For a long time, Russian villages were forgotten, which is completely unfounded. Of course, some of them are in poor condition, while others are completely abandoned and have disappeared from the face of the earth.
According to the 2010 census, there are more than 150 thousand rural settlements in Russia. And there will certainly be several to compete for the title of the most beautiful. And in 2014, the “Most Beautiful Villages” association was created, which supports the development of rural tourism. Let's take a little virtual tour of some of these villages.
The village of Bolshaya Kunaley is located on the banks of the Kunaleyka River. The village appeared at the beginning of the 18th century and since then has lived its measured and quiet life. There are not many residents in the village - about a thousand people.
The peculiarity of the village is its houses. Made of timber, they are all painted in bright colors, with carved shutters and painted fences, and are somewhat reminiscent of a children's fairy tale.
The village of Vyatskoye received the title of the most beautiful village in 2015. The village is actively developing in the tourism sector; there are ten museums alone. The houses here were built in XVIII-XIX centuries, they once belonged to merchants, and some were drinking establishments. There are thirty monuments of cultural and historical heritage here, so there is definitely something to see. And tourists have taken a liking to the village: 80 thousand travelers visited here in 2014 alone.
Another village from Buryatia amazes with its colorfulness: the houses here are painted with bright colors, and all this goes well with the green hills and endless open spaces surrounding the village. Here you can truly feel Russia, vast and beautiful: around there are centuries-old forests, untouched valleys with clean springs, berries and mushrooms, as well as the steppe.
Only 73 people live in Oshevensky Pogost, but this did not stop the village from joining the association of the most beautiful villages in Russia in 2016. At the entrance to the village there is monastery, founded back in 1453. In addition, a whole block of traditional northern wooden buildings, headed by the Church of the Epiphany with a bell tower, has been perfectly preserved here. Well, local residents are trying to preserve their original traditions.
Kinerma is located in the Pryazhinsky district of Karelia and last year was awarded the title of the most beautiful village in Russia. There are 17 houses in the settlement, 10 of them are considered architectural monuments. All the buildings here are built in a circle, in the center of which there is a 250-year-old chapel and an old cemetery.
And, of course, all the village attributes: a well with ice water, a bathhouse, a barn with a souvenir shop, and a restored traditional peasant house. There is also a mini-hotel in Kinerma, stylized as bygone times and furnished with antique utensils.
True, local residents were already quite tired of the flow of tourists, and at the beginning of 2017 information appeared on the Internet that they were asking to periodically close the road sign)
This is the youngest village that bears the title of the most beautiful (received it in February 2017). There are 71 historical monument, including Hodigitrievskaya Church early XVIII century. Kimzha is somewhat reminiscent of a museum of wooden architecture, but everything is real here: strong log huts, wooden mills, large courtyards and a river where locals go fishing.
And the local residents, until 1951, had a curious tradition: they did not have a cemetery, and all the dead were buried according to their last will. Most often these were plots of land, and sometimes courtyards of houses. It was believed that this way the ancestors would be able to protect their territories from harm.
There is a village called Vyatskoye, 38 kilometers from Yaroslavl. A village that on October 15, 2015 became the first member of the Association of the most beautiful villages in Russia! Having learned about this event, I decided to go there to see the delights of the village with my own eyes.
2. This is what one of the most beautiful villages in Russia looks like. Central square with restored mansions from the 18th and 19th centuries.
3. Hills, ravines, summer "amphitheater".
5. In some places Vyatskoye looks like this.
6. And now the fun part. Why, unlike most villages and hamlets in Russia, Vyatskoye has not collapsed, but is developing. The answer, of course, lies in money.
There is a businessman in Yaroslavl, Oleg Zharov, who, according to local residents, was looking for a place for a summer residence in the vicinity of Yaroslavl. I came to Vyatskoye, fell in love with the local beauty, and decided to take on the restoration of the village. I bought an architectural monument of the 19th century - the house of honorary citizen Bogorodsky, restored it, and the dacha is ready.
7. Zharov did not stop there, and over the past few years, more than 30 half-abandoned mansions have been restored, several museums have been opened, and a church has been restored with the businessman’s money.Ascension of Christ built in 1750.
8. There are also opponents of Zharov’s “policy”. They say he buys and restores mansions with only one goal: to sell them, and thereby become richer. And it develops everything around and ennobles it, only in order to build an elite cottage village. In any case, every year new jobs appear in the village, and abandoned architectural monuments are restored.
9. And Zharov also received state prize"For contribution to the revival and development of traditional cultural and historical values." He was invited to the Kremlin and seated next to Putin and Medvedev. Where Medvedev said: “How about we go, Vladimir Vladimirovich, to Vyatskoye? At least the roads will be repaired before our arrival.” .
Apparently they never made it, and part of the road from Yaroslavl to the village of Vyatskoye is a toa Yamutokanavu. This is where our short journey to the most beautiful village in Russia begins.
10. Here it is Vyatskoye, an open-air museum of Russian rural life.The main idea of the museum is to present to tourists the life of the Russian village as it was several centuries ago.
11. The village is more than 500 years old in total. AND known in the history of Russia for its crafts, noisy fairs and bazaars, schismatics, “going to the people,” and talented people. For example, the sculptor A.M. Opekushin - the author of the monument to A.S. Pushkin in Moscow (on Pushkin Square), Pyotr Telushkin - the founder of “Russian mountaineering”, who alone, without insurance, repaired the wing of the angel that crowned the spire Peter and Paul Cathedral in St. Petersburg, by the poet Nekrasov, who found images of his heroes in Vyatskoye.
12. On central square a restored fire station, now a museum in the building.
10. The parking lot next to the depot is completely filled with tourists' cars. There are even guests with overseas numbers.
11. We park next to the tourist buses.
12. And along the Ukhtomka River, which flows through all of Vyatskoye, we go to get acquainted with local life.
14. On the right bank of the river there is a museum - black bathhouse.
15. One of the central streets.
16. A rickety hut.
17. Bathhouse with a swimming pool.
18. It’s hard to believe, but, a residential building. On front side There are even satellite dishes hanging on the façade.
19. Almost destroyed temple.
22. The restoration work of the next mansion is carried out mainly by visitors from neighboring countries.
23. Fragment of a restored mansion.
24. The restored house of photographer Kokoshkin, an architectural monument late XIX century. Perhaps one day the dangling wires will disappear and it will look really good.
25. One of the most beautiful buildings in the village of Vyatskoye. Inside Museum of Russian Entrepreneurship, or “The History of a Village That Wanted to Become a City...”.
26. On the third floor The museum has a large exhibition of household items.
27. The largest collection is on the second floor musical instruments and caskets in Europe, many of which are still in use. The collection, as we were told at the museums, belongs to Zharov.
29. Organola.
30. Punched tapes for organola. And here it’s worth retelling what the museums told us.
In the old days, when a girl was married off, it was important what kind of hearing she had. And if the betrothed had problems with this, then before playing to her future husband musical composition, punched tape was inserted into the organola. The girl could only press the pedal and imitate playing the keys. The music sounds beautiful, the groom is happy, everyone is happy.
Maybe it's just a story, but it was told convincingly.
31. We will consider the Sberbank branch to be the ugliest building in the village, if this booth can be called a building. By the way, speaking of Sberbank, 3 days ago we closed our mortgage! We accept congratulations. Maybe one day I’ll even write about what it was like to live under the yoke of Sberbank.
32. Russian Post Office.
33. Fragment of a restored architectural monument. Everything was done quite well, even the smallest elements of stucco were preserved and restored.
34. From the yard this house looks much sadder. Perhaps it is implied that no one will set foot in the yard.
35. Outskirts of the village.
36. A neighboring village, and a country road home.
p.s. Perhaps some information about the businessman Zharov, and about the village of Vyatskoye, in some places does not correspond to reality. As they say, what you bought for is what you sold for. In general, the businessman is a great guy, he is developing his native land. After all, as practice shows, most of our rich people buy villas abroad, apartments in Dubai, and go live overseas.
The other day the most beautiful Russian village became known. This village of Vyatskoye, Nekrasovsky district Yaroslavl region. It was this village that became the first member of the Association of the Most Beautiful Villages of Russia. What the most beautiful village in Russia looks like is in our photo gallery.
To enter the association you must meet several criteria. One of them is that the population of the village should not exceed two thousand people. It is important to preserve the landscape and create new tourist sites. It turned out that in our country so far only Vyatskoye can claim this high status
In the photo: Resurrection Church in the village of Vyatskoye, 2012
“The “Most Beautiful Villages” brand was not invented by us. Back in 1982, an association was created in France, uniting rural settlements with exceptional cultural and natural heritage. Now about two dozen such national associations around the world are united in the Federation of the Most Beautiful Villages on Earth. In 2014, our own association appeared in Russia, and now we are accepting the first participant who meets all our criteria,” the president of the association, Alexander Merzlov, explained to journalists.
He noted that currently about 20 rural settlements in Russia are applying to join the association. They are subject to fairly strict criteria: aesthetic, architectural, historical and cultural, presence natural monuments etc. At the same time, it is also necessary that the settlement be residential, and not occupied only by museums, that it be rural, and that all residents agree to participate in the association.
The village of Vyatskoye, Nekrasovsky district, Yaroslavl region, will officially become a member of the association on October 15, when the membership charter will be signed.
As explained CEO historical and cultural complex "Vyatskoye" Larisa Kovalenko, the revival of the village began several years ago. “The village has more than 100 stone houses, two churches of the 18th century. It was a wealthy settlement, the patrimony of Metropolitan Philaret. We wanted to restore it, preserve it in memory of those who lived here before.” Now there are 10 museums in Vyatskoye, employing about 100 local residents,” said L. Kovalenko.
The village of Vyatskoye, Nekrasovsky district, Yaroslavl region, will officially become a member of the association on October 15, when the membership charter is signed, Interfax reports.
The ancient merchant village of Vyatskoye is located in the Nekrasovsky district - one of the most environmentally friendly and historically significant areas of the Yaroslavl region, 30 km from Yaroslavl along the Lyubimskaya road and 300 km from Moscow. Interesting story these places, favorable geographical location, richest Natural resources make this region an attractive area for tourists. The amazingly beautiful nature of the Central Russian plain with a web of rivers and lakes (there are 38 of the latter), with open spaces pleasing the eye at any time of the year, with a mild climate - all this contributes to the fact that exploring these places is equally interesting in winter and summer.
The village of Vyatskoye is an urban complex of the 18th-19th centuries with more than 50 registered architectural monuments, former merchant and peasant houses, tea and tavern establishments, and almshouses.
The basis of the historical and cultural heritage of Vyatka is primarily the planning structure of the village, almost entirely related to XVIII century. To date, more than 30 monuments of cultural and historical heritage have been restored in the village, which are filled with new functional purpose. The village has three hotels, a restaurant, a cinema and concert hall and ten museums, including the Museum of Russian Entrepreneurship, the Museum of the Vyatka Trading Peasant - Gorokhov’s House, the Polytechnic Museum Amazing world mechanisms and machines,” the Museum of Kitchen Equipment, the “Black Bathhouse” museum and the Museum of Russian Amusements, according to the association’s website.
Russia is a vast country with many beautiful places. Wide open spaces and picturesque views are what attract tourists. At the same time, I increasingly want to see quiet places. Small villages, parks - all this perfectly conveys the closeness to nature.
The old villages of Russia are just what you need to relax and take a break from the bustle of the city. And if the village is also beautiful, rich in picturesque views, then everyone will certainly want to see it.
Of all the available country houses with nature, the following are especially famous:
Village located in Omsk region. It attracts, first of all, the incredible expanses of Siberia and its beauty. Local residents who sincerely love their native land also deserve special attention.
There is an opinion that the village of Okunevo received special significance after the arrival of one of the Indian guru’s students. Once in the village, the woman lived there for a few years, after which she returned to her homeland.
The fishing industry is especially developed in Okunevo. Active work is underway in creative workshops. Summer is the height of the season, a time for all kinds of holidays and events.
Siberian taiga, Fresh air, healing lakes and interesting people around - Okunevo, Omsk region - a place definitely worthy of attention.
This village received its “second” life relatively recently. Picturesque views, beautiful old houses - all this was abandoned and fell into disrepair. Everything changed after locality Kaluga region was noticed by one of the architects.
So, thanks to Vasily Shchetinin, Nikolo-Lenivets became a museum under open air. Every detail here is made by hand, by painstaking craftsmen. Intricate figures and many other interesting objects located right on the ground, among “pure” landscapes.
An ancient and incredibly beautiful village in Komi. It is located on the banks of the Pechora River and attracts the attention of people from all over the country.
The village residents are mainly descendants of Novgorod Old Believers. It is interesting that behind the shoulders of each resident, of course, lies the story of his ancestors, who fled here in the hope of hiding from Nikon’s transformations.
In addition to the wide, boundless open spaces, you can see ancient crafts and their results in the village. The chests of each of the houses here contain embroidery, woven towels and many other handicrafts.
The residents themselves also retained their attachment to ancient customs. People of all ages take to the streets to dance, walk and have fun. The village even has its own fairy tales and songs! It is simply impossible to meet them anywhere else.
The population of the village is quite large, about 7 thousand people. There is a hotel, a small airport and several museums.
A village with such a complex name is located in the Yakut region. It is interesting to see how people adapted to such harsh living conditions. The second name of Oymyakon is “pole of cold”.
Indeed, the temperatures here are very low. According to some researchers, this place can rightfully be considered one of the coldest places on the entire planet.
It is interesting to see the “white” color of the nights that fall on summer period, go fishing and walk on the tundra.
The population of the village is about 500 people, each of whom is busy with his own business. Fishing, cattle breeding and crafts are widespread here.
Varzuga is located in the Murmansk region, just two dozen kilometers from the White Sea.
Among the most interesting attractions here is the Assumption Church, built in 1674 without one nail, as well as the Museum of Life, etc.
The traditional occupation of local residents is fishing and making dough figures.
A village located in the Arkhangelsk region. One of the main attractions is the St. Nicholas Chapel with a centuries-old history.
Vershinino is famous for its traditional holidays. The key occupation of the village residents is making northern bread, prepared according to an old recipe.
Buryat region. All the houses here are painted in motley bright colors. Lots of green hills, old crafts.
It seems that everything here is imbued with an ancient spirit. And even the local residents are people with their own history.
Yaroslavl region. Rich in all kinds of museums (more than 10).
Village residents are indispensable participants in frequently held competitions.
Srostki village – Altai region. Countless meadows and grasses are what perfectly describe the expanses of Srostok.
One of the most beautiful villages in Russia is the birthplace of actor Vasily Shukshin. Now there is a museum. It hosts thematic readings.
The village of Bogolyubovo is located in the Vladimir region. All its architecture is in the style of the twelfth century.
A large number of Holy buildings and their appearance (unlike modern buildings) made this place one of the most interesting places in Russia.
Even the foundation of one of the oldest castles has been preserved here.
As for the local residents, these are the most ordinary people. Increasingly, cars are being replaced by boats, which help them move around the area during the flood period.
An endless ribbon of Russian roads winds under the wheels, and Russian villages stretch along it, appearing and disappearing. Villages are almost disappearing, having lost their identity and hospitality. Somewhere they look at you with empty windows, somewhere they gape like ashes, somewhere they bristle with high, hopeless fences. Like abandoned old people who have no one to help. My heart aches when I look at them. Where did the open carved shutters, the willow fence and the good-natured grandmothers on the rubble go?
For real beautiful villages in Russia There are not very many left, they are painstakingly collected and numbered by specialists from historical and conservation organizations in order to carefully preserve the remaining crumbs. Today there are a little more than a dozen on the list of “not yet lost” ones. Each of them is interesting from the point of view of history, architecture, and traditional way of life. Each will leave a mark on the heart after visiting.
So, the most beautiful villages in Russia:
Village Desyatnikovo. Buryatia. The first mention was in 1746.
The village of Desyatnikovo consists of five streets.
Currently, 778 people live in the village of Desyatnikovo.
The village of Desyatnikovo is located near the Selenga River.
Village of Atsagat. This word translated from the Buryat language means “stone”.
There are about 100 households in the village of Atsagat.
Atsagat datsan. Founded in 1825.
The village of Tarbagatai is one of the largest Old Believer villages in Transbaikalia.
The village of Tarbagatai is located along the Kuitunka River (the right tributary of the Selenga)
The village of Tarbagatai was founded in the 1710s.
The village of Bolshoi Kunaley was founded in 1765.
The name of the village of Kunaley is “hunilla”, which translated from Buryat means “assembly” or “fold”.
The village of Kunaley preserves the identity, culture and traditions of its ancestors.
Lost among the mountains and meadows with fragrant herbs, very similar to each other and not at all similar, there are four villages in Buryatia, located approximately at the same distance to the east and south of Ulan-Ude.Desyatnikovo, Atsagat, Tarbagatai and Bolshoi Kunaley. Almost all the buildings in these villages are painted on the outside with bright colors: red, orange and blue, and interior walls, pieces of furniture and even ceilings are painted even more brightly. Such traditional decoration was very typical for wealthy peasant houses. Traditional folk costumes are no less colorful; one gets the impression that these villages are inhabited by the most funny people in the world who do not want to part with childhood. Meanwhiletraditional culture of Tarbagatai villagewas declared a "Masterpiece of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity" by UNESCO. And the village of Atsagat is also one of the religious centers of the region. Back in 1825, a datsan was built here, raising more than one generation of lamas. And local herbs can be found even in atlases of Tibetan medicine.
The village of Staraya Ladoga was founded in 753.
Until 1703 Ladoga was a city.
According to the Novgorod Chronicle, there is a grave in Ladoga Prophetic Oleg(By Kyiv version, his grave is located in Kyiv on Mount Shchekovitsa).
When the daughter of the Swedish king Olaf Skötkonung, Princess Ingigerda married Prince of Novgorod Yaroslav the Wise, then as a dowry (veno) received the city of Aldeigyuborg (Old Ladoga) with adjacent lands, which have since received the name Ingria (land of Ingegerda).
Afanasyevskaya Church in Varzuga.
Temple of the Assumption Holy Mother of God in Varzuga.
The main source of income for the local population at all times was the sale of salmon caught in the Varzuga River.
Perhaps it was the harsh northern weather, frosts, winds and ice that contributed to the fact thatthe most ancient villages in Russialocated in the north-west, in the Leningrad and Murmansk regions: Staraya Ladoga and Varzuga. Let’s not argue about who is older; we’ll leave it to the experts; the history of both of them goes back more than 600 years. , which stands on the Volkhov River, is considered the starting point of the great journey “from the Varangians to the Greeks”; one of the three Varangian brothers called to Rus' ruled here. She was the biggest shopping center even before Novgorod, and the walls of its fortress were stormed by the Swedes. It absorbed the entire culture of the North Russian peoples. stands on the banks of the river of the same name, which flows into the White Sea. Its main decorations are wooden churches, of which there are as many as five built here, built without single nail, like many religious buildings of northern masters. Was herePatriarchal House of the Solovetsky Monastery, therefore, the lands and springs around are holy. And the main trade of the local residents was salmon fishing and pearl mining, which the Varzuga River gave birth to.
The first mention of Teriberka dates back to the 16th century.
The village received its name from the river Teriberka of the same name, the name of which, in turn, according to one version, goes back to the outdated name of the Kola Peninsula - Ter.
Until 1984, Teriberka had no road connections and could be reached either by sea or by helicopter.
The village of Esso received its name in 1932.
Almost the entire village of Esso is heated using natural geothermal waters.
The village of Esso is called “Kamchatka Switzerland”.
Every year in March, the international sled dog race “Beringia” starts from the village.
They are harsh not because of the characters of the local residents, but because they are located in such places that it is unclear how people can live here, and even build such beautiful villages. They are scattered on the two extreme sides of our country: on the Barents Sea and Esso on . Teriberka appeared on the Kola Peninsula back in the 16th century, but became very famous only now, after filming of the film "Leviathan". Here, in the tundra zone, where the cold sky meets the cold earth and is reflected in cold water, there was a commercial whaling village. Today this village is beautiful, perhaps, only because of its nature, because most of the infrastructure is abandoned and is in a very poor condition. It is the combination of the decline of civilization against the backdrop of harsh landscapes that makes this place eeriely beautiful. And on the contrary, the village of Esso is full of health in the middle of snowy Kamchatka, because it is surrounded on all sides by hot thermal springs. Happy people live here who even manage to grow grapes in this climate. And every year the most famous dog sled race.
The ancient merchant village of Vyatskoye is located in the Nekrasovsky district - one of the most environmentally friendly and historically significant areas of the Yaroslavl region.
The village of Vyatskoye was first mentioned in documentary sources in 1502 as the center of the metropolitan Vyatskaya volost.
The village of Vyatskoye is a unique urban complex of the 18th – 19th centuries with more than 50 registered architectural monuments, former merchant and peasant houses, tea and tavern establishments, and almshouses.
In the museums of the village of Vyatskoye there are interactive programs, traditional holidays such as Krasnaya Gorka and Harvest Day are being revived, and new ones are being created - the Russian Wreath Festival and the Birthday of Peter Telushkin.
The first mention of Kinerma dates back to 1563.
In one of the books the village is called Samsonkovo Posidene. According to the scribe books, there were four farms in the village at that time.
Kinerma was bankrupt twice during the Russian wars with Sweden and Poland.
The literal translation of the name Kinerma sounds like precious land.
Not long ago, Russia joined a world association that is looking for the most beautiful villages in each country on earth. The main selection criteria: the village must be alive, and not museumized, no more than 2,000 inhabitants must live in it, and the rural way of life must be preserved. Each village found is solemnly assigned honorary title“The most beautiful” is given a corresponding plaque, and a special inauguration ceremony is held. After which the village is included in the list of its own kind. There are only six officially recognized beautiful villages on Russian territory, but we must not forget that the list was opened only in 2015. The village, or rather the village, was recognized as the very first beautiful . Ancient merchant houses, almost each of which is an architectural monument, as well as ten museums of completely different types: from traditional to polytechnic. The last village to be included in the listin Karelia, whose inauguration took place on June 10, 2016. The village, which was included in the scribe books back in the 16th century, and began its history with four farms, now consists of only 16 ancient Karelian houses, the Smolensk Chapel mother of god and five residents, two of whom have a family tree going back 500 years to local roots.
