Two different travel interests come together in Dankovsky District: protected landscapes along the Don and the Polibino estate complex. When planning a stay, it is worth choosing your main focus first. Those interested in river landscapes, forests and fragments of steppe will find different attractions from those who want to explore the history of the park and the heritage of the Nechayev family.
Don landscapes, forest and rock
The “Dolgovsky” protected landscape area safeguards a stretch of the Upper Don Valley between Verkhnyaya Pavlovka and Dolgoye. The protected area also includes the park in the village of Polibino; it also encompasses the Nechayev-Maltsev estate in Polibino as a memorial site. This protected area thus combines a stretch of river landscape with a historic estate.
The “Dolgovskoye” natural monument lies in the vicinity of the destination. It protects a stretch of the Don Valley with well-preserved upland oak forest as well as fragments of meadow and rocky steppe. The area is near the village of Dolgoye and 0.2 km from the village of Krasnaya Zarya. Those who want to compare different landscape types will find forest and open steppe fragments within the same protected area.
Another natural attraction in Dankov District is “Siniye Kamni”: this natural monument consists of a group of boulders on the high bank of the Don, near the village of Dolgoye. Nearby, “Balka Panika” protects a 10 km stretch of the Panika Valley. The Panika is a right-bank tributary of the Don; the protected section of the valley is near the villages of Kudryavshchino and Maslovka. The boulders on the bank of the Don offer a different landscape theme from forest and steppe fragments.
River routes run along the Don, Vyazovnya, Ptan, Dubok, Panika, Rykhotka, Perekhvalka, Glinka and Zashevka. The river-route theme is therefore not limited to the Don, but also includes other rivers in the region.
Park and history in Polibino
The protected landscape park in the village of Polibino was laid out in the 18th century as a formal garden. The estate complex began to take shape at the end of the 18th century: in 1784, the Nechayev family acquired the estate, which was developed by three generations of the family. This history gives the park its own cultural significance within the protected area.
The dendrological natural monument park is located on the grounds of the old Nechayev-Maltsev estate. The estate includes a palace, ponds and a garden. At Polibino Estate, you can walk around the grounds and through the park, as well as climb the Shukhov Tower. The “Usadba Polibino” foundation generally offers guided tours on warm weekends from April to October, by prior arrangement. Arrange a tour in advance and check the current access options for your visit.
Archaeological finds and the history of the fortress
The Dankov Local History Museum offers another way to explore the district’s history. It displays finds from the Dolgovskaya Neolithic site and from the Novo-Nikolsk burial grounds dating to the Scythian period. The collection also includes material relating to Old Dankov, where the Dankov fortress stood in 1521. Prehistoric finds and a specific link to the history of the fortress thus represent two different periods side by side.
The Dankov Local History Museum is housed in the former Church of Saint Demetrius of Thessaloniki, the Great Martyr. This offers a clear way to choose between nature and culture: the surrounding area’s landscapes are defined by the Don, forest, steppe fragments and boulders; in Polibino, the park and estate history take centre stage, while the museum explores archaeological finds and the history of Old Dankov.
Discover more destinations: Telepnevo, Lipetsky District, Stanovlyansky District, Yelets, Gryazinsky District, Zadonsky District, Dobrovsky District, Lipetsk
For the overview of the wider region: Lipetsk Oblast.
