National customs and mentality as tourist attractions in Russian regions in the second half of XIX - early XX centuries

With the development of mass tourism in Russian province the process of compiling a list of regional attractions was started. From the beginning, this list comprised not only historical and cultural monuments, natural sites and museums, but also everyday life, mentality, customs and traditions of the nations and ethnic groups that lived in the region. The methods that were used to describe them in provincial guides of the second half of XIX - early XX centuries also had historical and cultural features. Taking as an example three Russian regions, Volga region, Crimea and Siberia, this article analyzes the ways, meth- ods, forms and contradictions of transforming national specificity into tourist attractions. Particular attention is di- rected to the ratio of information and advertising, objective and subjective, tolerance and bigotry in these descrip- tions. A regional guide is regarded as the most important historical source able not only to transmit the empirical information about a specific area, but also act as a form of representation of ideas, norms, and stereotypes prevailing in the regional society.