Voskresenskoye Povetluzhye Nature Park — a protected area of the The Nizhny Novgorod River Valley, a nature park of regional significance. Established on 10 June 2008. It comes under the jurisdiction of the Government of Nizhny Novgorod Region. The nature park is managed by the Nizhny Novgorod Region committee for nature protection and the management of natural resource use.

Its area is 34,983 ha. The park is situated in Voskresensky District, in the floodplain of the The Vetluga River from the village of Medvedikha to the hamlet of Tomilikha.

How the park came into being

« Nature parks comprise natural complexes and features of considerable ecological and aesthetic value, and are intended for use for nature-related, educational and recreational purposes
Section IV, Art. 18 of Federal Law No. 33-FZ of 14 March 1995 "On Specially Protected Natural Areas"
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In 2005 Voskresensky District became the fourth district in Nizhny Novgorod Region to be awarded the certificate and medal of a competition held by the International Ecological Fund in the category “Ecologically safe sustainable development of territories”.

A district or territory awarded the certificate and medal “Ecologically clean district” is included in the International Ecological Fund's programme “Ecologically safe sustainable development of territories”, which is aimed at helping to attract investment into the regions and at developing ecologically oriented territories.

In 2007 the administration of Voskresensky District was the first in Russia to introduce and maintain an environmental management system (EMS) in accordance with the requirements of the national and international standards GOST R ISO 14001-98 and MS ISO 14001:2004. The district contains the cooperation zone of the “Nizhny Novgorod Trans-Volga” Biosphere Reserve, which holds an international UNESCO certificate.

The nature park “Voskresenskoye Povetluzhye” that was created, with a total area of 34,983.02 ha, is functionally divided into three zones: a nature protection zone, a recreational zone and a zone of limited economic use.

The nature park has resources that allow a variety of forms of tourism to be developed: ecological, adventure, cultural and educational, ethnographic and others.

The territory of the nature park is notable for its landscapes and scenery. There are both coniferous and deciduous forests here, mushroom and berry grounds, and rich opportunities for sport hunting and fishing (amateur angling).

One of the park's best-known sights is Svetloyar (a Natural Monument) of federal significance), which lies not far from Vladimirskoye.

Certain rules of conduct apply on the territory of the nature park, arising from the specific nature of the park as a site of nature protection and recreation.

In order to attract a flow of tourists, the park administration has developed several tourist routes (descriptions attached), on which guided tours are conducted by qualified guides trained by the ministry.

As part of the support for the development of domestic and inbound tourism in Nizhny Novgorod Region, we recommend that, when drawing up programmes for receiving tourists, you include a visit to the nature park “Voskresenskoye Povetluzhye” and engage its guides to serve tourist groups.

Routes and services

The official guidebook "VOSKRESENSKOYE POVETLUZHYE Nature Park" [1] offers:

  • ethno-ecological excursions to tourist centres
  • horse riding
  • recreation in the open air
  • accommodation in rural guest houses and tourist lodges
  • photo hunting
  • fishing tours
  • folklore programmes
  • classes in master workshops on clay modelling, floristry, and the making of folk dolls.

The following routes are offered to tourists:

"At the Walls of the Hidden City of Kitezh"

A visit to Vladimirskoye, Svetloyar, a hike to the Grave of the Three Elders and to the Kibelek spring. The park's main attraction is the picturesque and Svetloyar, situated on the outskirts of a historical settlement — Vladimirskoye. Svetloyar is often called an "unearthly wonder", its origin being explained by the fall of a meteorite. Far more popular, however, is the legend of the Kitezh. The well-known writer and historian P.I. Melnikov-Pechersky described the mystery of Kitezh in this way: "That city stands whole to this day, but it is not seen… It vanished miraculously at God's command… And on Lake Svetly Yar, on a quiet summer evening, there appear reflected in the water walls, churches, monasteries, princely mansions… And at night the ringing of the Kitezh bells is heard…".

"The Trinity Cloister"

The village of Vladimirskoye – the village of Troitskoye. On the bank of the winding Vetluga (disambiguation) River stands a handsome old wooden church. In the three centuries of its existence (it was built in 1713) it has never once been closed and has preserved the spirit of primordial Orthodoxy. Together with it, the bell tower and the winter church in honour of Saints Zosima and Savvaty form a single ensemble. Troitskoye also has a riding club, where one can go on horseback rides, paddle a kayak, or simply rest, comfortably accommodated in wooden cottages. Not far from Troitskoye lies the village of Raskaty, where above the water surface of the Vetluga rises Babya Gora, wrapped in numerous legends and traditions.

"Rafting on the Vetluga River"

Tourists will make an exciting rafting trip of six, four or two hours along the picturesque The Vetluga River under the direction of an experienced guide and instructor. The rafting is done on ten-seat inflatable rafts. A team race over 4 km is possible. Before the trip begins, a detailed briefing is given on the particulars of rafting on the Vetluga.

"A Journey into the World of Birds. Birds of Open and Waterside Spaces"

Visual observation and identification of waterfowl and waders on migration). The tour lasts 3 days (observation in fields, on enclosed water bodies, on lakes). Dates: from 10 April to 15 May.

"Lekking Behaviour of the Capercaillie, Black Grouse and Hazel Grouse"

Visits to the leks, a photo session. The tour lasts 2 days. Dates: 10 April – 5 May.

"Bird Voices in the Wild"

Identifying the birds of central Russia by voice. The tour lasts 2 days. In the spring period tours may be combined. The total duration of the three tours is 5 days.

The ethno-ecological trail "On the Way to Antiquity"

The route tells of the settlement of the The Vetluga River shore and introduces the biological diversity of the local flora and fauna.

"At the park's birthday party"

A birthday is always a pleasant bustle. And to mark such an event for the very first time is a double pleasure — both for those who prepare it and for the birthday child itself. And if it is the only one of its kind in the whole region, one wants all the more to spend the day in a special way. The Voskresensky District has such a "brainchild" too. It is the Voskresenskoye Povetluzhye nature park, and on 10 June it marked the first anniversary of its creation.

As is fitting, guests gathered for the celebration. Representatives of the district administration headed by V.V. Privalov and the director of the nature park A.B. Groza received on Voskresensk soil A.A. Timofeev, chairman of the committee on ecology and nature management of the regional Legislative Assembly, and V.V. Kazakov, minister for the support and development of small business; nor did Yu.N. Gagarin, minister of ecology and natural resources of the Nizhny Novgorod Region, overlook us that day. E.N. Korshunova, director of the Kerzhensky state nature biosphere reserve, also found time to congratulate the district.

The day began with Russian pies and an excursion around the notable places of the village of Vladimirskoye. The guests visited the Kitezh museum of history and art, the Kitezh children's centre and, of course, Svetloyar. On a sweltering sunny day a light coolness streamed from the lake, giving freshness and vigour.

In the village of Rusenikha an excursion was arranged for the festive delegation along several points of the ethno-ecological trail "On the Way to Antiquity", as well as around the local museum of local lore. And after all the walks, in the village of Blagoveshchenskoye, at the Seraya Loshad riding club, as guests of its owner A.M. Pirogov, who gladly received such distinguished visitors, those assembled discussed the prospects for the nature park's further development and the problems that need solving. And the head of the district administration V.V. Privalov recalled how it had all begun.

Back in 2005 the International Ecological Foundation awarded the Voskresensky District the status of an "ecologically clean territory". In 2007 the administration, the first in Russia to do so, introduced and has since maintained an environmental management system in the district. On 10 June 2008, by a decree of the regional Government, the district's first nature park, Voskresenskoye Povetluzhye, was created, with an area of 34,983.02 hectares (about ten per cent of the area of the entire district). Its purpose became the conservation of nature, the environmental education of the population and the creation of favourable conditions for the development of tourism and recreation.

In 2008 the regional Ministry for the Support and Development of Small Business, within the framework of the targeted programme "Development of inbound and domestic tourism in the territory of the Nizhny Novgorod Region", purchased the following equipment for the nature park's operation: an Iveco minibus, a pleasure boat, snowmobiles for conducting excursions, a UAZ vehicle for inspecting the territory, equipment for creating a beach on the The Vetluga River, and computers and office equipment for the running of the park's information and tourist centre.

In 2009 the nature park took part in two international tourism exhibitions and one all-Russian one; with funds from the regional tourism programme banners presenting the nature park were printed, and with funds from the Ministry of Ecology a display about the park was created, setting out potential investment sites for the development of tourist infrastructure in the district.

Vadim Vasilyevich spoke of the idea of creating the park roughly as follows: "In the course of economic work in the district we understood: you cannot busy yourself with one thing without seeing another, you cannot forget that all this is for people and, first of all, for those who live on this land. And we laid the principle of comprehensiveness at the base of the district's development concept. We arranged protection of the lake, improved the grounds around Svetloyar, and at once the question arose of repairing the bridge over the Lyunda River. We equipped camping sites, laid roads, replaced the power lines in Vladimirskoye. We put the house-museum of S. Afonshin in order. This year we are bringing gas into the village. We already have a plan for the comprehensive development of the territory for the future. The nature park was created without taking any land away from its owners.

From the outset we wanted the site to be of regional significance. At present the park is passing through an intermediate stage of its development — for now it is a municipal institution." The district moved towards the creation of the park in slow steps. Alongside the receipt of grants under targeted programmes and new opportunities for work in tourism, such very "earthly" matters were being dealt with. For a tourist everything matters: not only how rich the excursion programme is, but also what bus he is carried in and along what road, what he is fed and where he is put up for the night.

It is understandable that the work of creating the park was not without difficulties. There are difficulties now as well. For example, at the round table the director of the Povetluzhye hunting estate A.M. Pirogov, on whose "Voskresensk" part everyone had gathered, shared his concerns. They mostly touched on nature protection within the park. Povetluzhye forms part of one of the park's two clusters, and the wildlife of this protected territory needs special safeguarding. There are poachers here too, while lessees are not vested with legal powers to the extent required. As a result of predatory extermination the grey partridge has vanished from the local forests, and the European hare has disappeared as a species.

Now, thanks to protective measures, the elk population has been restored and the number of wild boar has grown. The hunting estate's management would like to bring back the vanished species as well. To bring back means to breed and then to protect. The director of the Kerzhensky reserve, E.N. Korshunova, supported his ideas and even promised to give Seraya Loshad a pair of partridges. Of the park Elena Nikolaevna said: "The region had needed it for a long time. And it needs more than one. Poaching exists everywhere, even in a reserve. That is why I propose creating a comprehensive task force working across the whole region, based at the Ministry of Ecology. And restoring vanishing species — that is of direct benefit to the hunting estates themselves!" This is precisely why we need a state inspector. And not one for three districts, as now, but a dedicated one who will work only in the territory of our district.

By his own example Alexander Mikhailovich showed how the tourism business is organised: "I am engaged in tourism and in agriculture — crop growing and livestock farming. But only tourism brings a profit. So out of the funds it earns I have subsidised all the other branches of my enterprise." Is that not a plan for the future development of the whole district in miniature ? Another obstacle to increasing the flow of tourists into the district proved to be the impossibility of receiving foreign visitors. But that problem has to be solved above district level.

Among the most important tasks of the park's operation is the creation of a business system thanks to which tax revenues to the budget will make it possible to finance the nature park and other social programmes of the district — this idea was developed by Yu.N. Gagarin, who pointed to the need for more guest houses in the district like Pirogov's and for drawing the local population into the development of rural tourism. Its essence is to arrange for tourists camping sites, overnight stays and longer halts in… ordinary village houses. You will agree that almost any grandmother can provide such services if she simply keeps her cottage clean and has a spare room for guests. Incidentally, a register of such hospitable houses has already been compiled in Vladimirskoye.

Of course, a birthday was not complete without presents. A.A. Timofeev presented the nature park with a kayak, and handed Vadim Vasilyevich a letter of thanks for his fruitful work in the sphere of ecology and nature management.

Many proposals and pieces of advice were voiced during the round table. To draw up a single plan for protecting the park's territory, to set up guest houses in the settlements, to create a museum of nature — these were the wishes for the future from the guests of the celebration.

The director of the nature park himself, Alexey Groza, said that this year it is planned to publish a booklet for tourists, and that as early as next spring visitors will be offered, in addition to the existing routes to Lake Svetloyar and the village of Troitskoye, new tourist products under the common name "A Journey into the World of Birds" — a three-day tour observing different groups of birds — as well as one more ethno-ecological trail and a video about the nature park.

According to Alexey Borisovich, the park's management now faces three main tasks: that the park be known about; that it be equipped and protected; that business and investors be drawn into the district. And, of course, that the park fulfil one of its principal missions — the social one: to help relieve tension, to bring people closer to the beauty of nature. And to attune them to the positive.

The Voskresenskoye Povetluzhye nature park has counted only one year since its creation, but much has already been done. The park has begun to work, and the first funds it received went towards clearing rubbish from Svetloyar. Banners are already being made for display at tourist centres in various districts of the region, and information about our offers for tourists can be found on the site: www.kitezh.info

Today tourism is one of the main branches of the district's economic development planned for the future. Of course, the park too will change with time. And that means the appearance of the whole district will change, as will people's attitude to the holy places of the Voskresensk land. And undoubtedly all this will change for us only for the better.

N. Utkina

Contacts

  • Alexey Groza (director of the “Voskresenskoye Povetluzhye” nature park). tel. (83163) 3-52-31
  • Pankratova Irina Aleksandrovna (head of the nature park's excursion department). tel. 8-950-362-65-44.

Interesting facts

  • The history of these places, celebrated by many Russian writers, composers and artists, is told in detail at the local museum «Kitezh» and at the «Kitezh» children's ethnocultural centre, both located in the village of Vladimirskoye. Every year, on 6 July, the traditional festival «Grad Kitezh – the Soul of Russia» is held here.

See also