiator of many festival programs: "Christmas Meetings", "The Orchestra Invites", "Festival of Symphonic and Choir Music" that have won the love and popularity among the audience.
Address: Sovietskaya st., 18
Tel.: (3472) 510039
REPUBLICAN FOLK ART CENTRE
In 1945 in order to coordinate the activities of cultural and educational institutions of Bashkortostan the Department was established, later transformed into Scientific-Methodological Center at Republican Ministry of Culture. This center was oriented on research, development and publishing methodological literature addressing the questions of traditional culture and amateur art. In 1994 the organization was renamed into Republican Folk Art Center. The multinational population of the Republic puts a wide scope of different tasks before the Center, the main one being the thorough research, all-round support and development of traditional culture of all the nations of Bashkortostan. Another important objective is the analysis of the activities, support, development and promotion of the best works of amateur collectives (musical, choreographic, etc.) as well as soloists, painters, composers and other individuals, for whom art is not a profession but a hobby. The Center pays much attention to various types and genres of folk art, traditions, customs, and holidays.
Address: Gogolia st., 58
Tel.: (3472) 513903 Museums
NATIONAL MUSEUM OF BASHKORTOSTAN REPUBLIC
The museum was established in 1864 as Ufa Provincial museum under the initiative of Provincial Statistics Committee. The present name it bears since 1993. It has been renamed many times, with the scope of its interests constantly widening. Today the museum's objective is to collect, keep, study and promote among the citizens the monuments of history, material and spiritual culture of the peoples of our multinational Republic. The museum keeps over 120 thousand exhibits in stock: archaeological items (flinty weapons of Higher Paleolith, neolithic arrow-ends made of Ural jasper, bronze shield from the epoch of early iron found in Khaibullinsky region, mirror from the Sara burial ground in Orenburg area, golden deer from Gumarovsky Kurgan and many others), huge collection of items from Bashkir ethnography, precious stones collection (silver and coral decorations, women's headdresses decorated with silver and coral, men's belts decorated with silver buckles and semi-precious stones), wooden items (items of apiculture, agriculture, household utensils), documents and photographs that entered the fund of written sources as well as paintings and coins collections. It hosts scientific seminars and conferences, publishes books on ethnography and history.
Address: Sovetskaya st., 14
Tel.: +7(3472) 221250
BASHKIR STATE ART MUSEUM NAMED AFTER M.V. NESTEROV
102 paintings presented by famous Russian painter Mikhail Nesterov to Ufa, his hometown, were transported from Moscow to Ufa in 1919. The Museum welcomed its first visitors in January 1920. Today Bashkir State Art Museum named after M.V. Nesterov has in its collection over 8 thousand items of painting, graphics, sculpture, folk art exhibited in Russian, Bashkir and foreign art shows. Here you can find old Russian icons, works of Russian masters of 19-20 Centuries - I. Aivazovsky, I. Levitan, A. Savrasov, I. Repin, V. Perov, M. Vrubel, V. Serov, N. Rerikh, A. Benoit and others. Russian avant-garde is represented by the works of N. Goncharova and M. Larionov and the biggest Russian collection (34 works) of D. Burlyuk, the "father of Russian futurism". The Museum takes pride in exhibiting the works of M. Nesterov - over 90 items of painting and graphics - the biggest collection in Russia. The foreign exhibition displays the works of A. Kanaletto, J-P Pannini, N. Lancre, K-G Verne, L. Backheizen as well as graphics by A. Durer, J-B Piranesi, F. Bartolotti, etc. The Museum participated many times in foreign (Germany, Holland, Austria) exhibitions and hosted the works of foreign artists from Germany, China, Italy.
MUSEUM OF ARCHAEOLOGY AND ETHNOGRAPHY
Address: Aksakova, 7
Tel.: (3472) 507123
MILITARY MUSEUM
Address: Komarova st., 7
Tel.: (3472) 604465
Cinemas
AURORA
Address: Aurory st., 7
Tel.: (3472) 554048
ISKRA
Address: Oktyabra ave., 58
Tel.: (3472) 357522
ORLENOK
Address: Mira st., 12
Tel.: (3472) 420652
POBEDA
Address: Pervomaiskaya, 41
Tel.: (3472) 428575
RODINA
Address: Lenina st., 42
Tel.: (3472) 222344
SMENA
Address: Rossijskaya st., 37
Tel.: (3472) 310545
TEREMOK
Address: Oktyabra ave., 109/1
Tel.: (3472) 314959