Saransk

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City Mordoviya Republic, Russia

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About Saransk

Saransk is the capital of the Republic of Mordovia in Russia, at the confluence of the Saranka and Insar rivers about 630 km east of Moscow, famous as a host city of the 2018 FIFA World Cup and for the museum of the sculptor Stepan Erzia. Its top sights are the St Theodore Ushakov Cathedral, the Mordovia Arena, the Erzia Museum of Fine Arts and the St John the Theologian Church.

Saransk was founded in 1641 as a wooden fortress on the Atemar defensive line at the southeastern edge of the Tsardom of Russia. Pugachev's army held the town for three days in July 1774, and it became a town of Penza Governorate in 1780 and a large trade and craft centre of the Middle Volga.

Saransk International Airport has flights to Moscow, St Petersburg, Sochi, Kazan and other cities, trains leave from Saransk I station, and buses and trolleybuses run in the city. A walk along the landscaped Insar embankment leads to the Mordovia Arena, which hosted four matches of the 2018 World Cup.

Known forThe 2018 World Cup arena, Ushakov Cathedral and the Erzia museum

Ideal stay1 to 2 days

Getting aroundBuses and trolleybuses, with Saransk International Airport

Exploring Saransk: 12 Must-See Spots

Cathedral, Churches and Monuments 4

Saransk St Theodore Ushakov Cathedral

Saransk St Theodore Ushakov Cathedral is the largest Orthodox church in Saransk, Russia, standing on Cathedral Square and dedicate...

Saransk St John the Theologian Church

Saransk St John the Theologian Church is the oldest surviving building in Saransk, Russia, and in the whole region, built in 1693...

Saransk Family Monument

Saransk Family Monument is a bronze sculpture in Saransk, Russia, at Sovetskaya and Demokraticheskaya streets beside the St Theodo...

Saransk Stratonauts Monument

Saransk Stratonauts Monument stands by the railway station in Saransk, Russia, unveiled on 30 January 1963 to honour Pavel Fedosee...

Museums and Mordovia Arena 4

Erzia Museum of Fine Arts

Erzia Museum of Fine Arts in Saransk, Russia, holds the world's largest collection of works by the sculptor Stepan Erzia, more tha...

Voronin Mordovian Regional Museum

Voronin Mordovian Regional Museum is the local history museum of Saransk, Russia, founded in 1918 and opened on 15 June 1919, one...

Saransk Museum of Military and Labour Feat

Saransk Museum of Military and Labour Feat is part of the war memorial complex on Victory Square in Saransk, Russia, and opened on...

Mordovia Arena

Mordovia Arena is the football stadium of Saransk, Russia, built from 2010 on the floodplain of the Insar River and opened on 9 Ap...

Theatres and Ogarev Arena 4

Saransk Yaushev Opera and Ballet Theatre

Saransk Yaushev Opera and Ballet Theatre is the music theatre of Saransk, Russia, staging opera, ballet, operetta and musicals, wi...

Mordovian National Drama Theatre

Mordovian National Drama Theatre in Saransk, Russia, opened on 1 August 1989 and stages plays in the Moksha and Erzya languages wi...

Saransk Russian Drama Theatre

Saransk Russian Drama Theatre is the state Russian drama theatre of Mordovia in Saransk, Russia, founded in 1932 as a troupe attac...

Ogarev Arena

Ogarev Arena is a multipurpose two-tier indoor arena in Saransk, Russia, seating 7,800 spectators, laid down in 2011 and opened on...

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