Bolshaya Kuzminka offers two clear starting points for planning a trip: at the HILLPARK Aquacomplex, heated pools and a range of sports activities take centre stage; the memorial and churches offer insights into local history. You can tailor your stay around activity, water or historical interests. Lipetsk Oblast adds its own distinctly regional nature and cultural experiences to these local attractions.
Swimming and Activities at HILLPARK
The heated outdoor pool at HILLPARK measures 25 × 16 metres and is 1.5 to 1.8 metres deep. There is also a seasonal, heated children's pool with a depth of 30 centimetres and the “Osminog-1” slide. It is intended for children up to eight years old and up to 120 centimetres tall. The two pools therefore differ both in depth and in the expressly stated age and height limits for the children's pool. If you are planning a visit with children, check that they meet these requirements and confirm the seasonal pool is available for your intended dates.
Sports and Footgolf
HILLPARK offers facilities for mini-football, beach volleyball, basketball, tennis and badminton, as well as a shooting range and GTO sports grounds. Footgolf adds a different way to play: on a nine-hole course, players try to get a football into each hole in as few kicks as possible. Unlike mini-football, the aim here is not to score in a goal, but to reach the holes with as few kicks as possible.
The Memorial and the History of Church Construction
A memorial to the residents who died in the Great Patriotic War was erected in Bolshaya Kuzminka in 2010. A bust of Hero of the Soviet Union Nikolai Dmitriyevich Valyaev also stands at the memorial. The site therefore commemorates both the residents who died and a person honoured by name.
In 1856, a stone church with two altars was built in Bolshaya Kuzminka on the site of an older church destroyed in a fire; the new building was destroyed in the 1930s. Another landmark is the Church of the Intercession of the Most Holy Theotokos, built between 2017 and 2020. In autumn 2021, a hand-crafted sculpture of the Most Holy Theotokos was installed at the church. On 11 August 2023, a Divine Liturgy and a prayer service with a procession were held there. These dates mark different periods in local history: the older church building, the construction of the Church of the Intercession, and later events at this church.
The Wider Setting: Lipetsk Oblast
Looking beyond Bolshaya Kuzminka, Lipetsk Oblast offers other distinct nature and cultural experiences. The “Galichya Gora” nature reserve consists of six separate areas surrounded by developed and cultivated land. It protects characteristic forest-steppe communities and groups of rock-dwelling plants on Devonian limestone. The limestone cliffs, shaped by water and wind, rise above the right bank of the Don. Another regional attraction is “Kudykina Gora” Park in Zadonsky District of Lipetsk Oblast. It is a recreational, landscape and dendrological park. Among its attractions is the 15-metre-high, three-headed figure “Zmey Gorynych,” with a pointed tail, claws and scales. These destinations represent attractions in Lipetsk Oblast, not additional sights in Bolshaya Kuzminka.
Discover more destinations: Yelets, Podgornoye, Gryazi, Krasnoye, Koptsevy Khutora, Skornyakovo, Sreznevo, Devitsa.
For the broader travel overview: Lipetsk Oblast.
