Bogimovo brings family history, seafaring and literature together in one place. The estate was the ancestral home of the Pronchishchev family. Vasily Vasilyevich Pronchishchev, later a seafarer and Arctic explorer, was born there in 1702 and spent his childhood in Bogimovo. The writer A. P. Chekhov also stayed there in the summer of 1891. The estate includes a formal park dating from the 1830s, with avenues of lime and pine trees. It also includes the Church of the Dormition of the Mother of God, built in 1830 in the Empire style; its bell tower has been lost.

Estates and Their Parklands

The Gorodnya estate combines two different types of park: a formal lime-tree park and an overgrown landscape park with two ponds dating from the late 18th century. The slope descending to the Gorodenka River is terraced. One pond is right by the house, the other by the river. In Gorodnya, landscaped park areas sit alongside the riverside landscape.

In Grabtsevo, the park and architecture are also part of the history of the place. The village is home to the 18th-century estate of the noble Yeropkin family; its church complex is recognised as a cultural heritage site of federal significance. The formal park is well preserved. The avenue leading down to the Gorodenka is particularly wide.

The history of the Avchurino estate also dates back to the early 18th century. Under Yaguzhinsky, a two-kilometre-long oak avenue was planted there, and it has survived relatively well. It was associated with the expectation that Emperor Peter I would arrive. The estate also includes an overgrown landscape park, mostly planted with lime trees, with a pond, as well as a “Gothic” house with a tower, built in the 1840s and formerly used as a library. The surviving estate buildings and its park are listed as cultural heritage sites of federal significance; the park is also listed as a natural monument of regional significance.

The Koltsovo caves offer a different perspective on the landscape: they are remnants of 19th-century limestone quarrying. In the surveyed section closer to Koltsovo, the passageways extend for more than 800 metres in total.

History, Nature and Rural Experiences

The “Starinnye dvoryanskie gnezda” tourist route includes stops at Grabtsevo, Gorodnya and Avchurino. Check whether the route is currently operating before making plans. Visitors are free to walk around the grounds of the Gorodnya estate; access to the surviving house is restricted because it houses a school. Check these access conditions before your visit.

Horse-riding lessons and rides through the fields are among the activities offered at the Volnoye Equestrian and Tourism Club in Bebelevo. Photo sessions can also be arranged, and visitors can meet horses and other ranch animals. Contact the club directly to confirm current arrangements before travelling.

Another focus is the “Istoriya v Bogimovo” organic dairy farm. There, aspects of dairy farming are combined with stories about polar explorers and Chekhov’s work. The project aims to promote organic farming and develop agrotourism in the fields of gastronomy, education and cultural history. Check whether tours are currently available before travelling.

Explore More Destinations

Explore more destinations: Peremyshlskiy rayon, Zhukovskiy rayon, gorod Kaluga, Dzerzhinskiy rayon, Mosalskiy rayon, Zhizdrinskiy rayon, Tarusskiy rayon, Medynskiy rayon.

To the regional travel overview: Kaluga Oblast.