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If you have been looking for a genuine example of a central part of Russia’s regional center, consider Bryansk. With its mild, soothing pastel-shaded flora and quite varied and colorful but not garishly heroic history, Bryansk is the model city to display “modest Russian beauty”.

Bryansk has never been a site for major battles or hosted historic meetings, but due its location, – always on the crossroads of several states – it has always remained a cornerstone in the territorial disputes and, when finally won over by Russia, became a faithful outpost of the country in numerous fights with the invaders.

When introducing their hometown to the newcomers, the citizens often boast about Peter the Great dropping by to lay the first stone of the Arsenal metal works or the visit of the first man in space, Yury Gagarin, and his ride in an open car along the main street of the city, smiling “exactly at my grandmother” no matter who the storyteller was.

Bordering both Ukraine and Belarus, Bryansk earned its unique flavor that one can easily spot from the specific regional dialect, local traditions and a blend of three national cuisines.

It became mostly known in the years of World War II when Bryansk’s legendary thick and vast woods (even the name of the city comes from the Russian word meaning “thicket”) bred inside its depths a massive partisan movement, so greatly feared and cursed by the Nazis, earning Bryansk the title of the city of the partisan glory. Today, various festivities are organized on Victory Day, re-enacting the past to honor the fallen during the war.

Bryansk woods are still one the greatest landmarks of the region – a beloved recreational place for the locals, adored for its fresh air, eye-pleasing landscapes, and hunting and fishing prospects, besides, though seemingly friendly and familiar, who knows what secrets of the Bryansk woods’ thickets are still waiting to be revealed.

Published: 05 May 2011

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Suzemka and suburbs

Partisan glade