Текст 1 About Myself

The history of the city and its sight are inseparable, and one can easily guess the outlines of ancient times in the modern city. There are a lot of historical places in Astrakhan, especially in the centre of the town. Its quiet streets and old houses are inexplicably attractive. And the sad spirit of old times is flying over them. The architectural style of modern Astrakhan with a lot of historical buildings makes it possible to call the city a historical museum under the open sky. It's not by chance that Astrakhan is mentioned in the list of historical cities of Russia.

At the beginning of the twentieth century Astrakhan was a well-known cultural centre with rich musical and theatrical traditions. There were lots of clubs and Societies' of Culture here. Educated people appreciated literature and were keenly interested in the world stars: Fyodor Shalyapin, Maria Ermolova, Vera Komissarzhevskaya performed on the stages of Astrakhan People coming to Astrakhan were often surprised at the great number of wooden houses, so uncommon for the steppes and half-deserts. Astrakhan was famous for its wood-working industry and a lot of timber was floated down the Volga. Russian tower architecture was to be observed in the streets of the city. Skilful craftsmen decorated the houses with masterfully carved ornaments.

Southern Venice! Astrakhan is sometimes called so for it’s numerous canals and channels connected with the Volga. Astrakhan may be also .called the city of bridges: there are about 50 of them! Modern industrial bridges and small foot bridges, standard ferro-concrete bridges and bridges with elaborate old-fashioned cast-iron lace - they all remain the main feature of "the city on the water".