General Information

Saransk is the capital of the Republic of Mordovia, Russia, located in central European Russia. The area of the Republic of Mordovia is 26 200 sq. km. (about 10 100 sq. miles). The population is about 964,000 people.

Saransk stands on the left bank of the Insar River (the Volga basin). The town is located 630 km (about 390 miles) east of Moscow. It’s population is currently about 317,000 people.

City telephone code: +7 8342

Distance from Moscow: 630 km (about 390 miles)

Time: Moscow time

History

Not to be confused with the Moldavians, the Mordovians are a Finno-Ugric people who lived on the territory for many centuries prior to Russian expansion.

The town of Saransk was founded in 1641. First it was a fortress on the southeast border of Russia. The town developed quite slowly.

A Mordovian Republic was distinguished as region within the Soviet Union in 1934. In 1961 Saransk received status of a city. Flag and coat-of-arms of the republic were adopted in 1995. Saransk was closed to the foreigners until 1996.

Climate

The climate of the region is temperate continental with marked seasons. The average temperature in January is - 11° C, the average temperature in July is +19° C.

Economy and Transportation

Among the most developed industries in Saransk are the production of electrical cables, chemicals, machine building, and metalworking. Decorative cloth and food products are also produced.

Saransk has a train station built in 1893, currently located on the Rusaevka- Kazan rail route, and is located along a highway. The city also has two thermal power stations.

Culture

There are several places of interest in Saransk.

Among the museums, there are the S.Erzi Museum of Fine Arts, the Museum of Local Lore, the F.Sychkov Arts Gallery.

Saransk has several theaters: the Music and Drama Theatre founded in 1961, Puppet Theater and a Comedy Theater.  

Among the churches worth seeing, there are the Ioann Bogoslov Church built in 1693 and the Tryokhsvyatitelskaya Church which dates XVIII century.

The Mordovian State University founded in 1957 as well as several colleges and  technical schools are located in Saransk.

The main street of Saransk is Prospect Lenina. Kommunisticheskaya str. is another busy street in the city center.

Hotels

Intourist Hotel. Address: Respublikanskaya str., 103. Phone: +7 8342 475199.

Saransk Hotel. Address: Kommunisticheskaya str., 35. Phone: +7 8342 478882, 476449.

Mordovia Hotel. Address: Lenina Prospect, 4. Phone: +7 8342 327 264, 327213.

Mirta Hotel. Address: Fedseenko str., 4. Phone: +7 8342 472684.

Evgeniya Stroganova