In the heart of Siberia, in a small village in the south of the Krasnoyarsk Territory, there is a place where tourists have been coming for more than 80 years. The Shushenskoye Museum-Reserve is known to travelers all over the world for a reason: the life and culture of Russian peasants from the late 19th century are recreated here, a unique collection of household items is collected. And also here are the houses of famous historical figures of the XX century.
Shushenskoye at the turn of the century
The village was founded in 1747 and was gradually populated by people coming from different parts of the Krasnoyarsk Territory. Less than a hundred years later, Shushenskoye became the center of the volost, which included 3 villages and 14 villages. By the end of the 19th century, nearly one and a half thousand people lived here. Then the first political exiles appeared - mainly participants in the uprisings in the Kingdom of Poland.
In 1881, the people of Volodymyr deported to Shushensky district: Otorochko, Voevodina, Tyrkova and others. And later - the Social Democrats Lenin, Krupskaya and Enberg. The link of these politicians had a great influence on the further development of the village, including the decision to open the Shushenskoye reserve museum.
The history of the reserve in the village
After the death in 1924 of Vladimir Ilyich, the mourning meeting of the peasants bought out the house in which he lived. It was decided to open the Lenin Museum with a library and a reading hut. This began the creation of the reserve.
The ethnographic museum was constantly expanding, new objects and collections appeared in it, various events began to be held. Its development also contributed to the growth of the village, in which today more than 15 thousand people live. In 1993, the Shushenskoye Museum of History and Ethnography received its current name.
The main attractions
In addition to the museum, in the house where Lenin temporarily stayed in exile in Shushenskoye, there are buildings of the 19th century, which contain exhibitions of craft arts: weaving, hunting, woodworking, pottery and cooperage workshops. In these huts lived and worked peasants of different classes: from the poor to the wealthy, as well as other exiles. By visiting these houses, you can get an idea not only about the everyday life of ordinary people of that time, but also find out what they devoted their time to.
In addition to residential buildings, the territory also has a volost government, a prison, a drinking establishment, a forge and a shop. Two monuments to Lenin were erected; the burial of participants in the civil war was arranged. An architectural complex is adjacent to them, which is called the New Village of Shushenskoye. The entire ensemble of buildings is often included in the list, which includes the best museums of Russian wooden architecture. The total area of the reserve is 16 hectares, not counting the branches in the villages of Ermakovsky and Sizaya, where the houses of Yarygin, Lepeshkinsky and Vaneev are located.
Lenin House
For many years, the Lenin Museum was the only object due to which tourists flocked to the Shushensky district. And despite the fact that the reserve has grown significantly over the years, interest in the historical house has not faded, and it occupies one of the central places in the exposition.
Vladimir Ilyich, known at the time as Ulyanov, settled in Petrova's estate in 1898, when Nadezhda Konstantinovna Krupskaya came to him with her mother. The family occupied the kitchen, the room and the room in which the couple lived. The interior of the premises was recreated according to the memoirs of Krupskaya and contemporaries. There are a lot of original things that Ulyanov used: tables, cabinets, chairs, books.
Around the house of Petrova, unlike other estates, daisies, phlox, reseda, raspberries, bird cherry trees are planted. It was these plants that Krupskaya planted in the yard when the couple lived here.
It is no less exciting to visit the estate of the peasant Zyryanov, where Lenin rented a room from May 1897 to July 1898. The room was recreated in 1939. The situation is extremely simple: a bed, a table, 4 chairs and book shelves.
New village
In this area, not only the Shushenskoye village itself is interesting. The Krasnoyarsk Territory is an original place, which has left its mark on the culture of indigenous peoples, the harsh climate and magnificent nature. All this was combined in the so-called New Village, which is a copy of the Siberian settlement of the late XIX century. In addition to the appearance, the traditions and culture of this time are recreated.
Six estates offer guests comfortable accommodation and an extensive entertainment program. You can try traditional Siberian dishes, visit thematic excursions and master classes, watch performances of a folklore ensemble, ride a horse and spend the night in a peasant's house. In addition to the cultural program, there are more modern entertainments: a bathhouse, billiards, a cafe, a playground for children. At the same time, the complex accommodates up to 30 people.
Museum of Ivan Yarygin
The museum dedicated to the great athlete was opened in 1999 in the village of Sizaya, where he lived in his youth. Yarygin went a long and very bright way from an ordinary fighter to the president of the sports federation. Winner of two Olympic gold medals, for 10 years he was also the head coach of the USSR national freestyle wrestling team.
Among the exhibits of the museum are not only books, cassettes with recordings of tournaments, awards and athletic uniforms. Widely represented are household items that Ivan Sergeyevich used in his parental home: a brazier, anvil, sledgehammer, cleaver and others. All this is intended to show fellow countrymen and other visitors to the museum an example of the fact that even in a small village a big Man can grow.
In addition to the exhibition dedicated to Ivan Yarygin, excursions, workshops for children, sports competitions are regularly held in the village of Sizaya, Maslenitsa, Trinity, Mother's Day and other holidays are widely celebrated.
The village of Ermakovskoe
The Shushenskoye Museum-Reserve also includes a branch in the village of Ermakovskoye. The main tourist sites are the houses of the revolutionaries Lepeshinsky and Vaneev, who were here in exile. In 1899, it was in Ermakovsky at the meeting of Marxists under the leadership of Lenin that the "Protest of the Russian Social Democrats" was signed.
In addition to exhibitions devoted to the life of the exiles themselves, thematic excursions are held in the houses, revealing the traditions, life, and food of peasant families. Exhibits from Shushensky are regularly brought here so that the local population, including schoolchildren, can see the sights of Siberia without going outside of Ermakovsky. Employees also conduct classes with children, teaching them painting and applied art. The works of young artists are exhibited in the halls of the museum.
The most valuable collections
The Shushensky Museum Fund has over 100 thousand items belonging to 30 collections. They include a huge number of books, furniture, utensils and clothes of the late XIX century. Also among the unique exhibits are coins, paintings, handicraft and musical instruments.
The collection of agricultural tools of Siberian peasants totals 345 items. These are devices for cultivating the land, sowing and harvesting: plows, sabans, horse plows, and hills. Small hand tools are also widely represented: choppers, rakes, sickles and shovels.
No less impressive is the collection of peasant furniture, which includes more than 900 pieces. It is collected exclusively from items found in the Krasnoyarsk Territory. From the quality and beauty of the material used, it is easy to determine who owned this or that element of the situation: the poor used rough-knitted tables and chairs, while wealthy merchants could afford beautiful oak furniture.
Fabric items are also widely represented: shirts, towels and handmade tablecloths, collected in different parts of the former Yenisei province. In total, more than a thousand items embroidered by hand and carefully stored by peasants. The museum also has a lot of ceramics, sculptures, icons. And the collection of rare books includes 6 thousand copies.
Museum Theater
Among the inhabitants of Shushensky there are many talented artists, many of whom work in the theater troupe of the reserve. Actors show the guests of the museum Russian folk tales, such as "Geese Swans" or "Magic Pipe". In addition to performances, they show visitors scenes of peasant life during excursions.
Young viewers especially like puppet theater productions and its main characters: Petrushka and Matrena. And adults can not remain indifferent to representations of the works of Russian classics: Chekhov and Ostrovsky.
Holidays in the reserve
The museum is a great venue for traditional Russian holidays. Every year, thousands of guests come to Shushenskoye to celebrate Shrovetide or celebrate the Trinity. The Krasnoyarsk Territory at that time became the center of festivities, holidays were visited not only by residents of neighboring regions and republics, but also by other countries. In addition to participating in traditional fun and performances (scarecrow burning, theatrical performances, rituals with birch), guests can enjoy the performances of folk groups, buy souvenirs made by the hands of real masters at the fair.
There are holidays that are celebrated in the reserve on a slightly smaller scale, but therefore no less interesting: Ivan Kupala, Slavic Writing Day, Easter and many others. Museum employees try not to miss a single significant event, thanks to which residents and guests of Shushensky are always provided with fascinating and useful leisure.
Ethnographic festival WORLD of Siberia
Since 2003, ethnographic festivals have been held in Shushensky. The first of them gathered 7 thousand spectators, and already in 2010 their number grew to 35 thousand. The scale of the Siberian Peace Festival is growing all the time; it has long become international. His program includes a large number of music and dance groups, watching ethnofilms, conducting thematic ceremonies, introducing guests to the traditional crafts of Siberia.
The festival received the support of the Ministry of Culture. On its territory they hold master classes in decorative and applied arts and cooking Russian dishes, study dances of different nations, and organize competitions among musicians and artisans. There is a platform for thematic discussions, where it is possible not only to listen to lecturers and learn interesting historical facts, but also to enter into a discussion with him or other participants.
At the fair of the WORLD of Siberia, you can buy ethnic clothes, charms, musical instruments, crafts from birch bark, wood, cattail, jewelry and even toys from different materials. Masters not only sell their products, they are also happy to share their knowledge and skills with guests of the festival.
How to get to the reserve by car
The closest city to Shushensky is Abakan. From there, it is best to get to the ethnographic museum, moving southeast along the R-257 highway. And after the village of Kazantsevo turn right. After entering Shushenskoye, you need to move straight along Pervomaiskaya Street, then along Peace, to the intersection with Lenin. At the intersection, turn right again.
You can get from Krasnoyarsk in two ways. Either all along the same federal road R-257, via Abakan, or along the highway R-255, turning south from it in the village of Kuskun. And then move in a straight line, through Shalinskoye, Kuragino, Minusinsk. In the latter, you need to return to the P-257. In terms of distance, these two routes are approximately the same, but the path through Abakan will take less time, since driving along the federal highway all the time is more pleasant than along the municipal road.
