jueves, 23 de febrero de 2012

Local Time in Gorodets Nizhny Novgorod

http://localtimes.info/Europe/Russia/Nizhny_Novgorod/Gorodets/

Samovars in Iran

Samovar culture has an analog in Iran, and expatriates everywhere maintain it. In Iran, samovars have been used at least for two centuries and electrical, oil-burning or natural gas-consuming samovars are still being used everywhere. Samovar is pronounced as samāvar in Persian (سماور) Iranian craftsmen used Persian art to produce artful samovars. The Iranian city of Borujerd has been the main centre of making samovars and a few workshops are still producing hand-made samovars. Borujerd’s samovars are often made with German silver which is a part of its famous Varsho-Sazi art. The art samovars of Borujerd are often shown in Iranian and Western countries' museums as a part of Iranian art.

Samovar

A samovar (Russian: самовар, IPA: [səmɐˈvar] ( listen); literally "self-boiler", Persian: سماور, Turkish: semaver) is a heated metal container traditionally used to heat and boil water in and around Russia, as well as in other Central, South-Eastern, Eastern European countries, Kashmir and in the Middle-East. Since the heated water is usually used for making tea, many samovars have a ring-shaped attachment (Russian: конфорка) seated around the chimney to hold and heat a teapot filled with tea concentrate.[1]

Though traditionally heated with coal or charcoal, many newer samovars use electricity and heat water in a similar manner as an electric water boiler. Antique samovars are often displayed for their beautiful workmanship.

Samovars come in different body shapes: urn- or krater-shaped, barrel, cylindric, spherical.

A typical samovar consists of a body, base and chimney, cover and steam vent, handles, faucet and key, crown and ring, chimney extension and cap, drip-bowl, and teapots.


The Merchant's Wife by Boris Kustodiev, showcasing the Russian tea culture.A traditional samovar consists of a large metal container with a faucet near the bottom and a metal pipe running vertically through the middle. Samovars are typically crafted out of copper, brass, bronze, silver, gold, tin or nickel. The pipe is filled with solid fuel to heat the water in the surrounding container. A small (6 to 8 inches) smoke-stack is put on the top to ensure draft. After the fire is off a teapot could be placed on top to be kept heated with the passing hot air. The teapot is used to brew the заварка (zavarka), a strong concentrate of tea. The tea is served by diluting this concentrate with кипяток (kipyatok) (boiled water) from the main container, usually at a ratio of about 10 parts water to one part tea concentrate, although tastes vary.

It is particularly well-suited to tea-drinking in a communal setting over a protracted period. The Russian expression "to have a sit by samovar" means to have a leisurely talk while drinking tea from samovar. This compares with the German Kaffeeklatsch, or Turkish nargile culture.

In everyday use it was an economical permanent source of hot water in older times. Various slow-burning items could be used for fuel, such as charcoal or dry pinecones. When not in use, the fire in the samovar pipe was faintly smouldering. When necessary, it was quickly rekindled with the help of bellows. Although a Russian jackboot сапог (sapog) could be used for this purpose, there were bellows manufactured specifically for use on samovars.

The samovar was an important attribute of a Russian household. Sizes and designs varied, from "40-pail" ones of 400 litres (110 US gal) to 1 litre (0.26 US gal) size, from cylindrical to spherical, from plain iron to polished brass to gilt.

In modern times, the samovar is mostly associated with Russian exotica and nostalgia[citation needed], though they are also quite popular with Iranian immigrants and their descendants. Today electric samovars are available. Samovars may be purchased in Europe, and in the US they may be found in neighborhoods with heavily Slavic populations, such as New York's East Village or Coney Island in Brooklyn, or in areas with large Iranian populations like Los Angeles, California.

An 18th-century samovar of Baroque shape, depicted on a 1989 USSR postage stamp
Barrel type samovar from early 1800s
Samovar, ca 1830-40, depicted on a 1989 USSR postage stamp
A Late Classical samovar, ca 1840-50, depicted on a 1989 USSR postage stamp

In 1989, an archeological dig near Dashust village, Shaki district, Azerbaijan unearthed a pottery samovar-like utensil identified by a characteristic central tube covered with soot, suggesting it was heated from the inside. It didn't look like modern samovars, though. In particular, the tube was open from the bottom, suggesting that it was placed over a fire like an ordinary pot. The age of the utensil was indirectly estimated at about 3,600 years.[2]

There were similar devices found in China.[3]

An owner of a unique collection of samovars, Shakhid Gabibullaev, has a modern-type samovar manufactured in 1717, the first known samovar.[citation needed]

The first historically recorded samovar-makers in Russia were the Lisitsyn brothers, Ivan Fyodorovich and Nazar Fyodorovich. From their childhood they were engaged in metalworking at the brass factory of their father Fyodor Ivanovich Lisitsyn. In 1778 they made a samovar, and the same year Nazar Lisitsyn registered the first samovar-making factory in Russia. They may not have been the inventors of samovar, but they were the first documented samovar-makers, and their various and beautiful samovar designs became very influential throughout the later history of samovar-making.[4] These and other early producers lived in Tula, a city known for its metalworkers and arms-makers. Since the 18th century Tula has been also the main center of Russian samovar production, with tul'sky samovar being the brand mark of the city. By the 19th century samovars were already a common feature of the Russian tea culture. They were produced in large numbers and exported into Central Asia and other regions.

Nizhny Novgorod Hydroelectric Station

The Nizhny Novgorod Hydroelectric Station or Nizhny Novgorod GES (Russian: Нижегоро́дская ГЭС) is a hydroelectric station on the Volga river. Located near Zavolzhye, Nizhny Novgorod Oblast, it belongs to the Volga-Kama Cascade of dams

Construction started in 1948 and was completed in 1959. Complex consists of concrete spillway dam, 7 earth-fill dams and 3 dikes total 18.6 km long and up to 40 m high, power plant house, and two single-chamber two-lane locks with an intermediate pond. Installed power is 520 MW, average annual production is 1510 GWh. Power house has 8 generator units with Kaplan turbines, each 65 MW at 17 m head. The dam with total waterfront length of 13 km forms Gorky Reservoir.

Construction began in 1948. Although it was a medium-size project, e.g. compared to Volga Hydroelectric Station, it was often called an 'innovation testing range'. It also was the USSR longest dam.

More than 15,000 people came to the construction site. Construction site's infrastructure has been built along with construction of the station. Many industries of Zavolzhye and Gorodets owe their existence to station construction. Zavolzhye town was built from scratch. 8,500 houses and 700 state-owned and public buildings were moved to Zavolzhye and Gorodets from villages that were to be flooded.

The first concrete pouring for the dam took place in April 1951. The river current was stopped August 24, 1955. November 2, 1955, when the first turbine was put under load, is an official station's launch date. The last eight turbine was run in December 1956. In 1959 generators' cooling system improvement and reinforcement of turbines were implemented, increasing installed power by 120 MW to 520 MW.

Gorodets - ( Goradiets )

Gorodets (Russian: Городе́ц) is a town and the administrative center of Gorodetsky District of Nizhny Novgorod Oblast, Russia, located on the left bank of the Volga River, 53 kilometers (33 mi) northwest of Nizhny Novgorod. Population: 30,699

In the past, the town was also sometimes referred to as Gorodets-Radilov (Городе́ц-Ради́лов), or simply Radilov.

Gorodets was founded in 1152 by Prince Yury Dolgoruky (also the founder of Moscow) as a large fortress on the Volga River, the first Russian fortress in today's Nizhny Novgorod Oblast. It was a starting point for numerous campaigns of the princes of Vladimir and Suzdal against Volga Bulgaria. In 1216, Yury II of Vladimir was dethroned by his brother and exiled here. In 1239, the town was burnt to the ground by Batu Khan's army. Folk tradition identifies Gorodets with Little Kitezh, a legendary town destroyed by the Mongols.

In 1263, Alexander Nevsky died in Gorodets on his way back to Novgorod from the Golden Horde. His son Andrew III made the town his chief residence. A famous medieval icon-painter, Prokhor, was born there. In the mid-14th century, the town was overshadowed by the neighbouring Nizhny Novgorod but continued as the third largest town of Nizhny Novgorod Principality until 1408, when Edigu razed it to the ground.


You can find A monument to Alexander Nevsky

For two following centuries the town was known as Gorodets Pustoy (i.e., "Gorodets the Empty"). Some chronicles state that its entire population moved slightly downstream and resettled at Salt-on-Gorodets (today's Balakhna). By the 19th century, Gorodets was revived as a prosperous village settled by Old Believer merchants and reputed for its decorative handicrafts, such as wood carving and painting.

In 1875, the Nizhny Novgorod writer A. S. Gatsisky describes Gorodets as a major center of trade in grain and wooden kitchenware.[4]

In 1922, Gorodets becomes a town again, as well the administrative center of Gorodetsky Uyezd (later, Gorodetsky District). Between 1948 and 1959, the dam of Gorky Hydroelectric Station (now Nizhny Novgorod Hydroelectric Station) was built a few kilometers upstream from Gorodets, and along with the station a new industrial town, Zavolzhye, was built on the right side of the Volga.

The chief historic monuments of Gorodets—the Trinity Cathedral (1644), St. Nicholas Church (1672), and Feodorovsky Monastery, associated with the famous icon of the same name—were destroyed by the Communists. The oldest surviving structure is a rather plain church (1707–1712), built over the site of an earlier church where the town's best known ruler, Andrew III, was interred in 1304.

There are several museums in the town, including: the Gingerbread Museum and the Samovar Museum; the latter housing a large collection of tea kettles.

Besides sharing the Nizhny Novgorod Hydroelectric Station with Zavolzhye, Gorodets has a shipbuilding industry. Traditional local crafts — woodworking, embroidery, honey bread baking — are still pursued in Gorodets, but in a more industrial way, at several local factories, whose products are available at souvenir shops all over the country.

The electric railroad branch from Nizhny Novgorod ends in Zavolzhye; but there is a road connection over the hydro dam, which provides the only fixed crossing across the Volga between Nizhny Novgorod and Kineshma.

lunes, 13 de febrero de 2012

Temporary Residence Permit in the Russian Federation

Any foreign citizen entering Russia under a visa or a visa-free regime, having a migration card and no residence permit or no permit for temporary residence in Russia, has a "Temporary Visitor Status".
The period of stay of a foreign citizen cannot exceed 90 days from the date of entry into the Russian Federation, except for the cases when a foreigner visits Russia for work purpose and obtains a proper Work Permit.

For those foreign citizens willing to stay in Russia for a longer period or intending to obtain Residence Permit or Russian Citizenship, it is necessary to acquire "Temporary Resident Status" in the first place.
TEMPORARY RESIDENCE PERMIT (TRP) is a document granting a foreign citizen the right for temporary residence in the Russian Federation before obtaining Residence Permit or Russian Citizenship.
Temporary Residence Permit is valid for 3 years, so is the registration at the place of residence. This saves the trouble of undertaking migration registration procedure (registration of notifying character) each time a foreigner enters the Russian Federation.

Source: http://residencepermit.blogspot.com/

domingo, 12 de febrero de 2012

El alquiler en Moscú y San Petersburgo

Según un estudio realizado por un grupo de expertos de la empresa “NVD-Inmobiliaria”, el precio del alquiler en la capital moscovita es 1,6 veces más elevado que en San Petersburgo. Según la investigación, el alquiler mensual de un estudio en la capital rusa varía entre los 25.000 y los 30.000 rublos. Un piso de una habitación costaría entre 32.000 y 40.000 rublos al mes; y de dos habitaciones, a partir de 40.000 rublos al mes.

Como cabe esperar, entre otros aspectos, los precios se establecen en función de la zona y del estado del piso.

Tal y como declaran los responsables del estudio, el precio del alquiler de un estudio situado en una zona poco “atrayente” de Moscú, y no del todo en buen estado, puede alcanzar los 18.000 rublos.

En San Petersburgo, en cambio, una de las opciones más económicas sería alquilar un estudio de unos 30 metros cuadrados en las afueras de la ciudad por unos 12.000 rublos al mes. El coste de un piso de similares características situado en el centro de la ciudad sería, en cambio, de unos 50.000 rublos.
http://icsanpetersburgo.com/news/news_es.php?pgid=427

Comidas rusas

Cocina rusa

Hace fan en Facebook de comidas rusas y encontraras mas informacion de las comidas y bebidas rusas, recetas, fotos.


Encuentra mas información sobre la comida rusa en http://mundialenrusia.com/comidas-rusas.HTML

Y como preparar los riquísimos sirnikis http://mundialenrusia.com/syrniki.HTML

Los platos de la cocina típica rusa son muy ricos, pero también tienen bastantes calorías, porque en invierno se necesita más energía (por eso, las sopas son muy populares). No se parecen a los platos de Escandinavia, pero sí a de otros países eslavos y próximos. Encontrará muchos sitios en la ciudad para probar la cocina rusa, accesibles a cualquier bolsillo, desde los “bistros” (teóricamente restaurantes de comida rápida) económicos, sitios de “blinis” (crepes) hasta restaurantes caros y exclusivos.

Algunas especialidades típica rusas:

borsh
Sopas - la sopa más famosa es Borshch (Борщ). Es una sopa de origen ucraniano, hecha de remolacha, patata, col, carne. También no menos popular es la sopa Solianka.
shi
Puede encontrar la sopa Schi (Щи -puede ser de col o de acedera ) o Ujá (Уха - sopa de pescado).



3_soup
En Rusia, a diferencia de España donde las sopas calientes se suelen tomar en invierno, aquí se toman todo el año.


3_soup
En verano se añaden las sopas frías ("Borsch frío", "Okroshka"). En las casas rusas, se considera que es saludable comer sopa todos los días como el primer plato.





3_soup
También, como un primer plato puede encontrar muchas ensaladas. "Ensaladilla rusa" en Rusia existe como "ensalada Olivié", y es muy popular y tradicional, se considera que es un invento de un cocinero francés con este nombre. Esta ensalada es parecida en algo a la que se conoce como "ensaladilla rusa", pero tiene ingredientes distintos (coinciden patata, guisantes y mayonesa). Olivié no puede faltar en cualquier fiesta rusa, sobre todo es típico comerla el Fin del Año.
3_soup
Otra ensalada conocida se llama "Arenque bajo el abrigo" está hecha con arenque cubierto con patatas, remolacha, zanahoria (toda verdura cocida), huevo, y mayonesa.


3_soup
Como segundo plato se ofrecen distintos platos de carne, por ejemplo Stroganoff, o Shashlik (pinchos), distintos filetes y carne rellenada, pollo (al Kiev).



3_soup
También encontrará pescado (salmón, trucha, esturión, bacalao).



3_soup
Otro plato tradicional de la comida rusa se llama "pelmeni" y se parece a “ravioli”, que se comen acompañado de "smetana", mantequilla o ketchup. Es un plato de origen siberiano, y a Siberia es posible que haya llegado de China.
3_soup
Otra versión de "pelmeni" es "varéniki" - son más grandes y con otros rellenos: patata, col, dulce requesón, guindas. Otro plato bastante popular que puede encontrar serán "golubzí" (las hojas de col rellenas de carne con arroz).

3_soup
De las verduras y como guarnición en Rusia se come mucha patata, preparada de distintas maneras (hervida, frita, puré, etc.). A muchos platos (sopas, ensaladas, patatas) a la hora de servir se añade la nata agria - "smetana", que es un lácteo muy típico de Rusia rusa.

3_soup
Hay una gran variedad y tradición de comer productos lácteos, muchos de estos productos rusos no se conocen en otros países. En las tiendas puede comprar muchos tipos de requesón "tvórog", "kefir" - una bebida parecida al yogur. Les recomendamos probar "Sirok v shokolade" - una masa dulce y fina de requesón, bañada en chocolate, hay variedades de esta con almendras, mermelada dentro. Se vende en las tiendas de alimentación y es muy barato. Este dulce les encanta a los niños.
3_soup
También, son muy populares los platos preparados con masa de arina, por ejemplo, las empanadas. Pirozhkí y Pirogí (empanadillas y empanadas) es de lo mejor que hay en la cocina rusa, cuando están bien hechos, por supuesto. Las empanadas pueden ser rellenas de col, carne, pescado, patatas, limón, mermelada, requesón, albaricoques y otras cosas.

3_soup
También hay "Pirozhkí" - empanadillas con distintos rellenos, las hay de muchos tipos y "Vatrushka" (una empanadilla redonda, abierta, hecha con requesón dulce ("tvórog" en ruso) o mermelada.

3_soup
Hay muchos tipos de pastas para el té, tartas y pasteles. Para probar estos especialidades de cocina rusa, no es necesario ir a un restaurante o café, se venden en las tiendas o en numerosos kioscos y son muy económicas.

3_soup
Los famosos "Blini" (crepes) son muy populares en San Petersburgo, se puede decir que son una alternativa a las hamburguesas y sandwiches en otros países. Blini es un plato popular ruso muy tradicional y antiguo, está relacionado con muchas tradiciones y fiestas populares. Hay muchos locales, que se llaman "Blínnaya" (crepería) donde este plato es una especialidad. Los blinis se sirven con mantequilla, smetana (nata agria), mermelada, miel, caviar rojo y negro o con distintos rellenos, de carne, pollo, jamón dulce, queso, patata, setas, requesón (dulce), manzana, fresa, o mezclas de varios ingredientes.
Estos locales de blinis son muy populares entre los habitantes de San Petersburgo.
3_soup
El caviar ruso: existen 2 tipos de caviar: rojo (de salmón) y negro (de beluga, esturión, sevruga - procede del mar Caspio). Del caviar negro, el más valorado es de beluga (lata azul), y también es el más caro, lo podrá probar solo en los restaurantes de lujo, o comprar en latas en algunas tiendas.
El caviar rojo no es muy caro y los platos con él se sirven en muchos sitios. Normalmente, son los "blinis" con caviar. En casa, la manera rusa más popular de comer caviar es ponerlo encima de una fina rebanada de pan blanco, con mantequilla, o con "blinis". También a veces lo ponen encima de un huevo cocido, cortado por la mitad.
3_soup
El pan ruso: hay de varios tipos, el más típico es pan negro - (cherny jleb), de harina de centeno, hay muchos tipos de este pan y es muy saludable, tiene pocas calorías.


3_soup
También hay pan normal llamado pan blanco - "bely jleb"



3_soup
En Rusia hay una gran tradición de hacer conservas en casa, normalmente en verano, frutas, verduras y setas, suelen ser las principales. Las compotas y mermeladas se hacen de frutas y de bayas o frutos del bosque - fresa, frambuesa, arándano y otros. En algunas casas pueden haber armarios enteros de estas conservas y la gente comparte las recetas y trucos tradicionales de su preparación.


3_soup
Las bebidas tradicionales en Rusia son el té, que se toma a cualquier hora del día, suele ser té negro con azúcar y con limón, pero sin leche, siempre caliente. Últimamente también está de moda el té verde, té de frutas, etc. Hay toda una tradición de tomar el té (este ritual se llama Chaepítie y el mismo té se llama Chai en ruso). El té suele acompañarse con todo tipo de dulces, pastas, empanadillas, bombones. Si está invitado a "Chaepitie", es costumbre traer algo para acompañar el banquete. En general, los rusos son muy golosos (muchísimo más que por ejemplo, los españoles) y suelen tomar muchos dulces, y chocolates.
Otras bebidas populares son la cerveza (la más famosa es “Báltika”), el vodka. Para su curiosidad, puede visitar cualquier tienda de comida de San Petersburgo, y verá 50-80 marcas de vodka (dicen que la mejor vodka es "Russki Standart", también "Sankt-Peterburg" y otras de la fábrica local, que se llama "LIVIZ"). En Rusia en los últimos tiempo ha surgido un gran interés por cerveza, y es fácil encontrar en cualquier sitio una gran variedad. En cuanto a los vodkas como decíamos antes existe una gran variedad de todos los tipos, y también, claro, de todos los precios. No es recomendable compra vodka barato, a pesar de que a veces la botellas por su buena presentación nos puede conducir a engaños. Los generalmente son importados, en Rusia hay muy poca producción y suele estar en el sur. La bebida sin alcohol tradicional antigua es el Kvas, pero actualmente no es tan popular como antes, por la llegada de refrescos tipo Coca-Cola, pero también es posible encontrar el Kvas en las tiendas o restaurantes. Por cierto los refrescos suelen servirse sin hielo, si le apetece deberá de pedirlo aparte.

Fuente http://icsanpetersburgo.com/tourism/curiosidades_gastronomicas_es.html