Borovsk

We get into the car, Kyiv highway, 2 hours from Moscow and then the city of Borovsk begins. The first thing I notice is that there are no traffic lights in the city. At all. The locals don’t like them and do without flashing technologies. Therefore, on the promenade I recommend using only pedestrian crossings and carefully looking first to the left, then to the right when crossing the road. And the streets of the city of Borovsk are reminiscent of San Francisco — up, down, up, down, and even if there were trams running here, you definitely wouldn’t be able to tell the difference.

The first thing that greets me at the entrance to the city along Kommunisticheskaya Street is the Annunciation Cathedral. It can be seen from almost anywhere in the city, as it stands on some hill. Inside are wooden sculptures of saints, Christ in prison, and the main shrine of the cathedral is considered to be a carved image of Nicholas. A lot of light, faith, conciseness.

Opposite the cathedral is the first important landmark of the city of Borovsk — the city globe and a map of art objects by artist Vladimir Ovchinnikov, who created his own uniqueness for these places. Paintings on the walls of houses and frescoes by the author can be found in many places in the city — you can make your own, separate excursion through them. I’ll show you a few, and see the rest for yourself when you get here:

We set off on foot along Lenin Street — there are a lot of interesting things here and the first stop is the House of Happiness. Art space, gift shop and cafe. And the most important thing is the observation deck over the city.

Having walked a little further, we find ourselves in a small square with a monument to D. N. Senyavin. Previously there was a market here, but now artists sit here with their works.

Next come the ancient manors and estates, which contain so much history that it’s enough for a whole book. But there is a nuance, let’s figure it out.

First we see beautiful spruce trees, then Lenin and a restored house. And then a disgustingly cheap advertising sign for marigolds on the floor of the house. I was shocked, to say the least. Before us is the house of the merchant Bolshakov, built in the second half of the eighteenth century. The house is considered one of the first stone buildings and the richest houses in Borovsk at that time. This house is also famous for its guests; among its visitors were Emperor Alexander I, Grand Duke Alexander Nikolaevich, Mikhail Alexandrovich and Napoleon before the Battle of Maloyaroslavl. There is a legend that Napoleon hid some treasures somewhere here and now, it seems to me, I know who found them. I have nothing against people’s business, but building it like this is a disgrace and disrespect for everything.

House-Museum of the Polezhaevs. Now it houses a museum about the life and everyday life of the Polezhaev family, and the wonderful hostess will tell you amazing, unique stories, and also show you cool exhibits. I definitely recommend a visit.

Opposite stands the 19th-century City Manor, which has survived to this day. The lower part is made of white stone, the upper part is made of carved wood. It is very beautiful and the historical component of the city is fully felt here. Now you can turn around and go back towards the city center.

We get to the square, we see here ancient shopping arcades, disfigured by modern advertising, pigeons and a market. Let’s move on. We return past the Annunciation Cathedral, find ourselves in Gagarin Square and a small area where various attractions are concentrated.

Along the way, we first look at the Central District Library with a bust of Fedorov at the entrance, then the Borovsk District Court and the Borovsk administration department. The foundation stone for the Battle of Kulikovo from the city residents is also in place. For those who don’t remember, the Battle of Kulikovo took place almost 650 years ago, but the townspeople remember. There is also a memorial monument to Tsiolkovsky with a rocket. Exactly the same rocket, only bigger and higher, of course, adorns the Cosmonautics Museum at VDNKh in Moscow. Tsiolkovsky lived and worked for a long time in Borovsk, so he is remembered and loved here. A bust of Gagarin was also installed in the park of the same name.

Here a monument-chapel was erected to the boyar F. P. Morozova, Princess E. P. Urusova and the martyrs who suffered for the old faith. Borovsk was generally famous (and probably still is) for its Old Believers and Old Believers. Old Believers are those Orthodox Christians who did not accept the reforms of Patriarch Nikon in the 17th century to correct and unify books and rituals according to Greek models. To this day, 3 Old Believer churches have survived in Borovsk. Let’s move on!

If we drive from the city center along the Protva River to the Vysokovo microdistrict, then here we will see the wonderful Church of the Intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary on Vysokoye, built in the 17th century. Wooden, restored, well maintained. The temple was built by Russian woodworkers from pine logs without a single nail earlier than the famous Kizhi.

A beautiful green area, birds singing, an important cat wandering around. There is also an observation deck overlooking the city and the Protva River.

Near the temple itself there are: a memorial to St. Paphnutius of Borovsky, a holy spring, a cafe and a beach strip. You can spend time for any taste and color.

How to get to Borovsk?

As I mentioned at the very beginning, I drove a car from Moscow along the Kyiv highway. Travel time is about two hours. And this is because there are constant repairs on the road, otherwise it would be faster. Another option is by train. You need to go to Balabanovo station, and then take a taxi or bus. The easiest way for an organized trip is, of course, a tourist excursion bus.

Приезжайте в Боровск, гуляйте по городу и посещайте интересные места. Не забудьте, что здесь есть и свой Бора-Боровск — классный песчаный пляж на берегу Протвы.

A video review of my trip around the city is available below. In the frame is Alexander Bogunov. Enjoy watching!