Zvizzhi: Land Art, the Ugra Valley and Horse Activities

Zvizzhi brings together Land Art, a distinctive natural attraction and horse-related activities. Its cultural profile includes the Nikola-Lenivets Art Park, with its open-air Land Art museum and the Archstoyanie festival; the Ugra Valley also offers a connection with nature. When choosing a holiday apartment, you can consider whether art, nature or activities with horses are especially important for your stay.

Land Art and the festival at the Art Park

The Nikola-Lenivets Art Park is an open-air Land Art museum with more than 40 works on permanent display; the exact number may change. The park extends beyond the territory of Ugra National Park into surrounding villages and agricultural land. Zvizzhi is one of the areas listed as part of the park. The international Archstoyanie festival has been held there since 2006. The permanent exhibition shapes the art park year-round, while the festival offers its own event program.

The Ugra Valley and horse activities

A distinctive plant occurrence is also part of the area’s natural appeal. A notice dated July 24, 2024, identifies the left slope of the Ugra Valley near the villages of Nikola-Lenivets, Zvizzhi and Subbotino as the only known location in Kaluga Oblast where the plant “Venechnik vetvistyy” grows. The slope is part of Ugra National Park. This gives the area’s natural appeal a specific botanical focus.

The Ugorskiye zori horse station in Zvizzhi offers horseback rides, horse-drawn sleigh and carriage rides, as well as multi-day horseback tours. Donkey or pony rides are available for children. This provides several different ways to get around—from horseback rides and horse-drawn outings to multi-day tours. Check the operating status and the specific arrangements for these activities before planning your visit.

More nature and culture in Kaluga Oblast

For a wider view of Kaluga Oblast, the Great Kaluga Trail offers further perspectives on nature: you can travel along it on foot, by kayak or by bicycle and experience the natural environment of Ugra National Park. Information boards and signposts help you identify your location and the distance to the nearest settlement. Trail signage may change.

The annual Archstoyanie festival near Nikola-Lenivets is also usually held at the end of July. Its program includes new art installations, performances, concerts, lectures and workshops. Specific program details may vary from year to year.

In Kaluga, colorful dioramas and biogroups at the Usadba Zolotaryovykh Museum Complex present the plant and animal life of Kaluga Oblast across the changing seasons. The history section comprises eleven halls on the second floor. The K. E. Tsiolkovsky State Museum of the History of Cosmonautics in Kaluga offers a different subject: it presents the history of Russian cosmonautics, from the first artificial Earth satellite to modern long-duration orbital stations.

Discover more destinations: Losinoye, Vorotynsk, Mamonovo, Tarusa, Nikola-Lenivets, Razdol, Annenki, Bebelevo.

For the regional travel overview: Kaluga Oblast.