Natural Landscapes and Protected Areas

The natural monument Balka Kozlenkov Ovrag provides a specific connection to the landscape around Chikhachevka. It is a balka (ravine) and, according to the location information, lies 0.3 kilometres southeast of the village of Chukhachevka. The protection measures aim to preserve a unique natural area of great cultural and historical significance and its plant diversity, including species listed in the Red Data Book of Tambov Oblast. The natural area is of regional significance and is under special protection.

As a wider travel destination, Tambov Oblast offers a broader natural setting. The Voroninsky Nature Reserve was established in 1994 to protect the remaining forest-steppe ecosystems of central Russia. It comprises two larger areas along the Vorona River and ten smaller areas in the valleys of its tributaries; the reserve contains more than 150 oxbow lakes. Around 900 plant species grow in the area, 42 of which are listed in the region’s Red Data Book. As for birdlife, 31 species are listed in Russia’s Red Data Book; the area is also an internationally important key site for ornithology in Russia. The “Zapovednye Tropinki” walking route starts at the nature reserve and has a stated duration of 1.5 hours.

Culture and History in Tambov Oblast

Tambov Oblast’s cultural attractions also offer a variety of ways to explore the region. The museum in Inzhavino has a collection of original 19th-century items donated by descendants of D. S. Dokhturov. Dokhturov was a hero of the Patriotic War of 1812. The Karaul estate was a cultural centre with a family theatre and literary and musical evenings. The S. V. Rachmaninoff “Ivanovka” Museum Reserve comprises the manor house, an outbuilding, a park, a garden, flower beds, ponds and park structures. At the end of August, People’s Artist of the Russian Federation Nikolai Lugansky gives a traditional annual concert there. If you would like to plan your trip around this event, check the latest event dates in advance.

The G. V. Chicherin House Museum is housed in a single-storey wooden building with a mezzanine, built in the Russian Classicist style in the first half of the 19th century. Its collection comprises around 4,500 items, including commemorative furniture and books from Chicherin’s study at the People’s Commissariat for Foreign Affairs, as well as personal belongings of the Chicherin family. The Ivan Michurin House Museum preserves furniture, photographs, books and tools as they were during Michurin’s lifetime.

The V. T. Assayev Estate is an ecomuseum where visitors can learn about life on a provincial Russian country estate in the early 20th century. The main house was built in 1906, probably to a design by Moscow architect L. N. Kekushev. If you plan to visit the estate, check the latest access information in advance. The former Petrovo-Solovovo estate, now partly ruined, is also located in the Voroninsky Nature Reserve.

Discover more destinations: Bogoslovka, Yaroslavka, Rasskazovo, Michurinsk, Durovka, Tulinovka, Rodionovka, Tambov

For the wider travel overview: Tambov Oblast.