Kalininsky District: Culture, History and Nature

In Kalininsky District, travel themes range from military history and music to church architecture and a distinctive river landscape. Museums in Emmaus and Staroye Knyazevo showcase different areas of interest; Turginovo, Mednoye and Domotkanovo add architectural history, remembrance and art to the picture. When looking for a holiday rental, start by asking what you want your trip to focus on: collections and life stories, architecture, memorial sites or the landscape.

Museums spanning military history, art and music

The Kalinin Front Museum is located in Emmaus. Its exhibition focuses on eleven major military operations, including the Kalinin Defensive Operation and the Kalinin Offensive Operation. These two examples give a concrete impression of the museum’s focus on military history.

Also in Emmaus is the V. A. Serov Memorial Art Museum. The collection includes personal belongings, rare photographs and documents, as well as original paintings by Serov. Emmaus thus brings different perspectives together: the history of military operations and the art of a painter.

Another cultural highlight is the Sergei Yakovlevich Lemeshev Museum in Staroye Knyazevo. Lemeshev (1902–1977), a People’s Artist of the USSR and soloist at the Bolshoi Theatre, had a long musical career. The museum was founded on 12 July 1986 in his home village, at the initiative of the singer and music historian V. D. Vasilyev. Since 1990, it has been housed in a rebuilt building on the old foundations of the church school where Lemeshev studied from 1911 to 1914. Its founding, his school years and the present-day museum building bring together several chapters of his story.

Church architecture and memorial sites

The Church of the Intercession of the Mother of God in Turginovo was built between 1824 and 1835 with funds provided by I. N. Nepluev, and was expanded between 1876 and 1887. Its description brings together specific architectural features: it is a five-domed, four-pier Neoclassical church with elements of the pseudo-Russian style. A multi-tiered bell tower topped with a spire completes the building. Those interested in architectural history will find not only dates here, but also a clear picture of the church’s form and structure.

In Domotkanovo, the V. A. Serov House Museum explores the history of the estate, its owners and guests, and its cultural life across four rooms. A dedicated section covers Serov’s time at the estate and the works he created there. Unlike the art museum in Emmaus, the focus here is not solely on the collection, but also on life at the estate and its cultural context.

The Mednoye Memorial Complex commemorates Soviet citizens who were victims of political repression in the 1930s–1950s, as well as Polish prisoners of war from the NKVD of the USSR’s Ostashkov camp who were shot. The complex’s museum and information centre presents an exhibition on events of the mid-20th century through the life stories of residents of Kalinin Oblast who suffered repression and were later rehabilitated. This personal perspective on their lives adds concrete stories to the memorial site.

Akulkina Roshcha: Pine forest by the river

Akulkina Roshcha lies east of the village of Brednevo. The pine forest is on the right bank of the Vyazma, where the river flows into the Shosha. This landscape offers a distinct contrast to the district’s museums and historic buildings: here, the focus is on the forest and the river confluence, rather than collections, architecture or biographies.

These differences can also help you organise your holiday rental search. First, consider whether museums and music history, church architecture and memorial sites, or the landscape will shape your stay most.

Discover more places

You can also include Burashevo in your further explorations as a destination within Kalininsky District.

Discover more destinations: Maksatikhinsky District, Bologoye, Staritsky District, Kalyazinsky District, Sonkovsky District, Zapadnodvinsky District, Vesyegonsky District.

For the overview of the wider region: Tver Oblast.