Perm Krai (Russian: Пе́рмский край PYEHRM-skee krigh) is a region in the foothills of the Ural Mountains, bordering Udmurtia to the southwest, Kirov Oblast to the west, Komi Republic to the north, Sverdlovsk Oblast to the east, and Bashkortostan to the south.

Cities

• 1 Perm — the capital is a major industrial city with nearly one million residents
• 2 Berezniki — the second largest city in the region is a mid-sized industrial Stalinist monster
• 3 Cherdyn — this village is purportedly the capital of the medieval Komi state, Great Perm, and was the site of the great Russian poet Osip Mandelshtam's exile
• 4 Kudymkar — a large town serving as the capital of the Komi-Permyak Okrug
• 5 Kungur — a small 17th century city with some fine 18th century architecture; near the Belogorsky Monastery and excellent spelunking opportunities in the Kungur Ice Cave

Other destinations

• 1 Bassegi Nature Reserve
• 2 Vishersky Nature Reserve

Understand

Perm, the capital, is the main attraction in Perm Krai, which sees travelers coming through on the Trans-Siberian Railway.

Talk

See Russian phrasebook.

Get in

There are three international flights per week to Perm (PEE ^IATA) from Frankfurt (6 hours). Domestic flights arrive daily from Moscow (2 hours) and nearby Yekaterinburg. Flights from Saint Petersburg are less frequent, but also take just 2 hours.

The Trans-Siberian Railway runs through Perm Krai and stops at Perm and Kungur.

See

• Permyakia — a large, but sparsely populated region in the northwest of Perm Krai, where ethnic Komi-Permyaks constitute a majority

Do

Events

• Mosquito Festival, Berezniki. Annual, three days, mid-July. Gather at a local pond to celebrate the bloodsucking insects. Music, dancing, "most delicious girl" competition (in which the winner is the one with the most mosquito bites), competition to catch the most live mosquitoes and even a man dressed as a giant mosquito. Absurd events for adults and children. 

Go next

The next stops on the Trans-Siberian Railway are Glazov, Udmurtia to the west and Pervouralsk, Sverdlovsk Oblast to the east.