Meet the glorious city of Kalyazin, Tver region

Gray sky, gray snow, gray gloom in the air... “The holiday is coming to us, the holiday is coming to us...” - booming in the headphones. “Yes, the holiday... It’s coming...” I mutter grayly in his tone. The off-season is a difficult time. This February morning, getting into the car, I tried to awaken in myself the right feeling of the upcoming holiday: the long weekend has arrived, which means there is no need to waste time and it’s time to go on another short trip. Today we are going to the city of Kalyazin, Tver region. Oh, just don’t tell me before going on the road that there’s nothing to see there, that all the best in it has long since sunk to the bottom of the Volga reservoir. We'll see for ourselves and form our own judgement. At that moment, the rays of the sun broke through the grayness and added color to the world, and we set off on our way.

There is such a city

Do you know, friends, that foreigners who come to Russia, almost eighty percent of them, come for tours around the cities of the Golden Ring? How many of us Russians can boast that we were there too, that we saw all its wonderful cities? Alas, we are just one of those who, on our vacation, traveled not so much throughout Russia as abroad; we are those who have not seen all the cities of the Golden Ring.

It’s time to fix this, we decided, and chose the capital of the ring, Yaroslavl, as the goal of our next trip.

It’s easiest for motorists - it’s 270 kilometers away by car along the Yaroslavskoye Highway. And along the way there are many towns with wonderful Russian names - Kimry, Borovsk, Kashin, Uglich, Myshkin, Kalyazin... Don’t drive past them with indifference!

It's decided - we'll go. Of course, not all of them, but only three - Kalyazin, Myshkin and Uglich, where we will spend the night. But here a bummer awaited us: we were unable to book a place in any of the Uglich hotels. However, this was a minor problem: in the trunk there are sleeping bags, webast and other joys of automobile tourism :).

The sun strokes the trunk of our car with bright rays - a Toyota named Dambik, kilometers joyfully rush under its wheels, fields, forests and ravines, exits and turns fly by. We turn right from Yaroslavka, then left, in an hour we will be in Kalyazin!

Economy

Industry

Two factories in Kalyazin - one for the production of oil production equipment, and the other for the production of some parts for MiG aircraft - account for 42% of the area's industrial output. Chemical, food, leather and textile industries are also present.[20]

Transport

In Kalyazin station
Kalyazin is connected by train with Moscow (Savelovsky station), Kashin, Uglich, Rybinsk, Sonkovo, Savelovo.

Kalyazin is connected by roads with Sergiev Posad. Uglich, and from Tver and Kimry through Kashin. There are also local roads. There is bus service from Kalyazin.

The Volga is navigable; however, there is no passenger navigation.

How to get to Kalyazin by car?

By any of two routes:

Along the Dmitrovskoye Highway to the city of Dmitrov, from there to Taldom. At Zhestylevo, pay attention - here you turn left, since the A108 going straight will take you back to Sergiev Posad. From Taldom to the village of Kvashenki, turn right. We drive to Spas-Ugol, where the road turns sharply. Continue to the Nerl and exit onto P104. From here it’s a stone’s throw to Kalyazin—about twenty kilometers.
For us, another route is geographically more convenient: along the Yaroslavskoe highway through Sergiev Posad and immediately along P104. Although, however, you can go around Posad itself, and at the intersection of the bypass with the Great Moscow Ring, turn left and get to P104 and to Kalyazin.

Eh, Russian roads, seven bends per mile... We are driving the same road along which we were supposed to move to Vottovaara together with the Crocodile. The further from the capital, the worse the path gets. In the Tver region, in some places it shakes well on bumps and holes, but we also drove on really much worse roads. So we think it’s normal, you can drive!

References

Notes

^ a b
Law No. 34-ZO.
^ a b c d
Law No. 34-ZO provides that the boundaries of settlements (administrative territorial units) are identical to the boundaries of urban and rural settlements (municipalities), and the boundaries of administrative districts are identical to the boundaries of municipalities. areas. In Law No. 27-ZO, which defines the boundaries and composition of the municipalities of the Kalyazinsky municipal district, the city of Kalyazin is included in the composition and administrative center of the Kalyazinsky urban settlement of this region.
^ a b c d e Encyclopedia of Russian Cities
. Moscow: Great Russian Encyclopedia. 2003. pp. 175–176. ISBN 5-7107-7399-9.
^ a b
Federal State Statistics Service of Russia (2011).
“All-Russian Population Census 2010. Volume 1" [All-Russian Population Census 2010, vol. 1]. All-Russian Population Census 2010 [All-Russian Population Census 2010]
(in Russian). Federal State Statistics Service.
"26. The size of the permanent population of the Russian Federation by municipalities as of January 1, 2022.” Federal State Statistics Service. Retrieved January 23, 2022.
^ a b
State Committee of the Russian Federation on Statistics.
Committee of the Russian Federation for Standardization, Metrology and Certification. No. OK 019-95 January 1, 1997 “All-Russian classifier of objects of administrative-territorial division. Code 28 222”, Ed. changes No. 278 / 2015 dated January 1, 2016. (State Committee of the Russian Federation on Statistics. Committee of the Russian Federation on Standardization, Metrology and Certification. No. OK 019-95 January 1, 1997 Russian Classification of Administrative Objects (OKATO). Code 28 222
As amended by Amendment No. 278/2015 dated January 1, 2016).
^ a b c d
Law No. 27-ZO.
Law No. 4-ZO.
"On the calculation of time." Official Internet portal of legal information
(in Russian). June 3, 2011. Retrieved January 19, 2022.
Post office. Information and computing center of OASU RPO. ( Post office
).
Search for postal facilities ( Search for postal facilities
) (in Russian)
Federal State Statistics Service of Russia (May 21, 2004). “The population of Russia, the constituent entities of the Russian Federation as part of federal districts, urban settlements, urban settlements, settlements, settlements is 3 thousand or more people” [Population of Russia, its federal districts, constituent entities of the federation, districts, urban settlements, rural settlements - administrative centers, rural settlements with a population of more than 3000 people] (XLS). All-Russian Population Census of 2002 [All-Russian Population Census of 2002]
(in Russian).
“All-Union Population Census of 1989. The actual population of union and autonomous republics, autonomous regions and districts, territories, regions, urban settlements and villages. On the administrative-territorial structure of the Tver region.” Came into force on the date of official publication. Published: “Tver Gazette”, No. 17 (special issue), April 19, 2006 (Legislative Assembly of the Tver Region. Law No. 34-ZO of April 17, 2006 On the administrative-territorial structure of the Tver Region
As amended by the Law of October 1, 2014 No. 66-ZO.
On amendments to Article 18 of the Law of the Tver Region "On the administrative-territorial structure of the Tver Region"
. Valid from the date of official publication.).
Legislative Assembly of the Tver Region. Law No. 27-ZO of February 28, 2005 “On establishing the boundaries of municipalities that are part of the territory of the municipal formation of the Tver region “Kalyazinsky district” and granting them the status of an urban and rural settlement,” as amended. Law No. 60-ZO of July 13, 2009 “On amendments to the Law of the Tver Region” On establishing the boundaries of municipalities that are part of the territory of the municipal formation of the Tver Region “Kalyazinsky District” and giving them the status of an urban, rural settlement “”. Came into force on the date of official publication. Published: “Tver Gazette”, No. 10, March 11–17, 2005 (Legislative Assembly of the Tver Region. Law No. 27-ZO of February 28, 2005 On establishing the boundaries of municipalities that are part of the municipal formation “Kalyazinsky District”, and assigning them the status of urban and rural settlements
As amended by Law No. 60-ZO dated July 13, 2009.
On amending the Law of the Tver Region “On establishing the boundaries of municipalities that are part of the municipal formation “Kalyazinsky District”, and on assigning them status of urban and rural settlements"
. Valid from the date of official publication.).
Legislative Assembly of the Tver Region. Law No. 4-ZO of January 18, 2005 “On establishing the boundaries of municipalities of the Tver region and granting them the status of urban districts and municipal communications,” as amended. Law No. 65-ZO of July 24, 2012 “On amendments to Article 2 of the Law of the Tver Region” On establishing the boundaries of municipalities of the Tver Region and granting them the status of city districts and municipal communications “”. Came into force ten days after official publication. Published: “Tver Gazette”, No. 3, January 21–27, 2005 (Legislative Assembly of the Tver Region. Law No. 4-ZO of January 18, 2005 On establishing the boundaries of municipalities of the Tver Region and granting them the status of city districts, municipalities
As amended by Law No. 65-ZO dated July 24, 2012.
On amendments to Article 2 of the Law of the Tver Region “On establishing the boundaries of municipalities of the Tver Region and giving them the status of city districts, municipalities"
. Valid from the day that occurs ten days after official publication.)
Snytko, O. V.; and others. (2009). S. D. Trifonov; T. B. Chuikova; L. V. Fedina; A. E. Dubonosova (ed.). Administrative-territorial division of the Novgorod province and region 1727-1995. Directory. [ Administrative-territorial division of the Novgorod province and region in 1727–1995.
Link. ] (PDF) (in Russian). Saint Petersburg. Retrieved August 19, 2014.
Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the RSFSR. Decree of July 17, 1990 “On the renaming of the Kalinin region into the Tver region.” (Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the RSFSR. Decree of July 17, 1990 On changing the name of the Kalinin region to Tver
.).

Funny name Zhabnya

And here comes the Volga. Ha, the mistake is not the Volga yet, but only its tributary - the Zhabnya River. Who could tell why she was given such a frog nickname? Or did it come from the buttercup-like medicinal plant toadwort?

There are cars along the shore selling fish. We stop and ask the price. And oats, that is, the catch, is not cheap these days: a small roach costs 100 rubles, a small smoked greenling costs 200 rubles... I sighed sadly - on the Western Dvina for that kind of money they bought such a huge fish.

History of Kalyazin

We turned away from the fish again to the Zhabna River. Chronicles say that at the place where it flows into Mother Volga, where the St. Nicholas Bell Tower now stands, at the end of the 12th century there was a monastery in honor of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker.

We already had occasion to discuss what monasteries were in that distant time and what functions they performed. Yes, of course, there were monks and services there, but this was only one aspect of their activity; it is also important that the monasteries were fortresses, that is, military strongholds. Under their protection, people settled nearby and settlements grew. This is how the settlement of Nikola-na-Zhabnya arose.

But little has reached us about the first of the eight centuries of Kalyazin's history. As for the Nikolsky Monastery, over time it lost its significance and ceased to exist. But in its place there was always a church with the same name. Years, fire, or raids destroyed it, but the inhabitants invariably restored it. And in the 18th century, St. Nicholas Cathedral was rebuilt in its place, which became the adornment of the entire Tver land.

The Legend of the Guardian Elder

Kalyazin is a city simply filled with an ancient understanding of spirituality. Many churches, the Trinity Monastery, which now does not exist, because it was flooded during the creation of the Uglich reservoir, but for a long time was the center of the entire settlement and its heart, legends and the naive and pure faith in them of the Kalyazin people themselves. Just look at the legend about the treasures of the monastery on the Zhabna River.

It tells that during the Mongol-Tatar yoke there was a monastery on the Zhabna River, which had great treasures. The ascetics hid the monastery property among the swamps from the Tatar invasion, leaving the elder to guard it. The monastery was burned by the Tatars, and the ascetics were tortured in an attempt to find out where the monastic goods were hidden, but not a single one confessed. To this day, the elder, without dying, sleeps peacefully, invisible to people, but when trying to find and plunder the property of the monastery, he threatens with a staff and punishes with terrible punishments.

Each church in Kalyazin is beautiful in its own way, but they all evoke a feeling of spiritual uplift and seem filled with light. While in the city, it is worth seeing at least some of them.

Macarius of Kalyazinsky and the monastery he founded

The Monk Macarius of Kalyazin is now little known. Meanwhile, for our ancestors this was a very significant saint. As you know, in the Orthodox Church there are locally revered saints, revered within a particular diocese or parish, and there are saints revered by the entire Russian Church. Macarius was canonized as an all-Russian saint.

A little about him. In 1400, at the turn of the century, a boy named Matvey was born into a boyar family that lived in the village of Kozhino, not far from Kashino. When he grew up, he began to ask his parents for blessings to take tonsure. But those blessings were not given - after all, their eldest son had already accepted monasticism.

Matvey's parents found a bride - a boyar's daughter - and soon married him. And the young couple had three whole years of family happiness, until the pestilence came here.

21-year-old Matvey is widowed. The misfortune strengthened his desire to withdraw from the world. He took monastic vows and became Macarius.

After some time he went to an empty place. I found this near the ancient town of Nikola-on-Zhabny, just on the opposite bank of the Volga. He built a temple in a wild forest and consecrated it in the name of the Life-Giving Trinity. But the trouble is: Macarius was mistaken, the place turned out to be not empty and had an owner - the local boyar Ivan Kolyaga.

Fearing for the fate of his possessions, the boyar planned an evil deed - to kill Macarius. But immediately after the plan, all sorts of problems and illnesses rained down on him and his loved ones. An intelligent man, Kolyaga quickly figured out the cause of his troubles. He was ashamed, deeply repented and asked Macarius for forgiveness. He forgave the would-be criminal and even pitied him. And Kolyaga was reborn after that.

After some time, boyar Ivan recovered, and having recovered, he took monastic vows. And the wise Macarius, for the edification of his descendants, added the word Kolyazin to the name of the monastery - Trinity Monastery. So that we know: the nature of people is imperfect, they can think, and even act unseemly. But! But if you repent in time, then both the life of the sinner himself and the life of his loved ones will take a different path - good and correct.

Over time, the Kolyazina settlement grew near the monastery, and then this name united three settlements - Makaryevskaya, Nikolskaya and Zarechnaya, separated by rivers. In 1775, it was given the status of a county town and given the name Kalyazin.

And the monastery became the center of the religious, cultural, and political life of these places for a long time.

Places for active recreation

Kalyazin is located in a picturesque area, which creates all the conditions for an active holiday that will be remembered for a long time. The natural attractions here are unforgettable!

Oleniy Bor

It is located near Kalyazin, on the banks of the Volga, in a pine forest. It is a place for camping. Here anyone can pitch a tent and have a great time enjoying the beauty of nature and clean air.

There is a volleyball court on the perimeter, and horse riding and a sightseeing water excursion are available for a reasonable fee. Anglers can enjoy fishing here. Particular joy will come from the opportunity to feed rare species of deer listed in the Red Book.

Animals live here in natural conditions and trustingly approach the fences to accept food from the hands of the feeders. This kind of entertainment will certainly not leave children indifferent.

Uglich Reservoir

The huge mass of water of the Uglich reservoir stretches over 146 km in historical places where the ancient Russian appanage principalities of Uglich and Kashin used to be. In 1935, the Soviet government decided to build the Uglich hydroelectric power station.

This is how the Uglich reservoir was formed, flooding more than a hundred settlements, including the historical part of Kalyazin. It regulates water flow and is used for energy, shipping, water supply and fishing.

This reservoir is home to about 30 species of fish. Consequently, the opportunity to successfully go fishing attracts anglers from almost all over the country. There is even commercial fishing here.

There are many hunting bases on the shore of the reservoir - the flora and fauna in the vicinity of Kalyazin is extremely rich. This is simply a paradise for lovers of not only fishing, but also hunting. There are many birds - wild geese, ducks, wood grouse. Animals include deer, elk, martens, wild boars and even bears.

Don't miss the sights
Bezhetsk, Staritsa, Likhoslavl,
Kimr, Bologogo, Vyshny Volochok,
Kashin, Konakovo, Toropets, Torzhok,
Ostashkov, Tver and Rzhev.

Provincial Kalyazin may be small, but it has its own uniqueness, so characteristic of the cities of ancient Rus'. What could be better than visiting a quiet, cozy town, admiring the beauty of nature, hunting, fishing, or simply wandering through unusual sights to find peace and gain new impressions?!

Modern panorama of the city

It became the way we see it relatively recently - by the middle of the 19th century. By this time, there were approximately 1,200 houses, 7 churches, a monastery, an embankment, piers, and 33 factories. This is what it says on the city's official website.

If you believe the statistics, then even now life here is in full swing - four schools, seven pharmacies, restaurants, hotels, there is even a yacht club, there are two operating churches in the city and there are even working enterprises. This is a garment factory for sewing work clothes, a creamery, a couple of small flax factories, and the felt felt factory, famous throughout Russia. But there are rumors that it will be closed soon.

Kalyazin is a small city, only 15 thousand people live in it. You can get around it in a couple of hours. And although it is located very close to Moscow, it is nevertheless a real Russian outback.

Life here moves slowly, roosters crow in the mornings, dogs run freely. In the summer, the roadsides are probably overgrown with tall grass and burdocks, maybe even boys are running barefoot... On the streets, like a hundred years ago, there are water pumps, people with buckets, houses with stove heating. And now there was a little haze in the city air...

What's left?

Ascension Church

The Church of the Ascension, built in 1783, belonged to the parish of St. Nicholas Cathedral. The single-domed quadrangle under a baroque dome is connected to the classical three-tier bell tower by a refectory, completed with a gable pediment, decorated in the Gothic style, and a multi-pitched roof. It is interesting that the eclectic refectory is twice as wide as the corresponding dimensions of the temple and bell tower, which is unusual for churches built by a “ship”. In addition to the main, Ascension throne, the temple has two chapels, Macarius of Kalyazin and the Tikhvin Icon of the Mother of God; in the middle of the 19th century The Assumption throne appeared. In the 1930s, the temple was given to a local sports club, and football was played in the churchyard, and just before the flooding, it was given to a bakery. Then it was abandoned and only in the 1990s was returned to believers, and in a very deplorable state. The restoration of the temple was undertaken by the parishioners, led by Archpriest Leonid Beresnev. Nowadays services are held here, and parish life flows smoothly. At the entrance to the temple in 2009, a monument was erected in honor of the victory of the Skopin-Shuisky militia, won 400 years ago over foreign invaders, and in 2012 the relics of St. Macarius of Kalyazinsky - they rested in the chapel dedicated to him.

House of merchants Ryzhkov

On Moskovskaya Street there are remains of buildings typical of a merchant town. On weekends, here, on the descent to the unflooded bell tower, souvenirs are sold, and on special days, festive events are held and creative groups perform.

City Hall building

The building of the former zemstvo government is occupied by a school, and before the revolution, in addition to the school, it also housed the gendarmerie and police department.

Snow-white mansion of the Korovkins

The descent to the Volga is lined with merchant mansions of the 19th century, not similar to each other. Here, in a small area, you can admire the delights of architects who turned to the order tradition of classicism (the Korovkin house with triangular pediments and pilasters cut with flutes), the Renaissance (the Lyakhov house, decorated with a diamond rustication on the frieze), and Baroque (the volutes of the pediment of the Ryzhkov house).

House of Lyakhovs

The Obukhov brothers owned a candle production. The Ryzhkovs traded in textiles in Kalyazin, Kimry and surrounding villages. The Shishkins owned an iconostasis workshop, which grew into a large factory - these iconostases were famous throughout Russia and took prizes at international exhibitions. The most wealthy were the merchants of the 1st guild, the Polezhaevs - they were engaged in the grain trade, opened a technical school in their house and did many other good deeds, and therefore the residents of Kalyazin entrusted the post of mayor to several representatives of this family in different years. Together with Alexandrovsk entrepreneur I. A. Pervushin, the Polezhaev brothers became the founders of the large Volga-Kama commercial bank, which ranked sixth among commercial banks in the Russian Empire.

House of Polezhaevs

The merchant Korovkin was also elected mayor. In addition to real estate, he owned a starch factory. Starch production for Kalyazin is just as traditional; It is interesting that this product, wet in the warehouse due to leaks or floods, was processed into powder and sold to the capitals.

Nevertheless, the Kalyazin merchants gravitated more towards classical architecture, apparently having admired the noble estates of the beginning of the same century - and such buildings dominate the development of the street. In the district, by the way, the estates were owned by the Saltykovs (the family of the great Russian writer M.E. Saltykov-Shchedrin), the Yuryevs, the Fonvizins, the Ushakovs - among the latter is Vasily Ushakov, on whose order the bell tower, which has become a sad symbol of the city, was built.

One of the most beautiful public buildings in the surviving part of Kalyazin is the Kalyazin Mechanical Engineering College, now a college. It was built in 1905 for the Lower Mechanical and Technical School, which was named after its benefactor - N. M. Polezhaev. Before his death, the merchant bequeathed 350 thousand rubles to the city (in those years a horse cost ten). They allocated 200 thousand for the school, purchased the necessary equipment, and invited good teachers. They accepted the children of ordinary citizens, taught them for free, and even paid them scholarships. Graduates became qualified craftsmen, fitters, and technicians in factories, shipping companies, and railway workshops. In one of the novels, the modern Tver writer A.V. Dostavalov, having hidden the heroes of the work in Kalyazin, noticed that the townspeople were proud of the Technical School, as rarely in any regional center - of their university.

Kalyazin Mechanical Engineering College, now - College

In the architecture of the impressive red-brick building, decorated in the Russian style, three risalits stand out, as if taken from classic estate designs: the side ones, with two-horned pinnacles, and the central one, with an additional floor under a hipped roof - epancha. The two-story U-shaped building, the design of which was drawn up by academician of architecture R. Marfeld, was built under the direction of engineer N. Nikitin from red brick on a white stone base.

Ascension Church, monuments to Skopin-Shuisky, as well as fallen heroes of the First World War and victims of the Red Terror - on Friedrich Engels Street

The college is located on Lenin Street, former Tverskaya, opposite Victory Park. During the years of Soviet power, great changes occurred in urban toponymy. Voznesenskaya street, named after the Church of the Ascension, received the name of Friedrich Engels, Svistushenskaya - Karl Liebknecht, Sergievskaya - Trotsky, then Kalinin, Spasskaya - Turgenev, Troitskaya - Uritsky, Bazarnaya became Sovetskaya, Zavolzhskaya embankment was renamed Vagzhanova street, and the place where The Epiphany Church rises above the river, called Nogin Square - this prominent Bolshevik and the first People's Commissar for Industry and Trade studied in Kalyazin.

Victory Park

But Comintern Street bore its name originally. It became the main highway of the new development, the plan of which was approved in 1939. Kalyazin retained the status of a city and, having lost 2/3 of its former territory, was allocated the lands of three collective farms, the village of Stepanovo and a timber mill site. Not only architectural monuments, including temple ensembles and many stone merchant houses, but also all industrial enterprises of the city (nine) found themselves in the flood zone. More than five hundred stone and wooden buildings were subject to transfer, including private houses, public utility buildings and, of course, industrial buildings.

Shekhonsky Mansion

Zarechye, the trans-river part of the city on the high bank of Zhabnya, introduces the traveler to other architectural and historical sights of the ancient city. On Vagzhanova Street, a small one-story mansion of representatives of the ancient family of Yaroslavl princes Shekhonsky, with garlands, pilasters, half-columns and other elements of baroque-classical decor, has been preserved.

Vvedenskaya Church

Another significant monument is the zemstvo hospital on nearby Turgenev Street (1867), built in imitation of the Romanesque style. Not a city, but a guide to architectural forms.

Zemstvo hospital building

Not far away, on Polevaya Street, there is the elegant tented Vvedenskaya Church (1882) with a hipped bell tower. Its ensemble, including the fence with the Holy Gates, is in excellent condition. The tented churches of the 19th century, of course, differ markedly from their predecessors from the times of the last Rurikovichs and the first Romanovs. Their tents do not rise so high to the sky; they are lower, but no less solemn. And here in the decor we see kokoshnik belts and profiled friezes.

How we see him now

“Where should we turn?” - Sanya asks me. Where... On the street going down to the Volga, there are a lot of tightly parked tourist buses and cars. Finally, there was a place for us - right behind the bronze monument to Macarius. Behind the saint is a plain under a snowy gray-lilac blanket - a frozen reservoir and a bell tower. A stream of people streams past the “No Trespassing on Ice” sign.

It once stood on the high bank of the river in the very center of the city. It's hard to believe - but it's true. The bell tower belonged to the central St. Nicholas (Nicholas) Cathedral of the 18th century, of which nothing remains.

Nearby there were noisy shopping arcades, roads ran from the market square and on the streets there were a huge number of merchant mansions - by the end of the 19th century there were a little more than two hundred of them in the city - beautiful, two-story, stone. And opposite stood the extraordinary beauty of the Trinity Makarievsky Monastery.

Near the monument, a small parody of an ancient trading square, there is a market with Kalyazin’s tourist goods: scarves, clay crafts, jars of honey, souvenir plates, magnets, books, dolls and other rubbish that travelers are so greedy for. Whether it’s a plate or a magnet, everyone will buy something and take it away as a souvenir.

We walked around, took a closer look, and asked the price, especially for honey, which Sanya is a big hunter and lover of. We walk, but don’t lose sight of the bell tower.

The origin, prosperity and tragedy of the city

Volzhskaya embankment

A settlement quickly grew from the walls of the monastery, called Podmonastyrskaya, or Kalyazinskaya. Kalyazin masters lived there, including the architect Averky Mokeev, noted by Nikon, who built the Valdai and New Jerusalem monasteries; icon painters, masons, carvers. Where there is a monastery, there are pilgrims, and since there is a crowd of people, then there is bargaining.

Shopping arcades in Kalyazin

On the contrary, in 1694, in the Nikolo-Zhabensky Monastery on the right bank of the Volga, the five-domed St. Nicholas Cathedral grew. It was destined to be the center of the city - Kalyazin received this status only in 1775 with the unification of Podmonastyrskaya, Nikolskaya settlements and the village of Pirogovo, which became known as Svistushenskaya Sloboda, or simply Svistukha. Nowadays it is Zarechye, an area separated from the center by the mouth of Zhabnya. Along with the status of a county town, plans for regular development came to Kalyazin, and quite simple ones: long streets parallel to the Volga intersected with perpendicular, short ones.

View of the temple ensemble of Nikolskaya Sloboda

Next to the St. Nicholas Cathedral, the Church of John the Baptist was built in 1792, and in 1800, a high (74.5 m) five-tier classical bell tower - with pairs of semi-columns framing the corners, a spire rising above the “apple”, a clock and 11 bells. The authorship of the project belongs, presumably, to the French architect J.-B. Vallin-Delamot, famous for the palaces of Razumovsky, Chernyshev, Yusupov, the Bolshoi Gostiny Dvor, the Catholic Church of St. Petersburg, built in St. Petersburg. Catherine on Nevsky and other spectacular buildings. It was built by serfs V.F. Ushakov, who probably brought the bell tower project to the city.

The famous bell tower in summer

One romantic story is connected with this noble family: Pushkin fell in love with the beautiful Ekaterina Ushakova, was refused, and, nevertheless, she did not marry until the death of the poet, carefully kept his letters, refused to publish them, and before her death she ordered burn our eyes, saying: “We loved each other dearly, it was our heartfelt secret, let it die with us.”

Ivan Stepanovich Belyustin (1819-1890), also known as a publicist and the first local historian of the Kalyazin land, served as rector of St. Nicholas Cathedral for more than 40 years.

I. S. Belustin

To the west of the cathedral, a shopping area freely spread out, from which Moskovskaya Street, which after the revolution received the name of Karl Marx, and the neighboring ones, respectively, Friedrich Engels, Lenin and the Comintern, rushed towards Sergiev Posad and the capital. Previously, this area was called Nikolskaya Sloboda. The Nikolo-Zhabensky Monastery itself was abolished back in the 18th century.

Moscow street

In addition to everyday trade, large fairs took place near the walls of the cathedral twice a year. The Volga merchant cities stood firmly on their feet. With the commissioning (1703-1731) of the Vyshnevolotsk water system, which actually connected the Neva with the Volga to supply food to the new capital, trade revived here and began to flourish. In Kalyazin they not only traded: they built river boats, clinked iron in forges, made tiles and bricks from local clay, wove lace and felted felt boots. The first wife of Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich, Maria Miloslavskaya, and her craftswomen taught lace crafts to local craftsmen during their forced stay in Kalyazin. The quality of the local lace was slightly inferior to that of Vologda, which is why it was cheaper and, as a result, was in good demand.

Everything changed overnight. In 1920, the Kalyazin Trinity Makaryevsky Monastery was closed. On its territory there was a rest house of the Moscow Electric Plant, a pioneer camp, a museum, and a rest house of the Moscow Electric Plant. The region, which passed from hand to hand during the time of the appanage princes, then became part of the Taldomsky district of the Moscow province, then the Kashinsky district, then the Kimry district, became an independent territorial unit of the formed Kalinin (Tver) region, again, temporarily joined Kashinsky and only in 1970 -x acquired its current borders.

Makaryevskaya Chapel

Judging by old photographs, the city often suffered from floods. And then the big water came here for good. In 1939-1940 During the creation of the Uglich reservoir and the construction of the Uglich hydroelectric power station, a significant part of the city was dismantled and flooded. The territory of the monastery and the entire Trans-Volga side (Podmonastyrskaya Sloboda) of the city went under water along with the Nativity and Holy Cross churches in 1708 and 1794. The mouths of the rivers flowing into the Volga have shifted. When flooded, islands appeared above the water. Now on one of them the south-eastern tower of the Trinity Monastery fence, in which the Makaryevskaya Chapel was built, has been restored.

I. F. Nikolsky

Ivan Fedorovich Nikolsky, a defender of the city’s heritage, the creator and organizer of the Kalyazin Museum, fought for the unique frescoes (maybe it would be more correct to write here what kind of unique historical heritage, he not only saved the frescoes) of the Trinity Cathedral. In particular, he insisted on preserving the Trinity Cathedral and a number of other buildings of the Makaryevsky Monastery by diking. It was not possible to save the monastery, but Nikolsky’s voice was heard: specialists from the All-Union Academy of Architecture, headed by P. I. Yukin, arrived in the city. The work, which began in the bitter winter of 1939, lasted a year. To remove fragments of the painting from the wall without allowing it to fall off, pieces of fabric were frozen on them, and then peeled off with squeezing knives, secured from the inside with adhesive tape and placed in boxes.

Fragment of rescued frescoes

Some of the frescoes removed from the walls of the Trinity Cathedral are stored in the A. Shchusev Museum of Architecture in Moscow, the other part, tiles, individual white stone elements, church vestments and utensils are kept in the Kalyazin City Museum of Local Lore. The portal of the cathedral is built into the wall of the Moscow Donskoy Monastery.

Inscription on the stone: “This city of Kelar was built by the elder Abraham Semyonov, son of Bedov, under Abbot John, and the apprentices were made according to the Sovereign’s decree by Marko Ivanov, son Sharutin, and his son Ivan Markov.”

Russian Atlantis is a huge territory of historical Rus', sacrificed for the much-needed electrification of the country. At the bottom of the Volga there remained villages, hamlets, churches, monasteries, certain areas of Uglich, Vesyegonsk and the entire city of Mologa, which is three kilometers from Rybinsk, where another, huge, but shallow Rybinsk reservoir arose and a hydroelectric power station stood up, which fed strategic objects during the war. Moscow.

Nikolskaya Sloboda with a market place, a gostiny dvor and stone houses was also partially flooded. One bell tower has survived from the temple ensemble. Volgostroy NKVD did not attach much importance to the ban of the Committee on Arts of the Council of People's Commissars of the USSR on the demolition of monastery buildings and the bell tower of St. Nicholas Cathedral. But they couldn’t disassemble it or blow it up, and then they didn’t have enough time. Having become an unusual landmark for river boats, the bell tower soon acquired legends.

Thus, they say that one of the bells, which broke during an attempt to dismantle, remained inside the structure and inexplicably rang on the eve of terrible troubles and upheavals: on the ominous night of June 22, 1941, before the Battles of Stalingrad and Kursk, the atomic bombing of Japanese cities; foreshadowed the Ashgabat earthquake in 1948 and the entry of Soviet troops into Afghanistan in 1979. Therefore, shortly before the Moscow Olympics, the first, flooded tier of the bell tower was filled up, reclaiming the island, and now tourists can visit it - thanks to the kind offers of local boatmen.

Moskovskaya street today begins with Volga water

Local historians who know the history of the city and the region for certain believe that all these stories were invented by tour guides of travel companies, and the island was created to save the bell tower from destruction.

Kalyazin, the gateway to Russian Atlantis, is sometimes called Tver Kitezh...

Do you know any interesting regional expressions?

We stopped near a female tour guide waiting for her group. Sanya asks her: “Are the rest of the monastery buildings visible in the summer? Or just this one bell tower? Many people write that when there is a lot of shallowing, domes come out from under the water and walls appear?”

“No, all this is fantasy,” the sweet woman answers us, “There is nothing left except the bell tower. But the kids, diving, no, no, find at the bottom either a coin or a cross...” And at parting she suggested: “Make a wish and touch the wall of the bell tower - it will definitely come true...”

What a find! Thank you! TOUCH! Komsomolskaya Pravda collects such unusual local colloquial words in its dictionary of travelers around Russia. Let's give it to her - “touch it”!

Flooded Kalyazin

Karl Marx Street was once called Moskovskaya: the ancestors of Kalyazin residents were not clever with the names - they gave it away from the direction to Moscow. Lined with huge, centuries-old cobblestones, it led travelers straight to the city center.

It still leads, but to the center of the Uglich reservoir. Eighty years ago, almost the entire city, more precisely, two-thirds of Kalyazin with its entire historical center was flooded.

Flooding is a sad page in the life of this city. On the Volga alone there were 6 of his brothers in misfortune: Mologa, Puchezh, Korcheva, Vesyegonsk, Stavropol, Kuibyshev were flooded. But Kalyazin is the most famous among them.

In 1935–1940, the country had many ambitious plans. And below the city of Kalyazin they are building a dam designed to solve several problems. Firstly, to make Moscow a port of five seas, secondly, to make the Volga above Kalyazin well navigable and, thirdly, the most important thing: the leading word of technical thought of those times - the Uglich hydroelectric power station - will generate the cheap electricity the country needs. Against the backdrop of the upcoming grandiose tasks, the fate of the small town was of little interest to anyone.

And so in 1937 they began “dismantling” the old city with bulldozers and explosions. Little remains of its former splendor. The city stretched along the Volga, so it is not surprising that the most beautiful and historically significant buildings gravitated towards the Volga and were the first to fall under the flood zone. The remains of the merciless destruction were either transported to the wasteland where the modern part of Kalyazin now stands, or they were sent on barges along the Volga to Uglich.

Although there were some plans to build a city in a new place, they were not destined to come true. The Great Patriotic War interfered. After the war, other cities that fell into the zone of fascist occupation were restored, and more or less systematic construction in Kalyazin began only in the mid-70s.

They didn’t build masterpieces, of course, but rather standard, indistinguishable five-story buildings, so the soul of the city remained in small, crooked and quiet streets lined with one- and two-story wooden houses with flowers, currant bushes, apple trees and vegetable gardens.

Historic mansions

Although the historical part of the city of Kalyazin was flooded, fortunately, the former Moskovskaya Street, now Karl Marx Street, on which the ancient mansions of wealthy citizens are located, has been preserved. They help restore the image of Kalyazin before the flooding and take tourists into the atmosphere of the city’s historical past.

House of merchants Semyonovs

Address - st. Karl Marx, 6.

The Semenovs were the owners of a starch factory and the largest landowners in the city of Kalyazin. This building was erected in the 19th century. At that time, the eclectic architectural style was in fashion, expressed in the intricate decoration of the facade and window frames of various shapes.

House of the Korovkin merchants

Address - st. Karl Marx, 8.

The Korovkins were large homeowners and landowners. In addition, Korovkin I.A. served as mayor of the city from 1898 to 1917.

Their mansion is one of the most famous buildings. It was built in the early 19th century and is stunningly beautiful. The central windows, decorated with original frames, located under the pediment, painted with fancy patterns, attract the attention of city guests.

After the revolution, the Kalyazin Emergency Committee was located in the house; later a junior school was organized here, then an orphanage and, finally, an evening school.

House of merchants Ryzhkov

Address - st. Karl Marx, 1.

This family, which also made a great contribution to Kalyazin’s past, owned the Ryzhkov Trading House. Their house was built in the style of early classicism and baroque. The deep arch over the main entrance and the beautiful mezzanine, combined with carved platbands, make a lasting impression. Once the estate was located in the very center of one of the main streets of the city, but after the famous flooding it turned out to be right next to the water and closest to the flooded bell tower.

House of Merchants Lyakhovs

Address - st. Karl Marx, 12/15.

This is a stunningly beautiful building from the mid-19th century. At the very beginning of the 20th century, it was bought from the Lyakhov merchants by the city treasury and given over to the city duma. From 1908 to 1918 it housed a women's gymnasium, and today the Kalyazin Pedagogical School operates there.

Kalyazin College named after. Polezhaeva

Address - st. Lenina, 36.

In 1903, Kalyazin opened its own school. Its building was built according to the design of the architect R.R. Marfeld through the means of the merchant N.M. Polezhaeva. It is shaped like the letter “P” with a complex asymmetrical composition.

Many craftsmen of different specialties took part in the construction and, according to the then existing tradition, several gold coins were placed in the corners.

In 1933, the school changed its status and became an industrial Polytechnic College. During the war, defense products were produced in the workshops of the technical school. Now it is a college that graduates specialists in various fields: from accountants to computer scientists.

Former city hall building

Address - st. Karl Marx, 22/20.

It was erected in 1881-1883. as the Public House, where the city's public institutions, such as the police department, the zemstvo government and the city school, were gathered.

The building was built in a mixture of romanticism and classicism styles and stands out among the buildings of Kalyazin with an unusual observation tower that served as a fire tower. Today it is used as a high school.

Bell tower in Kalyazin

There is no sun again, but in the huge open space there is no wind either, and this is a big plus. We just reached the bell tower, and most of the people, having flown away from it, went back. A tiny artificial island, an iron pier and the bell tower itself. We stood near it, and under our feet - under the ice - as if under the lid of a crystal coffin, the past of the ancient city slept.

A five-tier bell tower over 70 meters high was added to the cathedral in 1794–1800. In summer, 50 of its meters rise above the water.

When gusts of wind break against the bell tower, in such weather, they say, you can hear the sound of an aeolian harp here. A strong wind always sounds, but random air vibrations, passing through the tiers of the tower, are transformed into harmonious harmonies.

They left the bell tower in Kalyazin, intending to use it either as a lighthouse or as a parachute tower, but it’s good that they left it...

But now it urgently needs restoration. In the spring of 2014, the water level in the reservoir dropped so much that the bell tower was not in the water, but came out onto land. And her critical condition became obvious.

Kalyazin residents organized a collection of signatures for the inclusion of the Nikolskaya Bell Tower in the “Culture of Russia” program for the restoration of historical monuments for 2016. In order for the federal authorities to preserve the unique monument, they need to collect 100 thousand signatures. Now there are about 85 thousand of them.

Grabbing each other, constantly slipping, we walk around the bell tower, make a wish, touch the wall and go back to the monument.

Attractions

A fascinating journey through the ancient streets will become a highlight in your life. This is a quiet, secluded settlement that holds many mysteries about how our ancestors lived. Try to study the sights slowly, so the picture of the trip will be more complete. It is more convenient to use the services of an experienced guide; with him you will not get lost and will not miss anything important. When exploring the sights on your own, you can purchase a map that has photographs with descriptions.

The bell tower of St. Nicholas Cathedral is an object that every visiting tourist strives to visit. An exclusive historical monument was installed in the waters of the Uglich Reservoir. Construction has been carried out since 1800. The building in the classicist style is equipped with five tiers. The dome with a dome and a spire is its main decoration.

As is known, in the 30s and early 40s of the 20th century, a significant portion of this area of land was flooded. Many monuments went under water without a trace. Only the bell tower survived. During the Soviet period it was used as a lighthouse. In the 80s, an artificial island was created around the monastery and a small pier was equipped. Walking excursions began to be organized.

Subsequently, the skyscraper was reconstructed according to the 2015 project. Beautiful architectural lighting was created, and the foundation was securely strengthened. In the future, it is planned to create an observation deck. In winter, people reach the island by public transport, and in summer, by water transport.

The RT-64 radio telescope is the second most popular place among tourists. This special engineering facility has remained virtually unchanged since its construction. The building coped with the period of decline and was actively modernized in the future. There are few examples of this across the country.

In the past, Kalyazin called the radio telescope the center of space communications. The modern name is laconic - radio astronomical observatory. The facility is located 200 km from the northern part of the Russian capital. The design is large-scale. No entry. You can admire the exclusive object from the outside.

Today the observatory specializes in astronomical experiments. Galactic and extragalactic objects are studied. All data comes from satellites located remotely. By the way, you can observe an identical object 17 km from Moscow. Both radio telescopes are connected to each other and function as a single system.

Children of all ages and adults often choose an object such as Baba Yaga's estate , which Kalyazin presents as a fairy-tale corner where they can have a fun and relaxed holiday. This trip is especially relevant during the New Year holidays, when you don’t want to sit at home. On the outskirts there is a small village - Solonovka. This is where the attraction is located. Paid entrance. For children under three years old the excursion is free.

The place is popular. Therefore, it is recommended to purchase a ticket in advance. It is more convenient to arrive by bus or car. The duration of the program is 60 minutes. Treats and souvenirs await you. The heroine of the fairy tale, Kikimora, will be waiting at the entrance with a loaf and salt. She will joke and play with children. The territory is distinguished by an abundance of fabulous buildings. You can take pictures. At the end of the walk, all guests will be treated to tea and fortune-telling cakes.

The monument to Makariy Kalyazinsky is one of the main religious attractions of the city. It appeared relatively recently, in 2008. Construction was carried out using budget funds. The monument is made of bronze and installed against the background of an ancient wall. In his left hand Macarius holds a model of the monastery, and in his right is the club of a wandering monk. There is a beautiful flower garden around it. There is a reservoir nearby. The Holy Russian Church is the founder of the Trinity-Kalyazin Monastery. He was born in 1402. There is a crayfish made of silver.

Monument to M.V. Skopin-Shuisky was mounted in tribute to the memory of the victorious battle. In 1609, the Lithuanians attacked the city. Russian troops won. The architects of the facility are sculptors E.A. Antonov and A.G. Komlev. The sculpture was cast in Belarus. The Grand Duke made a great contribution to the victory.

The building of the Mechanical and Technical School deserves special attention . It appeared at the expense of the merchant N.M. Polezhaev. Graduates received an excellent education, learning on modern German metal-cutting machines. During the war, the building served as a dormitory. The wounded were hospitalized here. Students and teachers helped unload the carriages and treated the wounded. Training and production workshops provided considerable assistance during the war years. Thanks to them, collective farms were serviced and agricultural equipment was repaired. The technical school was awarded the Badge of Honor.

Be sure to visit the house of the Korovkin merchants . The 19th century building, where merchants once lived, has attractive architecture and picturesque grounds. It is located on Karl Marx Street. The façade is decorated with original semicircular windows and framed with interestingly shaped platbands. The triangle-shaped pediment successfully completes the overall picture. In 1917, the Kalyazin Extraordinary Commission worked here. She fought against thieves, lazy people and individuals who destroyed the monastery.

The house of the Semyonov merchants is an ancient building with a quaint design. Beautiful window casings and 19th-century carvings attract the attention of passers-by. The eclectic style building was previously at the height of fashion. The former owners ran a starch factory and were engaged in farming. They had at their disposal about 755 acres of land in Kalyazinsky district. Today it is the Central District Library.

In the city, the pine forest serves as a special decoration of the area. Excursions are also regularly organized here. This is an excellent solution for those who want to take a break from the hustle and bustle of the big city and be alone with nature. Clean and fresh air prevails.

The centuries-old pine deer forest contains a large number of animals that are listed in the Red Book. Among them, rabbits and sika deer predominate. In the park, animals live in natural conditions. Some deer, without fear, approach the fences and get to know the guests. If desired, you can feed them by hand. Pines, spruces and junipers create a special atmosphere of a country holiday. The Oleniy Bor campsite is in wide demand, and fishing is available.

The exhibition hall of the District House of Crafts invites everyone to take a closer look at antiques. For a small fee you can see with your own eyes household items and many interesting products made from bobbin lace. This type of fishing was popular until the beginning of the 20th century, but gradually faded into the background. Once upon a time, two hereditary lacemakers lived in the city. Enthusiasts have created a museum dedicated to this skill. They study creativity, preserve and disseminate technology. Master classes and public programs are periodically organized. The exhibition is ongoing. Products of antiquity and modern craftsmen can be studied in detail, learning the history of their appearance.

There are many interesting places to visit in Kalyazin. You can visit the flooded bell tower, stroll through the forest, and buy interesting souvenirs. Kalyazin, whose history is incredibly rich, is appreciated by pilgrims, lovers of spiritual culture and all those who are not indifferent to their Motherland. Here you can organize both cultural leisure and fully relax as a savage with a tent. For those who specialize in sports, the Volga Sports and Ice Complex awaits.

You can travel by motor boat, catamaran, or water skis. Townspeople and guests love to go horseback riding. If you wish, you can get an exclusive souvenir. A matryoshka craftswoman offers her services in the city. Pottery making is widespread. You can make a unique toy yourself at a master class. If you have time, explore the abandoned Kalyazin. Outside the city there is an abandoned boarding house.

Go on a bike ride. This is a cafe-bar where you can have fun with a large group. And the bravest ones can try out a paraglider. There are centers outside the city that provide this service.

Monuments in Kalyazin

In the central square of the city, near the Kalyazinsky district administration building, a monument to Lenin has been preserved from Soviet times. Any monument is symbolic. There is a traditionally high pedestal and on it is Vladimir Ilyich, out of reach of the people.

And the monument to Macarius has a very low pedestal. Because he was always close to people and in the monument he is next to us. He is depicted the way the holy founders of monasteries are canonically depicted on Orthodox icons - in one hand the temple building, in the other the pastoral staff. He stands with his head slightly raised to the sky. This is the so-called prayerful approach to God. Standing for us.

During his lifetime, the Monk Macarius of Kalyazinsky was a healer - more than 90 cases of his curing those suffering from various ailments were recorded, and now his relics help with health problems. But you can turn to a saint for any problems in life - and he will help.

The author of the monument is Tver sculptor Evgeny Antonov, member of the Union of Artists of Russia, priest. Perhaps that is why it turned out to be such a good monument.

Kalyazin and Volga

Now the length of the coastline within the city is 8 km. But this has been the case since time immemorial. And from one bank to the other the width of the Volga is about two kilometers, and before the river here was much narrower.

Now in front of the city lie the so-called Monastic Islands - small and large. In their place there was a monastery and a settlement near it. The islands appeared when the level of the Volga was raised - the highest points of the area became islands.

In 2002, construction began on one of the islands. It was led by a lonely enthusiast - Alexander Kapitonov. A brick tower rose to house the chapel of St. Macarius. And its builder, who so dreamed of reviving the Trinity Monastery, soon died tragically - he fell through the ice.

Churches in Kalyazin

The bell tower is a symbol of Kalyazin, but not all of Kalyazin.

In the part that the water nevertheless spared, there is the Church of the Ascension of the Lord along with the bell tower - majestic, richly decorated, beautiful, as if echoing that famous city landmark.

The temple of the 18th century, before the revolution, the favorite temple of the townspeople of Kalyazin, in Soviet times it was used as a sports club. It has now been restored and services are held there. Since 2012, the holy relics of St. Macarius of Kalyazin have been kept here.

Near the Church of the Ascension there is a monument to the commander-liberator Prince Mikhail Vasilyevich Skopin-Shuisky. In the summer of 1609, the prince gathered a militia here and formed an army; here on the banks of the Zhabnya River, in a fierce battle, Russian troops under his command won a victory. After this, the Poles with Hetman Jan Peter Sapieha lifted the siege from the Trinity-Sergius Monastery and began to retreat...

There is another functioning church in the city, the Vvedenskaya Church, and the Kalyazin Local History Museum is located in the building of the Church of the Epiphany.

Repository of memory within the walls of the old temple

The museum building is in the Church of the Epiphany

The city museum of local lore is located in the refectory of the Church of the Epiphany. The museum collection was transported to this temple, liberated from believers, in 1937 from the Trinity Makaryev Monastery, which was condemned to flooding.

Cannons at the entrance to the museum

The museum bears the name of its founder and permanent director until 1972, Ivan Fedorovich Nikolsky (1898-1979). Initially, the museum's collection consisted of 340 exhibits from the church department, 200 from the art department, 425 manuscripts and 50 archaeological finds. By 1950, the collection had increased to 8,300 exhibits. The first visit by tourists to the cruise ship "Zheleznodorozhnik" in 1960 is considered one of the milestones in the history of the museum. At the end of the 1970s, the Kalyazin Museum became part of the Kalinin (Tver was named after the all-Union headman in Soviet times) association of regional museums. The current exhibition was opened in 1992. The museum itself turned exactly one hundred years old in November, and on this occasion, a local history conference “A Century-Long Road” was held in Kalyazin - with all the required Covid precautions. A decision was made to move the museum from Zarechye to the central part of the city.

S. V. Mokrova, director of the Kalyazin Museum of Local Lore:

S. V. Mokrova

— The Kalyazin Museum was opened in the fall of 1920. Its first exhibitions were located on the territory of the Trinity Kalyazin First-Class Monastery. The founder of the museum and permanent director for 52 years was Ivan Fedorovich Nikolsky (1898-1979).

The main collection of the museum in 1920 included “ancient monuments” kept in the monastery, collections of icons, clergy clothing, a library, and church utensils. In 1923, the inventory of the museum included 340 exhibits from the church department, 200 exhibits from the art department, and 425 hands. In 1935, the monastery fell into a flood zone and was dismantled by 1940. The museum was moved to the Epiphany Church (1781) in the Zarechenskaya part of the city (Svistukha). By the 1950s, the museum collection consisted of 8,300 exhibits. Since the 1960s, the museum has been working with tourists from Volga ships, and in 1977, it became part of the Kalinin Association of Regional Museums (now the Tver State United Museum).

The engine of the Hurricane fighter, on which pilot S. S. Pichugin rammed a German bomber, destroyed it and killed himself

The current exhibition was opened in 1992. The museum presents departments: archaeological, monastic, history of the city and district of the 18th-20th centuries, history of the Church of the Epiphany, landowners and merchants of the Kalyazin district, the Soviet period and a department dedicated to the events of the Great Patriotic War of 1941-45 .

By 2022, the museum’s collection will amount to 21,455 exhibits. This year he turns 100 years old! For our small town, this is an amazing museum. Here you can see real objects, finds of value from the Stone Age to our time! If you want to know at least a little more about Kalyazin than just about the Volga city with a flooded bell tower, you definitely need to look here! You will hear a fascinating story about the events of past centuries, learn how city blocks went under water and why the bell tower today is located in the waters of the Uglich reservoir. Interesting? Then this is definitely the place for you! Go to the museum group https://vk.com/kalyazinmuseum and subscribe to our news feed!

Kalyazin more attractions

The antenna of the radio astronomy observatory, which is based near the village of Tolstoukhovo, is clearly visible from the city. Its dimensions are cyclopean: height – 84 meters, mirror diameter – 64 meters. This “ear” is used to communicate with spacecraft and receive signals from satellites and pulsar stars.

It is known that seven Greek cities dispute the title of Homer’s homeland.

The village of Kukoboi, Yaroslavl Region, is arguing with the town of Kalyazin, Tver Region, for the right to be called the birthplace of Baba Yaga. Choose what you like best and where it is more convenient to go.

In Kalyazin, local craftsmen made everything with their own hands - the hut on chicken legs, Yaga's yard, the well, the mill, the refectory. It’s good to go here with a large group with a reservation in advance to have fun in the fresh air, play active games and have a tasty snack.

Sights of the city of Kalyazin

Let's take a quick look at the main attractions

, which you can see in Kalyazin. You can read more about them on the corresponding pages of our website.

Sights of Kalyazin

Folk crafts - tiles, lace and felt boots

There was an ancient craft in Kalyazin - wood carving. And there were once a lot of master carvers here. In different cities and towns of Russia they decorated houses and made wonderful iconostases. Now the craft no longer exists, but individual craftsmen still exist.

Before the revolution, there was another wonderful folk craft here - weaving lace with bobbins. It appeared in Kalyazin in the 17th century, when Queen Maria Miloslavskaya was fleeing the plague epidemic that broke out in Moscow in the Trinity-Makaryevsky Monastery. Lacemakers also came with her. Now attempts are being made to revive lace making. In the House of Crafts you can simply look at wonderful works, you can take a master class or buy something in the local store as a souvenir of Kalyazin.

The most beautiful Kalyazin tiles were once made here for the walls of houses, palaces and temples. Now they are only in the museum collection.

But they are still making felt boots. And they have no equal as souvenirs!

Places for families with children

Those who like to relax with their families in Kalyazin also have something to offer to interest the little guests of the city.

Museum complex "Tarchevskaya Sloboda"

Address: Tarchevo village.

“Tarchevskaya Sloboda” is a whole complex of museums dedicated to introducing ancient Slavic culture, from its very origins to the present. They are located on the banks of the Volga in the village of Tarchevo, very close to Kalyazin. On the territory of the museum complex there are museums of Slavic dolls, Beekeeping and Tarchevskaya Sloboda.

Museum of Slavic dolls. In it, guests will be introduced to the history of the creation of hand-made dolls, their variety and purpose, and will also share the secrets of their manufacture.

Beekeeping Museum. Curious visitors will learn here the history of the origin of beekeeping in Rus', called beekeeping. A colossal exhibition of all stages of the development of the bee breeding industry is presented here.

Tarchevskaya Sloboda. It is famous for having its own livestock farm, where it is easy to learn the basics of caring for pets. Various master classes on the topics of the museum complex are also held here, designed not only for adults, but also for children.

Felted shoe factory

This unusual production is located not far from Tarchevskaya Sloboda. The factory works and actively cooperates with various countries, such as Finland, Sweden, Norway and many others, supplying them with felted shoes. There is a museum attached to it where you can see how the warmest shoes in the world are produced using ancient technologies and modern equipment.

Baba Yaga's estate

Address: Solonovka.

It was created by local residents over several years. The area of the estate is small, but there is Leshego’s house, a well with Vodyanoy, a mill, a bathhouse, a workshop, and even a refectory with refreshments.

All buildings are made of wood and designed in a fairy-tale style. The area is fenced with a palisade, against which a boat with fishing gear is leaning. Wooden figurines of fairy-tale characters are placed throughout the yard.

To participate in the interactive program with the participation of Baba Yaga, you need to take care of tickets in advance. But even without them there is something to do here. So, you can take pictures and buy funny souvenirs. This is also a great opportunity to visit a fairy tale.

House of Crafts

Address - st. Comintern, 81.

Kalyazin craftswomen took up lace-making in the 17th century, when Tsarina Maria Ilyinichna Miloslavskaya herself came to Kalyazin with her needlewomen to wait out the plague epidemic. This small town then became for a time the center of the Russian state.

Since then, lace making has become the main craft of the women of Kalyazin. Lace woven with bobbins instantly spread throughout Russia and Europe. But by the end of the 20th century. this craft was almost lost.

There are only two lacemakers left in the whole city. It was then that the House of Crafts was opened - to preserve the ancient craft. Master classes on bobbin lace making, wood carving, and making amulets dolls are held here. There is a small shop at the attraction that sells original products and souvenirs.

Yacht club "Kalyazin"

Address: Rybzavoda village.

This is a popular place with tourists. Especially in summer. There is everything for a pleasant pastime - various berths for yachts, a summer cafe with a picturesque view, a helipad, areas for receiving tourist groups.

And for little Kalyazin residents, the club has created conditions for sailing. But that's not all. The owner of the establishment, Vladimir Olenin, opened a snail farm there, where they grow grape snails. Reviews say that this is the only production of this type in Russia that deals with snails all year round.

This farm has a tasting room where you can try a snail delicacy with white wine, and nearby local craftswomen sell unique souvenirs - knitted snails.

So why is little Kalyazin so good?

This is one of the environmentally friendly cities with truly crystal air.
The climate here is wonderful.
Beautiful Russian landscapes. Forests with strawberries, cranberries, lingonberries. Lovers of quiet hunting usually collect baskets full of mushrooms here.
Do you like relaxing near the water? At your service is the Volga itself, a dozen and a half rivers flowing into it and an unlimited number of streams.
There are relatively few people here, but there is a lot of nature, therefore, it is still preserved here.

But, as Mikhail Ancharov noted, the main difference between Kalyazin

Let's hit the road

Holding a book with the Nikolskaya Bell Tower on the cover about the city of Kalyazin, a magnet, a clay whistle and a jar of honey, we leave the souvenir counters. In the car, we snack on the chebureks we took with us on the road - Sanya has it with cheese, I eat it with meat, and, full of strength and energy, we set off further on the journey to Uglich.

Goodbye, Kalyazin! See you soon in Uglich, friends!