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Chukhloma is an ancient town in the north of the Kostroma region,
which fully justifies its funny name. It is located on the shore of
a picturesque lake, and is interesting not so much in itself as for
its surroundings, where, in addition to old temples, two carved
wooden towers, lost in the dense Kostroma forests, have been
preserved. Chukhloma is an intermediate point on the road to
Soligalich.
The name Chukhloma comes from the word “chud”,
and therefore the emphasis in it is placed on the first syllable,
although the further, the more the version of Chukhloma with the
emphasis on the last comes into use. The city stands on the high
shore of the lake of the same name Chukhloma. It was first mentioned
in documents in 1381 as part of the Principality of Galicia. From
the height of past centuries, this principality seems like something
small and insignificant, but in the 15th century it played an
important role in Russian history, when local princes - Yuri
Dmitrievich and his son Dmitry Shemyaka - laid claim to the Moscow
throne, staging a long internecine war with Vasily Dark. Chukhloma
was one of the outposts of the Galician principality, so a fortress
was built on a hill above the lake: either in the middle of the 15th
century to protect against the Moscow prince, or at the beginning of
the 16th century, already to protect the Moscow prince and the
principality from the raids of the Kazan Tatars.
Until the
18th century the city remained wooden. Stone construction began
after the devastating fire of 1727, and the oldest surviving
Chukhloma building, the Assumption Church, dates back to this time.
Then Chukhloma developed as an ordinary county town with a
rectangular plan, stone buildings in the central square and mostly
wooden buildings outside it, but, unlike neighboring Galich or, say,
merchant Sudislavl, there was nothing outstanding here. Then
Chukhloma was unlucky during Soviet times: the destruction of
churches and the lack of industry turned the city into a large,
run-down village, which it remains to this day. A beautiful lake,
the historical Assumption Church and a couple of streets of old
houses are, perhaps, all that can and is worth seeing here.
Nevertheless, Chukhloma is known and increasingly popular among
independent travelers. At first, the TAM automobile club began
organizing off-road expeditions “Full Chukhloma”, fortunately, there
is plenty of off-road in these parts. Then enthusiasts from Moscow
reconstructed the historical tower in Astashovo, turning it into a
one-of-a-kind country hotel, and tourists flocked to the Chukhloma
district. There really are a lot of interesting places around the
city, although most of them still fall into the category of not the
most accessible, requiring the traveler to invest a lot of time and
participate in an organized excursion or some preparation. Chukhloma
itself, although it is a regional center, still cannot offer guests
any intelligible infrastructure except a couple of canteens and
chain supermarkets, and you will most likely even spend the night
not in the city, but in the Astashovsky tower, Galich or Soligalich.
A couple of hours is more than enough to explore Chukhloma. The
surrounding attractions will require much more time: budget for at
least a full day and prepare for some autonomy.
1 Assumption Church, st. Sverdlova, 1 (central square). Built
shortly after the great fire of 1727, the church is surprisingly modern
for its time. Typically, architectural styles came to the Kostroma
region with a great delay; throughout the 18th century, five-domed
churches were built here, more reminiscent of traditional Russian ones,
but the Chukhloma church is a completely self-sufficient monument of the
Baroque, albeit in its most simple, provincial design. The church was
closed in the late 1930s, but reopened immediately after the war and has
remained active ever since. This made it possible to preserve the
original interior, including the remarkable iconostasis of the last
quarter of the 18th century. It’s a rare case when the inside of a
church is more interesting than the outside, so be sure to try to stop
by.
2 Ruins of the Transfiguration Cathedral, pl. Revolutions. The
second Chukhloma temple did not reach us in the best condition. It was
built in 1747 and, much more than the Assumption Church, gravitates
towards the traditions of Russian architecture: stone architraves,
runners, a spectacular entrance portal, once there were even kokoshniks,
but in Soviet times the cathedral lost its chapters, vaults - in general
everything; Only the lower floor has been preserved, looking more like a
garage or workshop, which is what it is. Nearby are the remains of the
earthen rampart of the old Chukhloma fortress, now turned into a city
park. The gazebo standing here has a good view of the lake; a wooden
staircase leads to the shore.
3 Public offices building, st. October
14. A mansion in the style of classicism is a rare occurrence in the
vastness of the Kostroma region. This is one of the oldest city
buildings that have come down to us (1808-1810), built, as they would
now say, “according to a standard design” simultaneously in several
county towns. In Chukhloma it looks the most representative, once again
emphasizing the unsightliness of the surrounding wooden buildings.
4 Bolshakov House, st. Ovchinnikova, 14. Classicism in wood is a rare
case when a one-story house completely reproduces the features of
capital stone mansions, including arched windows. But the most
interesting thing is inside: a magnificent tiled stove, presumably from
the second half of the 18th century, transported from some nearby
estate. The house is known by the name of the mayor F.F. Bolshakov and
built in the middle of the 19th century.
Old stone buildings are
concentrated in the center on Sovetskaya Street, as well as at the
beginning of Lenin Street: pay attention to the stylish wrought iron
balconies that brighten up the rather ordinary architecture of the late
19th century. The rest of the building is almost entirely wooden. The
local code of monuments notes many houses as “built in the traditions of
late classicism,” which in fact means only geometric shapes and the
absence of any decoration: this could equally well have been designed in
the 19th century or in the late 1990s. Those who have already been to
Soligalich are unlikely to be interested in Chukhloma architecture.
5 Agricultural College named after. Chizhova, village Anfimovo (3.5 km
southeast of the center). The complex of brick-style buildings was
erected at the end of the 19th century with the money of industrialist
Fyodor Chizhov (1811-1877), who bequeathed the construction of several
technical schools in the Kostroma province. The idea of creating
educational institutions in a campus format, with a separate territory
and a full complex of buildings down to small auxiliary buildings, was
completely revolutionary at that time, and even now such a solid,
well-thought-out ensemble looks something incredible in the Chukhloma
wilderness. After the revolution, the school turned into a forestry
technical school and is still functioning. The main buildings are in
good condition, some of the residential buildings are distorted by later
additions. The area is not fenced and is accessible at any time. Other
Chizhov vocational schools can be seen in Kostroma, Makaryev and near
Kologriv.
1 Museum of Local Lore , Sovetskaya st. 6. Mon–Thu 9:00–18:00,
Sat–Sun 9:00–17:00. An ordinary regional museum. Along with standard
exhibitions telling about local nature and peasant life, items from the
surrounding noble estates are shown.
2 Cinema “Ekran” , pl.
Revolutions, 4. ☎ +7 (910) 958-78-10. Residents of big cities will find
this cinema modest, but in fact everything you need is there:
renovations have been done, the seats are comfortable, the sound is
good.
You can only get to Chukhloma by bus or car. Buses run from Kostroma
(3.5 hours) through Galich (1 hour) heading to Soligalich and Sudai or
Viga only 5 times a day.
The only passable road comes to
Chukhloma from Galich (50 km), and then diverges into several smaller
paths, which all end in dead ends and get lost somewhere in the forests.
The main direction is Soligalich, which is another 50 km away. The
northern exit from the city (Kalinina Street) that looks great on the
maps is actually a demo version of the off-roading in the surrounding
area; In the direction of Soligalich it is better to go along the
street. Freedom.
1 Bus stop, pl. Revolutions (shop "Chukhloma
crucian carp"). Buses depart from a stop in the city center, the bus
station is on the street. Freedom is closed.
2 TNK gas station,
intersection of st. Freedom and bypass. Around the clock. Network gas
station with a shop, tea and coffee and hot food to be heated.
There is no public transport, everything in the center can be explored on foot. Look for taxi drivers' phone numbers in the VKontakte group or ask the administrators of the Astashovsky tower.
1 Supermarket “Perekrestok”, st. Lenina, 19. This is not a chain
“Perekrestok”, but a local store with the usual assortment for the
regional center.
2 Supermarket “Magnit”, st. Svobody, 29A.
8:00–22:00. On the contrary, it is a chain supermarket. There is parking
and a ramp, no queues, but the doors are narrow and uncomfortable.
3 Bakery “White Elephants”, st. October 1, 8:00–20:00. Chain Kostroma
bakery with a large selection of salty and sweet pastries. Not a bad
option if all catering establishments are closed.
1 Cafe “Cruise”, st. October 23rd Mon–Sat 9:00–17:00. Dining room
with delicious home-baked pies.
2 Pizzeria “Bonjour” , st. Sandeba.
Mon–Fri 11:00–19:00, Sat 11:00–18:00, Sun 11:00–17:00. The most original
of the few Chukhloma establishments offers, in addition to pizza,
pancakes, pancakes and something sweet. Good feedback.
3 Restaurant,
st. Svobody, 2. Mon–Fri 11:00–15:00. A former city restaurant, degraded
to an ordinary dining room. Conflicting reviews.
Early in the morning
and evening, the only place with tea and at least some food will be the
gas station on the bypass.
1 Hotel (“Beryozka”), Sovetskaya st. 8. ☎ +7 (49441) 2-11-41. The
only Chukhloma hotel is located in the historical building of the
Bolshakov teahouse with a nice corner turret. Cramped, smoky rooms and
amenities in the hallway. If you believe the reviews, there is hot
water.
2 Forest tower Astashovo (30 km from Chukhloma). ☎ +7 (953)
654-62-20. Double room: from 5000 rub. A carved wooden tower, turned
into a modern country hotel and part-time museum, where every piece of
furniture, be it old magazines lying on the table or a historical
cabinet, becomes a fascinating exhibit. History coexists peacefully with
comfort - there is good plumbing, hot water, Wi-Fi, online booking and
generally everything you can expect from a normal hotel. For the rooms
inside the tower, the amenities are mainly in the corridor, but there is
also a new building nearby, where the rooms already have a toilet and a
bath. A local chef prepares made-to-order lunches and dinners, and you
can also book a tour of the area or get advice. Prices are high for the
Kostroma region, but guests unanimously agree that it is worth it: so
far this is the only hotel of this type in Russia. There are few rooms,
demand is high, so during the season and on weekends the hotel is booked
weeks in advance.
The name Chukhloma was first mentioned in chronicles in 1381. The city is located on Lake Chukhlomskoye, which in the Soligalich chronicle of the 14th century. called “Chudskoye”, this version of the name allows us to see the basis of the oikonym Chukhloma as an ethnonym from the series Chud, Chukhna, Chukhar, used by the Russians to name Finnish-speaking peoples. According to A.K. Matveev, this etymology (supported, in particular, by M. Vasmer) is folk, and the topological basis “chuhl(o)-” can be compared with the Proto-Ural root *ćukkз ('hill, peak'), which can be related to the topography of the city and its surroundings.
The city is located on the shores of Lake Chukhloma, 50 km from the Galich railway junction.
Early history
The first mention of a settlement on Lake
Chukhloma dates back to the 10th century. The exact time and place
of its foundation are unknown. In the 10th century, the city
supposedly existed, but not on the southern, but on the northern
shore of Lake Chukhloma.
In the chronicle of the Soligalich
Resurrection Monastery under 1335 it is mentioned that the Galich
prince Fyodor Semyonovich, on the road from Galich to Soligalich,
having passed the “great forest”, saw the “Chudskoe” (Chukhloma)
lake and the Chud settlement near it.
In the 14th century,
the Avramievo-Gorodetsky Monastery was built on the site of the Chud
settlement.
The year of foundation of Chukhloma on the
southern coast is considered to be 1381 (the year of the first
mention of Chukhloma in literary sources - as a city within the
Galich-Mer principality).
In 1381, Moscow Metropolitan Pimen
was exiled to the city, having received the consecration of the
Patriarch of Constantinople to the Moscow Metropolis using a forged
letter.
Between 1434-1453, during the struggle for the grand
ducal table, Prince Dmitry Shemyaka strengthened Chukhloma.
In the 16th century, the Chukhloma lands formed their own
administrative-territorial unit - the Chukhloma siege, in the center
of which was the city of Chukhloma. As a result of civil strife, the
Principality of Galich, including Chukhloma, became part of the
Moscow state.
At the end of the 15th and beginning of the
16th centuries, the Chukhloma fortress was founded, on the territory
of which there is now a city park. The fortress was located on a
high hill at the confluence of the Sandeby River into the lake. On
the southern side it was protected by a cliff of the river bank, on
the west by steep slopes of a hill towards the lake, and on the
north and east by embankments and ditches, the line of which
included two ponds. Wooden walls with quadrangular towers were
placed on the ramparts, four of which secured the corners, and two,
on the northern and eastern sides, were passageways. The defense
system was complemented by three more towers located inside the
walls: a high pyramidal lookout with several tiers of bypass
galleries and balconies and two lower ones, with one tier of
bypasses. The powerful fortifications of the fortress made it
possible to hold it during the siege by the Poles in 1609. A
cathedral complex was located on the territory of the fortress. Next
to the temples stood the voivode's courtyard, the official hut, the
courtyard of the Avraamiev Monastery, and the siege houses of the
boyars B.I. Morozova, G.I. Maykova, G.I. Gorikhvostova, I.Ya.
Koltovsky. The Chukhloma fortress existed until 1727, when the
“great fire” in its furious rampage destroyed all the buildings.
The time of construction of the Chukhloma fortress is unknown.
Approximately this is the end of the 15th and beginning of the 16th
centuries. The fortress was located on a high hill at the confluence
of the Saneba (Sandeby) river into the lake. On the southern side it
was protected by a cliff of the river bank, on the west by steep
slopes of a hill towards the lake, and on the north and east by
embankments and ditches, the line of which included two ponds. The
height of the ramparts on the floor sides reached 4 meters, and on
the other sides no more than 1.5 m. The fortress had the shape of an
irregular quadrangle. Wooden walls with quadrangular towers were
placed on the ramparts, four of which secured the corners, and two,
on the northern and eastern sides, were passageways. The defense
system was complemented by three more towers located inside the
walls: a high pyramidal lookout with several tiers of bypass
galleries and balconies and two lower ones, with one tier of
bypasses. The powerful fortifications of the fortress made it
possible to hold it during the siege by the Poles in 1609. On the
territory of the fortress there was a cathedral complex. Next to the
temples stood the voivode's courtyard, the official hut, the
courtyard of the Avraamiev Monastery, and the siege houses of the
boyars B.I. Morozova, G.I. Maykova, G.I. Gorikhvostova, I.Ya.
Koltovsky. The Chukhloma fortress existed until 1727, when the
“great fire” in its furious rampage destroyed all the buildings. The
battle towers and walls of the city of Chukhloma perished in the
all-consuming flame, and government and private houses disappeared
in the fiery fireworks. Only ashes and smoldering firebrands
remained from the city Kremlin. On the territory of the ancient
fortress there is now a city park.
“ALL AROUND THE CITY DITS,
DIGES AND SHAFTS ARE FILLED, AND ON THE SHAFTS ARE WALLS WITH ANGLE
TOWERS.” Almost nothing has survived from ancient Chukhloma to our
time. Only the once formidable ramparts, which have subsided under
the weight of centuries and encircled the hills on the shores of the
former Lake Peipus, remind us that the small cozy town is more than
six hundred years old. During the difficult years of princely civil
strife and rapid Tatar raids, the Chukhlomy fortress was built. The
insidious and power-hungry Prince Dmitry Shemyaka strengthens
Chukhloma during the years of struggle for the grand-ducal throne
(1434-1453). Hastily, the taxing people of Chukhloma and the men of
the surrounding villages are digging a ditch, enclosing the city
from the north and east, the most convenient places for organizing
an assault on the fortress. Groaning and spitting on their calloused
palms, the peasants throw earth out of the pit; they carry sand and
clay for the embankment on stretchers, in sacks and matting. Earthen
ramparts grew up to a two-plant height, tightly enclosing a small
area of slightly more than two hectares. The longest side of the
shaft, facing the lake, was 213 m, and the shortest, 113 m, faced
north, towards the settlement. Only in two places did they cut
through the thickness of the earth to enter the fortress. The gate
connected the city with the settlement and the marketplace. On a
tightly compacted earthen base, strong walls were erected from wood,
and the corners were secured with chopped towers. It was as if a
green hill on the shore of the lake bristled; through warily
narrowed slits in the walls, the defenders of Chukhloma vigilantly
watched the roads leading to the town.
The fortress walls and
towers of Chukhloma, which completed the hill, apparently looked
quite impressive and were a reliable stronghold for the surrounding
population. It is difficult for us - people of the atomic age - to
understand the psychology of a person of the 15th century,
unfamiliar even with a steam engine, to compare the scale of our
hundred thousand settlements with cities where 200 - 500 souls
lived, to evaluate the aesthetic impression of the pointed palisades
and stocky fences rising on the earthen steeps. towers moving
forward to meet the enemy. It is very difficult to introduce a
coefficient for the historical difference in perception, but this is
helped by ancient images that reveal the world seen by the artist
several centuries ago - a world refracted through the prism of time.
An unknown artist depicted the city of Chukhloma on one of the
ancient icons of the Chukhloma Avraamiev Monastery, which seemed to
him, in comparison with the wretched villages, majestic and
beautiful, with tall buildings and powerful fortifications. Through
the specifics of worldview and iconographic traditions, real
features emerge in the naive drawing, allowing us to complement the
image of the ancient Russian city of Chukhloma. Squat towers, the
same height as the walls, took places in the corners of the
fortress; between the towers, under their protection, there were
gates. Inside the citadel, the artist painted three different
tower-like volumes. The left one obviously depicts the temple, which
was located in the same place where the Transfiguration Cathedral,
which has been converted beyond recognition, now stands; The middle
tiered volume most likely represents a watchtower, so necessary with
low towers, and the right one, presumably, depicts in figurative
form one of the povalushas - high, multi-story cages that were part
of the princely and boyar mansions.
The reliability of
individual details of the drawing is confirmed by census books of
the 17th century and archaeological data. During L. Kazarinov's
excavations in 1922, the base of the southwestern tower was
discovered under a layer of soil. The tower, square in plan, was
built from three tall logs (about 6.5 m). To make the tower more
stable, a number of piles were driven in from the side of the lake.
Three crowns of charred logs and the remains of the floor are all
that have survived from the Chukhloma stronghold, which stood until
the 18th century.
The life of the Chukhlomych people was
hectic in the 16th century. The end of the internecine war and the
inclusion of the Galich principality into the Moscow state did not
bring the long-awaited peace; more than ten times over the course of
a century, the Tatar cavalry swept through like a hurricane, sowing
death and grief along the way. The Chukhloma lands were not spared
by the Polish-Lithuanian invaders. In 1609, a strong detachment of
Lisovsky attacked Chukhloma, but was unable to take the fortress.
The surrounding villages began to burn again, women began to scream,
leaving their homes, and herds stretched out like a dusty ribbon,
driven away by the invaders. The Trans-Volga region became
impoverished, the villages were deserted, the arable land was
overgrown with weeds, the men scattered throughout the world, and
there were only more crosses on the graveyards. In Chukhloma itself,
according to the watch book of 1615, there were thirty households
with thirty male souls.
Only by the middle of the century did
the city recover a little from the disaster. The newly built huts
sparkled with gold, the number of households reached seventy,
trading became livelier and the flotilla of fishing boats on the
lake increased.
Chukhloma suffered greatly during the Time of Troubles.
In
1609, a strong detachment of Lisovsky attacked Chukhloma, but was unable
to take the fortress, but ravaged the surrounding area. In Chukhloma
itself, according to the watch book of 1615, there were thirty
households with thirty male souls.
In 1719, according to the territorial division of Peter I, Chukhloma
became the administrative center of the Chukhloma district and became
part of the Galician province of the Arkhangelsk province.
The
Chukhloma fortress existed until 1727, when the “great fire” destroyed
all the buildings.
In 1778, by decree of Catherine II, Chukhloma
became a district town of the Chukhloma district of the Kostroma
governorate. Since 1796 - part of the Kostroma province.
Remote from the main transit routes, Chukhloma was not considered a
trading town. Its population subsisted on crafts and small trade. A
significant part of the residents were engaged in fishing and gardening.
The lack of pasture land limited the possibilities for raising livestock
and hampered the development of butter and cheese making. The only
enterprise that existed in Chukhlom was the brewery of the tax farmer
Nelidov, recorded in documents in 1844.
In 1890, ditches began to
be filled in and a city garden was laid out on the territory of the
remains of the city fortress (Kremlin).
In 1928, zoning was carried out in the Kostroma province. The
territorial unit, the administrative center of which is Chukhloma, is
now called not a county, but a district.
In 1929, the Kostroma
province was transformed into the Kostroma district of the
Ivanovo-Voznesensk (Ivanovo) Industrial Region. In 1930, the districts
were abolished, and the district became directly subordinate to the
region.
In 1936, the Ivanovo Industrial Region was divided into
Ivanovo and Yaroslavl regions. Chukhloma ends up in Yaroslavskaya.
In 1944, the Kostroma region was formed, which included Chukhloma
and the region.
If you find yourself in Chukhloma, then, most likely, you are going to Soligalich or planning to see something in the surrounding area, where the more interesting the object, the more difficult it is to access: this is Complete Chukhloma. Some of the places listed below cannot be reached either by taxi or by your own car: you will need a prepared SUV or, at a minimum, stamina and rubber boots. Another option is excursions organized by the Astashovsky tower, which take place using all available modes of transport, including tractors, snowmobiles and UAZs.
1 Abraham Gorodetsky Monastery (13 km from Chukhloma - on the shore
of Lake Chukhloma near the village of Nozhkino). Founded around 1375 by
Abraham of Galich, a student of Sergius of Radonezh, sent to the north
to create new monasteries. Chukhloma appeared on the map around the same
time, so the monastery either preceded or accompanied the city. It is
arranged in an unusual way, located on a narrow hilltop, which is why
the path from the entrance to the temple goes steeply and symbolically
upward, leading to the Cathedral of the Icon of the Mother of God
“Tenderness” - a large five-domed “Tonovsky” temple (1857-1867), behind
which it hides the smaller Church of the Intercession (1608-1632),
standing close to the large cathedral. This church itself was once a
good five-domed church in the traditional Russian style, but if the
reconstruction of the 18th-19th centuries was largely leveled out by the
restoration of the 1970s, then nothing can be done with the cathedral
standing next to it, and now the church seems only a pathetic extension
to it, and it is painted an unnaturally gray color, as if it was
recently molded from cement. The gateway St. Nicholas Church (1650) is
somewhat better preserved; the rest of the monastery buildings,
including the walls and the huge 60-meter bell tower, date back to the
19th century. The monastery stands on a hill and looks good from the
water - it is perfectly visible even from Chukhloma. Up close, this
architectural “vinaigrette” is rather depressing, although all the
buildings, which were pretty much destroyed during the Soviet era, have
been completely restored. The monastery is active, but the regime for
visiting it is not very strict: there is no guard, you can just go in
and walk around the territory, as well as go outside it and go down to
the lake, where the bathhouse is located and the cell of the Monk
Abraham once stood.
2 Church of the Intercession in Nozhkino (next
to the monastery). The slender rural church in the classicist style
(1826-1831) looks much more harmonious than the entire monastery
combined. It is clearly visible from the road to Soligalich.
3 Neronovo estate (26 km from Chukhloma, the last 6 km beyond the
village of Fedorovskoye are passable only for a tractor or a prepared
SUV). The noble estate in the Chukhloma wilderness belonged to the
Cherevins, an old family with good connections in the capitals, for more
than 300 years. Stone construction began here quite early, at the end of
the 18th century, so the estate sometimes resembles the Baltic states or
the outskirts of St. Petersburg: a baroque manor house, the original
Resurrection Church at the junction of baroque and classicism (1790),
numerous auxiliary buildings of the first half of the 19th century.
Portrait artist Grigory Ostrovsky worked in the estate, whose paintings
now adorn the Soligalich Museum. After the revolution, the estate was
abandoned, then for a long time it was used as a home for the mentally
ill and was empty again in the 1990s. The remote location and bad roads
saved it from looting: the iconostasis and burials of the Cherevins were
preserved in the church, and stucco moldings and old doors were
preserved in the manor house. Now the territory is in private hands, it
is planned to open a rehabilitation center here (the TIL monastery), but
for now both the church and the manor house are simply “mothballed,”
that is, locked. Those who came here at random usually did not manage to
get inside, so make arrangements in advance - for example, through the
Astashovsky tower.
4 Terem in Astashov (30 km of unpaved, but passable road for any
car). The phenomenon of the Chukhloma outback is two luxurious wooden
towers from the late 19th century. Astashovsky was built by local
peasant Martyan Sazonov, who left his native village to work in St.
Petersburg. There he not only made a fortune, but also spied a project
by the famous architect Ivan Ropet, made for some international
exhibition. Returning to his homeland and getting married for the second
time, Sazonov decided to build a tower according to that very design -
as a gift to his young wife and just to make it beautiful. When, by the
early 2000s, there was not a trace left of the village of Astashovo, and
the tower stood empty and abandoned in the middle of the forest, not
even having the status of a cultural heritage site, there were
enthusiasts in Moscow who were ready to get involved in another
adventure: to restore the practically doomed building as close as
possible to to the original. Now it is a modern country hotel and at the
same time a museum, where they show recreated interiors and ancient
objects collected from the surrounding villages, tell local stories and
the history of the tower. It’s best to come here with an overnight stay
(and, to be honest, there are other options in the vicinity), but you
can just go on an excursion, which costs 300 rubles. per person and is
held daily by prior arrangement. In the tower they can also serve you
lunch or dinner, for about 800 rubles. per person.
5 Terem in
Pogorelovo (35 km to the village of Krasnaya Niva, then 3 km is a very
bad road with a ford). This tower was built by Ivan Polyashov, whose
story is similar to the previous one: a local peasant got rich in St.
Petersburg, returned to his homeland and built a wooden house more
beautiful than Astashov’s - no longer according to the capital’s popular
print, but according to some original design that is a little more
reminiscent of a peasant house, only very ornate. Then the fates of the
two towers diverged. In the 1970s, Pogorelovsky was bought by the artist
Anatoly Zhigalov, who still lives in this wilderness and does not allow
the building to fall apart, so everything here is not as neat as in
Astashov, but entirely authentic: delightful carved decor, multi-colored
glass, wall paintings in some rooms. In the summer, Zhigalov visits the
mansion and shows it to those who wish. The rest of the time, negotiate
through the Astashovsky tower, and in the summer, their help with
transport may be useful to you. Any car can get to Krasnaya Niva in dry
weather, although one bridge along the way regularly falls apart. Just
before the tower there is a ford through the Viga - knee-deep in a good
situation.
6 Vvedenskaya Church on Viga (22 km from Chukhloma). The
five-domed church was built in 1800 in the most common forms for the
Kostroma region, and the interesting thing about it is that it is the
only completely restored church of this type for many kilometers around:
due to its light blue color, it looks bright and festive. Nearby is the
small church of Dmitry Solunsky in the style of classicism (1837), also
in excellent condition. The village of Vvedenskoye is located at the
fork in the roads to Astashovo and Pogorelovo.
7 Resurrection Church in Valuevo (20 km from Chukhloma, near the
village of Povalikhino). A rotunda church (1803-1808) with a rare
triangular layout, first used near Moscow in Dolgoprudny (Vinogradovo
estate), and then copied in several places in the Yaroslavl and Kostroma
regions. Now it is abandoned, overgrown with trees, and there is not
even a road to it - you need to follow the azimuth. The bell tower was
added in the 1860s.
8 Chapel in Ploskov (36 km from Chukhloma, turn
left before reaching Sudai, then another 2 km along the forest road).
Another example of unusual wooden architecture, which the Chukhloma land
also owes to a local otkhodnik peasant who became rich in Moscow and
decided to build something in his homeland - though not a tower, but
just a chapel. Just as the Astashovsky and Pogorelovsky towers are not
very similar to ordinary peasant dwellings, so the building in Ploskov
bears little resemblance to a rural chapel: it has five domes and echoes
of Art Nouveau are felt. It was erected in 1909-1910, now abandoned, but
still completely intact.
Sudai is an ancient village, founded in 1542
and even managed to serve as a regional center. Now there is complete
wilderness and many carved wooden houses that are more interesting than
those in Chukhloma. In the center is a complex of two stone churches -
the Annunciation Church in the style of classicism (1830) and the
Resurrection Church, gravitating towards provincial baroque (1792). The
most interesting wooden houses are located in the north of the village,
in the former village of Bubolino, where a museum has even been created,
but it is unclear when and how it operates.