20 Instagrams That Will Make You Fall In Love With Samara

There is plenty to catch your eye in World Cup host city Samara. Gleaming skyscrapers, impressive statues, constructivist relics and architectural hangovers from Soviet times dot this Volga side port town. Then there is the spectacular scenery just outside the city, the rolling fields and starry skies. With so much to look at, you might miss a game. To avoid that take a look at these Instagrams.

Naberezhnaya Embankment

Public sculpture, fountains, food stalls and gardens line this embankment which runs parallel to the Volga River.

The Volga region

Head just outside the city limits for some ridiculously picturesque countryside along the Volga River.
A post shared by Самара и область (@63_region) on Sep 23, 2017 at 8:55pm PDT
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Samara’s brutalism

A closed city during Soviet times, much of Samara’s architecture reflects Soviet and constructivist design aesthetics.
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Soviet living

Apartment

Communal living and shared domestic space was a driving force in Soviet apartment blocks, and Samara has some whoppers – this one on Lenin Avenue is just under a kilometre in length.

Stela Ladya

Celebrating the pirates who used to lurk around the Volga River and the Zhiguli Mountains in the 15th century, a sculpture of a boat bow juts out towards the river just in front of Samara’s twin towers.

New Samara

Preparations for the World Cup are seeing slick new buildings and apartment blocks popping up around town.
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Modern Museum and Art Nouveau Architecture

Building, Museum

Samara’s upper class took to art nouveau design in the early 20th century, much of which can still be seen around town. A wealthy merchant’s house is now the Modern Museum, which is dedicated to the city’s penchant for the style