Tchaikovsky



Tchaikovsky

Name: Maria Plotnikova

Age: 32

Profession: Photographer

City: Perm Krai

How long have you been doing photography? Since 2006.

What style or genre most interests you? From a professional point of view I am interested in documentary photography, and news and sports reporting. But my true love is street photography.

Can you give us a short description of your city? Where is it located? What is it famous for? The city of Tchaikovsky in Perm Krai was named after the great Russian composer Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, who was born in the neighboring town of Votkinsk. In 1955, they began building a massive hydroelectric station on the Kama River, and on the outskirts of the construction site a workers' village rose up. By 1956 it had already attained the status of a city, and the name Tchaikovsky was proposed by the residents of the city themselves. At present, the population of the city is about 80,000 persons.

Tchaikovsky is known for its winter sporting traditions. The city has an Institute of Winter Sports, an alpine ski center, the biathlon center, Snezhnika, and a ski-jump complex where international competitions are held.

What are some things that only locals would know about the city? Tchaikovsky is located on the border with the Udmurt Republic. Just outside Tchaikovsky is a small village called Novy ("New"), the residents of which all work in Tchaikovsky. Yet there is a one-hour time difference between the Udmurt Republic and Perm Krai, and a two-hour difference between Moscow and Udmurtia. So it is that the residents of Novy must rise one hour earlier, in order to get to work on time, even though it is just a five minute drive away.

The most interesting twist happened in 2010, when the administration of the Udmurt Republic decided to change over to Moscow Time. Thus, for a few years the unlucky residents of Novy were forced to live in a parallel world: on the one hand, their village was living on Moscow Time, on the other, their work/study/daytime world in Tchaikovsky was two hours ahead. Luckily, a few years ago, Udmurtia returned to its previous time zone and so the difference returned to just one hour.

Which places or sites are a must for someone to see if they visit your city?  Central Square, Tchaikovsky Square, Snezhnik Biathlong Complex, the city beach, the Park of Culture and Rest, the embankment and pier.

Website: mariaplotnikova.com

Instagram: @mplot



Like this post? Get a weekly email digest + member-only deals

Some of Our Books

Turgenev Bilingual

Turgenev Bilingual

A sampling of Ivan Turgenev's masterful short stories, plays, novellas and novels. Bilingual, with English and accented Russian texts running side by side on adjoining pages.
Davai! The Russians and Their Vodka

Davai! The Russians and Their Vodka

In this comprehensive, quixotic and addictive book, Edwin Trommelen explores all facets of the Russian obsession with vodka. Peering chiefly through the lenses of history and literature, Trommelen offers up an appropriately complex, rich and bittersweet portrait, based on great respect for Russian culture.
Chekhov Bilingual

Chekhov Bilingual

Some of Chekhov's most beloved stories, with English and accented Russian on facing pages throughout. 
Okudzhava Bilingual

Okudzhava Bilingual

Poems, songs and autobiographical sketches by Bulat Okudzhava, the king of the Russian bards. 
Moscow and Muscovites

Moscow and Muscovites

Vladimir Gilyarovsky's classic portrait of the Russian capital is one of Russians’ most beloved books. Yet it has never before been translated into English. Until now! It is a spectactular verbal pastiche: conversation, from gutter gibberish to the drawing room; oratory, from illiterates to aristocrats; prose, from boilerplate to Tolstoy; poetry, from earthy humor to Pushkin. 
Tolstoy Bilingual

Tolstoy Bilingual

This compact, yet surprisingly broad look at the life and work of Tolstoy spans from one of his earliest stories to one of his last, looking at works that made him famous and others that made him notorious. 
A Taste of Chekhov

A Taste of Chekhov

This compact volume is an introduction to the works of Chekhov the master storyteller, via nine stories spanning the last twenty years of his life.
At the Circus (bilingual)

At the Circus (bilingual)

This wonderful novella by Alexander Kuprin tells the story of the wrestler Arbuzov and his battle against a renowned American wrestler. Rich in detail and characterization, At the Circus brims with excitement and life. You can smell the sawdust in the big top, see the vivid and colorful characters, sense the tension build as Arbuzov readies to face off against the American.
Russian Rules

Russian Rules

From the shores of the White Sea to Moscow and the Northern Caucasus, Russian Rules is a high-speed thriller based on actual events, terrifying possibilities, and some really stupid decisions.
Maria's War: A Soldier's Autobiography

Maria's War: A Soldier's Autobiography

This astonishingly gripping autobiography by the founder of the Russian Women’s Death Battallion in World War I is an eye-opening documentary of life before, during and after the Bolshevik Revolution.

About Us

Russian Life is a publication of a 30-year-young, award-winning publishing house that creates a bimonthly magazine, books, maps, and other products for Russophiles the world over.

Latest Posts

Our Contacts

Russian Life
73 Main Street, Suite 402
Montpelier VT 05602

802-223-4955