A seven-kilometre themed trail and two memorial sites give a stay in Borisoglebsk a clear focus. The walking route “Moy Borisoglebsk – moya istoriya” is intended to be open year-round; it is listed as taking six hours. So when planning your time in the city, allow for the duration as well as the distance.

Discover the city’s history on foot

The “Chkalovtsy – Geroi Otechestva” memorial complex opened in 2015. It is dedicated to courageous graduates of the “Borisoglebskoe vysshee voennoe aviatsionnoe uchilishche” institution who received the title Hero of the Soviet Union or Hero of Russia. The “Afganskaya zvezda” offers a different focus: the monument commemorates internationalist soldiers who died while serving in Afghanistan and other local conflicts. Together, the two memorial sites offer different historical points of reference, while the themed trail provides its own, longer time frame for exploring the city.

Nature and culture in Voronezh Oblast

Voronezh Oblast also has distinctive nature and culture to explore. Khopyor Nature Reserve extends across the Novokhopersky, Povorinsky and Gribanovsky administrative districts. Two routes described there differ both in how you travel and in the time they take: the five-kilometre “Legendy Khopra” walking excursion takes three hours and closes during the spring flood. The “Tur de Khopyor” cycling tour covers 26 kilometres and is listed as taking four hours. These figures help distinguish the two regional options by activity and time required.

The nature museum at Khopyor Nature Reserve has two halls devoted to the reserve’s wildlife and habitats. Exhibition topics include beavers, Russian desman, aquatic and predatory birds, as well as wild boar, elk, fallow deer and red deer. A large relief map shows the reserve. Check the museum’s visitor arrangements before your visit.

Chalk landscapes and archaeological heritage

The “Divnogorye” Museum-Reserve combines striking chalk formations with various traces of the past. Chalk cliffs rise along steep slopes, alongside large, ridge-like chalk ravines. Divnogorskiy Canyon is about one kilometre long and up to 200 metres wide. Six ritual caves and cave complexes are carved into the chalk massif on the right bank of the Tikhaya Sosna and Don rivers, stretching for about 8.5 kilometres. The reserve’s cultural heritage also includes Stone Age settlements, the ruins of the medieval Mayatskaya Fortress and the cave complexes. The “Paleoliticheskiye masterskiye” recreates the Stone Age and hosts workshops on making stone tools.

The “Kostenki” Museum-Reserve offers another perspective on early settlement. Its archaeology museum building completely covers a Stone Age settlement site. The reserve covers nine hectares and includes 25 protected zones with around 60 Upper Paleolithic sites. In Voronezh Oblast, landscapes, caves and archaeological sites thus stand side by side as distinct regional attractions.

Discover more destinations

Discover more destinations: Liski, Polyana, Panino, Podpolnoye, Kuchugury, Aydarovo, Novoaleksandrovka, Medovka

Back to the regional travel overview: Voronezh Oblast.