Discover Kalininsky District through a wide variety of experiences: music and art museums, memorial sites, church architecture, festivals and nature. The diversity is especially vivid where an exhibition explores not just a subject, but also tangible objects and personal stories.
Music and Art in the Museums
At the S. Ya. Lemeshev Folk Museum in Knyazevo, 15 exhibition areas are spread across five halls. They focus on the singer’s childhood and youth, his family, his first mentors and teachers, and his years of training and artistic work. In this way, the exhibition connects stages of his life with Lemeshev’s family and artistic surroundings.
The collection includes family photographs, a set of furniture from the Kvashnin family home, and paintings and wooden objects made by students and teachers. It also features mementos from the artist’s dressing room, posters, stage design sketches and theatre programmes. Other highlights include the score of Tchaikovsky’s opera “Eugene Onegin” and Lensky’s stage costume, from one of the singer’s favourite roles. These objects give music history a tangible connection to the stage, its sets and personal memories.
The V. A. Serov House-Museum in Domotkanovo has a different focus. Its exhibition is housed in four rooms in the home of Valerian Dmitrievich Derviz, the brother of the estate’s owner. It explores the history of the estate, its owners and guests, and the cultural life there. A separate section is devoted to Serov’s stay at the estate and the works he created there. By contrast, the V. A. Serov Museum in Emmaus focuses on personal belongings, rare photographs and documents revealing lesser-known aspects of the artist’s life, as well as original paintings.
Festivals and Cultural Life
Every year in midsummer, on the singer’s birthday, the S. Ya. Lemeshev Folk Museum hosts the traditional Lemeshev Song Festival. Amateur ensembles, professional artists and winners of international competitions gather there to honour Lemeshev. The event combines the life of the museum with a musical tribute to the singer.
Christmas and Maslenitsa celebrations are held every winter in the museum park in Domotkanovo. The programme includes traditional games and entertainment, concerts and theatrical performances. The “Lilac Domotkanovo” festival is closely tied to the history of the estate and takes place in late May. Together, these events offer different cultural connections: music, seasonal celebrations and the history of the estate.
Church Architecture and Memorial Sites
The Church of the Intercession of the Mother of God in Turginovo is a Russian Orthodox brick church with five domes and four pillars. Its architecture combines classical forms with elements of the pseudo-Russian style; the building also has a multi-storey bell tower topped with a spire. The church was built from 1824 to 1835 and expanded from 1876 to 1887. Visitors can therefore see both a range of architectural features and two clearly distinct phases of construction.
The Mednoe Memorial Complex includes a Polish military cemetery. Its features include a memorial wall with a bell, cast-iron plaques bearing the names of the deceased, and metal crosses above 25 mass graves. The Kalinin Front Museum offers a different perspective on remembrance: its exhibition covers eleven major military operations, and the museum grounds also contain a mass grave and military equipment.
Nature and Experiences on Farms
Akulkina Grove is an active natural monument of regional significance, covering 4.5 hectares. It lies east of the village of Brednevo, in the Turginovskoye rural settlement in Kalininsky District, Tver Oblast. Its size and precise location give this natural monument a clearly defined place in trip planning.
Farms also offer a range of ways to enjoy your stay. La Fattoria Little Italy in Mednoe offers cheesemaking workshops and tastings of its own farm produce at the restaurant: cheese, meat, vegetables and bread. It is best to check directly with the farm for current availability. At Ivanovka Farm in Davydovo, visitors can picnic, fish, make their own gifts or relax outdoors; here too, it is a good idea to check current arrangements with the farm in advance.
Ivanovka Farm’s visitor attractions also include the “House of the Goat”. It explores why people from the region are called “Tver goats”, the characteristics of the goat, and the traditions and festivals associated with it. Alongside outdoor activities, it offers a regional topic centred on the animal and the traditions connected with it.
Discover more destinations: Udomelskiy rayon, Andreapolsky District, Zubtsovskiy rayon, Kalininskiy rayon, Rzhevsky District, Sandovskiy rayon, Sonkovskiy rayon, Penovsky District.
For the broader travel overview: Tver Oblast.
