Pushkinskie Gory, Russia

 

Description of Pushkinskie Gory

Pushkinskie Gory (Pushkin Mountains) - urban settlement (since 1960) in the west of the Pskov region of Russia. It is the administrative center of Pushkinogorsky district, as well as the municipality "Pushkinogorye" (with the status of "urban settlement"). City is located 112 km south-east of Pskov, 57 km south-east of the Ostrov railway station (on the Pskov-Rezekne line).
 
Pushkinskiye Gory is a small urban-type settlement in the Pskov Region. Known primarily due to the AS Memorial Museum-Reserve located on its territory - "Mikhailovskoye", estate of the famous Russian poet Pushkin. In addition to the Svyatogorsky Monastery with the poet’s grave, there are several estates on the museum’s territory, including the family estates of the ancestors of A.S. Pushkin Mikhailovskoye and Petrovskoe. Pushkinskie Gory is one of the most picturesque places of the Pskov Region with stunning views, where it is possible to spend a whole week immersing yourself in the atmosphere of Russian life of the beginning of the XIX century.

 

Sights

Holy Dormition Svyatogorsky Monastery , Pushkinskaya St., 1. ☎ +7 (81146) 2-37-85. from 06.30 to 21.00. It was founded in 1569 by decree of Tsar Ivan the Terrible by Pskov governor Yuri Tokmakov. The fortified monastery, located on the mountain, also served as an outpost in the Voronich defense system.
The Svyatogorsk monastery was among the most revered in Russia, kings and nobles bestowed rich gifts on it. However, since the middle of the XVIII century, the monastery has been weakening, which is associated with the expansion of the western borders and the loss of the importance of the border fortress. After the decree of Catherine II on secularization, the monastery falls into the lists of third-rate ones; in the Pushkin period, only twenty monks already lived here. In 1924, the monastery was closed, and its buildings were occupied by secular institutions, including a school and the editorial office of a local newspaper. The monastery buildings were seriously damaged during the Great Patriotic War. In addition to the main cathedral, an ancient stone fence with two gates and a gatekeeper's light, the viceroy's house (built in 1911) have been preserved. Next to the main Holy (Pyatnitsky) gates there used to be the Pyatnitskaya Church (not preserved), next to the Anastasievsky ones - the Anastasievskaya Chapel (not preserved), next to the inner Nikolsky gate separating the Holy Courtyard from the Black (economic) one - the Nikolskaya Church (lost during the Second World War).

The architectural dominant of the monastery is still the Assumption Cathedral of the XVI century, built by Pskov craftsmen; two steep stone stairs lead to it. Two warm chapels, Pokrovsky and Odigitrievsky, were built in 1770 and 1776 at the expense of parishioners, the bell tower - in 1820. Inside the cathedral there is an entrance to a small monastic cell, which is now called "Pimen's cell". While working on Boris Godunov, Pushkin often visited the ancient monastery, studied monastic books and even stayed overnight here. A year before his death, the poet buried his mother in the family necropolis of the monastery and even then bought a place for himself. According to this will, he was buried here. A memorial plaque has been preserved on the wall of the cathedral: on the night before the burial in the Odigitria chapel there was a coffin with the body of A.S. Pushkin. The Anastasievsky gate of the monastery, the top of which is painted in mourning black, also reminds of this event. The grave of A.S. Pushkin and the necropolis of the Hannibals-Pushkins are located near the walls of the Assumption Cathedral.

In 1941, protecting the historical monuments of the Pushkin Mountains from destruction, units of the Red Army left this area without fighting and retreated to Novorzhev. However, after that, the Nazi troops bombed the monastery; in 1943 they twice undermined the Assumption Cathedral, bringing down its bell tower with ancient bells, and in 1944, during the retreat, they carefully mined the grave of A. S. Pushkin and the approaches to it. In addition to mines and high-explosive shells, the latest, extremely complex mechanisms were used on the grave itself, which were defused. In the process of mine clearance, nine young sappers of the 12th engineering brigade of the RVGC fell to the death of the brave, as the fraternal grave at the monastery walls reminds. A commemorative plaque dedicated to the feat of Soviet sappers was installed in 2014.

Monument to A.S. Pushkin, Corner of Pushkinskaya, Novorzhevskaya and Lenin streets (At the Anastasievsky gate of the Svyatogorsky Monastery). The bronze monument to Alexander Pushkin is one of the visiting cards of the Pushkin Mountains. Its opening took place on June 14, 1959, during the celebration of the 160th anniversary of the poet's birth. Author: E. F. Belashova (1906-1971), People's Sculptor of the USSR, laureate of the USSR State Prize, author of a number of sculptural portraits of Pushkin. The idea of creating the monument belongs to S.S. Geichenko, the legendary director of the Pushkin Museum-Reserve. The sculptor depicted the poet sitting, reciting his poems. According to Geichenko's memoirs, Belashova was extremely fascinated by the work on this monument. "Pushkin is inexhaustible, my whole life is in him," she said.
Mikhailovskoye Estate (A.S. Pushkin Museum-Reserve "Mikhailovskoye").  ☎ 8(81146) 2-23-21. From 10.00 to 17.00, except Monday and the last Tuesday of the month (sanitary day).. Entrance to the estate and the park is free of charge; visits to exhibitions from 120 rubles.

Petrovskoye Manor (Petrovskoye Manor Museum and Petrovsky Park).  From 10.00 to 17.00, except Monday and the last Tuesday of the month (sanitary day).. Entrance to the territory and the park is free of charge; visiting expositions from 120 rubles. There are two manor houses in Petrovsky (historical reconstructions): the house of Abram Petrovich Hannibal and the house of his son Peter Abramovich. The arrangement of the park with formal and secluded alleys, grottoes, gazebos and flower beds was started by the first owner and then continued.
The house of A.P. Hannibal. In 1742, the lands of Mikhailovskaya Bay with 569 souls were granted to A. P. Hannibal "for eternal use" by Empress Elizabeth, who returned the famous godson of Peter I from exile, where he was during the reign of Anna Ioannovna. A brilliant mariner and fortifier, Abram Petrovich chose a place for his own estate on the shore of the large lake Kuchane and renamed the village of Kuchane to Petrovsky in honor of his patron. The modest "Dutch house" on a stone plinth was built by the owner of the estate himself - the building, its interiors, life and customs of the Abram Petrovich family are characteristic of the Petrovsky period. Until 1762, he continued to serve, managed the engineering part of the army, inspected and strengthened fortresses. Since 1759, Abram Petrovich also owned the Suida estate near Gatchina, where he died and was buried. The Gatchina estate was inherited by the eldest of his sons, Ivan Abramovich.

Bust of A.P. Hannibal. Author: sculptor E.A. Kosova. The bust was installed in 1986, next to the house of A.P. Hannibal, at the beginning of one of his favorite alleys of the park.

The house of P.A. Hannibal. The large manor house in the classical style was built after 1782, when Peter Abramovich, a retired major general of artillery, the great-uncle of A.S. Pushkin, became the owner of the estate. Unlike his father, Peter Abramovich lived for forty years without leaving the estate, engaged in its arrangement. After leaving for Petrovsky, he informed his wife and children in writing that they should live separately on the allowance allocated to them. In his younger years, Pushkin often visited here, talked with Peter Abramovich himself and with old servants, wanting to learn more about his great great-grandfather and his era. These impressions helped him in writing the historical story "The Blackamoor of Peter the Great", the poems "How the old Blackamoor planned to get married", "My family tree", "The Family Tree of Hannibals and Pushkins". The features of Petrovsky Park also appear on the pages of the adventurous novel "Dubrovsky" - in the description of the old-fashioned park of the Pokrovskoye estate, owned by the rich Troekurov.

Petrovsky Park. The foundations of the park ensemble were laid by A.P. Hannibal, as recalled by the French regular nature of the original layout: geometrically regular alleys and ponds, artificial planting of homogeneous trees. Petrovsky Park acquired its final appearance at the end of the XVIII century, when English landscape parks were already in fashion; they preserved the natural relief and individual old trees, and gazebos allowed admiring picturesque views. The park is relatively small, only 9 hectares, linden, oak, maple, birch grow from the trees. The three oldest trees of the park, a linden tree and two elms that grow near the second manor house, remember the first owner of the estate.

In 1822, Petrovsky passed into the possession of Benjamin Petrovich Hannibal, and after his death in 1839 - to other landowners, who mostly preserved the layout of the estate. In 1918, the estate was burned down by peasants, and in subsequent years there was an agricultural artel. Petrovsky was included in the area of the museum-reserve later than other estates - in 1936, and the restoration of houses and the park began in the mid-60s. The house of A.P. Hannibal was built on the preserved old foundation. Among the exhibits of the museum houses, you can see authentic things of the Hannibals-Pushkins.

Trigorskoye Park (Museum-estate "Trigorskoye" and Trigorsky Park). From 10.00 to 17.00, except Monday and the last Tuesday of the month (sanitary day).. Entrance to the estate and the park is free; visit to the house museum from 120 rubles. A linen factory was once located in the manor house of the village of Trigorsky. In 1813, Praskovya Alexandrovna Osipova-Wolf became the mistress of the estate, who decorated the house and adapted it for housing. In 1824, while in exile in Mikhailovsky, A. S. Pushkin became especially close friends with the inhabitants of the estate. He placed them on the pages of Eugene Onegin: Praskovya Alexandrovna's two daughters are considered prototypes of the heroines of the novel Tatiana and Olga. Each character in the novel is endowed with the character, hobbies, and nature of a real person, mostly from these places. The poet often recalled how in the evenings the entire Trigorsky society gathered in the living room of the manor house, going about their business. He also devoted many other poems to this wonderful place: "Imitation of the Koran", "Excuse me, faithful oaks", "Maybe it won't be long for me ...", "Flowers last a mile ...".

The museum complex "Bugrovo" (Mill in the village of Bugrovo). From 10.00 to 18.00, Monday and Tuesday are days off. Visiting expositions from 100 rubles. (with an excursion). Historical reconstructions in Bugrovo include village buildings of Pushkin's time: a river dam, a working watermill with an authentic ancient mechanism, a miller's house and a peasant farmstead, an inn, a well with a crane.

 

The former watermill operated on the Lugovka River from 1764 to 1878. It was built for the needs of the Svyatogorsky monastery, and since 1809 it has been leased to the owners of the Trigorsky. The Bugrov mill, which A.S. Pushkin often walked and rode by, was also reflected in his work. As a rule, it is associated with a negative, the nature of which can only be guessed. Perhaps it's not a matter of personal sympathies, but the fact that mills have always been considered a dark, magical place by the people. Here the poet "sent" Onegin and Lensky to the fatal duel, here the heroine of the drama "Rusalka" "lived" with her father, the miller, who ruined the seducer prince with the help of a mermaid daughter. Nov 2020 edit

The ancient settlements of Savkino and Voronich. There are a number of ancient settlements in the Pushkinogorye area, which were part of the system of border fortifications of Ancient Russia. Savkino and Voronich are located on the territory of the reserve, and personal transport will be required to explore the remote Velje (35 km) and Vreva (about 23 km). The settlements of the reserve are interesting not only for their history, but also for their influence on the work of A.S. Pushkin.

Savkina hill.  Settlements on the Savkino settlement were already in the IX-XIII centuries. A spiral road typical of medieval fortresses leads from the foot of the hill to its top. Most likely, it was here that the Mikhailovsky Monastery was located, which gave the name of the area - Mikhailovskaya Bay. The wooden chapel, which stood on the hill a hundred years ago, was restored in the 70s of the last century, and the stone with the worship cross is more than 500 years old (1513). Russian grave stone was placed on the mass grave of Russian soldiers who fell in battles with the enemy. The preserved ancient Slavic inscription reads: "Leta 7021 put a cross to Sava pop." After the legendary priest, the hill itself and the nearby village began to be called Savkino. During the Livonian War (1558-1583), during one of the Polish-Lithuanian campaigns against the Pskov lands, the Polish king Stefan Batory placed his headquarters on the rise of Savkina Hill, who managed to nullify the conquests of Tsar Ivan the Terrible in Livonia. Only the unsuccessful siege of Pskov prompted the king to make peace with Moscow. From the height of Savkina Hill, a wide panorama of the Soroti River and the surrounding lands with roads to Pskov opens up - this was one of A.S. Pushkin's favorite walking places. Moreover, his plans included buying Savkin's hill and the village for his own estate, which he negotiated with the owners of the land through the mediation of the owner of Trigorsky P.A. Osipova. These plans were thwarted by the poet's death.

 Voronich settlement.  Looking at the current hill with the lonely St. George's Church, it is hard to believe that once there was the largest suburb in the defense system of the southern borders of Pskov, a commercial and spiritual center. The first mention of Voronich in the Pskov chronicle is dated 1349. It was destroyed in 1581 by the Polish army of Stefan Batory. And before that, in 1547, Ivan the Terrible stayed here for one night, during whose era Voronich flourished. By the end of Grozny's reign, the settlement numbered over four hundred courtyards, and the fortress contained up to two hundred "siege cages" with stocks of weapons, gunpowder, cannonballs and food. According to legend, there were 77 churches and monasteries in the city and its surroundings. Voronich settlement attracted A.S. Pushkin with its vivid and tragic stories. On the title page of the completed tragedy "Boris Godunov" the author made an inscription in the Old Slavic style: "It was written by Aleksashka Pushkin in the summer of 7333 at the Voronich settlement."

St. George's Church and the Vyndomsky necropolis-Wolf. The wooden church on the Voronich settlement was restored in 2005-2007. On the initiative of the Pushkin Museum-Reserve, construction was carried out on the stone foundation of the former church of the XVIII century, destroyed during the Great Patriotic War. The construction of the church in 1760 also took place on the foundation of an even older church burned by the Poles. Next to the church is the family necropolis of the owners of Trigorsky. A.M. Vyndomsky, P.A. Osipova-Wolf, her husband and one of her sons are buried here. The former director of the Pushkin Nature Reserve S.S. Geichenko and his wife, the famous Russian restorer S. Yamshchikov, are also buried here.

The Resurrection Chapel and the Resurrection cemetery in the village of Voronichi. A village remained of the ancient Voronichi settlement, in the center of which a wooden Resurrection Church was erected in 1789 (burned down during the Great Patriotic War). The stone foundation and part of the church cemetery have been preserved, now there is a Resurrection chapel. The parishioners of the church were the landowners of the surrounding estates: Petrovsky, Mikhailovsky, Deriglazovo; A.S. Pushkin also visited this church during his exile. The poet's grandfather O.A. was buried in the church cemetery. Hannibal (the grave has not been preserved), V.P. Hannibal, the priest of the church Illarion Rayevsky, who knew Pushkin himself and his family, are buried here.

 

What to do

In addition to walking around the picturesque surroundings and sightseeing, you can visit the Scientific and Cultural Center located in the village itself (1 S.S. Geychenko Boulevard; opposite the Bus Station). Art exhibitions are organized in the center's premises, and in the evenings there are concert programs and theatrical performances by touring theaters.

In early June, conferences, literary readings and cultural and entertainment events dedicated to the birthday of Alexander Pushkin (June 6) are held annually on the territory of the reserve, and in late January and early February, events dedicated to the days of his death (January 29) and the burial of his body in the Svyatogorsk Monastery (February 6). The dates are indicated according to the new style.

The most intense cultural and entertainment program for children and adults can be attended during the celebration of New Year and Christmas: a variety of excursions, festive festivities, Christmas divination and performances of folklore groups, literary and musical evenings in the estates. You can get acquainted with the poster of the main events on the website of the museum-reserve, entertainment for its guests is arranged by hotels located on the territory of the reserve.

 

How to get here

Пушкинские горы стоят на ответвлении трассы М20 в сторону Великих Лук. Это одна из основных дорог Псковской области, где проходят автобусы на Новоржев, Бежаницы, Локню и собственно Великие Луки: впрочем, последние также обслуживаются маршрутами через Опочку-Невель. В среднем отправления каждые 2 часа, до Пскова 2 ч 15 мин. Вполне можно съездить на один день, хотя есть риск не успеть в одну из усадеб.

На Санкт-Петербург один прямой автобус и несколько проходящих. При желании можно проехать поездом до станции Сущево на Витебской дороге (город Бежаницы) и оттуда автобусом или взять такси. Из Москвы лучше всего ехать ночным поездом до Пскова или Великих Лук и дальше автобусом.

Два раза в день ходят прямые автобусы в Опочку (1.5 ч). В другое время можно проехать с пересадкой в деревне Новгородка, что на основной трассе у поворота на Пушкинские горы.

 Автостанция, ул. Новоржевская, 30. Telephone +7 (81146) 2-16-82. 5:30 – 20:10. Старое здание, которое помнит если не Пушкина, то Довлатова точно. Это памятник советской эпохи с характерными деревянными лавками и зачем-то поставленными вдоль стены креслами из школьного актового зала: одним словом, Заповедник. На автостанции есть камера хранения и кафе "Смак" — кафетерий с одним столиком, пирожками, кипятком и неожиданно большим выбором безалкогольных холодных напитков.

 

Local transport

The possibilities of local transport in the Pushkin Mountains are limited, and this creates problems, since the distances between the estates are large. The local bus to Petrovskoye and Trigorskoye runs several times a day from the turn to the Pushkinogorye recreation center (you need to find out the departure time on the spot). The trip to one of the estates takes about 15 minutes, there is enough time before the next flight for a quiet tour of the estate and museum exhibitions. The bus runs in a circle from Petrovsky to Trigorskoye, so it makes sense to drive from Petrovsky to Trigorskoye, and then walk back to Mikhailovskoye: this estate and the village of Bugrovo are located in the center of the reserve and stay away from the bus route. Alternatively, you can take a bus to the turn to Bugrovo, and then walk through Bugrovo to Mikhailovsky.

Without a bus, a full "circle" to explore Trigorsky, Mikhailovsky and Petrovsky with all the intermediate objects will easily take 25 kilometers for a pleasant but long walk. If you don't have your own transport or enough time, limit yourself to one thing: for example, take a walk to Mikhailovskoye, stopping by Bugrovo and the Dovlatov Museum on the way - it's 10 kilometers, no more. Hiking trails between the estates: from Petrovsky to Mikhailovsky 3.5 km, from Trigorsky to Mikhailovsky 3.0 km (via Voronich and Savkina Gorka). It is easier to walk between the estates, but from the Pushkin Mountains you can drive up to the estates. Don't count on taxis during the season: there are few of them in the village, so even if you call, no one will come for you right away, and it's good if they come at all. On the other hand, there are a lot of tourists with cars in the reserve in summer, so you will be happy to get a ride if, of course, you choose the right road: for example, the walking and car routes to Mikhailovskoye do not coincide.

Motorists will also have to take a little walk, as travel through the reserve is limited. In the same Mikhailovsky, it is more than a kilometer from the barrier of the reserve to the estate, but you can buy a pass for 200 rubles (2014) and drive much closer. There is no organized parking in front of the barriers (that is, for people without a pass), but there are no forbidding signs either. In the low season, all the barriers are usually open, no one takes money for travel.

Taxi: +7 (911) 351-10-22, +7 (921) 218-02-77, +7 (921) 217-43-71

Bicycle rental: it seems to be available at the Pushkin Mountains campsite and at the Arina R Literary Hotel, but it is not known what exactly they give there. As the name suggests, there are mountains in Pushkinogorye, that is, hills that are high by the standards of the Pskov region, so cycling will require some effort.

Ski rental: in winter, the Literary hotel "Arina R" offers. On skis, you can not only take walks along the picturesque alleys of parks, but also move quickly enough between the tourist sites of the reserve.

 

Eat

In the Pushkin Mountains, you can eat in several cafes: Svyatogor (near the Lukomorye hotel), in the restaurant at the hotel, Korzinka (Bugrovo village), Cuttlefish (near the bus station), at the bus station. And also in the village of Altun (near the Pushkin Mountains).

If you are lucky enough to be in Pushkinogorye at the end of summer and the year turns out to be fruitful for apples, you can enjoy fine local apples for free. Apple trees grow freely along the street (on the way from the Bus Station to the Svyatogorsky Monastery), no one forbids picking apples. There is a rich apple orchard on the territory of the Petrovskoye estate.

 

Hotels

Recreation center "Pushkinogorye". around the clock. The recreation center is a 20-25 minute walk from the bus station with suitcases in hand. From it to Mikhailovsky 45-60 minutes on foot along the forest trail (tourist trail), where in August you can taste cranberries and blueberries. There is a bus from the campsite to Trigorskoye and Petrovskoye: a 15-minute drive for 30 and 25 rubles, respectively. You can walk on foot, but it will be a very long hike. But on a bicycle, which can be rented at the campsite (1 hour - 150 rubles, a day - 400 rubles) you can drive around the whole neighborhood in a day. But it is better to divide it into three days.
There are three residential buildings with rooms of different classes on the territory of the recreation center. In the building of the economy categories (up to four seats) and standard (no more than two seats), useful household appliances (refrigerators, microwaves, irons, etc.) are concentrated in a specially designated place for them. In buildings with double rooms of the comfort class, household appliances are located in the room. Coolers are installed in all buildings, Wi-Fi is working, although there are problems with mobile communication. It is possible to rent heated cottages with a fireplace, kitchen and bathroom. On the territory of the base there is a spacious dining room with homemade food (you need to order in advance at the reception) and a cafe open in the afternoon. All the pleasures are accompanied by a Russian sauna and a Finnish sauna with a swimming pool.
Literary hotel "Arina R", d. Bugrovo, house 1A. ☎ +7 (81146) 2-11-00. Single/double: from 1800/2500₽, cottage: from 4000₽ (more expensive during the season and holidays). In the main building there are double rooms "standard" and a two-room superior room, there are also 4 cottages with studio rooms. The hotel has its own cafe "Basket" with an interior in the style of "a la Russe" of the early twentieth century and a quite decent kitchen, as well as a lobby bar decorated in the style of a Russian village light of the XIX century, and a sauna. Sports equipment rental: bicycles, skis, badminton, table tennis, billiards. Wi-Fi.

 

History

As part of the Russian state
The history of the village dates back to 1569, when, at the direction of Tsar Ivan IV the Terrible, the Pskov governor Yuri Tokmakov founded the Svyatogorsky Monastery on the Sinichye Mountains (not far from the Pskov suburb of Voronich), which later played the role of a military outpost of the Russian state. The monastery was surrounded by a powerful wooden wall, which was replaced by a stone one at the end of the 18th century. Soon after the founding of the monastery, the Blue Mountains were renamed into the Holy Mountains, and the settlement of Tobolenets (named after the name of the lake) arose at the monastery.

Starting at least from the 1690s, fairs were held at the Svyatogorsk Monastery, gathering merchants not only from all over the area, but also from distant cities. Svyatogorsk fairs were famous for their crowds and fun, surpassing all other fairs held in the Opochets district in terms of turnover and abundance of goods presented.

Peter I, by his decree of December 18 (29), 1708, introduced a new administrative division into provinces and districts. At the same time, Voronich, which had fallen into disrepair in the 17th century, received the status of a suburb of Opochka, but lost its significance so much that the center of the Voronich (Voronet) volost of the Opochetsky district of the Ingermanland province (in 1710 it was renamed St. Petersburg) became the settlement of Tobolenets. A new decree of the tsar dated May 29 (June 9), 1719, introduced the division of provinces into provinces, and the settlement, together with the entire Opochetsky district, became part of the Pskov province of the St. Petersburg province.

As part of the Russian Empire
By decree of Empress Catherine I of April 29 (May 10), 1727, the settlement of Tobolenets, together with the Pskov province, was ceded to the newly formed Novgorod province. In accordance with the Decree of the Senate of October 23 (November 3), 1772, the Pskov province - together with the Velikolutsk province and the territory of the former Polotsk voivodeship annexed to Russia according to the first partition of Poland - became part of the newly established Pskov province; at the same time, Opochka became a provincial city. However, by decree of Catherine II of August 24 (September 4), 1776, the Polotsk province was separated from the Pskov province, and the center of the Pskov province (in 1777-1796 - the Pskov governorship) was transferred to Pskov.

During his stay in Mikhailovsky exile (from August 1824 to September 1826), A. S. Pushkin often visited the Svyatogorsk Monastery - both in order to testify to the abbot Jonah his trustworthiness, and in order to use the monastery library and rummage through archives (here, in particular, he found materials that he used when writing the tragedy "Boris Godunov"). Pushkin also liked to visit the Svyatogorsk fairs, where he listened to the bright and figurative folk speech, memorized and wrote down the most interesting and characteristic “from nature”.

The Svyatogorsk Monastery became Pushkin's last earthly shelter. On February 5 (17), 1837, the body of the poet was brought here from St. Petersburg, and on February 6 (18), 1837, after the memorial service served by Archimandrite Gennady, it was interred near the altar wall in the southern aisle of the Assumption Cathedral of the monastery. Close relatives of the poet are also buried on the territory of the monastery: grandfather Osip Abramovich Gannibal, grandmother Maria Alekseevna, mother Nadezhda Osipovna and father Sergey Lvovich Pushkin.

In Pushkin's time, the settlement of Tobolenets was a small village, mainly inhabited by monastic servants and patrimonial peasants. But merchants also settled here, mainly engaged in buying up flax. The export of agricultural raw materials was facilitated by the construction of the Kyiv highway, completed in 1849, connecting St. Petersburg with Dinaburg.

In the 2nd half of the 19th century, the settlement of Tobolenets was a modest volost center with its own board, a fire brigade, a small hospital, an almshouse and a reading room. The volost government was located on the Volostnaya mountain (today it is known as Sunset Mountain). The fire station stood in the center of the settlement, opposite it on the hill was a hospital. Below were shops and a tavern, closer to the monastery - the houses of merchants and priests. In addition to the Svyatogorsk monastery, there were three churches and two chapels. Back in the early 1830s, AI Raevsky opened the first free school in the settlement, where 30 children studied; in the 1840s, the Ministry of State Property established its own school here. In 1875, a two-class Svyatogorsk school was added to it, opened in the settlement of Tobolenets.

In 1877, a post office was opened in the settlement, and in 1886 a telegraph line ran from Novgorodka to Bezhanitsy. Telephone communication first appeared in 1910. In 1912, the first telephone exchange with 10 numbers was installed, which made it possible to have a permanent connection with Opochka and five villages. During the First World War, all communication lines were destroyed. In 1912, in the Holy Mountains, for the first time, kerosene incandescent lamps were used to illuminate the streets (lanterns hung at the house of the volost government, at the tavern and shops; electricity appeared after the October Revolution of 1917). In 1916, the Pskov-Polotsk railway line was built, and the Trigorskaya railway station appeared 2 km from the settlement of Tobolenets (destroyed by the Germans in 1942). Completely dismantled after its completion.

 

As part of the USSR
Interwar years
Soviet power on the territory of the Voronets volost was established in March 1918; the leading role in this was played by Bolshevik workers D. A. Alekseev from the Izhora plant and V. E. Egorov from the Stary Lessner plant, who arrived from Petrograd at the direction of the Central Committee of the RSDLP (b).

In the first years after the October Revolution, the settlement of Tobolenets continued to be part of the Opochetsky district of the Pskov province, being the administrative center of the Voronetsky volost. On April 10, 1924, by decree of the All-Russian Central Executive Committee, a new Pushkin volost was created from the Voronets volost and parts of the Polyanskaya and Matyushkinskaya volosts; its center - the settlement of Tobolenets - was renamed the village of Pushkinskiye Gory by a decree of the Presidium of the All-Russian Central Executive Committee of May 25, 1925. However, on August 1, 1927, the Decree of the Presidium of the All-Russian Central Executive Committee came into force, according to which, as part of the administrative-territorial reform being carried out in the USSR (which provided for the elimination of the division into provinces and counties), the Pskov province, Opochetsky district, and Pushkinskaya volost were abolished. The village became part of the Pskov district of the newly formed Leningrad region and became the administrative center of the Pushkin district (it was formed from Pushkin and part of the Veleiskaya volosts).

The new district center received another impetus for development. In 1927, a secondary school named after A. S. Pushkin appeared in the village, the building of which had 13 rooms and was designed for the education of 480 children; then a 7-year school was added to it. A new hospital (later the House of Soviets), a pharmacy, and a restaurant were built near the Pushkin School. Since 1930, the Pushkinsky Kolkhoznik newspaper began to be published in Pushkinskiye Gory. There were seven streets in the village, three of them were paved and lit with electric lamps. In the pre-war years Pushkinskie Gory began at the monastery wall and ended at the secondary school.

The administrative division in 1927-1941 changed quite quickly: on July 23, 1930, by the Decree of the All-Russian Central Executive Committee and the Council of People's Commissars of the USSR, the Pskov District was abolished, and the Pushkin District became directly subordinate to the Leningrad Region. By a decree of the Presidium of the All-Russian Central Executive Committee dated January 29, 1935, the Kalinin region was formed, where the Pushkinsky district was transferred, and on February 5 of the same year, this area and 10 more districts in the western part of the newly formed region were merged into the Velikoluksky district. On May 11, 1937, by a new decree of the Presidium of the All-Russian Central Executive Committee, the Opochetsky border district was created, which included the Pushkinsky district, renamed the Pushkinogorsky district. Finally, on February 5, 1941, by the Decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the RSFSR, this district was abolished, and the Pushkinogorsk district became directly subordinate to the Kalinin region.

Years of the Great Patriotic War
With the beginning of the Great Patriotic War, the time of severe trials came for the Pushkinogorsk residents. Already on July 3, 1941, the first bombs were dropped on the Pushkin Hills (the Svyatogorsky Monastery was badly damaged: the dome of the cathedral was smashed to the ground). From July 5, 1941, intense defensive battles unfolded in the Pushkinogorsk direction. The 181st Rifle Division held back for several days the onslaught of the 8th Panzerwaffe Panzer Division near Krasnoe, Platishino and Velie.

On July 8, 1941, the 24th Rifle Corps of Major General K.M. On July 9-10, the village changed hands during fierce battles. On July 10-11, 1941, one of the first successful counterattacks of the Red Army took place here, during which the village was liberated, and the 8th Wehrmacht Panzer Division was driven out across the Velikaya River. The 24th Rifle Corps in the Pushkinskiye Gory area successfully held the defense until July 17, when it was surrounded by superior enemy forces between the Sorotya River and the Opochka-Novorzhev Highway. On July 17, 1941, Soviet troops left the village of Pushkinskiye Gory, leaving for a breakthrough from the encirclement.

The dark days of the occupation began, lasting three years; the commandant's office was now located in the school building and the policemen lived, the Gestapo was located in the hospital building, and the prison was in the House of Culture. More than once in the Pushkinskiye Gory, the occupiers and their accomplices arranged executions of partisans who, throughout the entire period of occupation, were actively operating in the territory of the Pushkinogorsk region; a terrible page in the history of the village was the destruction of the gypsies living in the area (83 gypsies, including infants, were shot by the Nazis). The suffering of the people was exacerbated by an epidemic of typhoid fever, which mowed down Pushkinogorsk residents during the years of occupation.

At the beginning of 1944, the front line came close to Pushkinsky Gory, but the offensive of the Soviet troops was held back by the fascist Panther defensive line, which stretched from north to south for 400 kilometers. Finally, on July 12, 1944, units of the 53rd Guards Rifle Division, Major General I.I. Burlakin and the 321st Rifle Division, Colonel V.K. Chesnokov, operating as part of the 54th Army of the 3rd Baltic Front, during the -Dvina offensive operation liberated the village of Pushkinskiye Gory.

By the time of liberation, the village was almost completely destroyed; the building of the secondary school survived, since the occupiers did not have time to blow up the land mine laid under it. Gradually, the Pushkinskie Gory were rebuilt, and this process was accompanied for several years by work on demining the village and its environs. Only during the initial demining of the territory of the Pushkinsky Reserve from July 12 to July 22, 1944, more than 14 thousand mines, 36 land mines, three explosive charges with surprises and 2107 other explosive objects were defused. The grave of A. S. Pushkin was barbarously mined: at the foot of the grave hill, the Germans dug a 20-meter tunnel, into which they laid 10 aerial bombs of 120 kilograms each and special mines with chemical fuses, logically believing that this place would become an object of mass visits by fighters and commanders Red Army and the explosion will cause a large number of casualties. Then the entrance to the tunnel was carefully disguised. The fighters of the 17th engineer-sapper brigade saved the poet's grave, but 9 sappers were killed when clearing the surrounding objects, all of them were buried with military honors near the fence of the Svyatogorsky Monastery.

On August 23, 1944, the Pskov region was formed by the Decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR, which included the village of Pushkinskiye Gory and the Pushkinogorsk region.

Postwar years
By decision of the Pskov Regional Executive Committee No. 87 dated February 29, 1960, the Pushkinskiye Gory settlement was classified as a workers' settlement, thereby receiving the status of an urban-type settlement. Pushkinsky village council was transformed into a village council. At the same time, from February 1, 1963 to December 30, 1966, Pushkinskiye Gory was not a district center (since the Pushkinogorsk district was temporarily abolished) and was part of the Novorzhevsky district of the Pskov region.

On September 25, 1971, next to the building of the secondary school named after A. S. Pushkin, a bust of the young poet by sculptor M. K. Anikushin was solemnly opened.

post-soviet time
In 1999, the 200th anniversary of Pushkin's birth was widely celebrated. By that time, the Scientific and Cultural Center had been built in the village, the main gas pipeline had been laid, new buses had been purchased to serve the guests of the holiday.

In February 2005, a municipal formation was formed - the urban settlement "Pushkinskiye Gory", the status and boundaries of which were determined by the Law of the Pskov Region dated February 28, 2005 No. 420-OZ "On the establishment of boundaries and the status of newly formed municipalities on the territory of the Pskov Region". At the same time, the village became the administrative center of the Pushkinogorsk volost.

At a referendum on October 11, 2009, residents of the urban settlement "Pushkinskiye Gory", as well as Pushkinogorsk and Zaretsk volosts, spoke in favor of their merging into one municipal unit - the urban settlement "Pushkinogorye". In accordance with the results of the referendum on June 3, 2010, the three mentioned municipalities were merged into a new municipality by the Law of the Pskov Region No. 984-OZ - the urban settlement "Pushkinogorye".

 

Economy

The most significant enterprises of the Pushkinskiye Gory are CJSC Pushkinogorsk Butter and Cheese Factory, a regional consumer society, CJSC Pushkinogorskaya PMK, OJSC Stroitel, and a recreation and health institution Pushkinogorie. In addition, a bakery, two road organizations, a printing house operate in the village, and the municipal housing and communal services enterprise is working steadily.

Another economically important enterprise is the State Memorial Historical-Literary and Natural-Landscape Museum-Reserve of A. S. Pushkin “Mikhailovskoye”.

 

Culture

In Pushkinskie Gory there is a Cultural and Leisure Center (8 branches); central district library (13 branches) with a methodological center; children's school of arts. S. S. Geichenko.

The most outstanding creative team of the Pushkin Mountains is the Russian Song Choir, under the direction of M. E. Fedorova. The choir has existed for more than thirty years, has been active in concert activities, performs in the region and region. In 2005, the choir took part in the All-Russian holiday - Pushkin's Day in Russia. In 2006, the head of the choir was awarded the honorary title "Soul of the Pskov Land".

The largest cultural events in the Pushkin Mountains are held annually:

Pushkin Poetry Festival/Svyatogorsk Fair (first Sunday in June);
Day of liberation of the region from Nazi invaders (July 12)
Regional theatrical festival "Russian Winter"
All-Russian Folklore Festival "Pskov Pearls" (2nd decade of July)
All-Russian Pushkin Theater Festival (February)
International informal Pushkin theater festival "Laboratory of Arts Cordon-2" (1st week of August)