Kaluga lands are located in the central part of the country, only 190 km from the capital. Picturesque forested plains keep the memory of many pages of the history of Russia. Ecological, rural, pilgrimage and excursion tourism are popular in the Kaluga Region. People come here to get acquainted with original folk crafts, visit ancient monasteries and raft along the Ugra and Protva valleys.
Ancient cities
The Kaluga region is rich in architectural monuments of different styles and eras, and most of them are concentrated in cities. Zhizdra and Kozelsk are considered the most ancient in Kaluga. In the XII century they were part of the Chernigov principality, and in the 1770s they became part of the Kaluga province.
Cathedral of Peter and Paul in Tarusa
Three monasteries, several ancient temples and stone merchant mansions of the 19th century have survived in Kozelsk. Zhizdra was under German occupation for 22 months. The small town was completely destroyed, and in the post-war period it was rebuilt.
In the XIII-XIV centuries, Tarusa, Mosalsk, Meshchovsk, Medyn and Borovsk grew on the Kaluga lands, and in the XV-XVI centuries Maloyaroslavets, Balabanovo, Spas-Demensk and Yukhnov appeared.
Railway station Kaluga
Kaluga built as a fortress in 1371. Over the past 100 years, it has turned into a major industrial and cultural center, and in 2016 the main city of the region was included in the list of cities in the "Golden Ring" of Russia.
Orthodox monasteries
Kaluga region is famous for its ancient monasteries. Most of the pilgrims come to Kozelsk - the famous Optina Pustyn, whose history begins in the 15th century. On the territory of the monastery and in the St. John the Baptist skete, several ancient temples and holy springs have been preserved.
Svyato-Vvedenskaya Optina Hermitage
Tikhonova Uspenskaya Pustyn is located in the village of Leo Tolstoy, 23 km from Kaluga. The monastery was founded at the end of the 15th century and is considered one of the oldest in the upper reaches of the Oka. Most recently, a monument to Grand Duke John III was unveiled in an Orthodox monastery.
On the outskirts of old Borovsk there is the Pafnutevo-Borovsk monastery. In the churches of the ancient monastery, wall paintings made by the famous Russian iconographers Mitrofan and Dionysius have been preserved. In the village of Shamordino, not far from Optina Hermitage, pilgrims are attracted by the Kazan Amvrosievskaya wasteland or the Shamordinsky monastery.
Cathedral of the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God in the Kazan Amvrosievskaya Hermitage in Shamordino
Museums
There are many interesting museum collections in the Kaluga region. There are own local history museums in Kaluga, Obninsk, Borovsk, Kozelsk, Tarusa, Kondorovo and Mosalsk.
The huge museum complex is located near the village of Petrovo, Borovsky district. "Ethnomir" represents the culture and national traditions of different peoples of the planet. On the spacious field there are huts and huts, yurts and ethnic hotels. Many interesting workshops and ethnographic festivals are held here.
Military History Museum "Zaitseva Gora"
In the village of Kozlovo, not far from Kaluga, there is a popular tourist estate "Bereginya". It contains a unique collection of traditional folk dolls brought from different parts of the country.
The War of 1812 is dedicated to the Military-Historical Museum in Maloyaroslavets, and to the events of the Great Patriotic War - the memorial complex "Ilyinsky Borders", the Museum "Zaitsev Gora" and the Museum of G.K. Zhukov. In Tarusa, you can see the museums of the Tsvetaev family and K.G. Paustovsky, and in the village of Polotnyany Zavod, the estate of G.I.Schepochkin and the estate of the Goncharovs.
Natural attractions
Ugra National Park
The lands of the Ugra National Park are located in the valleys of the Oka, Ugra, Zhizzhda and Vyssy. More than 1,100 species of higher plants grow on an area of over 98 thousand hectares. 58 species of mammals and 216 species of birds live here, including bison, Russian desman, osprey, black stork, balaban, golden eagle, eagle owl and small tern, which are listed in the Red Book of Russia. In 2002, the rich national park was awarded the status of a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve.
Tourists come here to raft on the Ugra, take part in excursions to ancient monasteries and places of battles of the Great Patriotic War, as well as get acquainted with the exhibits of the museum of nature. To accommodate travelers in the national park, equipped tourist sites, ecological bases, campings and hotels have been created.
Cathedral of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker in Mosalsk
In the southeast of the region there is a natural reserve "Kaluzhskie Zaseki". Its territory is divided into two parts, and a small population of bison lives in the south of the reserve. In addition to these large animals, 450 species of butterflies, white-tailed eagles, peregrine falcons, snake-eaters and more than 700 species of vascular plants are protected in Kaluga Zaseki. Several ecological paths have been laid around the reserve especially for tourists, and a guest house has been opened in the village of Yagodnoye.
In addition to large nature reserves, ecotourism lovers can visit the Vorobyi Bird Park, the picturesque Devil's Settlement, the Tarusa nature reserve and visit the Kaluzhsky Bor natural monument. Of particular interest is an excursion to the old limestone workings, which are called the "Koltsovsky Caves".
Event tourism
One of the art objects - Bobur, at the festival architects land art "ArchStoyanie"
The Kaluga Region is located not far from the capital, so residents of the Moscow region love to come here to take part in mass holidays and festivals. Twice a year in the art park Nikolo-Lenivets an unusual land art festival "ArchStoyanie" is held. It attracts connoisseurs of landscape design, park sculpture and architecture not only from Russia, but also from different European countries.... Especially for the festival, architects create original art objects from hay, wood, vines and snow. The most durable of them become part of a large art park on the left bank of the Ugra.
Every summer the popular biker festival “MotoYaroslavets” welcomes its guests. For four days, music bands perform on several stages, and stunt and theater shows are held. Festival participants can watch the performances of reenactor clubs, as well as fly on airships, hang-gliders and balloons.
St. George Meshchovsky Monastery in the village. Spark
The Kaluga Region regularly becomes the center for large-scale musical festivals - the Wild Mint Festival of Ethnomusic Lovers, the S. Richter Foundation Festival and the Guitar World and Play the Horn music festivals. From year to year, experts in the traditions of the North American peoples "Tipifest" and participants in the festival of healthy food "Vegfest" gather on the Kaluga land.
A large influx of tourists happens in October, when the region is reconstructing the historical battles of the Patriotic War of 1812. Every year lovers of military history gather near Maloyaroslavets and Tarutino. They gather to watch the "battles" between Russian and French troops, take part in costume parades, balls, concerts and holiday fairs.
Souvenirs
Savior of the Not-Made-by-Hands Desert in c. Klykovo
The Kaluga land is rich in artisans. The city of Tarusa on the Oka River is famous for its skilled embroiderers. Tarusa embroidery is made in red and white colors with the addition of yellow, green and blue. In memory of a trip to the Kaluga region, tourists are happy to buy beautiful napkins, towels, kitchen potholders, dresses and tablecloths.Most of these items are machine embroidered, but in gift shops you can find skillfully hand-embroidered textiles.
Since the 19th century, the region has developed a craft for the manufacture of clay toys. Khludnev's whistles and figurines stand out with bright colors and original painting. On them you can see intricate stripes, sun signs and rhombuses. Nowadays, craftsmen from the village of Khludnevo, the village of Duminichi and the city of Kaluga own the secrets of making clay toys.
St. Nicholas Chernoostrovsky Convent in Maloyaroslavets
As tasty souvenirs from the Kaluga region, they bring a dark liqueur made at the Kaluga plant "Kristall", beautifully packaged Kaluga dough and fragrant curly gingerbread. In addition, space-themed souvenirs are popular with travelers - original "space" nesting dolls, miniature models of the first spacecraft and gift books about space.
