Romain Rolland once said: “Only he can love the earth who healed it with his feet.” He believed that not a single book could give a person, especially a philologist, what travel gives. This is probably why my friends, writers and philologists this summer rushed to travel around their native land, discovering new and new cities. Gorokhovets in the Vladimir region holds a confident lead among these cities. Tourists have not yet learned about its charms en masse, but writers have. Three posts about the delights of Gorokhovets appear on my feed every week.
“This is not a folklore village,” historian Mikhail Korobko . “Everything is simple, provincial, but they don’t look at tourists as prey.”
And he turned out to be almost right.
Gorokhovets. Fragment of a postcard (reproduction).
How to get to Gorokhovets
The small ancient city is located in the very south of the Vladimir region. You can get there from Moscow either by train (from the Kursk station), or by car, and even by bus from the Shchelkovo bus station. The road is surprisingly good; when you drive, you can’t believe the wheels.
Gorokhovets has been known since the thirteenth century, but locals are sure that much earlier, from the tenth - no, go deeper, from the ninth! By the way, if you assume that the toponym comes from the phrase “sheep peas,” you will cause a mortal insult to the residents of Gorokhovo. Despite the fact that among scientists the Slavic origin of the toponym is considered the most likely, locals support the Finno-Ugric version, which states that the word comes from “horrohoves”, which means “snow-covered village”.
Gorokhovets. Fragment of a photograph (reproduction).
House of Arts and Crafts (house of M.I. Shorin)
A large number of civil architectural monuments of the late 19th – early 20th centuries have been preserved in Gorokhovets, but a special place among them is occupied by the house of the shipowner M.I. Shorina. It was built at the beginning of the last century according to the design of the architect Yu.F. Bruni, who managed to combine the “modern” style that was fashionable at that time with the “pseudo-Russian style” loved by many rich Russians .
The main “highlight” of the house is the graceful turrets in the corners and the smooth lines of window frames with fancy glazing. Today, in Shorin’s “fairy-tale mansion” there is a House of Arts and Crafts , opened here in 1994. Visitors can plunge into the life and culture of Gorokhovo residents, learn the basics of popular crafts and try to make a real souvenir with their own hands! There are also regular master classes on folk arts and crafts, and regular creative clubs for children and adults.
Address : st. Lenina, 18, Gorokhovets, Vladimir region, 601480
Why go
The city bears the unofficial name of the capital of the stone chambers. It preserves a record number of white stone structures from the 17th century: as many as seven out of two dozen scattered throughout Russia.
However, I was more interested in wooden towers. I was used to the fact that houses of the Art Nouveau era were predominantly brick, and already at the entrance I was immediately struck by a wooden mansion, one of the turrets of which was made of bent logs!
On the main street of the city there are a considerable number of gingerbread houses, one more beautiful than the other: with fancy windows, wooden mermaids, colorful facades and long windows. Some have been turned into museums, and people still live in simpler houses.
Shorin's house. Photo: commons.wikimedia.org
Bald Mountain
One of the most mysterious places in Gorokhovets is Bald Mountain. which got its name due to the complete absence of large vegetation in the form of shrubs and trees .
It rises 100 meters above the Klyazma and offers picturesque views of the river floodplain, water meadows and endless forests surrounding the ancient city. Bald Mountain has attracted the attention of local residents throughout the entire known chronicle history, and the absence of large natural vegetation has given rise to many legends. One of them says that from ancient times this place was used by witches and sorcerers for the Sabbath, after the wild dances and rituals of which not even grass grows. According to another version, for a long time there was a pagan temple on the hill, which caused dark forces to kill all living things on Bald Mountain.
For a long time there was an opinion that this was a mound - in 1545, near Gorokhovets, the army of the Kazan Khan Amanak was defeated , and he himself died. He was buried with great honors, and each of his warriors brought a handful of earth. There were so many people who wanted to send their ruler on his last journey that they created a man-made hill. But, in the 1920s, as a result of archaeological excavations by O.N. Bader, it was established that Bald Mountain has a natural origin, and the first settlements began to appear here in the first millennium AD. And in the 6th-5th centuries AD there was a site for tribes who did not know metal tools - a large number of artifacts of their culture made of clay and bone have been preserved.
Address : st. Gorky, 96-106, Vladimir region, 601482
What kind of people are Gorokhovo residents?
There are not many people in Gorokhovets, only 13 thousand, but it compares favorably with the bulk of Russians with its smiling nature. People answer questions smiling. They swore at me only once (and then only slightly) - one woman, when, while photographing a beautiful frame, I came very close to the window, behind which, it seemed, she was changing clothes.
People with nostalgia and the hidden warmth of patriotism remember the events of eight years ago, when director Nikita Mikhalkov filmed his film “Sunstroke” here, and the entire population acted as extras and walked the streets in ancient dresses. For each shooting day they were paid as much as five hundred rubles.
View of Blagoveshchenskaya Square, where the film “Sunstroke” was filmed. Fragment of a postcard (reproduction).
Still from Nikita Mikhalkov’s film “Sunstroke.”
Gorokhovets was recently included in the tentative list of UNESCO World Heritage Sites for its ancient houses. A couple of years ago, a global restoration was completed here in honor of the 850th anniversary. The city was allocated 2.5 billion rubles. The restoration was completed recently, so everything here is beautiful and good. Numerous churches and chambers shine with whiteness, the facades of wooden houses have been repaired, the streets are clean, without flying packages and drunken shops. There are lanterns shining on the embankment at night (though the lanterns are not very beautiful, but I won’t find fault). It’s worth a look, but the locals are not very happy: due to inclusion in the World Heritage List, they now have huge problems with repairs. They cannot replace windows, replace roofs, or even repair a broken picket fence without special permission.
When, immersed in the old days, I decided to settle here forever and called the phone number written on the gate of the house, the hostess sighed and admitted that she was selling the hut “because of fucking Yuneska.”
Prishletsov's house. Photo: Sergey SELEDKIN
Where to stay
Either because the Vladimir region is still in pandemic mode, hotels turned out to be a bit tight. Booking gave three options, two of which were strongly criticized, one, but expensive, was praised. The road was called “Aquarius”, and there were only apartments left in it for five thousand rubles, but they were amazing: two rooms, a kitchen and a huge bathroom with a bidet and a jacuzzi.
— There, in the toilet, you have to press the lever twice. “It’s so cleverly designed,” the sweet aunty administrator admonished.
Unfortunately, the hotel restaurant was not open due to the pandemic, but they showed me Vysotsky’s corner set up there: Vladimir Semenovich’s guitar, a tape recorder with reels, books, cassettes. And also, approaching the hotel, I noticed jets of a fountain gushing out from under the ground, surrounding the bust of Vysotsky.
“Has Vysotsky really been here?” - I was surprised.
It turned out that no, I haven’t been, but the owner of the hotel is a big fan of Vysotsky. He made a mini-museum, a fountain and even a ski resort on Puzhalova Mountain.
Fountain "Vysotsky". Photo: Sergey SELEDKIN
House of the Shiryaevs
The most unusual Gorokhovets mansion belonged to the Shiryaev merchants, distinguished by a high level of education and good knowledge of the culture and architecture of Europe. The house, built in the 17th century, in appearance did not stand out in any way from the classic dwellings of wealthy Russians of that era - elements of Russian architecture from the Baroque. But the layout and interior of the house was done in a European style - the enfilade arrangement of rooms was extremely atypical.
The location of the Shiryaevs' house can also be called atypical - it is adjacent to the wall of the Sretensky Monastery - special thanks for their active contribution to the construction of the monastery and the Kazan Church of Gorokhovets.
The building has been preserved almost in its original form. The original design had two stone floors and the last one in wood, rebuilt in stone in the 19th century. In 1980, the Shiryaev house underwent a major reconstruction, during which all the lost decorative elements of the facade were returned. Now it belongs to the Sretensky Monastery, but no one will bother you to go to the territory adjacent to the house and get acquainted with the facade of the building.
Address : Sovetskaya st., 9, Gorokhovets, Vladimir region, 601480
Local service
The service in Gorokhovets is nice and provincial. Taxi aggregators are not working. You need to order a car using the numbers posted on the poles. Moreover, both I and my friends who met in the city had the impression that there was only one taxi driver here. He drives around in a car with the windows open and spoils the silence of the “tynts-tynts-tynts” from the nineties: “Music is playing on the ship,” “American Fight” and the like. As they say, advertising is never bad.
The food is also not varied. There are no fancy establishments with craft beer here, thank God. Some cafeterias have not yet reopened after the pandemic. The large Soviet building with the sign “Restaurant” turned out to be not a restaurant, but a liquor store. The only food outlet was a cafe, and in fact, the “Izbushka” canteen, with food served through the window. The only items left on the menu were solyanka, pancake with raspberry jam, mashed potatoes with pike perch and fruit drink. Everything is in plastic plates, but edible. The red cat sitting opposite immediately came to squeeze something out. He helped himself to bread and olives and drank the rest of the soup.
The only cafe in the whole city. Photo: Sergey SELEDKIN
We were told that the white stone chambers of the city had had a toilet almost since the 17th century. However, nothing has survived to this day. There are no public “happiness rooms” anywhere: neither on the streets, nor in cafes, nor in public places. When, after a two-hour tour (and before that, having eaten cherries hanging from the fences) at the Marfa Posadnitsa Museum, I inquired about the happiness room, in response, the museum workers shook their heads: “You understand, we have an old museum. And also a pandemic. So there is no toilet.” Reasoning what the pandemic had to do with it, I had to run a kilometer to the hotel.
Central square. Photo: Sergey SELEDKIN
Sretensky Monastery
Sretensky Convent was founded by decree of Patriarch Nikon in 1658 and is located on the central square of Gorokhovets opposite the Annunciation Cathedral.
Initially, all the buildings of the monastery were wooden, but in 1689 stone construction began. The monastery did not have land holdings, and it was supported by charitable donations and through the sale of monastic handicrafts. In 1764, according to the church reform of Catherine II, the Sretensky Monastery was abolished , and the nuns were transferred to the Arzamas Monastery of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker. All buildings and premises were transferred to the balance of the city authorities. So, in the 19th century. they housed county government offices, a city prison, wine and salt shops and warehouses. In the 1930s, the ensemble of the Sretensky Monastery was classified as an architectural monument of the highest category, and restoration work began. In 2002, the convent was revived.
The following architectural monuments are of greatest value today:
- Sretensky Cathedral built in 1689. Built with donations from merchant Semyon Ershov.
- Church of St. Sergius of Radonezh, late 17th century.
- A 35-meter bell tower located above the central entrance to the monastery. Built in 1689.
Address : Sovetskaya st., 5, Gorokhovets, Vladimir region, 601480
About excursions
There is a tourist information center in Gorokhovets where you can book a tour of the city.
“I have an hour of work - a thousand rubles,” announced the female guide and warned: “And I can talk for a long time.”
She spoke for a really long time, trying to throw out the wisdom accumulated over centuries. Useful information was drowned in streams of information that her grandfather loves frumchenye cookies, her grandson went to serve in the army, the age of the house, which amazes with its architecture, is undoubtedly very respectable, and that the guide herself is building a dacha, so she is in dire need of money. To leading questions, the woman answered “wait, don’t knock me down, I’ll get to that later.” Luckily for us, it started to rain, so the excursion took two hours.
“Oh, it’s a pity, I didn’t tell you the most interesting thing,” the guide sighed.
I found interesting things on my own, fortunately it turned out to be simple. Near each interesting object there are information boards with photographs and historical information in Russian and English. And while he was hiding from the rain in the editorial office of the newspaper “New Life”, located in a red-brick mansion, a local reporter showed a mammoth, which he had molded with his own hands, and told a lot of things. For example, that the abbess of the monastery started vegetable gardens and greenhouses. That director Nikita Mikhalkov has a cool stable and they ride horses there cheaply. And he also gave me two issues of Novaya Zhizn, telling me not to tell anyone under any circumstances. But I'll tell you because the newspaper is interesting. It has a circulation of two thousand copies and a staff of ten people. Which is a lot.
About interesting things
Although it is indecent to look into other people's windows, it is difficult to resist. A distinctive feature of the city is the incredibly beautiful wooden carvings made by Yakush carpenters living in the neighboring village of Yakushevo. The Yakushi were famous throughout the country for their ability to turn wood into the finest yarn and create, as they would say now, a 3D pattern. One of the most beautiful buildings on Lenin Street is the wooden house of the merchant Morozov in the Russian style with Art Nouveau elements and scaly turrets. Now the mansion houses the “Marfa Posadnitsa” museum, named after the oil barge, the largest at the beginning of the twentieth century, made by the Gorokhovo residents. More than a hundred years ago, the place was famous for its skilled boilermakers or metal craftsmen, whose job was to hammer in rivets. This is very hard physical work, which was performed with rough tools and led to disability. The boilermakers quickly became deaf, which is why they were called wood grouse. Our first oil pipelines, the Russian metal fleet, and railway bridges, which are still standing, were made by the forces of wood grouse.
In the museum they showed us the main beauty - a model of the Shabolovskaya tower by engineer Shukhov, wrapped in a garland like a Christmas tree. Gorokhovets boilermakers riveted the tower, hanging on cables for seven hours without the opportunity to go down for a smoke break and other needs.
Museum of Marfa Posadnitsa and a model of the Shukhov Tower. Photo: Sergey SELEDKIN
At the museum we were told a terrible story about how the local merchant Semchev went bankrupt when he once cheated and made a barge out of thin iron, taking money for thick iron. After this incident, the merchant's credibility dried up, and the business was transferred to another person.
- Look at the face of the merchant Semchev. Do you believe that he had no education? And he had no education. Look at the faces of our boilermakers. How bright and beautiful. Now there are none. It's true? — the guide exclaimed every now and then.
“True, true,” the visitors politely repeated.
The white stone chambers of Ershov's House and the flail that the brownie stole. Photo: Sergey SELEDKIN
In the white stone chambers of the Ershov (Sapozhnikov) House, a monument to pre-Petrine Rus', I flatly refused the excursion and repeated three times that I would see everything myself and was in a hurry. The staff understood everything, although they couldn’t let me go without a tour at all and told me about all the rooms, but still not in such detail and not an hour for each. They took me up the stairs, in the wall of the house, showed me an amazing folk device called “prosorushka”, told me about the secret passage leading from the house to the other side of the Klyazma, and were especially inspired when I asked if there were brownies here.
- But of course! — the museum employee was delighted. - How mischievous he is. Either he will steal a floor rag, or he will place a bucket of water right under your feet so that you can kick into it. And what happened yesterday! I go down to the underground, and everything is covered in lime and there is no flail. I told him: “Antosha, don’t play around, otherwise I won’t buy you candy...” I saw that he then put the flail at the threshold.
— Do you buy Antosha sweets? - I asked.
“It happens, it’s the owner after all,” they answered me.
White stone monastery. Photo: Sergey SELEDKIN
