Votkinsk, like its neighbour Izhevsk, was founded in the mid-18th century as the location of an ironworks. It remains an industrial city today, but its main claim to fame now is the fact that Russia’s most famous composer Pyotr Tchaikovsky was born in the city at an estate granted to his father as director of the Votkinsk Ironworks. The city can be easily reached by bus from Votkinsk.