seaton yacht club webcam

Mooring Waiting List: P ontoon moorings are only available to members of AYC and are allocated according to a waiting list. Whilst waiting for a mooring to become available (generally at least 3-5 years), members may be able to 'Launch & Retrieve' their boat via the slipway. The slipway is not generally available to non-members. Prospective members who intend to bring a boat to AYC should note that, in view of the tidal conditions and the restricted mooring area, the Club's bylaws include the following points:

• Slipway launching is currently restricted to boats of 24ft max length but this may be reduced to 20ft (6m) from 2024.
• Moorings are available only for boats of up to a maximum of 31'6" overall length (including all overhangs), 10'10" beam and 5 tonnes displacement.
• It is a drying harbour so boats on moorings must be capable of taking the ground without external support.

PLEASE NOTE: If you would like to join AYC, please email [email protected] to check availability. Give us details of your boating interest and include a contact telephone number so we can put you in touch with a member who can give you more information and advice. Yard space is currently a limiting factor for the Club, so boat storage (summer or winter) is unlikely to be available at this time other than for dinghies.

Tom Preston, Commodore [email protected]

Carol Evans, Membership Secretary [email protected]

Tolyatti: A Russian Homage To Italy

This is the curious story of a Russian city named after an Italian politician, Palmiro Togliatti.

“Togliatti” by Shine Phantom is licensed under CC BY 2.0

This is the curious story of a russian city named after an italian politician, palmiro togliatti.

There are cities which were made great by men, and men which have been made great by a city. This is the case of Palmiro Togliatti — a founding member and the longest serving secretary of the Italian Communist Party — and a Russian city located in Samara Oblast, known as Stavropol on Volga until 1964, which was then renamed Tolyatti, becoming the greatest tribute in the world to an Italian politician. The city of Tolyatti was named after him immediately after his death in Yalta — a seaside town in the then Soviet Union — on August 21st, 1964, as a result of a sudden stroke and cerebral bleed. He was on vacation, on his way to give his support for Brezhnev as Khrushchev’s successor.

Who was Palmiro Togliatti?

If you happen to travel around Italy, you may have noticed that in every Italian city — however big or small — there is a street named after Palmiro Togliatti. That’s because Togliatti was not just the charismatic secretary and one of the founders of the Italian Communist Party, but a legendary figure of Italian and international politics. He started his political career before World War I, joining the Italian Socialist Party in 1914, then serving as a volunteer, and returning home to Turin after being injured. During this period he learned about the Russian Revolution and became fascinated, wanting to bring soviet ideas to Italy. He became a founder of the Communist Party of Italy, which was a part of Communists International (Comintern). In fact, after the end of Fascism — during which he spent almost 17 years in Moscow, becoming one of the highest representatives of the Comintern with the blessing of Stalin — he came back to Italy as Deputy Prime Minister until 1945 and taking part in the Constituent Assembly until 1948, writing the current constitution of the Italian Republic. Under his political and intellectual leadership — enough to be nicknamed ‘The Best ’ — the Italian Communist Party would become the largest non-ruling party in Europe and the second in Italy, after the Christian Democracy, which was consistently the most popular Italian party until 1992, when the Cold War ended and the danger of a ‘ Soviet ’ turning point in Italy was warded off.

Nevertheless, the Communist Party ruled by Togliatti had a big influence in Italian society, especially regarding culture, and achieved great results in local elections within particular regions of Italy. Togliatti chose to become a Soviet Union citizen in 1930, in fact giving up Italian citizenship. What may have seemed like complete devotion to the Communist Party of the Soviet Union and its General Secretary Joseph Stalin, clashes with his next choice of refusing the head of the Communist Information Bureau proposed by Stalin himself in 1951, preferring to remain General Secretary of the Italian Communist Party. Throughout his career he supported his communist beliefs but fought to bring them to his beloved home country of Italy. Palmiro Togliatti wanted to fulfill his dream of a communist plan through democracy: the original ‘ Italian way to Socialism’.

Tolyatti, the Russian city

The Russian homage to Palmiro Togliatti was not chosen at random. In fact, a significant city was named after him: Stavropol on Volga became Tolyatti ( Togliatti Russianized) because right there — on the banks of Volga river — the Italian politician had a key role in building the popular AvtoVAZ factory, the manufacturer of the Lada car brand. And thus, in the 1960s, through cooperation with FIAT , the city took a new shape and a new name, because the old Stavropol on Volga was also covered by the Kuybyshev Hydroelectric Station. This infrastruscture was crucial for the development of a large industry. Therefore Tolyatti — just like what happened in Italy with Turin — became the working-class city par excellence, and the Communist Party of the Soviet Union made it a great vehicle for propaganda and experimentation. Many facilities were built, especially for sports, and new parks and monuments emerged in Tolyatti, which were made to represent the perfect Soviet city for the perfect Soviet citizen.

Not surprisingly, many popular athletes grew up in Tolyatti, such as the Olympic champion Alexei Nemov and the former ice hockey players Alexei Kovalev, Ilya Bryzgalov, Viktor Kozlov and Alexei Emelin. As you might imagine, ice hockey is very popular around there, and the local club sponsored by Lada is one of the best across Russia. Tolyatti, due to its vast spaces, has several monuments of national interest : Victory Park, a memorial dedicated to the Soviet victory in World War II built in the Auto Factory district; Liberty Square with its Obelisk of Glory dedicated to the fighters of World War II; the Mourning Angel standing in Central Park, a memorial to victims of political repression built after the end of the Communist era. Also the Transfiguration Cathedral, with its wonderful golden domes, was built after the fall of the Berlin Wall. Tolyatti was also the city where the great Russian painter Ilya Repin stayed for a brief period in 1870, painting his masterpiece ‘ Barge Haulers on the Volga’. The house where he stayed then became a monument.

Last but not least, among the most meaningful monuments of Tolyatti is ‘ Loyalty’. It is a bronze statue dedicated to a faithful dog, called ‘ Kostya’, who survived a car accident in which its owners lost their lives. Like what happened in Japan with Hachiko, Kostya wouldn’t give up, waiting for its owners for seven consecutive years at the same spot. Under the snow and the rain, winter and summer, the dog stayed there, running up to all the passing cars and hoping one day to again see its beloved masters. Only his own death let him abandon his spot, but Tolyatti citizens unanimously wanted to honor the loyalty of Kostya, building a sculpture in his memory. I could say no place was more appropriate than Tolyatti, because the city’s namesake itself represents a great metaphor of loyalty: that of Palmiro Togliatti to the Soviet Union.

Support our independent project!

Sign up now  

Terms & Conditions .

We value your privacy

Privacy overview.

• Visit Our Blog about Russia to know more about Russian sights, history
• Check out our Russian cities and regions guides
• Follow us on Twitter and Facebook to better understand Russia
• Info about getting Russian visa , the main airports , how to rent an apartment
• Our Expert answers your questions about Russia, some tips about sending flowers

Russian regions

• Bashkortostan republic
• Chuvashia republic
• Kirov oblast
• Mari El republic
• Mordovia republic
• Nizhegorodskaya oblast
• Orenburg oblast
• Penza oblast
• Samara oblast
• Saratov oblast
• Tatarstan republic
• Udmurt republic
• Ulyanovsk oblast
• Map of Russia
• All cities and regions
• Blog about Russia
• News from Russia
• How to get a visa
• Flights to Russia
• Russian hotels
• Renting apartments
• Russian currency
• FIFA World Cup 2018
• Submit an article
• Flowers to Russia
• Ask our Expert

Samara Oblast, Russia

The capital city of Samara oblast: Samara .

Samara Oblast - Overview

Samara Oblast is a federal subject of Russia located in the southeastern part of European Russia, in the middle reaches of the Volga River, part of the Volga Federal District. Samara is the capital city of the region.

The population of Samara Oblast is about 3,132,000 (2022), the area - 53,565 sq. km.

Samara oblast flag

Samara oblast coat of arms.

Samara oblast map, Russia

Samara oblast latest news and posts from our blog:.

15 February, 2020 / Syzran - the view from above .

4 April, 2019 / Cities of Russia at Night - the Views from Space .

26 January, 2018 / Samara - the view from above .

4 December, 2017 / Stadiums and Matches of the World Cup 2018 in Russia .

21 November, 2016 / Park of the History of Equipment in Tolyatti .

More posts..

History of Samara Oblast

The territory of the present Samara region became part of the Russian state in the middle of the 16th century, after the Kazan and Astrakhan khanates were conquered by the Russian state. In the 17th-18th centuries, the territory around the middle Volga was colonized by migrants from other regions of Russia and foreigners (in particular, the Volga Germans).

The intensified colonization of the region began only in the second half of the 18th century. From the mid 19th century, this region experienced economic growth. Samara became an important center of the Russian domestic grain market, which led to the development of trade and industry in the city. In 1851, Samara became the center of Samara guberniya (province).

In 1935, Samara was renamed into Kuybyshev (the historical name was returned in 1990). In Soviet times, industrialization had a serious impact on the development of the region. Construction of plants producing explosives, poisonous substances and ammunition began in the town of Chapayevsk.

During the Second World War, the region became one of the centers of the defense industry of the USSR. In 1941, an oil processing plant was put into operation in Syzran providing the army with fuel. Several aviation plants were evacuated to Kuybyshev from Moscow and Voronezh. They started production of “Il-2” attack aircraft.

More Historical Facts…

In 1942, a railway passed through Syzran to supply Soviet troops during the Stalingrad Battle. In 1941-1943, diplomatic missions of foreign countries to the USSR were located in Kuybyshev (Samara). In 1941, there were plans for transferring the capital of the country to Kuybyshev in case the German troops capture Moscow.

In the 1950s-1960s, this region was one of the leading centers of oil extracting in the USSR. In 1945-1951, Kuybyshev and Novokuybyshev oil processing plants were built. At the same time, construction of Zhiguli hydroelectric power station was resumed. It was put into operation in 1955. Because of this construction, the town of Stavropol was flooded and was rebuilt in a new place and received a new name - Tolyatti.

Later, the construction base created during the construction of Zhiguli hydroelectric power station was used to create a series of other large industrial enterprises in Tolyatti - “KuybyshevAzot” mineral fertilizer plant, “Tolyattikauchuk” synthetic rubber plant (1964-1966), the Volga Automobile Plant (1970), and the largest in the country and the world manufacturer of ammonia “TolyattiAzot” (1979).

At the same time, aviation production was expanded. Kuibyshev Aviation Plant began production of the most mass Soviet passenger medium-haul aircraft Tu-154. The Soviet rocket space program orders were also fulfilled at this plant (“Progress” rockets).

In the post Soviet period, due to saved economic potential, Samara oblast has become one of the main economic centers of the country.

Samara Oblast views

Samara Oblast scenery

Author: Dmitriy Siryachenko

Winter in Samara Oblast

Author: Ochin Vladimir

Author: Alexander Urgalkin

Samara Oblast - Features

Samara Oblast stretches from north to south for 335 km, and from west to east - for 315 km. The climate is moderately continental. The average temperature in July is plus 20.7 degrees Celsius, in January - minus 13.8 degrees Celsius.

The largest cities and towns of the region are Samara (1,137,000), Tolyatti (685,600), Syzran (163,000), Novokuybyshevsk (98,400), Chapaevsk (70,100), Zhigulevsk (50,000), Otradny (47,000).

The main resources of the Samara region are oil, natural gas, shale oil, various building materials, water resources. The local industry is presented by about 400 large and medium plants and over 4,000 small ones. The most developed industries are machine building (automotive industry) and metalworking, fuel, electric power, chemical and petrochemical, non-ferrous metallurgy.

AvtoVAZ is the largest manufacturer of cars in Russia and Eastern Europe. TogliattiAzot is the largest producer of ammonia in the world (about 8-10%). The 300-kilometer section of the main ammonia pipeline Togliatti-Odessa passes through the territory of the region.

Crop production specializes in the cultivation of wheat, barley, millet, buckwheat, sunflower, vegetables, and potatoes. Livestock is represented by production of cattle meat and milk, pigs, poultry.

Tourism in Samara Oblast

There are 19 monuments of archeology, more than 1,200 cultural monuments, 11 theaters, and 58 museums on the territory of the Samara region. The cities of Samara, Syzran and Tolyatti are included in the List of Historical Settlements of the Russian Federation.

The most developed areas of tourism: sightseeing tourism, cruises along the Volga River, medical and recreational, ecological, event, rural, and ethnographic tourism, caving tourism, bicycle and horse routes.

The most interesting sights:

• The buildings of the Samara Drama Theater and the Samara Opera and Ballet Theater,
• Stalin’s Bunker, House with Elephants, Klodt Mansion, Zhigulevsky Brewery in Samara,
• Samara Space Museum,
• Church of Sergius of Radonezh in Chapaevsk,
• Kremlin, Sterlyadkin Mansion in Syzran,
• Church of the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God in the village of Verhnee Sancheeleevo,
• Museum of the History of Technology in Tolyatti,
• House-museum of Ilya Repin in the village of Shiryaevo,
• Sarbai Center of Folk Crafts in the village of Sarbai,
• Center for Historical Modeling “Ancient World” with the dwellings of the Stone and Bronze Ages,
• Zhiguli State Nature Reserve and Samarskaya Luka National Park - a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The Zhiguli Mountains are the largest mountain range in the region and, at the same time, one of the most beautiful places in Russia.

Annual festivals taking place in the Samara region:

• All-Russia festival of the author’s song named after Valery Grushin (the first weekend of July),
• “World of Bards” (in the end of August),
• Festival of electronic music and extreme sports GES FEST (the second week of July),
• “The Battle of Timur and Tokhtamysh”,
• “Steppe races in the Samara estate of Leo Tolstoy”,
• International festival “Drums of the World” (June),
• Holiday “Syzran tomato” (mid-August),
• “Holiday of a cherry pie” in the village of Shiryaevo,
• International festival “Theatrical Circle” in Tolyatti,
• Festival of Classical Ballet named after Alla Shelest.

Samara oblast of Russia photos

Nature of samara oblast.

Field road in the Samara region

Dandelions in Samara Oblast

Author: Vladimir Baboshin

Samara Oblast landscape

Pictures of the Samara region

Soviet past in the Samara region

Author: Dyomin Ivan

Church in Samara Oblast

Author: B.Yartsev

Churches in the Samara region

Author: Sergey Bulanov

• Currently 3.03/5

Rating: 3.0 /5 (248 votes cast)