From the Malinovoe Lake to the Chara Sands: the photo exhibition “My Russia” opened in 162 schools in Kazan

(KZN.RU, March 7, Ksenia Shvetsova). A permanent photo exhibition “My Russia” was opened simultaneously in all 162 schools of Kazan on the initiative of Ilsur Metshin, the Mayor of Kazan. The most picturesque and amazing corners of our country are displayed on 20 large-format photos. These are natural monuments and sights, revealing the huge geography of Russia with its variety of climatic zones and natural resources. Ilsur Metshin visited the opening of the photo exhibition in the Gymnasium №180.

“Unfortunately, today children sometimes know the beauties of Turkey or some other foreign countries much better than the amazing nature of our Motherland. And there are a lot of places worthy of admiration! I would like to add to the language of the textbooks the emotions that caused by these photos. The purpose of the exhibition is to visually show Russia to the children, which is impossible not to be proud of. I am sure that love for the Motherland begins with the love of some specific places. I hope that the exhibition at school will become a topic for conversation at home by a cup of tea when children can impress their parents with knowledge and infect with interest in the inexhaustible beauties of Russia”, Ilsur Metshin explains his idea.

The pictures depict the famous Chara Sands, dunes in the Trans-Baikal Territory, and the Malinovoe Lake in the Altai, salt of which was pink and crimson color and was delivered to the table of Catherine II; diamond quarry Mir and Kungur ice cave; Mansi blockheads from the Manpupuner plateau and Avacha Bay in Kamchatka; the largest high mountain lake in the North Caucasus the Kezenoy-Am and the Lena Pillars; the Krenitsyn volcano on the Kuriles and the marvelous canyon of Ruskeala in Karelia, as well as other natural monuments that are no less unique in terms of beauty and value.

Photos are provided with a description of these places and funny comparisons that make it easier for students to perceive information. For example, the depth of the kimberlite pipe of the diamond mine Mir is 525 meters and comparable with the distance from the Spassky Tower of the Kazan Kremlin to the Alexandrovsky Passage. The length of the Kungur cave is equal to the distance between the station of the Kazan Metro Prospekt Pobedy and the Sukonnaya Sloboda, and the Tekelyu waterfall on the Ob River is little higher than the Kazan Federal University high-risers.

The exhibition is organized at the expense of sponsorship of the company “Bakhetle”.

“The children have a huge interest in the exhibition, they did not even know there are such unusual places in our country”, said Reseda Kondratenko, a geography teacher. “The area of Russia is more than 17 million kilometers. Thanks to these photos, we can see how unique and diverse our country is from the extreme north to the southern latitudes. For example, the children were interested in the Malinovoe Lake in the Altai, where they extracted pink salt for the table of Catherine II. A lot of people wanted to see this miracle with their own eyes”.

At the exhibition, the Mayor of Kazan spoke with students and found out where they had visited. It turned out that many of them saw Lake Baikal, they visited in the Crimea. But most of the scenery was a discovery for them. “We want you to love the nature of our country through this exhibition because we have so many wonderful things, about which it is not even written in your textbooks. Invite parents to look at the photos, travel with them. I hope that the project will grow and replenish with new photos. But the main thing is that your desire to know about your country grow”, said Ilsur Metshin.

Rustem Gafarov, the head of the Sovetsky district, and Ilnar Khidiyatov, the head of the Department of Education of the Kazan Executive Committee, also took part in the opening.