Barnaul was founded back in 1730 as a small working settlement. Every year the population grew here, and the territory was gradually ennobled and equipped. As a result, in 1771 Barnaul received the status of a city, and in 1937 it became the administrative center of the Altai Territory. Today there are many museums, theaters, cultural monuments and other attractions. Barnaul is a real historical and cultural center of the whole Altai and is ideal for starting your acquaintance with this beautiful region.
Mountain Pharmacy
One of the most interesting sights of Barnaul is the Mountain Pharmacy Museum. The building was built in the 18th century and served as a pharmaceutical pharmacy. Many medicines were made here and sent to the district hospitals to treat the sick.
In 2010-2012, a complete restoration of the building was carried out, inas a result of which they turned it into a museum. A variety of old books on medical craft, jars, test tubes and vials with preserved medicines, a huge number of tools used to make medicines and much more are stored here.
Besides all this, the museum has various surviving documents written in calligraphic ink. On the walls are photographs of people, posters of those times, pharmacy prescriptions issued by a doctor, etc.
"Mountain Pharmacy" is a unique place where everyone can not only get acquainted with the history of one of the first pharmacies in Siberia, but also learn about how pharmacists lived and worked here, how they made medicines and what used.
Barnaul Zoo
The next attraction of the city is the local zoo. It was formed in 1995 as a small zoo corner. At first, visitors were shown only two hens and a couple of rabbits. After some time, other animals like ponies, squirrels, foxes, etc. began to appear in the zoo corner. Gradually, the zoo expanded, and in 2010 it was decided to register it as a full-fledged zoo.
Today there are about 250 animals of 60 different species in the Barnaul Zoo. Also, 16 animals listed in the Red Book are officially registered here. Here are some of them: jungle cat, Far Eastern leopard, mouflon, emu, cynomolgus macaque and others.
BesidesIn addition, the Barnaul Zoo constantly conducts excursions, during which visitors are introduced to animals in more detail and tell interesting facts and features about them.
How-So
The next place that definitely deserves the attention of the guests of Barnaul is the Kak-Tak museum of entertaining sciences. First of all, this place will be extremely interesting for vacationers with children, but, as practice shows, adults also visit this place very actively.
Kak-So is a unique museum where you can and even need to touch all the exhibits. Everything that can be put into action, the organizers are allowed to launch, because this is how, in their opinion, people can get to know science and physics more closely.
There are magnetic bridges here, bridges assembled without a single nail that you can safely walk on, a chair made of nails that you can sit on without fear of being pricked. Of particular interest are various optical illusions, such as a fully mirrored room, a striped mirror, and “live” drawings. The museum also hosts exciting tours and colorful show performances.
Local History Museum
The State Museum of Local Lore is also one of the popular attractions of Barnaul. It was founded in 1823 and is the oldest in Siberia. There are huge exhibitions and expositions dedicated to the history of Altai, how mining in the mountains originated, what minerals are mined in the Altai Mountains, etc.
Besides this, in the museum you can admire collections of weapons, outfits of different peoples, shamans' clothes from China, America and, of course, Siberia. Of particular interest are the models of Polzunov's first steam-atmospheric machine and the first stamping machine. There are also entire ethnographic expositions dedicated to household items of different peoples of the Altai Territory, such as Russian, German, Mordovian, Altai.
In total, the museum has over 150 thousand various exhibits.
St. Nicholas Church
The next attraction of Barnaul is St. Nicholas Church. The temple is considered one of the oldest in the city, and the year of its foundation is recorded as 1904. Military barracks were located next to the church. Here the soldiers took the oath, and some events were celebrated near the walls of the temple, for example, the victory in the war of 1812.
In 1930 the temple was destroyed. The dome was removed from the church, and the bell tower was completely destroyed. A little later, St. Nicholas Church was turned into a club for the military, and even later they turned it into a school for pilots.
Only in 1991 the temple was again handed over to believers and its reconstruction began. First of all, a new bell tower was built, then a painting was carried out inside the temple. In 2006, the first dome was completely reconstructed, and a year later five gilded crosses were installed on it. St. Nicholas Church is rightfully considered one of the architectural monuments of Barnaul.
Ostrich Ranch
Genuine interest from guests and localscauses this attraction of Barnaul. Despite the name, this private zoo is home to quite a few varieties of animals. Of course, ostriches predominate, but, in addition to them, several types of chickens, rabbits, ponies, llamas, deer, camels, pigs, peacocks, ducks, cockerels, etc. live here. In total, there are about 60 species. Animals can be fed, stroked, photographed with them - the owners do not prohibit this.
If you want to know more about a species, any of the ranch staff will be happy to tell you about it.
As for souvenirs, here you can buy a real ostrich egg or try to find a peacock feather, which you can keep as a souvenir absolutely free.
Monument to Shukshin in Barnaul
Another of the main attractions of the city is the monument to the great Russian writer, director and actor Vasily Makarovich Shukshin. It is located in the Leninsky district of the city on Socialist Avenue.
The monument was erected in 1989 in honor of the 60th anniversary of Shukshin. Made entirely from brass. The main feature of this monument is that it was created exactly according to the photograph. The master, Nikolai Zvonkov, managed to incredibly accurately depict all the smallest features of the writer, starting from his face and ending with the manner of dressing. A few years after the opening, they decided to install the monument on a granite pedestal.
Monument to Tsoi
Another interesting monument,which also deserves attention is the monument to Viktor Tsoi. In Barnaul, it was opened in 2010 right on the eve of the 20th anniversary of the death of the great musician and singer. Since that time, many lovers have come to the city and honored the work of the Kino group in order to lay flowers in memory of the performer.
The monument itself is a figure of a musician with a guitar that literally "grows" out of the pedestal. The sculptor depicted Viktor Tsoi in his favorite pose - his head is raised up and looks at the sky. Behind the musician is a semicircle, which symbolizes the rise of the "Star named Sun".
Drama Theater
Well, and, perhaps, the last attraction on the list is the Altai Regional Drama Theater. V. M. Shukshin. It was built in 1921 and today is one of the largest theaters in Siberia. The capacity of the auditorium is 711 seats, and the experimental stage - 183. Before the reconstruction, the theater could accommodate more spectators, but the reduction made it possible to achieve greater comfort for visitors.
The regional theater annually hosts about 30 productions of performances based on the best works of Russian and foreign classics. An obligatory tradition for the theater is the staging of performances based on the works of V. M. Shukshin, after whom the building is named.
