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.
Prospekt Volzhsky 43, Samara, Russia
The Volga region
Head just outside the city limits for some ridiculously picturesque countryside along the Volga River.
Samara’s brutalism
A closed city during Soviet times, much of Samara’s architecture reflects Soviet and constructivist design aesthetics.
Soviet living
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.
Prospekt Lenina 3, Samara, Russia
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.
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
A beautiful gold dome topped church right in the heart of the city.
Samara arena
Purpose built for the World Cup 2018, this sports stadium is going to be one of the newest arenas to host a match.
Ulitsa Dalnyaya, Samara, Russia
Samara beach
Packed with people during the warmer months, the long, wide sandy banks of the Volga River in Samara is one of Russia’s best landlocked beaches.
Shout out to @63_region for sharing their photos. If you think Samara is a gem, check out how good looking another World Cup host city, Kazan is.