My name is Maxim, I’m 32 years old, and I’m from Barnaul. I came to the International Youth Festival with the “SHUM” Center. Here, we’re filming the first pilot episode of a show about different regions of Russia.
My main passion is probably my work. Fortunately, it combines many things that are important to me. I work in video production, which gives me the opportunity to express myself creatively. Outside of work, my life is pretty routine: I love reading, watching movies and videos, and riding my bike. I hope I’ll be able to bike around Yekaterinburg during the festival and see the city that way.
I’d call Barnaul a classic Russian city—quiet and fairly compact. It has a large historic center and interesting architecture. In the city center, you can find buildings that are somewhat reminiscent of St. Petersburg. The city is generally quite low-rise, without the feel of a huge metropolis, and that’s exactly why it has its own special, peaceful rhythm. I find it a very pleasant and comfortable place to live.
But when you talk about Barnaul, the conversation quickly turns to the entire Altai Krai. It’s all about the fields, agriculture, buckwheat, wheat, and an abundance of beautiful nature. And the mountains are right nearby, too. If you just drive along the highway from Barnaul in different directions, sometimes that’s enough to see those vast expanses that many people associate with Russia.
Our region also has its own famous figures. The Altai Krai is closely associated with Vasily Shukshin. We host the Shukshin Readings—a major annual event that draws people from different regions of the country, including representatives of the film industry. It’s a truly significant event for the region.
But Barnaul also has a less serious symbol: shawarma. I consider Barnaul to be the true capital of shawarma—and absolutely deservedly so. I’ve been to many places and tried it in many places, but I’m still convinced: the most delicious shawarma is right here. And not even St. Petersburg’s shawarma will change my mind on that.
When it comes to my favorite spot in the city itself, oddly enough, it’s my workplace—our office, which we built together with the guys. It’s located in the historic center of Barnaul, right next to a pedestrian street. Right outside our windows, the city’s main festivals take place, street musicians perform, and you can even see Nagorny Park from there. I really love this location.
And after work, my favorite place is home. I live in the woods, so the atmosphere there is completely different: quiet, peaceful, pleasant, and cozy.
Some of my fondest memories of Barnaul are connected with City Day celebrations from my childhood, around the late 2000s. Maybe it’s because of my age and childhood impressions, but it seems to me that back then, the celebrations were on an incredible scale. Literally the whole city would gather in the central square. There were so many people and events; everything was vibrant and intense. Back then, it was a real hub of activity.
Of course, we often look back on childhood as something especially wonderful, so perhaps that’s another reason why these memories are so warm to me.
There were also major sporting events in Barnaul. For example, we hosted large rowing competitions. A rowing canal was built near the city specifically for this purpose, and it welcomed athletes from different countries. But overall, we live quite modestly. We don’t necessarily need to host world-class events every year to love our city.
If a foreign festival participant asked me whether it’s worth coming to Barnaul, I’d say: it’s definitely worth it. In fact, it’s best to see not only Barnaul, but also the Altai Krai, and if possible, to spend a little time in the Altai Republic as well.
If you want to experience Russia’s forests, fields, and vast open spaces, you can really get a feel for it here. Sometimes it’s enough just to drive down the road and look around—the beauty all around is truly incredible. And the nearby Republic of Altai boasts some of the most beautiful mountain landscapes in the country.
As for the people of Barnaul themselves, it seems to me that we smile quite a lot. I’d even say we’re a bit more cheerful, especially when the sun comes out. After all, this is Siberia: winter can be quite long, so the mood is completely different in the summer. When it’s warm and the sun is shining, it seems like we can’t stop smiling.
I tried living in another city—I spent five years in Novosibirsk—but in the end, I realized that I want to live in Barnaul. Our team has long been urged to move to Central Russia, but we truly love our city. So we found another solution: we fly all over the country, work in different regions, but live right here in quiet Barnaul.
Of course, it’s my family that makes Barnaul feel like home to me. My parents live here, and I try to maintain a very good relationship with them. But there’s another feeling—that of coming back to the city.
When you drive into Barnaul from the Novosibirsk highway, you see a huge sign that says “Barnaul,” almost like in Hollywood. Then you cross the Ob River, beautiful lights come on all around, and Nagorny Park comes into view—and at that moment, every single time, I look at the city and think more or less the same thing:
“Is this, like, the best city on Earth?”
I guess that feeling is what best explains to me what home really means.
