Likino-Dulyovo is a city in the east of the Moscow region, part of
the Orekhovo-Zuevsky urban district. Located on Meshchera, 78 km east of
Moscow along the Nosovikhinskoe highway and 7 km south of the city of
Orekhovo-Zuevo, 12 kilometers from the city of Drezna. Within the city
there is the Dulevo railway station. Nearby settlements: the villages of
Kabanovo, Kudykino, Korotkovo, Ionovo.
Population - 34,013
people. (2023).
Porcelain Factory Club, st. Lenina, 1. Built according to the design
of Konstantin Melnikov in 1930. The only building of the famous
architect, located outside of Moscow, is an example of avant-garde
architecture and has a very remarkable volumetric composition.
Church
of St. John the Evangelist, st. Lenina, 1a. The red brick church in the
Russian style was built in 1901-1915 by the owners of the Kuznetsov
porcelain factory for their workers.
Ruins of the Likino spinning and
weaving factory.
Museum of Local Lore.
Museum of the Dulevo
Porcelain Factory.
By train
From Kursky station by electric trains in the Gorky
direction (terminal stations - Krutoye, Petushki, Vladimir) to Kabanovo
station, then by bus or taxi.
By car
Along Nosovikhinskoye or
Yegoryevskoye highway.
By bus
From Partizanskaya metro
station.
Branded store of the porcelain factory.
Average cost
Pizza bella
KFC
Early History
Likino-Dulyovo, located in the Orekhovo-Zuyevsky
District of Moscow Oblast, Russia, approximately 78 km east of Moscow,
has roots tracing back to the 17th century. The village of Likino was
first documented in census books of church lands in the Vladimir
district in 1637, initially comprising just four households. The
adjacent area known as Dulyovo derived its name from a local legend
about a forester named Ivan Dulev who tended the nearby forests. During
this period, the region was part of broader rural landscapes under
Russian tsarist rule, with limited development until the industrial era.
The Founding and Rise of the Porcelain Industry (19th Century)
The town's modern history began in earnest in 1832 when Terenty
Kuznetsov, a merchant and peasant from the nearby village of Gzhel
(famous for its pottery traditions), purchased land on the Dulyovo
wasteland near Likino and established a porcelain factory. This venture
quickly grew, leveraging local clay resources and skilled artisans from
Gzhel. Under Terenty's grandson, Matvey Kuznetsov, the factory expanded
significantly, forming a partnership that encompassed 18 companies by
the late 19th century. It produced porcelain for all social classes,
from everyday items to ornate pieces, and achieved imperial supplier
status in 1902, providing wares to the Russian court. The factory's
signature style incorporated folk motifs with bold, sweeping
brushstrokes known as "agashkas," blending traditional Russian artistry
with industrial production. By this time, the Dulyovo porcelain works
had become one of Russia's largest, profoundly shaping the local economy
and community. The Kuznetsov family also contributed to the town's
cultural landscape, funding the construction of the Church of St. John
the Evangelist between 1901 and 1915, a red-brick Russian-style church
built for factory workers.
The porcelain industry not only drove
economic growth but also attracted workers, leading to the development
of settlements around the factory. Other industries emerged, such as the
Likinsky Spinning and Weaving Factory founded in 1870, which operated
until 2002 and focused on textiles.
Soviet Era Transformations
(1917–1991)
Following the 1917 Russian Revolution, the porcelain
factory was nationalized and continued to thrive, becoming a symbol of
Soviet industrial and artistic achievement. In 1931, an art laboratory
was established under chief artist Pyotr Vasilyevich Leonov, fostering
innovative designs. Notable artists included Mikhail Mikhailovich
Adamovich (1927–1933), Alexey Georgievich Sotnikov, Vladimir
Klimentyevich Yasnetsov, Asta Davydovna Brzhezitskaya, Olga Mikhailovna
Bogdanova, Evgeniya Ilyinichna Gatilova, Nina Aleksandrovna Malysheva,
and even the Hungarian-born Eva Zeisel, whose work was interrupted by
political purges. The factory won international acclaim, earning gold
medals at the 1937 Paris World's Fair for Leonov's tea set "Beauty" and
at the 1958 Brussels World's Fair for Sotnikov's sculpture "The Falcon,"
which became the factory's trademark in 1964. It produced commemorative
pieces, such as a vase portraying Yuri Gagarin in 1961 (by Viktor
Yuryev, Donat Rozhdestvensky, and Sergei Medvedev) and porcelain bears
for the 1980 Moscow Olympics (designed by Viktor Chizhikov and Viktor
Ropov). In 1976, the factory was awarded the Order of Lenin for its
contributions.
Urban development accelerated in the Soviet period. In
1930, the settlements of Likino and Dulyovo merged into a single
workers' village, reflecting the growing industrial workforce. That same
year, architect Konstantin Melnikov designed an avant-garde club for
porcelain factory workers, an iconic example of constructivist
architecture that still stands today. On December 1, 1937, the
settlement was granted town status as Likino-Dulyovo.
The year 1937
also marked the founding of another key industry: the Likinsky Bus Plant
(LiAZ). Initially established as the Likino Experimental Wood Chemical
Plant (LOZOD) for wood processing and particle boards, it shifted to
metalworking in 1944 and was renamed LiMZ. By 1959, it began assembling
buses for the ZiL factory, and in 1962, it developed the prototype for
the LiAZ-677, an automatic transmission urban bus that became a Soviet
icon. After trials in 1963 and full production starting in 1967, over
194,000 units were manufactured until 1996. Despite issues like high
fuel consumption (35 liters per 100 km), noisy engines, and heating
flaws, its capacity for 110 passengers made it indispensable for urban
transport across the USSR, earning it affectionate nicknames and
monuments in various cities. Additional industries included the Dulevo
Paint Factory, operational since 1931, producing pigments and materials
for ceramics.
Post-Soviet Era and Modern Developments
(1991–Present)
After the dissolution of the Soviet Union,
Likino-Dulyovo faced economic challenges, including the closure of the
spinning factory in 2002. However, the porcelain and bus industries
persisted. The Dulyovo porcelain factory remains Russia's largest,
producing over 10 million items annually, including hand-painted
artistic pieces, and hosts festivals and a museum to preserve its
heritage. The LiAZ plant continued bus production, transitioning to
modern models like the LiAZ-5256 after retiring the 677 in 1996. Food
industries, such as the Likino-Dulevsky branch of Orekhovokhleb, also
contribute to the local economy.
Administratively, the town underwent
changes: it became a city of regional subordination in 1937, briefly
served as the center of its own urban district from 2018 to 2019, and
was incorporated into the Orekhovo-Zuyevsky urban district in 2019.
Culturally, Likino-Dulyovo preserves its heritage through sites like the
Local Lore Museum, the Melnikov-designed club, and the porcelain museum,
emphasizing its role in Russian industrial and artistic history.
Today, Likino-Dulyovo stands as a testament to Russia's industrial
evolution, blending historical craftsmanship with Soviet-era innovation,
and continues to produce goods that hold cultural significance both
domestically and internationally.
Likino-Dulyovo is a town situated in the Orekhovo-Zuyevsky District
of Moscow Oblast, Russia, approximately 98 kilometers northeast of
Moscow. Its geographical coordinates are roughly 55°43′N 38°57′E,
placing it in the eastern part of the oblast within a region
characterized by low-lying plains. The town lies at an elevation of
about 130 meters above sea level, which aligns with the average altitude
of the surrounding district's hilly yet predominantly flat landscape.
Geophysically, Likino-Dulyovo is part of the Meshchera Lowlands, a
broad triangular-shaped plain that spans portions of Moscow, Vladimir,
and Ryazan Oblasts. This lowland is bounded by major rivers including
the Oka to the south, the Moskva to the southwest, and the Klyazma to
the north, with elevations typically ranging from 80 to 130 meters. The
terrain around Likino-Dulyovo consists of gently rolling plains with
sandy soils, interspersed with scattered forests and wetlands,
reflecting the broader characteristics of the Meshchera region rather
than the more elevated Central Russian Upland to the south. These plains
are often described as a mosaic of low hills and depressions, with
minimal topographic variation that contributes to poor drainage in many
areas. The district as a whole covers about 1,821 square kilometers,
featuring a landscape that transitions from urban settlements to
expansive natural areas.
Hydrographically, the town is positioned
within the basin of the Klyazma River, a major tributary of the Oka,
which flows just north through the nearby city of Orekhovo-Zuyevo, about
10 kilometers away. While Likino-Dulyovo itself is not directly on a
large river, the surrounding area includes smaller waterways and
tributaries that feed into the Klyazma system, along with numerous
wetlands, peat bogs, and lakes common to the Meshchera Lowlands.
Examples of nearby water bodies include Lake Smerdyachye in the broader
Moscow Oblast portion of the lowlands, highlighting the region's
abundance of shallow lakes formed by glacial activity and poor drainage.
These features contribute to occasional flooding and support a network
of peatlands, which locals have noted as feeding local streams and
hosting diverse ecosystems.
The vegetation and land cover in and
around Likino-Dulyovo are dominated by mixed forests, with pine stands
prevalent on sandy soils, covering over 40% of Moscow Oblast overall.
This forested environment transitions into coniferous and deciduous
woods, typical of the taiga-steppe boundary zone, with scattered meadows
and agricultural lands in cleared areas. The soils are often podzolic or
boggy due to high moisture levels, influencing local land use
historically tied to textiles and porcelain production rather than
intensive farming. Fauna in the region includes common species like elk,
foxes, hares, and various birds, adapted to the forested and wetland
habitats, though specific endangered species have been noted in nearby
peatlands.
Climatically, Likino-Dulyovo experiences a humid
continental climate (Köppen Dfb), marked by significant seasonal
contrasts. Winters are long, cold, and snowy, lasting from November to
March, with average January temperatures around -10°C and extremes
dropping to -47°C in severe cases. Summers are short, warm, and
relatively rainy, with July averages of about 18–20°C and highs up to
40°C. The annual average temperature hovers around 4–6°C, with
precipitation totaling approximately 700 mm, distributed fairly evenly
but peaking in summer months. This climate supports the region's dense
forests and wetlands but also leads to overcast winters and variable
weather patterns influenced by Atlantic westerlies. Recent trends
indicate increasing precipitation, potentially enhancing soil gleying
and wetland expansion in the lowlands.
The city is an ancient industrial center of the Moscow region. It
contains:
The Dulevo Porcelain Factory (founded in 1832) is one
of the largest porcelain factories in Russia.
Likinsky Spinning and
Weaving Factory (founded in 1870, ceased operation in 2002).
LiAZ
(founded in 1937) is a manufacturer (since 1959) of buses.
The Dulevo
Paint Factory (operating since 1931) is a large manufacturer of paints,
pigments, gold preparations, decals for porcelain, earthenware, glass,
construction ceramics, enamel dishes, and jewelry.
Food industry
enterprises: Likino-Dulevsky branch of JSC Orekhovokhleb.
Branch of the Slavic-Greek-Latin Academy
Municipal educational
institution Likino-Dulevsky Lyceum Building A
Municipal educational
institution Likino-Dulevsky Lyceum Building B
Likino-Dulevskaya
school No. 5 (Building 2) (Former school No. 2)
Likino-Dulevskaya
school No. 3
Likino-Dulevskaya school No. 4
Municipal educational
institution Likino-Dulevskaya secondary school No. 5
Likino-Dulevskaya gymnasium
Vocational Lyceum No. 41, formerly LIDIT,
now Orekhovo-Zuevsky Technical School
Moscow Regional College of
Information Technologies, Economics and Management (MOKITEU; formerly
Likino-Dulyovo Auto Mechanical College) - now LDPC
Private
educational institution "School-Rostok"
Center for Technical
Creativity
Three stadiums, a sports complex, a sports school, a swimming pool,
an art school, a center for technical creativity, a local history
museum, and a gymnasium. In 2013, a municipal budgetary institution
“Youth Center” was created, which actively develops youth policy in the
city, and also organizes many city events. In 2014, the Mir cinema was
restored and put into operation. The cinema has changed its profile and
is called the “Mir” shopping and entertainment complex.” Also in 2014,
the administrative building of the spinning and weaving factory was
restored and converted into a shopping center (Palace shopping center).
Bandy hockey is well developed in the city; the Rusich team takes an
active part in regional and all-Russian competitions.