There are prosperous, dying settlements, and there are dead ones. The latter always attract a large number of tourists and adventurers. The main topic of this article is the abandoned villages of the Moscow region. It is very difficult to say how many of them there are in the Moscow region, and indeed in Russia in general. After all, every year there are new abandoned villages. You can also see photos of these villages in this article.
Abandoned villages are Russia's problem
No wonder they say that the village, the village is the soul of the country and the people. And if the village dies, then the whole country dies. It is very difficult to disagree with this statement. Indeed, the village is the cradle of Russian culture and traditions, the Russian spirit and Russian poetry.
Unfortunately, abandoned villages in Russia are not uncommon today. Modern Russians increasingly prefer the urban lifestyle, breaking away from their roots. Meanwhile, the village is degrading and more and more abandoned villages appear on the map of Russia, the photos of which amaze with their despondency and longing.
But, on the other hand, such objects attract a large number of tourists and socalled stalkers - people eager to visit various kinds of abandoned places. Thus, the abandoned villages of Russia can become a good resource for the development of extreme tourism.
However, the state should not forget about the problems of the Russian village, which can only be solved by a complex of various measures - economic, social and propaganda.
Abandoned villages of Russia - the reasons for the degradation of villages
The word "village" comes from the Old Russian word "tear" - that is, to cultivate the land. It is very difficult to imagine authentic Russia without villages - a symbol of the Russian spirit. However, the realities of our time are such that the village is dying, a huge number of once flourishing villages simply cease to exist. What's the matter? What are the causes of these sad processes?
Perhaps the main reason is urbanization - the process of rapidly increasing the role of the city in society. Large cities attract more and more people, especially young people. Young people leave for cities to get an education and, as a rule, do not return to their native village. Over time, only the elderly remain in the villages, who live out their lives there, as a result of which the villages die out. For this reason, almost all the abandoned villages of the Moscow region appeared.
Another fairly common reason for the degradation of villages is the lack of jobs. Many villages in Russia suffer from this problem, as a result of which their inhabitants are also forced togo to the cities in search of work. Villages can disappear for other reasons as well. For example, it can be a man-made disaster. Villages can also degrade as a result of changes in their economic and geographical position. For example, if the direction of the road changes, thanks to which a particular village has been developing all this time.
Further, the abandoned villages of the Moscow region will become the subject of our consideration.
Moscow region - the land of ancient temples and estates
Moscow region is the unofficial name of the Moscow region. The historical predecessor of this region can be considered the Moscow province, which was formed back in 1708.
Moscow Region is one of the leading regions in terms of the number of cultural heritage sites in Russia. This is a real paradise for tourists and travelers: more than a thousand ancient temples and monasteries, dozens of beautiful estates, as well as numerous places with long-term traditions of folk art crafts. It is in the Moscow region that such ancient and interesting cities as Zvenigorod, Istra, Sergiev Posad, Dmitrov, Zaraisk and others are located.
At the same time, the abandoned villages of the Moscow region are also well known to many. There are a lot of them in this region. The most interesting abandoned villages of the Moscow region will be discussed further.
Abandoned villages near Moscow
Such objects attract primarily extreme sportsmen, as well as local historians and various lovers of antiquity. ATThere are a lot of such places in the Moscow region. First of all, it is worth mentioning the Fedorovka farm, the villages of Botovo, Grebnevo and Shatour. These abandoned villages near Moscow on the map:
Khutor Fedorovka
This farm is located 100 kilometers from Moscow. In fact, this is a former military town, so you will not find it on any of the maps. Around the beginning of the 90s, the village of 30 residential buildings completely fell into disrepair. At one time, it had its own boiler room, substation, and a store.
Village Botovo
The old village of Botovo is located in the Moscow region, near Volokolamsk station (Rizhskoye direction). Once in this area was the estate of Princess A. M. Dolgorukova. The center of this estate was a wooden church, which was built in the 16th century (the church has not been preserved). The last owner of the estate in Botovo, as you know, gave it to the peasants at the beginning of the 20th century.
From the surviving objects in Botovo, you can see only the ruins of the Resurrection Church, built in the 1770s in the pseudo-Russian style, as well as the remains of an old twenty-hectare park. There are still old birch and linden alleys in this park.
Village Grebnevo
Grebnevo is a 16th century estate with a rich and interesting history and a rather tragic fate. It is located forty kilometers from the capital, on the Shchelkovsky highway.
The first owner of the estate was B. Ya. Belsky - the gunsmith of Tsar Ivan the Terrible, then the Vorontsovs and Trubetskoys owned the estate. In 1781, Gavril Ilyich became the owner of the Grebnevo estate. Bibikov, it was under him that the estate acquired the form in which it has survived to this day.
Dramatic pages in the history of the estate in Grebnevo are connected with the beginning of the Soviet era. The nationalization of the complex led to the fact that the buildings gradually began to lose their historical appearance. First of all, all the interiors of the buildings were affected. At first, a tuberculosis sanatorium was located within the walls of the estate complex, then a technical school. And only in 1960 the Grebnevo estate was declared an architectural monument of republican significance.
In the late 1980s, the estate seemed to have received a new impetus for its development and preservation. A cultural center was formed here, and various concerts, events and exhibitions began to be held regularly on the estate. Active restoration work began to restore the complex. But in 1991 there was a grandiose fire, after which only the frames of manor buildings and structures remained from it. In this state, the Grebnevo estate remains to this day, more and more turning into ordinary ruins.
Shatour Village
The old village of Shatour has been known since the 17th century. It is located on poor soils, so the main occupation of the locals has always been hunting. Perhaps it was for this reason that the village fell into decay in the middle of the 20th century.
Today the village is completely empty. Occasionally, the owners of individual houses visit here (several times a year). Among the abandoned village, the old brick bell tower looks great, towering above the deserted village.
Reminder for extremetourist
Despite their gloom and decrepitude, old uninhabited villages and other abandoned places are of great interest to many tourists. However, traveling to such objects can be fraught with certain dangers.
What should so-called extreme tourists know?
- firstly, before going on such a trip, you should notify your relatives or friends about your trip, its timing and route of your movement;
- secondly, you need to dress appropriately; remember that you are not going for an evening walk in the park: clothes should be closed, and shoes should be reliable, durable and comfortable;
- Thirdly, take along the necessary supply of water and food, also in your backpack should be a flashlight, matches and a standard first aid kit.
In conclusion…
The old villages of the Moscow region amaze travelers with their desolation and picturesqueness. I can't even believe that such objects can be located just a few tens of kilometers from the capital - the largest metropolis on the planet! Getting into one of these villages is like using a time machine. It seems like time has stopped here…
Alas, the number of abandoned villages in Russia is growing every year. Perhaps someday this problem can be solved. But for now, abandoned villages serve only as objects of interest for all kinds of extreme people, stalkers and lovers of gloomy antiquity.
