In Mokshansky District, the literary museum, fortress relics and sculptures tell different stories. At the A. G. Malyshkin Literary and Memorial Museum, manuscripts and illustrations offer insights into everyday Russian culture. The Mokshan earthwork points to the 17th-century Penza Abatis Line, while the «Legenda» sculpture park makes its own mark with more than 300 works. Cultural exploration here ranges from literature and history to sculpture.
Literature and Everyday Culture at the Malyshkin Museum
The Literary and Memorial Museum of the writer A. G. Malyshkin is housed in the Malyshkin family’s memorial home and the adjoining former house of watchmaker Novitsky. The museum’s exhibition hall is located in this former house. The literary hall traces Malyshkin’s life and work through manuscripts, reviews and illustrations.
The museum’s bakery also offers a glimpse into everyday life: household items used by both poor and wealthy peasants are on display there. This adds the history of peasant households to the story of literature. The bakery’s programme includes theatrical events, fairs featuring Petrushka, cooking workshops and quest tours about Russian everyday culture from the 19th to the early 20th century. Check in advance whether any of these activities are taking place on the date of your visit.
An exhibition in the bakery brings together fairground atmosphere and literary history: «Yarmarka v uyezdnom gorode» refers to «Polevoy prazdnik», Sasha Malyshkin’s first short story. He wrote it in 1914 while studying at the University of St Petersburg. The exhibition, story and household items used by peasants offer different ways to explore the culture and life of the time.
Fortress History and the «Storozhevaya bashnya» Complex
The Mokshan earthwork is an archaeological and historical monument dating from the 17th century. It was part of the Penza Abatis Line and a fragment of Mokshan’s fortress wall from the same period. These two historical connections place the earthwork in the history of fortifications.
The «Storozhevaya bashnya» complex was restored in 2023. It includes an access area with a parking zone, a scale model of a 17th-century watchtower from the Penza Abatis Line, and an observation platform with ramps and steps. Individual visitors can climb the watchtower independently during the complex’s operating hours. Check the current hours before your visit.
Sculptures and a Holy Spring
The «Legenda» sculpture park brings together more than 300 works made from a range of materials, including metal, granite, wood and bronze. The park is considered one of the largest sculpture parks in the world and the only one in the Volga region. The variety of materials gives the collection its own character and creates a striking contrast with the district’s literary and historical themes.
Another place takes you into the landscape: the holy spring of the Moksha lies 1.6 kilometres southeast of the village of Vyglyadovka in Mokshansky District, Penza Oblast. There is an observation pavilion at the spring where you can rest and view it. Here, a specific landscape feature is paired with a place to linger.
Another Historic House
The district’s historic, cultural and literary sites also include the house of merchant V. P. Bystrenin at 25 Sovetskaya Street. This address adds another named historic building to the major themes of literature and fortress history.
Discover more destinations: Mokshansky District, Bessonovsky District, Penza, Penzenskiy Rayon.
Return to the main travel overview: Penza Oblast.
