Kozelsk, also known as the “evil city,” received its nickname in 1238 from Batu Khan, who lost almost half of his army and three sons here. Then only 300 Kozel residents held back the ten thousand Mongol army for almost two months. Due to its location, the city was constantly at the center of military operations, for which in 2009 it was awarded the title “City of Military Glory.”
Leo Tolstoy visited the city three times. Here he collected proverbs and sayings for “The Power of Darkness”, wrote “Hadji Murat” and his last article “The Real Remedy”. Ivan Turgenev created “The Dog” in Kozelsk, and Fyodor Dostoevsky described the city itself and its inhabitants in “The Brothers Karamazov”. “The Evil City” was also visited by Mikhail Prishvin, Dmitry Furmanov, Nikolai Gogol, Alexander Pushkin. Bulat Okudzhava was a teacher at one of the schools near Kozelsk, and later wrote his first album here.
Parks, waterfalls, caves, estates - all the most interesting things you can go to from Kozelsk, in this review of attractions in the Kaluga region.
Historical sites and museums
Damn town
Coordinates: 54°4'30″, 36°3'2″ Address: territory of the Ugra National Park (office: Kaluga, Lenin St., 124) Phone: Website: parkugra.ru Cost: from 120 rub./ persons for a group excursion How to get there: the nearest town is the town of Sosensky, from there it is a 5 km walk through the forest; there are signs, but it is better to take a guide or book a tour (1-2 hours).
According to legend, the local robber Kudeyar had a beautiful daughter, Lyubushka. One day the devil came to woo her. The girl promised to agree on the condition that he build a castle for her before the first cock crow. The devil accepted the challenge, called various evil spirits for help, and with the onset of darkness began to work. The construction went very quickly, Lyubushka was afraid that she might end up married to an unclean man. Then she took the rooster and lit a torch in front of him. Because of the bright light, the bird decided that morning had come and crowed. The devils believed it and ran away. And the walls of the unfinished castle are still there.
According to another version, the place is a former sanctuary of the Slavs. In the local boulders there is a pentagonal “well” - a depression in which the water does not dry out even in the heat. It has long been attributed magical properties. There is also a luminous cave here: special relic moss grows in it, which glows in the dark.
Paranormal phenomena regularly occur in the “Devil's Settlement”: people here lose orientation in space, lose track of time, and sometimes even disappear completely. It’s not for nothing that these places have such creepy names: witch’s forest, fornication hill, devil’s swamp.
Museum and local history
Address: st. Bolshaya Sovetskaya, 75 Telephone: Opening hours: Tue-Sun 09:30-18:00 Cost: children - 20 rubles, adults - 50 rubles, pensioners - 40 rubles.
The Kozelsk Local History Museum was created in 1957 by city residents. Until 1987, it was located on the territory of the Optina Hermitage. But the buildings were transferred to the management of the church, and the museum moved to the former house of the Tsyplakov merchants.
The central exhibit of the center is the diorama “Defense of Kozelsk in 1238”. The ancient stone Kozel cross, which stood on the mass grave of those killed in the battle with Batu Khan, is also kept here. A copy of it is located in the city's memorial square. Museum exhibitions:
- ethnographic, which presents household items and clothing of peasants;
- “Optina Pustyn” with church books, icons, utensils, local products: personal belongings and awards of city residents, as well as weapons from 1941-1945 are shown;
- archaeological, where ancient tools, jewelry, ceramics, models of the dwellings of the ancient Slavs and the “Devil's Settlement” are exhibited.
House of nature
Address: st. Bolshaya Sovetskaya, 71 Telephone: Opening hours: Mon-Fri 11:00-15:00, Sat-Sun - by appointment Cost: children - 30 rubles, adults - 50 rubles.
The founder of the House of Nature is naturalist Vasily Artemovich Samoilov, who dedicated his life to environmental protection.
The first floor of the building is occupied by a living corner. There are aquariums, cages with birds and animals here. Among the inhabitants of the museum are squirrels, owls, hamsters, rabbits, and ornamental chickens. There's even a stork and a pair of hawks that are kept locked up due to terminal injuries. The second floor is dedicated to the botanical exhibition.
Forest Museum "Forest Origins"
Address: st. Lesnaya, 12 Phone:
In 2001, the Forest Origins Museum was opened in the former building of the country's first Forestry Institute. It is located on territory owned by the local forestry department and tells the history of the farm from the 16th century to the present day.
Three halls display exhibits characterizing the nature of the region, marking important events in its history, and giving an idea of Kaluga wooden architecture. Also presented here are wooden crafts for which the Kozelsk land was once famous.
Parks
Park "Three Bogatyrs"
Address: st. Bolshaya Sovetskaya, 64 Cost: free
A city park inhabited by famous fairy tale characters. There is everything here: a family of bears, three heroes, Baba Yaga with a hut on chicken legs, a learned cat from Lukomorye, Pinocchio, postman Pechkin and even a panda.
There is a children's cafe for park visitors.
City Park
Address: st. Bolshaya Sovetskaya, 6
The park is interesting for the remains of the destroyed wall of the city fortress that existed in the 13th century. It was she who was the main obstacle for the army of Khan Batu.
Today, an observation tower was built on its ruins, from which the surroundings of the river are visible. Zhizdra, where the trajectory of the enemy tribes that once attacked the city lay.
Fairytale house (Park Vikhlyandiya)
Address: st. Staraya Cossack, 1 Phone: 8-910-914-37-56 Opening hours: Mon-Sun 10:00 to 19:00 Cost: children under 7 years old - free, others - 350 rubles.
Local businessman and philanthropist Vladimir Vikhlyantsev turned his house into a real landmark of the city. The owner himself lives in a four-story mansion, and leaves the car in the castle of Koshchei the Immortal.
On the territory there is also a bathhouse with Leshi, a greenhouse cave, a well disguised as a quarry, and a bridge of lovers in the form of the dragons Katyusha and Vanyusha. The fairy-tale world is inhabited by various heroes: animals, fish, birds and even your own dragon.
Park Three Bogatyrs in Kozelsk
At the entrance to the park there is an open gate made in the shape of a fallen tree with figures of fabulous forest animals:
Inside the territory there are guards - the fabulous Three Heroes in combat gear, guarding the peace on the ancient Kozelsk land - photo at the beginning of the article.
The most ancient city of the Kaluga region was founded as a fortress city of the Vyatichi tribe. You can get acquainted with the interesting and extraordinary history of the city of Kozelsk in this article .
Sword - a hundred heads off your shoulders! very similar to the real one, you just want to pull it out of the stone block:
There is a fountain in the center that provides coolness in the summer heat. It is surrounded by fabulous figures, the fountain is guarded by the fabulous Serpent Gorynych:
Churches and Temples
Optina Pustyn Monastery
Coordinates: 54.0506821, 35.8319016 Phone: Website: optina.ru Opening hours: excursions are held from 08:30 to 17:00 Cost: children - from 50 rubles, adults - from 150 rubles.
Historians are still speculating about the founding date of the monastery. According to one version, its appearance is associated with the name of the very religious prince Vladimir the Brave. According to another, construction began no earlier than the 15th century and was sponsored by the robber Opta, who repented for his sins and became a monk. Hence the name.
But there is another theory regarding the name: until the 16th century, the monastery was common to men and women, so people did not live in secluded cells, but together in optical rooms.
At one time, Gogol, Dostoevsky, Tolstoy and others visited the monastery. Moreover, the houses in which they lived remained almost the same. In addition to them, there is a 40-meter bell tower and 8 operating temples on the territory.
Holy spring of Paphnutius Borovsky
Coordinates: 54°02'45.8″, 35°49'36.2″ How to get there: from the gate of the Optina Monastery along the path to the barrier, from there along the river 350 m (5-10 min.)
If you leave the Optina Monastery from the side of the Zhizdra River, you can see a cross on the chapel erected above the holy spring. Every year on May 1 and September 14, a religious procession is held to it.
You cannot drink the water here - it is intended for ablutions. Therefore, the spring is equipped with two fonts. The water is considered healing.
Eyewitnesses recall a case in 1996, when an elderly man practically crawled to the spring: his legs were swollen, and he suffered from terrible pain. But after bathing, the old man was able to walk.
Church of the Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary
Address: st. Krasnoarmeyskaya, 25 Phone:
The stone church built in 1810 was erected on the site of an 18th century church. Since its founding, it has been actively supported by local rich people: several families at once donated percentages of their bank accounts to the church, others donated cash.
Using these payments from sins, the temple was repeatedly restored and acquired either a bell tower or a new roof. But after the 1930s, this became a thing of the past; the church was destroyed and turned into a granary. And the cemetery near her was razed to the ground, the gravestones were destroyed.
Divine services were revived during the Great Patriotic War, and then the gradual improvement of the temple began.
What can you see in “Berendeev’s Kingdom”?
Since the creation and construction of the first house, the park has attracted attention with its unusual architecture. All buildings, houses, architectural compositions are made of concrete according to unique designs in the same style. The following objects are located on an area of 4.5 km2:
- dacha villages “Berendeev Les” and “Strawberry Polyana”;
- Open-air museum "Glade of Fairy Tales";
- The Royal Compound, where the Berendey Palace, gazebos and houses for rent are located;
- A craft settlement where master classes are held. Visitors can get acquainted with traditional Russian crafts: blacksmithing, pottery, various types of needlework;
- Merchant settlement, there are shopping arcades and souvenir shops;
- Farmer's settlement, which will introduce visitors to homestead farming;
- "Amusement Yard", an area for festivals and celebrations;
- Tourist, there are sports facilities, the Zmey Gorynych ski slope, and a SPA center.
The main concept of the park is the preservation and dissemination of cultural traditions. The special festive atmosphere of the park draws the visitor into a wonderful world where fairy tales, history, and village life are harmoniously combined.
Attractions in the surrounding area
Kazan Ambrosievskaya Hermitage
Address: s. Old Shamordino Phone: (call from 10:30 to 16:30) Website: shamordino-m.ru Opening hours: Mon-Sun 08:00-20:00, excursions Mon-Fri from 09:00 to 17:00, Sat 09:00-14:00, Sun 12:00-17:00 How to get there: by personal or public transport from Kozelsk to Kamenka village (16 km), you can get to the monastery by taxi or walk - 2.5 km; total travel time from 40 minutes.
The women's community from which the monastery developed dates back to 1884, when the temple was built and consecrated. All women were accepted into it, regardless of age and social status.
Among them was Leo Tolstoy’s sister, who became a nun in 1891. Therefore, the writer often visited here, although he did not approve of her choice.
Also on the territory of the monastery lived Bulat Okudzhava, who was assigned to a local school to work as a teacher.
Berezichi
Address: s. Berezichi Website: visitusadba.ru/objects/152/873/ How to get there: by personal or public transport from Kozelsk - 8.5 km (1.5 hours)
The Berezichi estate, located on the banks of the river. Zhizdra, at one time belonged to the uncle of Alexander Sergeevich Pushkin, and then passed to the princes Obolensky. Thanks to this, a stationery factory and a sugar factory appeared in these parts.
Later, the estate was moved to the other side of the river, and Alexey Dmitrievich Obolensky, appointed governor of Kaluga, began to manage it. He built the St. Nicholas Church and a house on his estate, laid out a park and garden, and in 1912 opened a glass factory, which is still in operation today.
Church of the Savior Not Made by Hands in Klykovo
Address: s. Klykovo Phone: (call from 09:00 to 18:00) Website: klikovo.ru How to get there: by car from Kozelsk - 17 km (35 min.); public transport to the village. Burnashevo, from there 500 m on foot (1 hour).
At the end of the 18th century there was a cholera epidemic in Klykovo. Nothing helped, people died. One day, from a neighboring village they brought an image of the Savior Not Made by Hands and walked with it around the village. The disease began to recede.
And the local landowner, in gratitude and in memory of this miracle, decided to build a temple in honor of the icon. And in 1829, a stone building appeared on the site of the wooden Church of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker. Later a bell tower was built nearby.
Today the temple is located on the territory of the monastery of the same name.
Church of the Transfiguration of the Lord in Nizhnie Pryski
Address: s. Nizhnie Pryski Phone: Website: priski.ru How to get there: by personal transport from Kozelsk - 10 km (11 min.), or by bus (15 min.)
In the 17th century, the village belonged to Prokofy Semenovich Nesterov, who decided to build a new stone church instead of the wooden church of St. Nicholas and the Martyr Praskeva Pyatnitsa. But this building did not survive to this day, but only became the foundation of the Transfiguration Church, founded in the 1760s. The relics are kept here:
- Prophet John the Baptist;
- Saint Dmitry of Rostov;
- Venerable Elena Florovskaya;
- Saint Cyril of Alexandria and many other clergy.
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