Picturesque Plyos: Pearl of the Volga

By Natalya Krainova

The St. Petersburg Times

Published: October 24, 2012 (Issue # 1732)

Plyos, population 2,800, may turn into an elite resort following frequent weekend visits by Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev and efforts by Ivanovo regional authorities to attract more visitors to the town.

PLYOS, Ivanovo Region This small town onthe Volga River has long been famous forits serene atmosphere, picturesque hilltop views ofa 3-kilometer-long quay andthe house-museum ofIsaac Levitan, aprominent landscape painter ofthe 19th century.

But Plyos, population 2,800, may turn intoan elite resort amid frequent weekend visits byPrime Minister Dmitry Medvedev andefforts byregional authorities todevelop local infrastructure toattract more tourists.

Dmitry Anatolyevich andhis wife visit Plyos quite often, Ivanovo Governor Mikhail Men said bye-mail. They have fallen inlove with this pearl ofthe Volga, and, ofcourse, anumber ofprojects inPlyos would have been impossible tostart without their support.

Plyos, located about 370 kilometers northwest ofMoscow, inthe center ofthe Golden Ring, is widely referred toas thepearl ofthe Volga.

Its quay is dotted with one-story wooden andbrick buildings with renovated facades onone side, andsmall boats andyachts scattered along theriverbank onthe other. Behind thefront buildings, scores ofprivate wooden houses climb up ahill.

Areporter walking along thequay inlate September saw afew luxury private houses under construction. Several old wooden houses carried ads saying they were forsale.

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Picturesque Plyos: Pearl of the Volga