Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
is dedicated to the 19th-century human-
ist poet Abay Kunanbaev (see boxed text
p120). Along with displays about Abay's
life and work, the museum has many 19th-
century artefacts, and sections on the Ka-
zakh nomadic tradition and Abay's literary
successors, including Mukhtar Auezov
(1897-1961), author of the epic novel
Abay
Zholy
(The Path of Abay). Guided tours are
free and English-speaking guides may be
available.
History¨&¨Local¨¨
Studies¨Museum¨
mUSEUm
(
%
52 07 32; www.semeymusey.kz; Abay 90; ad-
mission 150T;
h
9am-5pm mon-Sat)
This mu-
seum has plenty of material on regional
history including some rare archaeologi-
cal pieces, and a collection of traditional
Kazakh artefacts. Founded in 1883, it
claims to be the oldest museum in Kaza-
khstan. Tours are 300T.
Fine¨Arts¨Museum¨
mUSEUm
(
%
52 31 84; www.muzey-nev.semstar.com;
Pushkin 108; foreigner/Kazakhstani 600/300T;
h
10am-6pm Tue-Sat)
The collection here,
one of the country's best, covers Kazakh,
Russian and Western European art from
the 16th century onwards, including a not-
to-be-missed Rembrandt etching and work
by top 19th-century Russians such as Levi-
tan and Kramskoy.
Anatomical¨Museum¨
mUSEUm
(Lenin 1;
h
8.30am-4pm)
F
In an unmarked
building that's part of Semey Medical Uni-
versity, this one-room museum exhibits
the usual pickled organs you might expect
medical students to look at - but also a
gruesome collection of babies and embryos
with appalling deformities caused by nu-
clear radiation from Polygon. Not for the
squeamish. It's in room 28, upstairs. Ask
nicely for the key in room 22.
Polkovnichy¨Island¨
ISLAND
Rural Polkovnichy Island is across a long
bridge over the Irtysh. On the left, 600m
past the end of the bridge, is the sombre and
impressive
Stronger¨than¨Death¨memo-
rial
, erected in 2001 for victims of the nu-
clear tests. Above the marble centrepiece of
a mother covering her child billows a Poly-
gon mushroom cloud etched into a 30m-
high black tombstone. Due to open nearby
by 2014 is a new
Peace¨Museum
, in a 24m-
diameter glass sphere resting on a pair of
giant stone hands.
Communist¨Statues¨
mONUmENT
A curious collection of 15 communist busts
and statues, mostly Lenins, stands in a small
park behind Hotel Semey, as if no one quite
wanted do away with them entirely.
4
¨Sleeping
Hotel¨Semey¨
HOTEL $
(
%
56 36 04; www.semey.semstar.com; Kaban-
bay Batyr 26; s 4500-7000T, d 7000-15,000T, incl
breakfast;
pnaiW
)
Hotel Semey has that
unmistakable Soviet aura but staff are rea-
sonably helpful and the rooms have been
modernised. Dinner is included with some
7000T rooms and all of the more expensive
ones.
Hotel¨Tengri¨
HOTEL $
(
%
56 60 35; Zasyadko 73; r 3000T)
This cheapie
near the main bus station has utterly ordi-
nary but acceptable rooms with bathroom,
off its ground-floor cafe or upstairs.
Hotel¨Binar¨
HOTEL $$
(
%
52 36 39; binarkz@yandex.ru; Lenin 6; s/d incl
breakfast from 8600/11,900T;
paW
)
A low-key
place in an attractive two-storey, century-
old building, the Binar is great value for its
standard of accommodation. The very spa-
cious rooms are cosy and carpeted, and the
Jacuzzi-style showers will spray you from
any angle you choose.
Hotel¨Nomad¨
HOTEL $$
(
%
52 04 44; www.hotelnomad.kz; Ibraev 149; s/d
incl breakfast 12,000/18,000T;
paiW
)
The
best hotel in town, new in 2007, overlooks
the central park. For a place of this quality
Semey
æ
Sights
1
Abay Museum .......................................C2
2
Anatomical Museum ............................A4
3
Communist Statues ............................. D1
4
Dostoevsky Museum........................... C4
5
Fine Arts Museum................................ C4
6
History & Local Studies Museum .......B3
ÿ
Sleeping
7
Hotel Binar.............................................B3
8
Hotel Nomad .........................................B3
9
Hotel Semey .......................................... D1
10
Hotel Tengri ........................................... B1
ú
Eating
11
Abat ........................................................C2
12
Kofeman.................................................C2
13
Pepperoni...............................................C2
