Saransk. Host Cities

Saransk is the capital city of the Republic of Mordovia, just a 1.5 hour flight east from Moscow. The Sports School for Olympic Reserves in Athletics was opened in Saransk in 1995.

The Mordovian mythological bird ‘Inenarmun’ is the symbol of the city, adorned by a traditional Mordovian pattern of red, green and blue to represent arts and crafts and, of course, a football. Saransk is also a university town, attended by 20,000 students from 58 regions in Russia and 57 different countries.

Saransk is a Russian city steeped in history and character, preserved through the centuries in cuisine, craft and culture. Founded in 1641, the city takes its name from the nearby Saranka River. It became an important trade center for nearby Erzya villagers. In 1928, Saransk became the administrative center of the newly established Mordvin National Okrug (region), which became the Mordovian Autonomous Oblast in 1930.

The city underwent major reconstruction in the 1960s and 1970s under Soviet rule, but the core culture of its people and historical Mordvin villages has been a mainstay of this quintessentially Russian yet brilliantly ethnic host city.

Mordovia has more than 300 monasteries and churches. Famous religious places include St. John the Theologian Makarovsky Monastery.

Connoisseurs of classical art can go to the International Festival of Russian Drama Theaters called “Sootechestvenniki” and the International Festival of Jazz “Weise-Jazz.” Those staying around until the last days of summer can celebrate Kurgonya, the festival of Mordovian potato pie, one of the top-10 gastronomic events in Russia.

‘Saransk: The Last Mile’ provides the main pedestrian tourist route through the historical center and the major sights in Saransk, while staying close to the FIFA Fan Fest.

Another ‘must-see’ place in Saransk is the Erzya Museum, which hosts a permanent exposition of Fedot Sychkov, who portrayed his fellow Mordovian villagers and became known as “the singer of the joy of life.” The exposition contains more than 600 of his paintings chronicling his native land.

If that sounds appealing, you can learn more about Mordovian culture on the Call of Torama ethnic one-day tour route through the national Mordovia village. Another route takes visitors through locations associated with Admiral Ushakov, who served in the navy from 1766 to 1807 without being defeated in battle. He was later canonized by the Orthodox Church and became a saint.

The flight from Moscow takes just one hour to cover the 644 km east of the Russian capital. For those wanting to experience a traditional Russian trip, trains destined for ‘Mordovia’ cover the same distance and run overnight to Ruzaevka station, around 20 km from Saransk. 30 trains a day arrive at Ruzaevka from all over Russia. The airport is located just 3km from Saransk city,

• The indigenous peoples of Saransk, the Mordva, consist of two ethnic groups: Moksha and Erzya, which also have eponymous native languages.
• Mordva are the largest group of the peoples of Russia, belonging to the Finno-Ugric language group, and number around 850,000 people.
• Some 30 million roses are produced in Mordovia every year; one in 10 roses sold in Russia are grown here
• Saransk has been named among Russia's top 3 ,most comfortable cities for 6 times
• French actor Gerard Depardieu registered in Saransk after getting Russian citizenship and promised to become Mordovia’s ambassador in the world
• One of Mordovian traditional souvenirs is a herbal liquor called ‘Mordovsky Balsam’, consisting of 39 components
• Vladimir Putin have been to Mordovia 6 times