Penza, Russia
Пенза
Penza is a regional capital of 523,553 people in Penza Oblast, Russia, founded in 1663.
Why visit Penza
Townapedia lists 104 museums and landmarks, 13 parks and trails, 192 places to eat, 15 places to stay and 12 attractions in and around town.
Highlights include Center of Theatrical Arts «House of Meyerhold», Penza State Technology University, Музей одной картины and Дом-музей им. Н.Н. Бурденко.
Weather in Penza
Forecast from MET Norway (CC BY 4.0). Full forecast
About Penza
Penza (Russian: Пенза, IPA: [ˈpʲenzə]) is the largest city and administrative center of Penza Oblast, Russia. It is located on the Sura River, 625 kilometers (388 mi) southeast of Moscow. As of the 2010 Census, Penza had a population of 517,311, making it the 36th-largest city in Russia.
From the Wikipedia article Penza (this version), under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Travel tips from other travellers: Penza on Wikivoyage (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Things to do12
Center of Theatrical Arts «House of Meyerhold»
Cinema and theater
Museum-theater in Penza, Russia
Пензенский областной драматический театр имени А. В. Луначарского
Cinema and theater · 0.6 km
89 Московская улица
Центр театрального искусства «Дом Мейерхольда»
Cinema and theater
Tu-Th 10:00-17:00; Fr-Su 10:00-21:00
Museums and landmarks104
Дом-музей им. Н.Н. Бурденко
Museum · 1.6 km
Mo-Fr 09:00-18:00
Open in Google Maps · Wikipedia · +7 (8412) 54-54-47;+7-8412-563368;+7‒927‒366‒07‒64
Пензенский областной краеведческий музей
Museum · 1.1 km
73 Красная улица, Пенза
We-Th, Sa-Su 10:00-17:00; Fr 10:00-20:00
The Museum of One Painting named after G. V. Myasnikov
Museum · 1.4 km
Art museum in Penza, Russia
Музей им. И. Н. Ульянова
Museum · 1.2 km
54А Красная улица
Tu-Su 10:00-16:30
Пензенский планетарий
Monument and historic site · 1.1 km
1 улица Карла Маркса
92 more on the map.
Parks, trails and playgrounds13
1 more on the map.
Restaurants and cafes192
BAR60 (БАР№60)
Bar and pub
Тихое место, для уютных встреч. Музыка. Коктейли. Атмосфера. Отличная компания. Хорошая кухня. Ничего лишнего. г. Пенза, ул. Московская...
60 Московская улица, Пенза
12:00-02:00
Pitnica
Restaurant · Bavarian
65А Московская улица
Mo-Su 12:00-00:00
180 more on the map.
History
Penza was founded as a Russian frontier fortress-city, and to this day, remnants of the Lomovskaya sentry line built in 1640 have been preserved at the western edge of the city, and remains of earth ramparts dating from the mid-16th century are preserved in the city center. Until 1663, Penza was a wooden stockade with only a small settlement. In May 1663, the architect Yuri Kontransky arrived in Penza on the Tsar's orders to direct the construction of a fortress city, as part of a wider fortress building program to protect Russia from attacks by Crimean Tatars. The initial construction consisted of a wooden Kremlin, a village, and quarters for the nobility, small tradesmen, and merchants. The Muscovite government placed the Cossacks here, who constructed a fortress and called it "Cherkassy Ostroh", from which the regional city of Penza has developed, thanks to the arrival of new settlers, particularly Russians. The Cossack roots of the city and its first settlers are now remembered in the names of Cherkasskaya street, along with the "Cherkassy" historical district.
In 1774, the insurgent army led by Yemelyan Pugachev occupied Penza after the citizens of the city welcomed the rebellious Cossacks. The first stone houses started to appear after 1801, and by 1809 Penza's population had grown to more than 13,000 people.
From the History section of Penza on Wikipedia, under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Where to stay15
Churches and places of worship8
Храм успения Пресвятой Богородицы и святого праведника Иоанна Кронштадтского
Church · Russian Orthodox · 1.8 km
28 к21 улица Лермонтова, Пенза
Церковь Спаса Преображения
Church · Russian Orthodox · 1.5 km
6А Спасо-Преображенская улица, Пенза
Shopping92
Gas and EV charging5
Schools, colleges and libraries32
Университет инновационных технологий и предпринимательства
School · 1.0 km
6 улица Володарского, Пенза
Центральная городская публичная библиотека им. В. Г. Белинского
Library · 0.7 km
Healthcare79
Map of Penza
250 places. The map loads OpenStreetMap tiles when you open it.
Getting there and nearby towns
Penza Airport named after Vissarion Belinsky (PEZ) is the nearest airport with scheduled flights listed in OpenStreetMap, 10 km away.
- Zasechnoye 11 km southeast, about 11 min by car
- Zarechnyy 12 km east, about 12 min by car
- Bessonovka 13 km north, about 13 min by car
- Bogoslovka 14 km west, about 14 min by car
- Chemodanovka 16 km east, about 16 min by car
- Grabovo 22 km north, about 22 min by car
- Mokshan 38 km northwest, about 38 min by car
- Kanayevka 38 km east, about 38 min by car
- Shemysheyka 42 km southeast, about 42 min by car
- Kondol’ 42 km south, about 42 min by car
Drive times are estimates from straight-line distance, not routes.
Local news
Headlines from INDB.
Reviews, tips and questions
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Sources and licences
- GeoNames (CC BY 4.0): population, coordinates, regions and time zone
- OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL 1.0): places, airports, map data
- Wikidata (CC0 1.0): elevation, founding date, time zone, website, landmarks and historic places
- Wikimedia Commons (see each image): photos
- Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0): overview and history text
Photo credits
- Penza from Ferris wheel, Владимир Шеляпин, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Gladkova Street 8 Penza, Ymblanter, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Gladkova Street 10 Penza, Ymblanter, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Volodarskogo Street 59 Penza, Ymblanter, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Moskovskaya Street 73 Penza, Ymblanter, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Gladkova Street 24 Penza, Ymblanter, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Leninskiy rayon, Penza, Penzenskaya oblast', Russia - panoramio (57), Ilya Vassilevsky, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Leninskiy rayon, Penza, Penzenskaya oblast', Russia - panoramio (58), Ilya Vassilevsky, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Leninskiy rayon, Penza, Penzenskaya oblast', Russia - panoramio (55), Ilya Vassilevsky, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Leninskiy rayon, Penza, Penzenskaya oblast', Russia - panoramio (56), Ilya Vassilevsky, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Leninskiy rayon, Penza, Penzenskaya oblast', Russia - panoramio (67), Ilya Vassilevsky, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Leninskiy rayon, Penza, Penzenskaya oblast', Russia - panoramio (53), Ilya Vassilevsky, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Leninskiy rayon, Penza, Penzenskaya oblast', Russia - panoramio (54), Ilya Vassilevsky, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Moskovskaya Street 69 Penza, Ymblanter, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Leninskiy rayon, Penza, Penzenskaya oblast', Russia - panoramio (64), Ilya Vassilevsky, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Klyuchevskogo Street 74 Penza, Ymblanter, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Penza State University building 1, Zxc123, CC BY 3.0
- Vsevolod Meyerhold Museum in Penza, Zxc123, Public domain
- Muzeum1kartiny, Участник:AAA333, Public domain
- PGPU-Hauptgebaeude-01, Anton Bedenjapin, CC BY-SA 2.0
- Пензенский ботанический сад, Тара-Амингу, CC0
- New Penza Drama Theatre, Zxc123, Public domain
- Penza Planetarium, Ymblanter, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Penza eye, Владимир Шеляпин, CC0
- Penza Spassky Cathedral in winter, Aleksey Makeev, CC BY 4.0
- Бурденко, Николай Нилович 001, Unknown author Unknown author, Public domain
- Памятник Ленину Владимир, Mihserden, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Penza Planetarium 2009, Участник:AAA333, Public domain
- PGPU, Участник:AAA333, Public domain
- Монумент Советская конституция 1, Alcatraz666, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Монумент Советская конституция, Alcatraz666, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Пенза сквер им Пушкина Бюст Пушкина, Karpelyanskiy, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Пенза 02 августа 2015-049, Danil 58rus, CC BY-SA 4.0
- House of Vsevolod Meyerhold (inside), Rou iden, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Пенза Володарского 56 фрагмент, Тебелень, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Пенза Володарского 56 фасад, Тебелень, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Пенза Володарского 56, Тебелень, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Здание 2-й женской гимназии1, SokolNER, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Пенза, ул.Московская,72, SokolNER, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Здание гостиницы 'эрмитаж' (Пензенская область, Пенза, московская улица, 72)2, SokolNER, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Leninskiy rayon, Penza, Penzenskaya oblast', Russia - panoramio (25), Ilya Vassilevsky, CC BY-SA 3.0
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