About the Republic
Mari El

A corner of Europe in the center of Russia

Yoshkar-Ola surprises with a memorable panorama of the cozy embankment, combining the good traditions of the county town and elements of the Old European style. The Yoshkin Cat sculpture, which has become a kind of mascot of the city, is particularly popular in the city. Scratching the nose of a bronze cat for good luck, you can make a wish, and it will certainly come true.

Guests of the republic also have the opportunity to visit the city that became the prototype of Vasyukov from the novel "12 Chairs" by I.Ilf and E.Petrov, as well as to get acquainted with the witness of the Pugachev uprising — the gigantic oak tree in the Mari Chodra nature Reserve.

Annual famous holidays and colorful festivals: "Vasyuki Fest", "Land of Ancestors", "Summer seasons", "Peledysh Payrem", "Peledysh ayo", "Yoshka Yesh" will introduce tourists to the original traditions of the Mari people, demonstrate the hospitality of the Mari region.

The territory of the Republic of Mari El is home to Russia's only open-air ethnographic museum complex dedicated entirely to mountain Aryan culture, as well as historical and cultural monuments of the 19th and 20th centuries in Kozmodemyansk, the Sheremetev Estatein Yurino.

Nature and climate

The Republic of Mari El is a region with amazingly beautiful nature, rich in lakes and forests. There are over 600 lakes in the region, most of which are of karst origin — clean and deep, more than 400 rivers with a total length of over 7 thousand km. The Volga River flows through the republic. The Ilet, Bolshaya Kokshaga, Yushut and Kundysh rivers are among the most ecologically clean rivers in Europe, and the Yalchik, Kichier and Karas lakes are the pearls of the Mari Region. Forests occupy more than half of the republic's territory

Mari El is rightfully considered one of the most ecologically clean regions of Russia. It is not surprising that the basis of the Mari national cuisine is the gifts of forests, fields, rivers and lakes — game, mushrooms, all kinds of herbs and berries.

National cuisine

If you have visited Mari El in winter, autumn or early spring, be sure to try farm products: meat, goat and cow cheeses, dairy products, chicken, sausages, and, of course, fish from the edge of rivers and lakes!

Mari El has prepared its own surprises for those with a sweet tooth: natural and delicious ice cream straight from childhood, mukinde and incredibly delicious Mari honey, included in the register of the best honeys in Russia!

When traveling in Mari El, you should definitely try the national dishes prepared according to ancient recipes: podkogoli (podkogillo), komanmelna, tuara, uyacha.

Culture and art

The Republic of Mari El has a long tradition in the development of fine arts, decorative and applied arts and crafts. A system of measures has been developed to preserve traditional centers of artistic crafts. Traditional areas include embroidery, canvas weaving, recreating the traditions of folk costume, processing natural materials, wood carving, processing vines, bast, straw, birch bark, etc.

Cultural life is actively developing in the republic: there are 6 state theaters operating here, of which 5 are located in Yoshkar‑Ole, there is a philharmonic society, and there are more than 100 museums, ranging from classical local history to modern exhibition spaces.

Tourism in Mari El

In the Republic of Mari El:

• 11 tour operators and more than 109 travel agencies
• 78 collective accommodation facilities for
• 23 sanatoriums and health complexes, health camps
• 24 recreation centers
• 81 points of sale/sale of souvenirs and handicrafts.