Coat of arms

Penza

Penza

Penza was founded in the mid-17th century as a Russian fortpost against the Tatars to the south. Today it is the administrative centre of the Penza Region and a rather large, but rather nondescript city, albeit green and pleasant in places. It has several interesting monuments and museums, including one to Vsevolod Meyerhold - a leading Russian theatre director and actor, who was born in Penza. However the cultural figure most associated with Penza is the 19th century poet Mikhail Lermontov whose ancestral estate of Tarkhany is located in Lermontovo, Penza Region and can be visited on a trip from Penza.


Basic facts
Russian Name
Пенза
Status
City-municipality and administrative centre of the Penza Region
Location
On the River Penza
Distance
420km south of Nizhny Novgorod, 640km south-east of Moscow
Time Zone
Moscow Time
Population
521,329 people (2014)
Founded
1663
City Day
12 June
Official Website
http://www.penza-gorod.ru/