When planning your trip, it is useful to distinguish between memorial sites within the municipal area and broader cultural and natural destinations across Smolensk Oblast. This makes it possible to view the history around Polushkino and the region’s diverse excursion destinations on their own respective scales.
Memorial Sites in the Municipal Area
A memorial wall was unveiled in Ozernaya in May 2010. It commemorates residents of villages in the former Dubovitsky Village Council who died during the Great Patriotic War. In Krivoles, an obelisk stands in memory of soldiers who fell in the Great Patriotic War of 1941–1945. Another memorial site is in Kiryakinka: a mass grave at the railway crossing contains 100 Soviet soldiers who died in 1944 when German troops bombed a medical train. The military commissariat lists it as mass grave No. 3, with four identified soldiers, and it is under state protection.
The three sites represent different forms of remembrance: a wall, an obelisk and a mass grave. There are also 37 burial mounds near the village of Polushkino. These mounds and the memorial sites in the municipal area form part of the local perspective on history; larger archaeological sites are located elsewhere in Smolensk Oblast.
Archaeological Sites in Smolensk Oblast
An important regional point of comparison is the Gnezdovo archaeological complex in Smolensk Oblast. Today, about 2,500 burial mounds and a settlement remain there. It is the largest complex of archaeological monuments in Russia and Europe from the period when the Old Russian state was formed. As an archaeological monument of federal significance, it is under state protection. The numbers of burial mounds near Polushkino and at Gnezdovo therefore refer to different places.
Nature and Trails in Smolensk Oblast
Polushkino is part of the Ozernoe rural settlement, through which the Oster River flows. Smolenskoye Poozerye National Park was established on April 15, 1992, in the Demidovsky and Dukhovshchinsky districts of Smolensk Oblast. Its purposes include protecting unique natural complexes, as well as recreation, education, science and culture.
The “K istokam” eco-trail is a circular route that starts in the village of Stary Dvor. A track for mobile apps such as Geotreker or MAPS.ME can help you follow it independently. Two viewpoints at Lakes Svyatets and Sapsho were set up along the route in 2023–2024. Another viewpoint on the high southern shore of Lake Sapsho offers views of the lake and several islands.
The “Poozerye bez baryerov” eco-trail was created in 2017 and is intended for people with limited health. It starts near the “Baklanovo” Eco-Center building. Another way to experience nature is the barefoot trail in Boroviki: it has 14 sections, each six metres long, with different natural surfaces to walk on barefoot. At the end, you can wash your feet and, if you wish, stroll through the Aptekarsky sad.
Tours and Activities at “Stargrad”
At the “Stargrad” ethnographic village, a guided tour introduces visitors to the way of life of the ancient Slavs and displays everyday objects, weapons and clothing. The village can only be visited as part of a guided group. The extended tour programme includes the “Babiy kut” workshop on traditional women’s crafts, where you can make souvenirs yourself. At the “Polevaya kuznya,” participants can mint coins and make chain mail. At the “Srednevekovy tir,” activities include shooting with a bow and sling, and throwing axes and sulitsa spears.
The extended programme also includes an on-water activity in the Viking oak boat “Fornkor”: participants can sail and row on one of the national park’s deepest lakes. It also includes lunch prepared according to old recipes, with historic dishes from shipboard and field kitchens cooked in cauldrons over an open fire. Visits for the extended programme must be arranged in advance; access to “Stargrad” remains limited to guided groups.
Another Cultural Destination
The A. S. Griboyedov “Khmelita” State Historical, Cultural and Natural Museum-Reserve is located in Vyazemsky District, Smolensk Oblast. The Khmelita estate has belonged to the Griboyedov family since 1680 and is the centrepiece of the museum-reserve. It is 260 kilometres from Moscow, 200 kilometres from Smolensk and 37 kilometres from Vyazma. These distances place the museum-reserve in its regional context; they do not describe the location of memorial sites or trails near Polushkino.
For the wider travel overview: Shumyachskiy rayon.
