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We want to make Ural a more friendly place.Ural Life & Culture

Language: ENGLISH - почему убрать?Edition: 3,000 copis

Distribution: consulates, international corporations, hotels and restaurants, air carriers, the Russian Railroad, travel agencies that specialize in Russia.

Goal of the project isto make Ural and Yekaterinburg, its capital, more attractive for foreign guests.

The concept of the edition isdebunking negative and outdated mythsand stereotypes.

The information is organized as follows:we bust or confirm myth.

Audience:

foreign guests of the city and tourists

Contents:

Historic placesLandmarksHotels and restaurantsLeisure time, etc.

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Name: Ural. Most probably, it originated from the Turkic word aral meaning “island” or “hill.” Interestingly, the German word uralten means “very old.”

Area:Ural as a region is located around the Ural Mountains, or the Urals. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to Kazakhstan in the south. Big cities: Chelyabinsk, Izhevsk, Kurgan, Magnitogorsk, Nizhny Tagil, Perm, Orenburg, Sterlitamak, Tyumen, Ufa, and Yekaterinburg.

Name: Yekaterinburg, alternatively romanized as Ekaterinburg, was named after Tsar Peter the Great’s wife Catherine I. Between 1924 and 1991, the city was named Sverdlovsk after Yakov Sverdlov, the Communist party leader. The region is still officially known as Sverdlovsk Oblast.Date of birth:

November 18, 1723. Because of the climate, it is conveniently celebrated at the beginning of August. Population:

1,349,772 (2010 Census). Officially, it is the fourth-largest city in Russia after Moscow, St.Petersburg, and Novosibirsk. Together with commuters, students and people who live in the city with their propiska, “home registration,” elsewhere, it amounts to 2 mln. people. Migrant workers from the former Soviet republics add to these numbers. So, unofficially, it is third-largest and local mass media refers to it as Russia’s third capital.

Area: over 1,150 sq. km, which means that this millionaire city is pretty compact.

Consulates of:Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bulgaria, China, Czech Republic, Cyprus, France, Germany, Hungary, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, UK, US, Vietnam, etc. 6

Kristina Hayden, Public Affairs Officer at the US Consulate General

I never knew that I would live and work in Russia but here I am. My job is not only to support local events, but also to bring American culture here. We host film festivals, we bring music groups, we also bring speakers and experts. Truth be told, people are often surprised that Americans and Russians are not very different. But if I had to mention some difference, Russians have more exposure to the culture at a younger age. People here are open to learning about other cultures, have passion for arts and theater – just an incredible level of appreciation and interest – so it seems like a great place to work.

Yekaterinburg is a modern city. It reminds me of many cities in the US, like Chicago for example. I mean the architecture and the style of the city where everything is pretty central, and it’s easy to walk around. Among other Ural cities, Yekaterinburg is second to none in terms of the number of international companies.

I love food and I love cooking, so the one thing I miss is probably different types of food – Thai food or Indian food. At the same time I love Russian food, so it may be

a good substitute. And it’s not a problem to find American food here – there are several grocery stores that sell American products.

In summertime, I love the fact that so many restaurants have verandas, so that you could sit outside and eat and relax with your friends. The thing that annoys me is the situation with parking and traffic but it’s a common problem all over the world.

Whenever I talk about Yekaterinburg, I love to compare it to Moscow. I feel like that real Russia is here. Here the people are so much nicer and so much friendlier. I’ve found people very helpful here if I needed directions or help. When I wait for a taxi, Russians will come up and ask me if I need any help to call a taxi. I had one guy stop me on the street as I was carrying lots of brochures and asked me if I needed help.

I am very lucky because I speak enough Russian not to have problems and actually I think many people here speak English, many restaurants have an English menu or English-speaking staff. It’s a place where survival without language is incredibly possible.

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Mikhail Brodsky, PhD, Ural Life and Culture, CEO

I was sitting with my Dutch friend on the veranda of a café, sipping coffee. My friend’s English was impeccable, thanks to his British girlfriend.

“It’s so weird,” he was saying, “Only a few weeks ago I couldn’t imagine this kind of adventure. Me sitting here, in the middle of Russia, in the middle of no…” He suddenly stopped short and looked at me, confused. He was not sure whether I knew the phrase he was about to say.

“No, the middle of nowhere is not here,” I assured him calmly.“I’m sorry,” he started to apologize.“No, the middle of nowhere is not here,” I went on. “It’s about 600 miles north of Yekaterinburg. I know it for sure, because my sister lives there.”

Regrettably, people outside Russia do not know much about Ural as a region and Yekaterinburg, its unofficial capital. Today, together with many friends from different parts of the world, company ULC would like to show you how people live, work, and have fun here.

Yekaterinburg – or Yekat for friends –is a big transportation hub. Also, it is the firstcity in Asia and the last city in Europe, whichmakes it equally attractive to internationalcompanies, tourists, illegal immigrants, anddrug dealers.

Fortunately for all of them, it is easy to findyour way here, as the streets convenientlystretch from east to west and from northto south. The reason for this lies in thecity’s history. The two founders of Yekatwere Vasily Tatishchev, a Russian statesmanand historian, and Georg Villim de Gennin(originally, Wilhelm de Hennin), a militaryofficer and engineer, who was, according to

different sources, either a German or Dutch. Soon after the construction started, Tatishchev was accused of taking bribes. He left for St.Petersburg to report to Peter the Great and was away for about a year. When he returned, he was surprised to see a factory and a ready-to-live-in town that the Germanco-founder and his team of engineers hadbuilt. So, today there are at least two citiesin Russia with straight streets – Yekat andSt.Pete – both built by Germans and Dutch.

Ural as a region and Yekat as its unofficialcapital started in many ways like Australia –as a place of exile for criminals and outcastsof the empire. Since then, Yekat has seenlots of historic events on its way to the 21stcentury. The execution of the last Russiantsar, Nicholas II, and his family is one of them.

In the Soviet years, Yekaterinburg / Sverdlovsk was closed to foreigners. Why was it a closed city? Apparently, because since WWII the people of Sverdlovsk spent much of their working and leisure time producing parts for military equipment. Today, both the industry and leisure in Yekat are much more diverse.

The catalog of English-friendly – or just friendly places – of Ural and Yekaterinburg is made up of myths that are either proved or debunked. We recommend hotels and restaurants, shops and night clubs, fitness-centers, art galleries, and services that provide assistance in English.

We have collected hundreds of stories and opinions of those foreigners who are living or lived or visited Ural. I don’t share all opinions and emotions – I mean, come on, it’s not that cold in winter! No colder than in Finland, Norway, northern states of the US or Canada! Anyway, those are real stories of real people.

Our company ULC is working to make Ural a more friendly place. Come to Ural! You’ll see!

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Myth 2.

Myth 2. It's cold out there! TRUE. Information about fur coat shops and winter entertainments.

It’s cold out there! Myth 1.

Ural and Yekaterinburg? It must be a godforsaken place in the middle of nowhere!

Distance from Moscow: 1,667 km, a 2-hour flight (a several flights every day).Air carriers: Aeroflot, Finnair, Lufthansa, Turkish Airlines

Kay HellwigRegional Director for the Lufthansa teams at the airports of Yekaterinburg, Perm, and Samara in Russia (2008-2012) responsible for all Lufthansa matters at these locations, revenue and cost budget responsible, supplier management and contracting, crew layover and transport, airport sales:

“[When] I was told about Yekaterinburg, to be honest, I had to look on the map to find it. I was offered to come for a weekend to have a look. It was January. <…> The whole week we had the blue sky, sunshine, and white snow. So, we found a good place with good music, good food, a nice lake with a forest, nice pedestrian area, and a few nice shops. My wife said, “Ok, we can live here.” <…> The airport has changed a lot. I think it’s a very good airport, one of the best in Russia. ”

(courtesy: newspaper Your Yekaterinburg)

Gary and Kimber Ross, US

"Adjusting to the cold hasn’t been as difficult as we had imagined. And this is coming from the people who had only known temperatures above freezing in Fahrenheit. Maybe this resilience to the cold has something to do with the Russian saying we learned right after we arrived here: there’s no such thing as bad weather, only bad clothes.

Curiously, fur hats have earflaps, but no one ever – especially men – bothers to put them down.

It’s hard to get out of bed in the morning when you know the sun won’t be coming up for three or four more hours. Maybe that’s why the average Russian seems to get up later (and to go to bed later) than the average American. Or maybe that’s why Russians identify with the bear, who sleeps through the winter."

Myth 1. It's hard to get there from here.FALSE. Information about air carriers and Russian railroad.

Month Jan Feb March Apr May June July Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year

Average temperature, °C −14.2 −13.2 −3.7 5.3 12.7 17.4 19.5 16.9 11.1 4.8 −4.2 −10.6 3.5

Average temperature, °F 6.4 8.2 25.3 41.5 54.9 63.3 67.1 62.4 52 40.6 24.4 12.9 38.3

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Myth 3. Myth 4. There are no decent hotels there!

There are no decent cafes or restaurants there!

Myth 4.There are no decent cafes or restaurants there!FALSE. Information about restaurants, pubs, and cafes.

Myth 3.There are no decent hotels there!FALSE. Information about hotels.

Francesco Spampinato,chef from Italy"Here’s my offer: buy panna cotta anywhere you want, bring it to my restaurant and try it here together with mine. After that, if you think my panna cotta is worse, I’ll pay for the one that you’ve bought and for the one you try in my kitchen."

Courtesy: newspaper Your Yekaterinburg

In March, the Park Inn Hotel together with the US Consulate General hosted the “Days of American Universities” in Yekat.

GM of the hotel, Erdem Bilgin (Turkey): Russians enjoy life, and they are nice and warm, but it takes them some time to reveal it. I’ve been to several parties and I can assure you, Russians do smile.

Photo: courtesy newspaper Your Yekaterinburg

Takeshi Hosogoe (Japan),CEO of Toyota South, Yekaterinburg"There are many good places to eat. You can have a lot of good Italian food here. I, personally, like Paparazzi in the Europe shopping center. As for the Japanese food, there’re places like Mio, which is not typically Japanese but the food is good there."

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Myth 5. Myth 6. There is nothing to do there in free time!

People don’t speak English or any other languages there!

Myth 6.People don't speak English or any other languages there!FALSE. Information about translation agencies and language schools that teach Russian or need native teachers of English.

Myth 5.There is nothing to do there in free time!FALSE. Information about beauty salons, massage salon, health clubs, out-of-town clubs, etc.

Company ULC hosts Expat-in-Yekat parties. Photo: Charity auction in December, 2012.

First English newspaper in Yekaterinburg

American Information Center (American Corner) boasts thousands of books, magazines, and disсs in English

Eberhard Scheiffele (Germany), PhD, psychologist and university prof

"It seems that banyas are more humid than saunas. Also, there is a tradition of hitting each other with the branches of certain kinds of trees. I’m sure, every Russian can tell you exactly what kind of trees and where to get such branches. Going to the banya is certainly a social experience, one that lasts many hours. Most dachas have some land around them where the owners grow fruits and vegetables. So you can enjoy this, especially in the summer. And indeed many Russian families get a lot or even most of their food in summer from their dachas."

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Myth 7. Myth 8. There is no night life there! There is no cultural life there!

Myth 8.There is no cultural life there!FALSE. Information about museums, theaters, art galleries, private craftsmen and artists, etc.

Myth 7.There is no night life there!FALSE. Information about night clubs, bowling alleys, billiards clubs, etc.

"Ever Jazz is a wonderful, somehow unexpected gem, in the heart of Yekaterinburg. Very comfortable interior and pleasant atmosphere. The service was friendly and the food hearty and freshly prepared."

Edward Opp,Director of PhotographyKommersant Publishing House, US

Picture by the local artist Yury Uzhegov

Patrick Goodman, engineer, US

“I’ve been to the musicle with my fam-ily a few times. Even if you sometimes don’t understand the words, though the plot is familiar, you understand the spirit of it.”

Yekaterinburg boasts two European pool champions, Daria Sirotina (in the photo) and Anastasiya Nechayeva.

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Myth 10. In case of emergency there's nowhere to run, nowhere to hide!

Nothing ever happens there!

Myth 10.Nothing ever happens there!FALSE. Calendar of events. Glimpses of the past, ambitions for the future.

Yekaterinburg hosted the BRIC countries (Brazil, Russia, India and China) first official summit on June 16, 2009

Yekaterinburg is among 11 Russian cities that will host the 2018 FIFA World Cup. The tournament will involve 32 national teams. This will be the first World Cup in Eastern Europe and the first World Cup hosted in two continents. Russia is to become the largest nation, geographically, to host the World Cup, surpassing the United States.

Yekaterinburg has submitted its official bid to host the World Expo 2020. The suggested theme of Expo 2020 in Yekaterinburg is Global Mind: Uniting All Humanity in a Single Conversation.

Chelyabinsk Meteorite“A fireball streaked through the clear morning sky, followed by loud bangs. President Vladimir Putin said he thanked God no big fragments had fallen in populated areas.” Find more in the Internet.Come to Ural (Chelyabinsk region) to find a piece of the meteorite!

Director:Renny HarlinWriter:Vikram WeetStars:Gemma Atkinson, Richard Reid, Matt Stokoe

The Dyatlov Pass incident resulted in the deaths of nine hikers in the northern Ural mountains on the night of February 2, 1959. It happened on the east shoulder of the mountain Kholat Syakhl, which in the local Mansi language means Mountain of the Dead. The mountain pass where the incident occurred has since been known as the Dyatlov Pass after the group’s leader, Igor Dyatlov.At the time, Soviet investigators determined that the hikers tore open their tent from within, departing barefoot into heavy snow and at the temperature of −30 °C (−22 °F). Although the corpses showed no signs of struggle, two victims had fractured skulls, two had broken ribs, and one was missing her tongue. After the incident, access to the area was barred for hikers, skiers, and other adventurers for three years. Come to Ural to investigate the Dyatlov case!

Movie The Dyatlov Pass Incident (2013) is based on real events

Photo from Soviet archives

Anne Porro,Cultural Affairs Officerat the Consulate General of Germany"I had no stereotypes before coming here, neither positive nor negative. I felt immediately comfortable here.The German Consulate hosts events evry week – exhibitions, German cinema nights, events for children, courses of German for everyone, etc.I feel 100% safe here. I have friends, for example, in Sao Paolo in Brazil, I have friends in Lagos, Nigeria, and when I listen to their stories I’m real glad I’m here because I can go out at night and go home alone and I feel very safe. I’ve never had any problems. For me, it’s very important, and I love it that this city is very safe. I would say that it’s safer than Berlin, even."

Myth 9.

Myth 9. In case of emergency, there is nowhere to run, nowhere to hide!FALSE. Information about mobile network operators, automobile services, health centers and hospitals, banks, etc.

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Myth 11. No one knows history of Ural and Yekaterinburg, except for the local people!TRUE. Glimpses of history.

Myth 11.

No one knows history of Ural and Yekaterinburg, except for the local people!

Russians started moving to Ural in the 11th century. Traditionally, the number of Turkic people living there (Bashkirs, Tatars) is higher than in the western and central Russia. In 1941–45, during World War II, Ural became the industrial backbone of Russia as most important industrial enterprises were evacuated there from the western Soviet Union. Boris Pasternak, a Nobel Prize winner for literature, spent a few years in Perm and wrote his books there. Engineer Mikhail Kalashnikov, whose assault rifle is widely known as the AK-47 (Avtomat Kalashnikova or in Russian slang Kalash) lives in Izhevsk.Perm used to be the administrative center until it was moved to Sverdlovsk/Yekaterinburg after the Bolshevik Revolution of 1917, during the following Civil war. It was founded by a Russian statesman, ethnographer, and historian Vasily Tatishchev and a German military officer and engineer Georg Wilhelm de Gennin as an industrial settlement. From the very beginning, Yekaterinburg played a crucial role as an administrative, mining, and machine building center of Ural.

“Before I came to Russia and to this city Yekaterinburg, I never heard of this city. Most Thai people know just St.Petersburg and Moscow. Me, too. But now I think it’s more comfortable than the capital, Moscow.I love history of Russia. Many foreign travelers to Yekaterinburg expect to learn more about the last days of Russia’s last monarch, Nicholas II, his German-born wife Alexandra and their children, ex-ecuted here by the Bolsheviks in 1918.I have been here for a while, and I think I’m very lucky because I already met real Russia as I wanted before.”

Jiraporn Treewisessorn,Thailand, PhD student

The Church on the Blood has become the symbol of Yekaterinburg. It stands on the place of the murder of the last Russian Tsar Nicholas II, his wife Alexandra, and their children Grand Duchesses Olga, Tatiana, Maria, Anastasia, and Prince Alexis. They were executed by Bolsheviks at the engineer Ipatiev’s house on the night of July 16, 1918.

In 1977, the house was torn down by order of Boris Yeltsin, the then leader of Ural Communists, who later became Russia’s first president.

The Church on the Blood is one of the landmarks of Yekaterinburg. If you choose to arrange your tour during the Easter celebration, you will be able to enjoy an awesome look at Yekaterinburg from the church’s bell tower and ring the bells with a pair of headphones on and with the assistance of a professional bell-ringer.

*Services of photographers, designers, and journalists are included

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You offer new destinations!Russia is the name of the game!Honest opinions of Russia and Ural, coming from expats. Only true stories. Now, it’s your choice and your adventure!

You will earn profits!The official estimates say that about 50,000 foreigners arrived in Yekat in 2011 and over 54,000 in 2012. Jump on the bandwagon! World Soccer Cup - 2018 is just round the corner.

It's trendy!The incoming tourism grows by 9% annually. Yekat is in the top 4 most attractive Russian cities. Don't take our word for it! Make your mind basing on first-hand experience!

It's convenient!Like Henry Ford, we get the job (information) for you, not the other way round!

It's exciting! Nowhere else will you get so much information in such an anecdotal way.

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Contact us!ulc.russia.info@gmail.com

Mikhail Brodsky+7 932 115 08 62

ULC. You,ll see.

Justin Yeager (US), TEFL teacher at Language Link Yekaterinburg

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Projects: a creator of the English map of Yekaterinburg, a contributor for English websites, brochures and other materials for the Zoo, Orthodox Diocese (Metropoly), volunteering writer and translator for the first English city newspaper Your Yekaterinburg.Projects with Consulates, the US Embassy in Moscow, international companies, not-for-profit and charitable organizations. Dozens of happy memories in blogs written by foreign guests, hundreds events every year, thousands of posts in social networks.Thank-you letters from the City Hall, Consulate General of the US in Yekaterinburg, Consulate General of Germany in Yekaterinburg, first English city website www.ekaterinburg.com, The Church on the Blood.

Mikhail Brodsky (Russia)PhD, Head of Translation Chair at The Institute of International Relations, Yekaterinburg

Jonathan Tucker (UK)TEFL teacher at Language Link Yekaterinburg

“There is a small but faithful band of TEFL teachers throughout the city who are all native speakers, who, through their day jobs, are ensuring that more and more people are learning English. Through their own hard efforts, our students are swiftly improving their language skills.”

Eberhard Scheiffele (Germany)PhD, psychologist, university prof

THIS CATALOG HAS BEEN COMPILED AND EDITED BY

Kimber Ross (US), journalist