Location: Vladimir Oblast Map
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Gus-Khrustalny (Гусь-Хрустальный) is a small city in the Vladimir Oblast of Russia. It's name is translated as a Crystal Goose. It was found in the 17th century and was named Gus (Goose). In 1756 rich merchant family of Maltsovi started glass production in the village that quickly grew and eventually was renamed to Gus- Maltsovi and later renamed to Gus- Khrustalny or Crystal Goose after main business of its residents.
Museum of Maltsevi family (Музей хрусталя им. Мальцевых)
The main tourist attraction is former St. George's Cathedral (Kalinin str., 2a). The building was built in 1904 in the pseudo-Russian style designed by Benoit. After the revolution, the cathedral was rebuilt (in particular, lost the dome), but the layout and exterior decor remained. Inside the building you can see a huge canvas “The Last Judgment” by Vasnetsov. In general, the cathedral is located crystal museum, which collected the products of the plant from the middle of the XVIII century to our time. Among the exhibits are many interesting products made to special orders, as well as works of authorship, which undoubtedly belong to works of art.
Church of Ioakim and Anna (Церковь Иоакима и Анны)
Chapel of Saint Martyr Varvara (Часовня святой великомученицы Варвары)
The city also houses the chapel church of Great Martyr Varvara or Barbara. The chapel was built in 1765 on the site of the image of the Great Martyr Barbara. The church itself was built only in 1885. It is an octahedral structure with side porches, covered with a low tent with a cupola. The church was closed during the Soviet period, in 1991 it was returned to believers, and three years later it was restored and consecrated.
Not far from the museum of crystal there is a historical and art museum. It is open daily from 10.00 to 17.00, except Monday and the third Tuesday of every month. Tickets to the museum are; adult - 40 rubles, children - 20 rubles, preferential (students, pensioners) - 20 rubles, preferential “free” - for pensioners with disabilities, participants of the Great Patriotic War and every third Wednesday of a month for persons under 18 years of age. The museum opened on the day of the 255th anniversary of Gus-Khrustalnog, June 18, 2011. The Stone Chronicle of Meshchera and the Goose Museum are open, telling about the history of Meshchersky Krai’s development, about the nature of Meshchera and about Gus, like a bird, like a sacred totem for the ancient inhabitants of Meshchera, as a character of myths and legends about the creation of the World, as the name of the river Gus (Goose), which is part of the ancient trade route (“Silver Way”) from Persia to Rostov and Veliky Novgorod.
City building
City building Gus-Khrustalnogo uninteresting. Not
far from the cathedral, the so-called "Maltsov houses" stand out -
one- or two-storeyed red-brick buildings built for the workers of a
crystal factory at the end of the 19th century.
Also in the
city there are several monuments:
Monument to Vladimir
Ulyanov-Lenin;
Eternal flame;
Cenotaph;
Monument to Akim
Maltsov;
Monument to victims of the liquidation of the Chernobyl
disaster
Stele, installed on the site of the house in which the
psychiatrist SS Korsakov was born.
Start of glass production
The settlement (Gusskaya volost) is mentioned in the documents of
the 17th century. In 1756, the merchants Maltsovs in the Shivorovo
tract on the Gus River began the construction of a glass
manufactory, which gave rise to the well-known name - the Gus
Crystal Factory and the name of the city "Gus-Khrustalny". The
construction was caused by the need to withdraw enterprises from the
Moscow region, where the government banned glass factories due to
deforestation. In Gus, in particular, artisans were transported from
near Mozhaisk. In 1759, Akim Maltsov launched the second plant -
Nikulinsky, which consisted of two workshops (gut).
After the
death of Akim, his widow Maria Vasilievna took over. Over 20 years
of management, Maria Maltsova founded four more glass factories and
one cement factory. According to the will, Maltsova transferred all
the glass production to her youngest son Ivan, allocating the
eldest, Sergei, only a monetary reward. A few years later, Sergey
Maltsov bought all Gusev enterprises from his younger brother and
founded new factories nearby. In 1823, after the death of Sergei
Maltsov, the "Maltsov glass district", which united the factories of
the Vladimir, Ryazan, Oryol, Kaluga and Smolensk provinces, united
again under the leadership of his son Ivan Sergeevich Maltsov.
In 1831, Ivan Maltsov, who returned from abroad, arrived in Gus and
took up factory business. Under him, the Gusevsk Crystal Factory was
reborn, as it were. Maltsov, who often traveled abroad, began to
introduce technical innovations that appeared in Europe at his
enterprises. He also borrowed novelties from other Russian glass
factories, which were in demand on the market. At the suggestion of
craftsmen under Maltsov, a “chamber of samples” was created, where
products were stored that were the best in beauty and complexity of
drawing. Soon the Gusev plant was transferred to the production of
expensive crystal tableware. Now the plant could rightfully be
called a crystal plant. The best glass masters were transferred here
from other factories. In Hus, popular products were made from plain
and colored glass with flower painting and gilding. Crystal products
were famous for their diamond (brilliant) facet, decorated with
engraving. Vases were produced from two- and three-layer crystal
with etching. At the II All-Russian Exhibition of Manufactory
Products, held in 1831 in Moscow, Gusev crystal was awarded a "small
gold medal". Two years later, Gusev products won a "big gold medal"
at the St. Petersburg exhibition. Two years later, Maltsov products
entered the world market.
In 1835, Ivan Maltsov, being abroad
in the retinue of Nicholas I, studied the work of Czech factories
that produced Bohemian glass, purchased production samples, and
acquired manufacturing recipes. Soon the Gusev plant mastered the
technology of manufacturing Bohemian products.
In 1844, the
construction of a paper spinning mill began in Gus, which was
launched in 1847. In 1865, a paper and weaving factory began to
operate, and in 1888, a weaving mill. From the first steps, the
paper mill was distinguished by the high quality of the yarn. Cotton
was bought in America, all the equipment was English. At the
All-Russian Exhibition of 1870, Gusev cotton products were awarded a
silver medal, and at the exhibition of 1882 - a gold medal.
Ivan Maltsov died in 1880. After his death, the Gusevsky Crystal
Factory passed to one of his nephews, Yuri Stepanovich
Nechaev-Maltsov (1834-1913). During this period, the Gusev Crystal
Factory produced about 1/4 of all glass products in the Vladimir
province, in 1884 it employed 744 people. 3.5 thousand people worked
at the paper mill during this period. At the beginning of the 20th
century, Gus-Khrustalny became a large factory settlement. On the
eve of the First World War, 12 thousand people lived in it.
In 1914, according to the will of the childless Yu. S.
Nechaev-Maltsov, his fortune passed to his relative, Count P. N.
Ignatiev. In 1918 the enterprise was nationalized.
By the Decree of the NKVD of February 25, 1919,
Gus-Maltsevsky received the status of a city. However, due to
difficult material conditions, the lack of administrative buildings
and any public utilities, housing, and funds to pay salaries to the
city state, Gus-Maltsevsky could not cope with city expenses and was
subsequently transferred to the status of a workers' settlement.
By a decree of the All-Russian Central Executive Committee of
August 23, 1926, the Gusevsky district was formed. Gus-Maltsevsky
was renamed Gus-Khrustalny and became the county center. There were
26 fairly large industrial enterprises operating in the county. With
the liquidation of provinces and counties, the Gusevsky district of
the Vladimir district of the Ivanovo Industrial Region was
organized.
The general plan and layout of the village was
developed in 1927 by the urban architect Alexander Ivanitsky.
The village of Gus-Khrustalny from June 10, 1929 became the
regional center.
By the decree of the All-Russian Central
Executive Committee of January 30, 1930, the settlement included the
adjacent settlements: Nekrasovsky, Gertsensky, Krasny Oktyabr and
Khrustalshchik (Decree of the All-Russian Central Executive
Committee of January 30, 1930 “On the inclusion of the working
settlement of Gus-Khrustalny, Vladimir District, Ivanovo Industrial
Region, settlements: Herzensky, Nekrasovsky, Red October and
Khrustalshchik")
By a decree of the All-Russian Central
Executive Committee of November 20, 1931, the working settlement of
Gus-Khrustalny was transformed into a city. March 11, 1936 became
part of the Ivanovo region.
Gusev residents made a great
contribution to the victory during the Great Patriotic War. There
were five hospitals in the city. In the autumn of 1941, a defense
committee was created in the city, and a fighter battalion of the
people's militia was formed. In a short time, production was rebuilt
in a military way. The Crystal Factory at that time produced
thermoses, flasks, flasks, thermometers, etc.
On August 14,
1944, Gus-Khrustalny became part of the newly formed Vladimir
Region.
Gus-Khrustalny was awarded the Order of the Badge of
Honor (1981) for success in the development of the domestic glass
industry and contribution to the development of the national
economy.
In the 1970s, an embankment was built and roads
paved. During the Soviet period, such large industries as a crystal
factory, a textile factory, a pilot plant, a glass factory named
after Dzerzhinsky, a quartz factory, Shveymash, an armature factory
worked in the city, the Institute of Glass, a creolin factory, a
meat processing plant, a dairy plant, and a bakery operated. Clubs,
schools were built, children's country recreation camps were opened.
Gusevskoy Crystal Factory is the largest domestic
enterprise for the production of art glass and crystal. In 1996, the
city of Gus-Khrustalny was awarded the international prize "Golden
Mercury" for the preservation of the historical and architectural
appearance of the city.
The collapse of the USSR had a negative
impact on the industry of the city. The Quartz Plant and Shveymash were
closed.
At the end of 2010, Gus-Khrustalny entrepreneurs wrote to
Prime Minister Vladimir Putin about the dominance of crime in their
city: “More than three dozen arsons, robberies, beatings and other
‘exemplary’ crimes against business representatives. And these
statistics are only for the last 4 months. The situation in the city was
described as "criminal terror". During the investigation, the heads of
local law enforcement agencies were removed from their posts and later
resigned. The head of the Investigative Committee of the Russian
Federation Alexander Bastrykin came to restore order in Gus-Khrustalny.
Vladimir Putin commented on the criminal situation in Gus-Khrustalny
as follows: “As for the terrible situation in Kushchevskaya, and in
Gus-Khrustalny, it’s not only about the internal affairs bodies. Here
the matter is completely different: the fact that all authorities have
proved to be insolvent.”
Until 2010, Gus-Khrustalny had the
status of a historical settlement, however, by Order of the Ministry of
Culture of the Russian Federation dated July 29, 2010 No. 418/339, the
city was deprived of this status.
In November 2011, the famous
Crystal Factory, which gave the city its name, suspended its work.
Production at the plant was stopped on November 5, 2011 due to a power
outage for debts of 11 million rubles. The employees of the enterprise
were fired in January 2012.
In September 2012, Andrey Murtazin,
the leader of the Vosmerochny organized crime group operating in 2010,
as well as his brother Ruslan Murtazin, were detained.
On
December 26, 2013, the Crystal Factory resumed its work, or rather, its
4th workshop, which specializes in the production of colored crystal.
The launch event was attended by Governor of the Vladimir Region
Svetlana Orlova, Chairman of the Legislative Assembly of the Region
Vladimir Kiselyov, and Mayor Nikolai Balakhin.
How to get here
By train
Commuter trains from Vladimir. When driving from
Moscow, you can take an electric train or a long-distance train from
Kazansky railway station to the Nechaevskaya station, and from the
station, get to the city by taxi or hitchhiking.
By bus
Buses from Vladimir or from the central bus station in Moscow (Metro
station blue.png Metro station Shelkovskaya)
Transport around
Gus-Khrustalny
There are 9 bus routes in Gus-Khrustalny. The fare
in January 2014 was 15 rubles.
Hotel "Debern", st. International, 105. ☎ +7 (49241) 23-452.
Junior Suite: 1,800 rubles (2009). Non-block type, as well as junior
suites with private facilities in the room. Free unguarded parking.
Hotel "Meshchersky Dawns", st. International, 22. ☎ +7 (49241)
20-548, 22-261. Double rooms: 1200–1400 rubles (2009).
Hotel
complex "Barinov Grove", st. International, 114. ☎ +7 (49241)
31-911, 93-401, 93-402. Double room: 1200 rub, junior suite: 2100
rub (2008). Rooms with amenities, the hotel has a restaurant.
Tourist Complex Wolves House, Ochotnichya Street 1. ☎ +7 (49241)
23-702, 22-866.
Tourist complex "Crystal", st. International,
107. ☎ +7 (49241) 25-331.
The city produces good Maltsov beer.
Below is a list of
bars, cafes and restaurants in the city.
"Volcano" (bar-variety)
st. International, 53
"Wolves House" (restaurant and hotel
complex) st. Hunting, 1
"AlmaZ" (cinema) st. Kalinin, 22
"Valley" (cafe) st. International, 103
"Maltsov" (restaurant) ul.
Kalinina, 30 (ground floor)
"Flashlight" (cafe) st. Old
Bolsheviks, 7
"Barinova Grove" (entertainment complex) st.
International, 114
"Bar" st. International, 42a
Wasabi (cafe)
st. Kalinina, 19 (from the former cafe "Spartak")
"Visit" (cafe)
st. Dobrolyubova, 4
"TIME IS" st. Kalinin 28A
"Iriska"
(Children's cafe) Teplitsky pr-t, 43
Cafe. Snack Bar. Shot glass.
st. International, 22
"Cafe" st. International, 22 (2nd floor of
the hotel)
"Cafeteria" st. Kalinina, 19/16
"Cafeteria" st.
Kakhovskogo, 5 (Titanic, from the Field-Miracles)
"Cafe at
Mikhailovna" st. Mayakovsky, 38
"Cranberry" (cafe) st.
Rudnitskaya, 3 (TC "Rainbow" 3rd floor)
Coffee Shop "Cream" st.
Kalinina, 21 (opposite the city court)
"Gourmand" (cafe) Ave
50-letie Sovetskoy vlasti, 10
"Master" st. Old Bolsheviks, 11
"Meschersky Zori" (restaurant) ul. International, 22 (1st floor)
Youth (snack bar) Microdistrict, 50
Olga (cafe) st. 2nd People's,
369k
Pizza Bar "Sausage" ул. Kalinin 28A
"Cellar" (cafe - bar)
ul. Kakhovskogo 5a
"Expanse" (cafe) st. Kalinin, 9
Retro
restaurant "Roman" st. International, 11 (building "GKKD")
Restaurant "Venice" Revolyutsii Street, 2 (TC "Spring", 1st floor.)
"Romance" (cafe) st. Red Army, 23
"Samovar" (cafe) st. 2nd
People's, 6a
Dining str. Rudnitskoy, 3 (entrance through the
entrance of the Textile Mill)
"Dining room RPS" st.
Volgogradskaya, 4
Dining room "Pyaterochka" st. Transport, 36
"Dining room №47" 50-letie Sovetskoy vlasti, 5
"Tavern" (cafe)
Teplitsky pr-t, 37
"Refectory" st. Kalinina, 19/16
"At
Alekseeva" (cafe) ul. International, 42a
"Manor Meshcherskaya"
(hotel and restaurant) st. International, 105
"Delight friends"
(cafe-bar) ul. Kalinina, 19
"Crystal Forest" (cafe) st. Mendeleev
25a
Crystal Faces (kids cafe) ul. International, 53
"Edem"
(cafe) 50-letie Sovetskoy vlasti, 39
Night life
Entertainment center "Almaz". Includes a cinema, pizzeria, game
room, bowling and disco.
Of course, in Gus-Khrustalny you need to buy
crystal, and the sellers are likely to find you right next to the
crystal museum. However, it is worth bearing in mind that the most
widely used products are usually sold from the hands (approximately
the same range is present at the Vekovka station, where all trains
go to Kazan and the sellers besiege these trains at any time of
day).
Street vendors are extremely annoying, but it is better
to reject their offers and go to one of the company stores located
in the basement of the cathedral (entrance from the opposite side of
the entrance to the museum) or at ul. Kalinina, 28. In stores you
can buy pretty products made of crystal at rather low prices,
although the assortment is not very large (there are no analogues of
museum exhibits here). Prices for ordinary products (glasses,
glasses, dishes, etc.) are markedly lower than in other cities. When
buying with hands, bargaining is appropriate and even necessary.
Connection
Internet cafe is located in the entertainment
center (Kalinin str., 22)
The official website of Gus-Khrustalny:
http://gus-info.ru/
Precautionary measures
Gus-Khrustalny is not safe. Even in the
central part you can meet a drunken company. Walking in the dark
around the city is not recommended.