Volodarsk
It is well worth making the trip to the Volodarsk district for its incredible nature.
Chernorechye territory covering the villages of Zhelnino, Seyma and Pushkino has been historically called the Yalta of Nizhny Novgorod, where you can take a walk and breathe the fresh air, while the real pearl of the area is the unbelievably colorful Bugrov cottage. We have put together a guide to the Volodarsk district, where you can go for the weekend.
A FEW FACTS
Settlements on the River Seima
The town of Volodarsk was established in 1920 as a result of the merger of several nearby villages. Since the middle of the XIX century Peredelnovo, Mysy, Novishki, Lastovo, Loktevo, Leonovo, and Olgino have all been known under the common name «Seima», after the river which flows between them.
The Bugrov Flour Mills
Ever since the 1860s, industry has flourished along the Seima, with the construction of the Bugrov flour mills. The Bugrovs' mill business brought the family into the hallowed circle of the country’s entrepreneurial elite: these steam-powered mills produced in total three and a half million pounds of flour each year.
The Legacy of the Bugrov Era
The complex of industrial and administrative buildings in the area of Peredelnovo mill that was established by the beginning of the XX century, is generally well preserved, and functions as an administrative center to this day. The main square of Volodarsk today is made up entirely of buildings from the Bugrov era: the district administration and the district Hall of Culture are located in former workers’ dormitories, and shops are still located in the former flour shop.
Florishcheva Krasnaya Gora
There is The Monastery of the of the Holy Dormition in the village of Florishchi that is located on a hill called the Florishcheva Krasnaya Gora («Red Mountain»). The place was chosen for a good reason: according to legend, travelers passing by the Florishcheva hill saw a radiant light shining from it and heard a bell ringing. The monastery was founded in the middle of the 17th century by the monk Methodius.
Bugrov's Summer Cottage
The Volodarsk Historical Museum is unique in its appearance and exposition. In 1994, the building of Nikolai Bugrov’s former summer cottage was transferred to it: a two-storey wooden mansion with an ornate roof decorated with wonderful carvings. Among the exhibits there is a bill for 1 000 rubles with Bugrov's personal signature, and authentic items of furniture from the office of the composer Boris Mokrousov.
Boris Mokrousov's Hometown
The Soviet-era composer Boris Mokrousov, famed for compositions including «The Song of the Frontline Driver» and «Vologda», already famous and living in Moscow, regularly visited his small homeland. In September 1947, when Mokrousov and other popular composers went to Gorky to perform concerts, he paid a visit to Krasnaya Gorka, the homeland of his ancestors, who came from peasant stock.
WHAT TO DO IN THE CITY
01
Go for a walk at the summer cottage of the merchant Bugrov
The cottage of the bread manufacturer Nikolai Bugrov is a real fairytale «gingerbread» house. Thanks to Bugrov, many buildings constructed in Volodarsk are still in use today. To take just a couple of examples, Bugrov hosted the writer Maxim Gorky and the «grandfather of Russian industrialization» Sergei Witte at this country cottage. Built in the Russian style, the cottage is decorated with carvings and platbands, and is a real architectural treasure of the Nizhny Novgorod region. Unfortunately, the interiors have been completely lost to posterity. However, there is a museum center now where you can learn about the merchant's life, examine artefacts from archaeological excavations, and take a tour or a master class.
02
Visit the memorial room of the composer Boris Mokrousov
The famous Soviet composer Boris Mokrousov, known for his songs «Sormovskaya Lyrical», «The Lonely Accordion» and «Vologda», spent his childhood years in the village of Krasnaya Gorka in the Volodarsk district. You can still find his house here and learn about his life and work with help of a small exhibition at the Reshetikha Hall of Culture, where the interior is recreated in the style of the middle of the last century, complete with the composer’s actual belongings, including books, furniture, chinaware, and musical instruments.
03
Stop by the St Nicholas Church
There is also a church in Reshetikha, built in 1900 in the style of the ancient Russian church architecture of the XVII century, with bulbous domes and arched elements. The walls inside the church are decorated with ornaments and paintings depicting biblical themes.
04
Go for a walk in Chernorechye
The territory of Chernorechye in the Volodarsk district, also known as the Yalta of Nizhny Novgorod, was a favorite vacation spot for the clerisy at the turn of the XIX and XX centuries. The beauty of the local pine forests, and the meadows and banks of the Oka, was noted by Gorky and Korolenko, to give just two examples. Decide the route for yourselves, but head in the general direction of Zhelnino-Pushkino-Seima.
05
Take a look around the ruins of the merchant's estate
The ruined estate complex of the merchant Bashkirov, built in the 1860s and located in a pine forest, is in a sorry state, but in its grounds, you can still see the remains of the main house and the icehouse, as well as the water tower, which of all the features here has been preserved best to the present day.
06
Take a trip to the Florishchi Monastery
In the old times, deserted and remote places where Christian ascetics found shelter and solitude were known as «deserts». Now there is a monastery here, built in the monumental style, which was founded in the middle of the XVII century on the Florishcheva Krasnaya Gora, from which, according to legend, a radiant light once emanated. This prophetic sign indicated the special purpose of this place for spiritual life. Many buildings, such as the Cathedral of the Assumption of the Mother of God, the Trinity Church, and the Bell Tower, were built back in the 1670s-1680s.
07
Book a horseback ride
The Harmony Equestrian Club offers horse riding classes for children and adults, and you can also ride in a large horse-drawn cart or arrange a photo shoot with the animals.
08
Visit St Basil's Church
One of the district’s most spectacular churches can be found in the village of Myachkovo. It was built in the early XX century in the Russian style, with eclectic elements on the site of the former Vasiliev Monastery that was originally founded in 1352.
09
Buy yourself a Reshetikha bell shoe
The wooden Reshetikha bell shoe is one of the main souvenirs of the district: its painting depicts the history and legend of the place where the Seymovsky confluence was created. In the origami-like packaging, you can find an insert recounting the «Legend of the Shoes». Each bell is hand-painted by Palekh artists, and the founder of this art project is the designer Rustam Adyukov. Be on your guard, though, these trinkets don’t come cheap, at around 6 500 rubles a piece.
WHERE TO GO AND WHAT TO SEE
The Boris Mokrousov Memorial Room
Reshetikha Village, 1A Zatylkova str.
A small museum exhibit recreating the interior of the middle of the last century featuring the actual belongings of the renowned Soviet composer.
The Church of St Nicholas
Sarley Village
The Church of the Assumption, located next to it, was built a decade later, in 1822. An interesting detail: next to the destroyed temple lies one of its former domes.
St Nicholas Church
Reshetikha Village, 2 Oktyabrskaya str.
A church built in 1900 in the style of ancient Russian religious architecture from the XVII century.
Chernorechye Nature Monument
Volodarsky district, on the territory of the settlements of Zhelnino, Pushkino and Seima
This territory, also known as the Yalta of Nizhny Novgorod, was a favorite vacation spot among the clerisy at the turn of the XIX and XX centuries.
The summer cottage of the merchant Bugrov
Volodarsk, 6 Klubnaya str.
The country estate of the famous bread manufacturer Nikolai Bugrov, resembling a fairy-tale terem or "gingerbread" house, and which includes a museum.
Working hours
Monday - Thursday — 08:00-16:30;
Friday — 08:00-15:30;
Saturday - Sunday — 09:00-14:30 (by appointment)
The estate of the merchant Bashkirov
Krasnaya Gorka
A ruined manor complex built in the 1860s, where you can still see the remains of the main house and the ice house, as well as the water tower, which of all the features here has been preserved best to the present day.
St. Basil's Church
Myachkovo Village
A church built in the early XX century in the Russian style, with eclectic elements on the site of the former Vasiliev Monastery, which was originally founded in 1352.
House of the Mokrousovs
Krasnaya Gorka Village, 76 Gorkogo str.
The childhood home of the Soviet composer Boris Mokrousov, whose most famous compositions included «Sormovskaya Lyrical», «The Lonely Accordion» and «Vologda».
The Florishcheva Desert monastery
Frolishchi Village, 3 Nagornaya str.
A monastery constructed in a monumental style, founded in the middle of the XVII century on the Florishcheva Krasnaya Gora. Many of its buildings were constructed in the 1670s-1680s.
The Harmony Equestrian Club
Ilyinogorsk Village, Solinskoye Highway, Industrial Site No.2
A club offering horse riding classes for children and adults, and you can also ride in a large horse-drawn cart, or arrange a photo shoot with the animals.
