I have learned more about Russia in the last week than in any history or geography class at school. And I seem to remember that Russia was a frequent topic, but it was probably the history and politics of the Soviet Union that was the main focus.
Today's stop on the list of host cities is Saransk, which is the capital of the Republic of Mordovia. The Republic is one of the 83 federal subjects of Russia. Republics (there are 21 of them) are normally autonomous, have their own constitution and are home to specific ethnic minorities.
The Mordvins, who make up one third of the population of the Republic are of Finno-Ugric origin. There are two groups of Mordvins distinguished by their two languages, Moksha and Erzya. These two langauges, together with Russian, are the official langauges of Mordovia. There many groups of people who speak the Finno-Ugric languages but the most numerous are the Hungarians, Finns, Estonians and Mordvins.
Saransk is about 400 miles south-east of Moscow and unlike other host cities which I mentioned yesterday, Saransk is not on the Volga river but it is in the Volga basin.
Saransk's most famous registered resident is French actor, Gerard Depardieu. When he became a Russian citizen in 2013 he was also offered the post of Minister of Culture of Mordovia. He refused the post but still promised to promote Mordovia around the world.
FC Mordovia Saransk are the main football team in the city. They won promotion to the Russian Premier League for the first time in 2012 but have had a few seasons of bouncing between divisions.
After successive relegations they are now back in the second division for the next season.
Mordovia Arena, built for the World Cup has a striking orange, red and white exterior. It's 45,000 capacity will be reduced to 28,000 after the tournament.
When in Saransk, visitors out for a stroll may be passed by people who seem to be in a hurry but unable to break into a run. Saransk is a hotbed of race walking and has an Olympic Race Walking Training Center.
No comments:
Post a Comment