For many centuries the city of Tula, located 200 km from Moscow, has been home to famous dynasties of Russian weapon-makers. Blacksmiths, metalworkers, forgers, engineers, designers and scientists have created unmatched samples of metal weaponry and firearms that are famous not only for their usefulness in warfare, but also as pieces of art.

Apart from weapons, Tula is believed to be the hometown of another Russian invention, the samovar - a symbol of Russian tea-drinking traditions.

Back in the early 20th century, the Batashevskaya Factory in Tula was the most famous of its kind in Russia. Its owner, Batashev, made a fortune in the metal industry and built a number of beautifully designed facilities for the factory, some of which look like real temples of teas. They are still there, on Leiteizen Ul., and represent an architectural memorial. One hundred years ago, the factory produced up to 54 varieties of samovars, some of which were made of silver and plated with gold.

Batashev factory samovars adorn the collections of many museums as well as private collections in Russia and worldwide. Samovars are still produced in Tula, but they are electrically heated and bought mostly for presents. Many visitors to Tula consider it a must to return with a beautiful samovar. It's a piece of cake to buy a samovar in Tula, as they are sold in many stores around town.

Tula is also famous for its memorials of architecture and museums, which take at least a few days to observe. Therefore, if you visit the city, it is best to stop in the hotel Moskva, which is located right near the Tula Kremlin - a convenient place to start a tour around the city.

Tula was first mentioned in the Nikon manuscript, dating from 1146. In 1503, it joined the Moscow principality and served as a fortress protecting Moscow on the south. The first steelworks and metal-cutting and weapon-making factories appeared in the city as far back as the 16th century, and the most famous industrialist was Nikita Demidov, who made his way into big business from being an ordinary blacksmith. There is a statue of Demidov in Tula.

The Tula Kremlin was built from 1514-1520. Its walls are three meters thick and 10-12 meters tall. Its famous five-domed Church of the Assumption was erected during 1684-1685. Later, from 1762-1764, the church was refurbished and acquired its modern shape. Inside the Kremlin wall stands the Church of the Epiphany, which was built in 1855.

Outside is a statue of Peter the Great built in 1912. Construction was funded by money contributed by Tula's workers and engineers. Peter the Great is featured as a blacksmith holding a huge hammer, which is precisely how he was remembered by the Tula residents of his time, who often saw him working in the forge of the Tula weapons factory.

When the weather is good, it's a real pleasure to walk through the streets of the city's old town. There are a lot of cafes and restaurants offering Russian and European dishes and many stores as well. Be sure to walk down Leninsky Prospekt, which starts right at the Kremlin's gates. The street is particularly interesting for its 19th-20th century mansions. Sovetskaya Ul. is the place to buy souvenirs, as many traditional Russian goods and crafts, including samovars and pryaniky, are sold.

Tula is also rich in churches and cathedrals, which were built by local architects using money contributed by workers and industrialists. The churches are monumental and feature traits of the Tula school of architecture. One example is the Alexander Nevsky Church (1886) located at the intersection of Sofia Perovskaya Ul. and Pushkin Pr. Also beautiful is the Nikola Zaretsky Church (1730-1734), which is particularly nice to look at from the bridge over the River Upa.

If weather is bad, the right choice might be a visit the museums located inside the Kremlin. First head to the Museum of Arms, which boasts a unique collection of metal weaponry and firearms from the 16th-19th centuries and, of course, the Samovar Museum, which is one-of-a-kind in Russia.