Samara is a major Russian city located on the left bank of the Volga River. It has a population of over 1 million people and is a center for mechanical engineering, metalworking, space, and aviation industries. Some of the notable cultural sites in Samara mentioned in the document include the Samara Drama Theatre named after Maxim Gorky, the Samara Opera and Ballet House, monuments to Chapaev and aircraft, the Samara State Philharmonic Society, a museum dedicated to writer A.N. Tolstoy, and the "Samara Kosmicheskaya" museum.