An old Russian town in the Vladimir region is a real open-air museum. It is difficult to describe in words the cultural sights of Gorokhovets, but they are worth seeing in order to plunge into the noble life of the 17th-18th centuries at least for a while. In this city, you should definitely wander along the picturesque streets, look at the panorama of the city and its environs from the mountain, and then, going down and crossing the bridge, see Gorokhovets reflected in the river surface, which has retained the charm of past centuries.
City Architecture
Beautiful temples, old mansions and stone merchant houses are the highlights and main attractions of Gorokhovets. Russia has retained only 20 merchant chambers on its territory, and 7 of them are located in this town. It is interesting that among these buildings no two are the same. Each house has its own “status”, which can be used to judge the place of its former owner in the social hierarchical ladder. The mansions and chambers of we althy merchants, the houses of the middle-class merchant guild and simple huts of ordinary workers have been preserved here.
Residenti althe houses seem to have vanished into temples and monasteries built with large donations from we althy citizens.
Churches and monasteries
Numerous churches and monasteries are by no means the main attractions in Gorokhovets, but they also deserve attention. The Annunciation Cathedral rises on the central square of the city. The majestic and austere five-domed temple with a high and slender belfry was built at the expense of the merchant Yershov at the beginning of the 18th century. At the expense of the same merchant, another church was previously built - the Resurrection Church, which became the first stone church in the city. The biggest disputes between old-timers and local historians revolved around the Church of All Saints, built in the Russian style at the beginning of the 20th century. Until now, opponents have not come to a consensus on whose funds it was built.
In Gorokhovets, 3 monasteries built in the 16th-17th centuries have been preserved. The oldest among them is the Znamensky Monastery, founded in 1568, surrounded by endless forests. And the title of the most outstanding attraction of Gorokhovets belongs to the Sretensky Cathedral, located on the territory of the monastery of the same name in the southeastern part of the main square of the city. Crowned with domes, decorated with voluminous stucco and interesting decorative elements, it involuntarily attracts admiring glances.
House of merchant Sapozhnikov
However, not only and not so much Gorokhovets is famous for its monasteries. Walking around the city will definitely pass byancient buildings of the city suburb. The first building that we will "visit" is the merchant house-museum of Sapozhnikov (Ershov). The three-story building rises above an ordinary one-story building. Unremarkable externally, it amazes with its interior decoration. On the ground floor there are spacious vestibules, master's rooms and a ceremonial hall for receiving guests. On the second floor there are bedchambers, the interior of which was recreated with great care. Here you can see and appreciate the decoration of the rooms of the we althiest merchant of the city of that time. On the third floor, in one of the rooms, interesting specimens of carpentry toys were collected, which were made from the remains of wood chips and painted with bright colors. There are secret passages in the merchant's house through which the owners could quietly leave their home.
Morozov's House
Gorokhovets and its sights are best viewed on foot, visiting the most interesting places in the city. On Lenin Street, not far from the central square of the city, there is another very beautiful one-story wooden building, painted in light green tones - the Morozovs' house. The building is decorated with delicate light carvings and whimsical turrets covered with scaly roofs. Now the former merchant's house has been given over to a children's library.
Prishletsov's House
Further down the same street is another "fabulous" house, where the chairman of the Zemstvo Council once lived. This is a truly magnificent building, a real curiosity of Gorokhovets. Above the entrance to the house there is a square turret covered withtiled and surmounted by a spire. From its base to the ridge of the roof, triangular dormer windows, a barrel-shaped mezzanine rise in steps, and an unusual "pot-bellied" superstructure is built above the central part of the mansion. Another "highlight" of the mansion is the wooden architraves decorating its windows with amazingly beautiful carvings: birds of paradise and mermaids lurk here in vines and exotic flowers.
House of the Shiryaevs
The architectural sights of Gorokhovets are represented not only by wooden architecture, but also by stone houses. One of the examples of stone buildings is Shiryaev's house. The merchant family, at the expense of which this estate was built at the end of the 17th century, was not alien to European culture, which was reflected in the layout of the house, which is close to the Baroque palace buildings, but at the same time, cramped rooms, powerful walls and decorations remain typically Russian. The old porch of the house with a narrow staircase leading to the "girl's" room has also been preserved. In the 80s of the last century, the Shiryaevs' house was restored, restoring its original forms and details.
Shorin's House
Another interesting house, built in the style of Russian fairy tales, lurks on the Nizhny Novgorod highway - the estate of Shorin, a large breeder and shipowner of the early 20th century. This house is distinguished by a mixture of Russian style and Art Nouveau. The main distinguishing feature of these chambers is the turrets at the corners of the house and the wavy lines of window openings with an unusual deglazing. The unknown architect also decorated the house with carvingsnumerous rosettes in the spirit of the traditions of folk craftsmen.
The House of King Peas
What other attractions does Gorokhovets have? The house of King Peas is located here. Local residents skillfully played with the name of their city, creating a real fairy-tale kingdom in the former Shorins' estate (now the House of Crafts and Folk Art). Here King Gorokh himself sits on the throne, and with him is his retinue and the clown pea. A real performance is played out in front of the visitors of the excursion with stories about primordially Russian traditions, with songs, dances and jokes that create the feeling of a real holiday. The king asks riddles to his guests and treats them with mashed peas.
Ski resort
The question that confronts tourists when they saw the sights of Gorokhovets: "Where to go to have fun?" In the warm season, you can sit on the summer terraces of cafes or plunge into the holy spring, which is located on the territory of the St. Nicholas Monastery, 100 meters above the Klyazma River. It will be no less interesting to take a walk to another archaeological monument of the region - to Lysaya Gora, where there is not a single tree. There are legends about this mountain among local residents: some claim that witches and sorcerers flock to the mountain, who, starting to dance, trample all life on it, others believe that trees do not grow on the mountain, because. in ancient times there was a pagan temple here, but scientists have a more “mundane” version of the absencevegetation - the seeds on the mountain are prevented from taking root by strong winds that blow over it all year round.
In winter, you should go to the most famous ski resort in the Vladimir region, which is located on Puzhalova Gora. There are 16 tracks of varying difficulty with a height difference of 70 meters and a width of up to 40-50 meters. Those who want to practice the art of turns can go to a specialized tubing track. For less extreme guests, the resort has a toboggan run. Snowboard lovers will find a snowboard park with five jibbing figures. Every guest of the Puzhalova Gora resort will find an interesting activity to their liking.
No wonder the sights of Gorokhovets attract lovers of primordially Russian medieval architecture. When you get to this city, you involuntarily plunge into the atmosphere of a fairy tale and antiquity, cast over by merchants' houses and old Russian monasteries.
