FROM THE BARENTS SEA TO THE SEA OF JAPAN

bryansk – брянск

Bryansk is a very old town. The exact year of foundation is unknown. Presumably 985. However nothing old survived Bryansk’s turbulent history. In the course of time the town was leveled to the ground many times. During the WWII it was badly destroyed and most of its population was exterminated.

The central square.

The Desna Hotel.

Gagarin Boulevard is a pedestrian street running across central Bryansk.

The central feature of the boulevard is the statue of Yuri Gagarin.

On April 12, 1961 Yuri Gagarin made the first ever manned flight to space. When he was marching towards Nikita Khrushchev the then head of the Soviet Union to report that the flight was a success, Gagarin had his shoe lace untied. This fact is perpetuated in this statue.

Alexei Tolstoy - a famous Russian writer. Not to be confused with Leo Tolstoy.

The forested terrain around Bryansk was the scene of active guerrilla war during the German occupation in October 1941 - September 1943. There is a museum about 25 km east of the city dedicated to the guerrilla war.