Kungur, Administrative center in Perm Krai, Russia
Kungur is a town in Perm Krai in the Russian Urals foothills, where three rivers converge: Iren, Shakva, and Sylva. The streets rise and fall over gentle hills, and old stone churches stand above the rooftops of wooden houses in residential neighborhoods.
The settlement began in the 17th century as a trading post on the Siberian route and grew into a key hub between Europe and Asia. By the 18th century it became a center for leather processing that supplied goods to many regions across Russia.
The name comes from a Finno-Ugric word connected to the early inhabitants of this river valley. Today visitors see this heritage in the leather workshops that still operate in the old merchant quarter.
The town is reachable by train or bus from the larger cities in Perm region, and the streets are often snow-covered in winter. The central market square offers a good starting point for walking through the older quarters with their small shops and cafés.
In the nearby ice cave the temperature stays around zero degrees all year, so permanent ice sculptures form in the passages. This cave draws visitors who want to see the ice formations even during summer.
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