Small cities Russia wants to entrap a tourist, no less than mega-cities, and more recently the most creative local governments have enmesh their towns legends associated with the popular favorite literary characters, write "Novye Izvestia".
As a result, residents cool in the Kabardino-Balkaria are confident that here, not anywhere else, landed Baron Munchausen cannon at the kernel. Inhabitants of the town Kozmodemyanska in Mari El prefer to call their city Vasyukami, believing that it is in this region Ostap Bender given conversation local chess players simultaneously play. A Uryupinske (Volgograd region) can go to a tea where driver Sokolov of "The destinies of man."
Tourists do not confuse that literary characters actually never existed, a place of their eventual habitation - only a figment of the imagination classics, said publication.
New Vasyuki
City Kozmodemyansk, the administrative center Gornomariyskogo area was overlooked attention of tourists at some point flooded with rumors: judging from the novel Ilfa Petrova and 12 chairs, a prototype of the legendary Vasyukov was exactly Kozmodemyansk. Perhaps rumors through the creative thinking of its leadership or by a tourist, but now tourists coming from the motor ship directly to the dock meets the inscription "Kish and Osya there were."
Rising above the city, instead of the customary for the of advertising everywhere you can see chess boards painted directly on walls and signs of interplanetary chess tournament. In addition to chess battles in the city passes and comedy Benderiana. Above the food shop for some time, cut a wide swath plate, "Beer is released only to members of the union", however, it soon shifted to the existing museum here Ostapa Bender. The city also has shops "Master Gumbs," "Father Fyodor," "Madam Gritsatsueva."
At a depth of "wood" part of the city, you can come across a monument to twelve chairs, full of metal, and in good shape can climb to the top chair and photographed. A souvenir shop are in demand caps a la Bender and chessboard.
However, nowhere in the notes Ilfa and Petrova did not say that the prototype of the city Vasyuki was Kozmodemyansk, said the newspaper. Old Factory club, logs folded along the coast, ramshackle - these are the first signs of human settlement, as described in "12 chairs." But there are more accurate facts. When Ostapa and Kisa Vorobyaninova ship for badly drawn poster sower, Bender read about it in the tourist guide in 1926: "On the right bank of the Volga River is situated high city Vasyuki. It sent wood materials, resin, bass, bass, but here brought the subject of extensive consumption for the province, 50 kilometers from the railway. "
According , in the novel, there are other signs Kozmodemyanska. For example, Ilf and Petrov wrote that inhabit Vasyukah 8 thousand people (about as many were in Kozmodemyanske in 1926), and the factory employed 320 workers. And that from the "12 chairs" straight and clear that Kozmodemyansk can not be Vasyukami (captain of the ship, which sailed Ostap, announcing the next stop, dictated: "Yurino, then Kozmodemyansk, then Vasyuki, Marian Posad, Kozlovka "), It chose not to focus.
Local authorities and residents, apparently, does not confuse the fact that the notes to the novel there is a note: "Vasyuki - fictitious name, a description of the city borrowed from the guide, where it refers to Vetluga city that is located upstream the same the flow of the Volga. "
Uryupinsk and Sholokhov
The name of this city is often used in as a synonym for "Depth", where innocent people. However, local administration decided to correct the i of local cities. Officials ordered to close to the central square of the city was set unusual sculptural group: bench, her broad man in boots and quilted jacket, is the boy next five years with in hand, beside them - three chicken. This composition - a monument to Andrei Sokolov and Vanyushke, heroes story of Mikhail Sholokhov "The fate of man."
According to the mayor Uryupinska writer Sholokhov in this city in 1946 met with a prototype of his hero and hear his story, which formed the basis for the work. The name of the city has been mentioned in the story: According to the book, Andrei Sokolov came to Uryupinsk after the death of a son, was in the house of a friend on the outskirts of the city, with the transport of goods, grain elevator on. Here he met the boy Vaney. In the story, the meeting took place near a tea, which frequented the protagonist: "From the journey there, return to the city - understandably, the first case of tea ..." Therefore, near the monument on the wall of an adjacent building, enhanced sign "tea".
Munchausen descendant living in Kabardino-Balkaria
The most stunning monuments of literary heroes often arise where there for this very reason, continued publication. For example, several years ago in the republic of Kabardino-Balkaria, on the shores of Blue Lake, a house-museum of Baron Munchausen.
Sign a form of a disclosed feed the bear, but in a cafe on the first floor of a large fireplace, where the "off" roasted duck. On holidays in the yard of a gun and firing salt cucumbers to the North Pole. At the same time, some visitors may cast a golden kernel of Blue Lake, and others - to monitor this through the largest in the world "" glasses. Their width is 310 cm and height of lenses - 54 see curators created from the front glasses "Zhiguli."
Today, this museum is hardly the most visited in Kabardino-Balkaria: the home of the famous inventor tourists come from different regions of the country, he appeared on the map of tour routes and makes a good profit.
There was all this initiative because a local resident, Vladimir Nagovitsyna. He in books that the 1738 and 1739 years of German Baron Karl Hieronymus von Munchausen visited in St. Petersburg, where he met with Russian Princess. As a result, the light came extramarital daughter that in order to avoid scandal transferred to the family of Cossack Nagovitsyna. This kind of branch and went Munchausen, which is representative of Vladimir Nagovicyn.
In 2004, he petitioned the court to allow him to be called only in Russia descendant of Munchausen. And in March 2005, a court correct in the Nagovicyn name on the passport Nagovo-Munchausen.
In Petushki route Venichki
Some more recent literary works that have become classics, no need for any monuments, but rather a pretext for . In the train, next on the route from Moscow to Petushki, often to be found MSU students from the famous book of the same Venedikta Yerofeeva.
The heads of the poem takes the name of stations. While the train was moving to the next station, students read the corresponding passage in the poem. At the same time as heroes of the book, they were escorted to visit the reception of alcoholic beverages. However, unlike Venechki, trying to do is not as active, to get to the final station in mind.
In the West lure tourists Juliet, Sherlock Holmes and Harry Potter
In the West, the various "literary places" has long attracted tourists continued publication. Thus, in Verona, Italy have Juliet balconies - fictional heroine of Shakespeare. City authorities skill people allowed in the legend that this is the same balcony, described in works of the great playwright. The reason for the legend has only the fact that the house with a balcony was built in XII century and has long belonged to the family of Capello, whose name is similar to the name of Kapuletti.
However, tourists in particular are not dealt with in the historical truth: every year millions of lovers come here to leave a message on the walls of the house. As a result, Verona came home and Romeo, and each shop here in one way or another linked to tragedy.
No less popular flat Sherlock Holmes in London. Tourists do not confuse that detectives really did not exist - they come in Victorian house, located at Baker Street, 221b.
In place of literary pilgri has become even tobacco factory in Seville (Spain), which supposedly wring cigar and cigarette Gypsy Carmen - heroine of the same novel by Prosper Merimee.
But especially popular in recent years enjoyed a tourist sites related to the life of the young magician Harry Potter from the book by Joan Rouling. One of the attractions was a British railway station "King Crosse, where Harry went to school and magic Hogvarts.
And in a suburb of Tel Aviv fans of the books on the adventures of boy- beset pit full namesake main character - a British soldier who died in the 19 years of age: Corporal Harry Potter served in the Royal Regiment and was killed in battle in the West Bank.
