At 260 km from the city of St. Petersburg, on the Svir River, lies the fabulous village of Upper Mandrogi. The village and its inhabitants are unique! Several families in this village are engaged in various folk crafts: painting, weaving, sewing.
Miracles in the village
Verkhniye Mandrogi Village is a craftsmen's settlement. Tourists visiting this place can take advantage of the wide range of services provided by the villagers. You can relax with your family or friends, improve your education (master classes are held in several village houses) or just take a walk. The "corporate vacation" service will allow you to choose one of the scenarios for holding holidays that are dedicated, for example, to the Day of Communism or immersion in the 19th century, etc.
The village includes 56 objects: this includes outbuildings (garage, ferry crossing, dining room) and places visited by tourists (an old Arkhangelsk house, a manor, a smithy, a squirrel shop, a meadow of fairy tales and a mini-zoo).
The craft settlement includes several houses that produce various handicrafts.
Dollworkshop
In the Upper Mandrogi village puppet workshop, you can not only learn what grass toys are, but also try to make them yourself.
The most ancient doll that the Podporozhsky district can boast of is the Vepsian one. It is written off from a woman whose image is cheerful and bright, a mother woman. This is the first of the dolls, which had a clearly defined chest line. The Vepsian doll belongs to the pagan cult of the mother and is made using the “without sewing” method. One of its varieties is the “girl-woman”. This is a ritual doll, which in the old days was always given to newlyweds.
The herbalist is another incarnation of her. The needlewoman put various fragrant herbs - mint, thyme, oregano - into the doll's clothes, as well as into her hair, and then laid it at the patient's bedside.
Many toys were made before church and other holidays: for Palm Week - a verbnitsa, for Philip's post - filippovka. The craftswomen did not forget about decorating houses with dolls, symbolizing housewives: with brooms and grips, buckets and cast iron.
Iconography
An icon painter lives in the village of Upper Mandrogi: he draws pictures on a tree dedicated to religious themes. Christian themes form the basis of creativity. If the master draws an icon, then after that he will definitely issue it as a salary.
Goater
What an interesting word! Think it's something to do with goats? Only partly… Rest in Mandrogi gives you the opportunity to enjoy the magnificent gingerbread (kozuli), which are prepared by the craftswoman. They owe their name to ancient stucco figurines fromrye dough, which the housewives performed in the form of pets. Then the figurines participated in the ritual actions that took place during the holidays of agriculture. The rituals were designed to increase productivity, call for rain and favorable weather.
Arkhangelsk roe deer are traditionally baked today for the New Year and Christmas, in order to be presented with good wishes to relatives and friends. Gifts are not eaten, but put in a prominent place in the house. They will stay there until next year. There is a belief that the more each family gives a goat, the more well-being will be shed on it. Hence the proverb was born: “You give a goat - you get profit in the house.”
Forge
In the forge, among heat and metal, the blacksmith dominates. Getting to visit him, everyone can get something for themselves. It can be either a small souvenir or a magnificent knife, whose handle is crowned with a mammoth tusk. The blacksmith forges all his works equally well and with soul. Each of the visitors can learn the basics of blacksmithing. Men note that the lessons made the most positive impression on them.
Seamstress
Pavloposad shawls, which form the basis of things made by a seamstress, are the pride of Mother Russia. The things that are obtained from them are easily recognizable by a variety of motifs and colors. Every year they become more deeply rooted in the women's wardrobe. Clothing made from natural material is practical, warm and unique.
Linen sewing
The tourist village never stopssurprise! A seamstress is adjacent to the seamstress, who makes underwear, table and bed linen from flax. Experiments conducted by scientists proved that each of the natural materials has its own energy, and flax has the strongest. Such things are able to endow their owner with calmness and poise, concentration and measuredness.
This material is able to partially neutralize electromagnetic radiation that people who spend a lot of time at the computer are exposed to. And for them, the best solution would be to purchase a linen shirt or trousers.
Birch bark
Rest in Russia can be active! And the proof of this is a birch bark man who lives with his wife in the village. Under his sensitive and attentive guidance, each of the guests is given the opportunity to apply the old Russian craft. Tourists weave various objects from birch bark, the creation of which takes from 1 hour to 2 days. Among the master's works, you can see real birch bark sandals, wicker s alt shakers, children's toys, sharkunki (a baby rattle woven from birch bark and filled with peas or apple seeds for loudness) or feet (their shape is similar to summer slippers, they can be used in summer cottages and villages). The birch bark worker performs his work without threads and glue, and many people ask themselves: why are the products so durable? The answer to that is skill.
The birch bark's wife draws on clay, birch bark or wood. The traditional northern painting endows her works with a unique author's charm, many people note this.
Potter
The village of Upper Mandrogi can boast of having a ceramic master. Many who want to learn how to work with clay come to potter's master classes. And the age range is completely huge: from one and a half years to 80. Visitors to the village spoke warmly about the time spent in the workshop.
The main thing a beginner should get used to is clay, its structure, understanding how to work with this material. At the first lesson, the master tells and helps his students to correctly form the workpiece so as not to break the intended shape. In his demonstration classes, the potter demonstrates his craft, teaching the guests of the village. One half of the work is done by the master, and the student will finish it.
The master mainly sculpts his works from white clay. Some products need to dry for a month to become fireproof and durable.
Jeweler
Engaged in the manufacture of pendants, bracelets, earrings and rings. More complex models are first made by a jeweler from wax and then embodied in metal. If the product is simple, then it is immediately made of metal.
Jewelry work is a multi-step process that requires a huge amount of time. But not every job is easy - some products must be completed in several stages in order to then connect the disparate parts into a single whole.
Guilloche
The recreation center "Verkhniye Mandrogi" offers its guests such interesting contemporary art as guilloche, or fabric burning.
This type of fabric artappeared less than 40 years ago in Russia, when in 1980 the architect Zina Kotenkova, being late, burned a hole in her favorite blouse with an iron.
Guilloche is a welding and cutting of artificial fabrics (crepe satin, gabardine, brocade, rayon) of various ornamental details. Work is performed using a thin hot needle, which is inserted into a wood burning device.
Today, the master has a patented technology for making guilloche works on wooden volumetric blanks. Caskets and dolls, Easter eggs and cutlery - all this is decorated with semi-precious natural stones or Swarovski crystals. Many of the master's works are in collections in homes in Russia and abroad.
The appearance of the village
The first ancient settlements on the Svir River appeared in the distant past, during the time of the Vepsians. This is a small nationality that traditionally lived in certain regions of Russia. The Vepsians helped maintain the trade route passing through the Svir River. Gradually the village became prosperous. Here they began to mine granite, produce iron, build ships and trade. But during the war of 1941-1945, the village, which included 29 households, was burned to the ground, and people were forced to seek shelter in other villages.
In 1996, the village of Upper Mandrogi in the Leningrad region was recreated by artists who were able to turn it into an open-air museum of Russian architecture. The village is permanently occupiedabout 100 people, and since its restoration, the inhabitants have increased: indigenous people appeared at the age of 1 to 7 years. The village has a kindergarten and a school. Here they bake their own bread according to old recipes, which is probably why it turns out so delicious.
The Vodka Museum has about 2800 copies. Each visitor has the opportunity to exchange his bottle of vodka for the same, but produced in the city of St. Petersburg.
Many entertainments are designed for families with children, employees of companies going on corporate holidays for a few days. Many noted that the kids really like Mandrogi. There are also one-day tours that start at 8 am and end at 9 pm.
Where to live?
If you choose a tour for more than one day, then the question arises: where to live during the holidays? For those who come to the ethnographic center in Upper Mandrogi, several accommodation options are offered.
Homestead - consists of two floors with three bedrooms on the second. The first floor has a large hall with a fireplace, a kitchen, a billiard room and a security room.
Each of the rooms in the estate is equipped with a bathroom.
Houses - each has two floors.
The house on the hill is a home for a small family of three or a married couple. It is furnished with colorful furniture and can also please with a hand-tiled stove.
Cutter's house - suitable for families with children. It was built by People's Artist Yu. I. Gusev. Internalelements of the interior of the house were also made by him: a chandelier in the form of a firebird, a staircase in the form of grapes. The house houses a collection of old samovars and irons.
House-terem - three couples with children can live here. It impresses with its complex figured roof and large open veranda.
The box house stands out from its brethren with an impressive copper roof that sparkles in the sun. Ideal for families with children or couples.
Smart house can accommodate 2 couples with children. It has a harmonious interior, in which several eras are intertwined: modern, retro (represented by an old gramophone) and the distant past, embodied in lubok painting.
The lace house is easily recognizable thanks to the carved decoration of the facades. Large, so feel free to accept 2-3 couples with children.
Painted house - a one-story hut for a small family. Decorators were able to completely recreate the original interior design of the house. All furniture and interior items have historical value.
Townhouse is a 2-level apartment for dedicated city dwellers, equipped with verandas on each floor.
Tavern - is among the first buildings built here. Consists of 14 rooms and a common meeting room.
Hotel - has 33 rooms, of which 5 are for couples, and the rest have 2 single beds. The interiors of each room are unique, so no two are alike.
The village of Upper Mandrogi has different reviews of tourists: someone really liked the rest, and someone was dissatisfied with the time spent here. Nevertheless, not every city dweller will appreciate such entertainment. But everyone agreed on one thing: nowhere else you will find such nature and such a craft settlement.
An example of the fabulous village of Upper Mandrogi proves that there are places to come to rest in Russia!
