An ancient small town in the east of the Moscow region. During its history of several hundred years, many architectural and cultural monuments have appeared in the city. The main attraction of the city is the old Zaraisk Kremlin. Ancient churches have been preserved on its territory, and there is also a museum, where unique exhibits are known throughout the world.
Zaraytsy keep the memory of their valiant heroes, fellow countrymen. Memorial complexes tell about their military exploits since the 17th century. There are museums dedicated to the famous residents of the city - Dostoevsky, Golubkina, Bakhrushin. The architectural style of the city is largely determined by the churches - almost anywhere in the city there are golden-domed solemn religious buildings. There are natural objects near the city - waterfalls and a holy spring.
The most interesting and beautiful places in Zaraysk
List, photos with names and descriptions of the best sights of the city.
Zaraisk Kremlin
Built in the 16th century to defend against the attacks of the Golden Horde. This is the only Kremlin in the Moscow region that has survived almost in its original form. The total length of the walls of the Zaraisk Kremlin is 650 meters, they are interspersed with seven towers and gates on each side. Currently, it houses a museum, which presents 4 main expositions - historical, architectural, artistic and archaeological.
Cathedral of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker
An Orthodox church, the construction of which was completed in 1681 on the site of a wooden church of the 13th century. It is considered the main temple of Zaraysk. Located on the territory of the city Kremlin. It is an architectural monument. The icon of St. Nicholas, which in 1224 was brought to the Ryazan limits from the city of Korsun. The icon is made in the ancient Byzantine style and is decorated with many precious stones.
John the Baptist Cathedral
Built at the beginning of the 20th century on the territory of the Zaraisk Kremlin. During Soviet times, the appearance of the temple was badly damaged, the bell tower was blown up. At the end of the 20th century, a new wooden bell tower with 10 bells was erected and the image of St. Nicholas of Zaraisk was recreated. The cathedral was built in the style of classicism with its inherent solemnity of architecture; its decoration contains elements of the Renaissance. The temple can accommodate about 1000 people.
Necropolis of Prince Fyodor and Princess Eupraxia and their son
The necropolis was built in memory of the tragic history of the Ryazan prince Fyodor and his family. The prince refused to submit to the troops of Khan Batu and was killed. Upon learning of the death of her husband, Princess Eupraxia with her young son threw herself out of the window so as not to get to Batu. In 1238, stone crosses were installed on the grave of the princely family, and now the tombstone is covered with a tent on four columns. In early August, a memorial service is held in memory of them.
Zaraiskaya parking
It is considered an archaeological monument of world importance. During excavations near the walls of the Kremlin, unique traces of a highly organized culture of primitive people of the Paleolithic era are found. In one of the halls of the Zaraisk Kremlin museum, the originals of figurines made of mammoth bones and tusk, the remains of Ice Age animals - woolly rhinoceros and mammoths, tools of labor and hunting, which are several thousand years old, are exhibited.
Museum "Zaraisk Kremlin"
Founded in 1918, since 2014 it has been located in the renovated premises of the Public Places - a former religious school. The museum has more than 200,000 exhibits, the most valuable are the collections of portraits of the 18th-19th centuries, a collection of porcelain from the 18th-19th centuries, objects of Western European art of the 17th-20th centuries and a collection of archaeological exhibits from the Zaraisk site. Sightseeing tours are conducted for visitors.
Shopping arcade
Built in the 18th century during the development of trade. Until the 1917 revolution, fairs were regularly held here, bringing together buyers and merchants from the nearby lands. Currently, they are one of the main city attractions. They are white painted brick buildings in the form of a rectangle. In some of the buildings there are shops, a market with private sellers is located nearby.
Church of the Life-Giving Trinity
It is an architectural monument. The stone church was built in the 18th-19th centuries on the site of a burnt-out wooden one. The temple and its high bell tower were erected in the Baroque style, the refectory was built a little later in the classicism style and united the two side chapels of the church. Many believe that from an architectural point of view, the Church of the Life-Giving Trinity is the most interesting religious building in the city.
Memorial "Eternal Flame"
A memorial in memory of the soldiers who died during the Great Patriotic War was installed in the center of the city, near the shopping arcade. The memorial is made in the form of a granite column, which has a statue of an unknown soldier with a rifle in his hand. The monument was erected in 1967. The author of the project is the architect A. A. Gaiko, the sculptor - V. P. Danilov. On memorable dates, identical events are held at the memorial, flowers are laid.
House-Museum of A.S. Golubkina
The memorial house of the sculptor Anna Golubkina, who was born in Zaraysk, was opened in 1974. The museum is located in the house where the Golubkin family lived. The memorial and sculptural expositions show both the originals of her works and copies of the works housed in the Russian Museum in St. Petersburg. On the second floor of the museum, in the interiors corresponding to that era, the personal belongings of the Golubkin family are exhibited.
Manor "Darovoe"
The Dostoevsky estate, 15 km from Zaraysk, where the famous writer Fyodor Mikhailovich spent his childhood. It includes an outbuilding, old houses of peasants, a cemetery, a natural area and a pond. Most of the buildings burned down in a fire in 1832. The surviving building houses temporary exhibitions. The estate is part of the Zaraisk Kremlin complex. Oaks on the territory of the grove have been growing since the time of the Dostoevskys' residence here.
Holy spring "White Well"
Located on the outskirts of the city in its northwestern part. The Osetr River flows near the source. According to legend, the source scored on the day of the transfer of the icon depicting Nicholas the Wonderworker from the city of Korsun to Zaraysk in 1225. Moscow tsars, including Ivan the Terrible, came to bathe at the holy spring. The area around the spring has been improved. There is a comfortable font, benches, a dressing room and a church shop.
Water tower
Built in 1916, renovated in 2016. The tower was erected to improve the city's water supply, and now it is a city landmark. The tower is 29 meters high. Its location at the highest point of the city allows you to observe the city's outskirts from it within a radius of 30 km. The four-tiered tower was built of bricks in the shape of a donjon, with a small green park built around it.
Monument to Dmitry Pozharsky
Installed in 2003. The project of the monument was carried out by the honored artist Yu.F. Ivanov and architect S. V. Kireev. The monument was erected in honor of Pozharsky's activities in Zaraysk as a governor at the beginning of the 17th century. It was in Zaraysk that Pozharskaya began to gather the people's militia to liberate Moscow from the Polish-Lithuanian invaders. The creation of the monument is a tribute to the memory of all the defenders of the Fatherland, the saviors of Russia.
Monument to Marshal K. Meretskov
Installed on Victory Square in 1976. The bust monument to the Marshal and Hero of the USSR was made according to the sketches of the sculptor V. Glebov and architects G. Kryukov and I. G. Shumskaya. Kirill Afanasevich Meretskov was born in the village of Nazarevo, Zaraysky district. That is why they decided to immortalize the memory of their famous and heroic fellow countryman in Zaraysk.The bust is made of granite and is located in a park among green spaces.
Ilyinsky temple
The wooden church of Elijah the Prophet was erected in 1621, in 1718 a stone church was erected in its place. It was badly damaged during a fire in 1860, but was completely restored. The temple is an imposing classicist building with a massive domed rotunda. There is a large refectory and a three-tiered bell tower. After the destruction in Soviet times, restoration work continues in it.
The Heroes Alley
Opened in 1967 on Uritsky Square. The alley was laid near the bust of the twice hero of the USSR N. Leonov. There are pedestals on it depicting the inhabitants of Zaraysk, who became heroes of the country - K. Meretskov, A. I. Pchelkin, S. M. Novichkov, N. Vlasov, V. Khryaev, F. Kamenev. The architect of the project is A. Gaiko. Two fountains were erected on the alley, benches and beautiful street lamps were installed.
Dam on the Sturgeon River
Built in the middle of the 20th century and located near the main entrance to the Zaraisk Kremlin. The waters of the river noisily break through the dam, creating a small but powerful waterfall. The noise of the water attracts visitors, because it can be heard even in the parking lot of tourist buses. Many fishermen gather at the dam, who speak of a good catch of fish in this place. The dam is currently not used for power generation.
"Theater Museum in Zaraysk"
One of the permanent expositions of the museum tells about the history of the Bakhrushin family - patrons, benefactors and collectors. The ancestors of the founders of the Theater Museum lived in Zaraysk for about 200 years. One of the main tasks of the art center and the theater and museum complex is to popularize art values among the younger generation. The museum develops educational projects and supports creative associations.
Grave-mound to the soldiers who died in battle in 1608
A monument in honor of the soldiers who died in the fight against the Polish invaders is erected on Dzerzhinsky Street. The mass grave for the soldiers in the form of a mound was founded with money collected by Colonel Marin in 1880. In 1960, a granite obelisk was erected on the grave with lines of thanks carved on it. The cast-iron cross that crowned the mound in 1880 and subsequently disappeared was restored in 2008.
Annunciation Church
It was built in 1614 near the mound where the Arzamas soldiers who died in 1608 are buried. The building of the stone temple, which has survived to this day, began to be built on the site of the old temple in 1777. Completed construction in the 19th century. The temple with a granite altar is made in the provincial baroque style, and the three-tiered bell tower at it is in the classicism style. The revered relic of the temple is the ancient icon of Nikolai Zaraisky.
Monument to V. Lenin
Located on Sovetskaya Square, surrounded by green spaces. The opening of the monument took place in 1964. E. Yakovlev became the architect of the project, V. Shishkov became the sculptor. It is made in the manner traditional for monuments of this type. The sculpture is located on a high pedestal, around which flower beds are planted. There are benches in the park, alleys are laid under the canopy of trees.
Memorial to the heroes of the Russian-Turkish war
It is located on the territory of the military registration and enlistment office on Marx Street, but there is free access to the memorial. On the brick wall there are bas-reliefs depicting the heroes of the country who were born and raised in Zaraysk - General A. Mezheninov and Lieutenant General F.E. Keller. Their biography and a story about the hostilities are posted on the information stands. The sculptor who created the project of the memorial is also a native of Zaraysk.
Memorial to the soldiers of the 140th Zaraisk infantry regiment
Opened in 1979. The author of the memorial project is the artist E. The author of the commemorative lines on the pedestal is the cultural worker V. Polyanchev. The laconic and restrained composition symbolizes the honor, heroism and valor displayed by the Zarayz warriors in battles during the Russian-Turkish War. In the manufacture of the memorial, metal, concrete, embossing, mosaics and local stone were used.
Monument to participants in the Spanish Civil War in 1936-1939.
One of the special monuments of Zaraysk. It was erected in memory of the soldiers who were among the first in the country to receive the title of Hero of the USSR - B. Turzhansky and P. Dzhibelli. These are former cadets of the Zaraisk school of military pilots. A memorial in their honor was erected on Leninskaya Street in 1968. The monument is made of metal and concrete. The sketch of the project was made by the architect A. Gaiko, the sculptor of the monument was V. Polyanchev.
Kazan temple
The stone building of the temple, which has survived to this day, was erected in 1879 at the expense of the Bakhrushin merchants and patrons. Earlier this place housed an almshouse and a wooden church. The building of the temple was damaged during the Soviet era, and is currently undergoing restoration work. The temple is active, divine services are held in it, missionary activities are carried out.
Monument-stele to Dimitar Blagoev
Dimitar Blagoev is known as an active disseminator of Marxism in Russia, the founder of the Communist Party in Bulgaria. A monument to him was opened in 1969 on Blagoev Street after the street was named after a famous public figure. The author of the project is a cultural worker V. The monument and stele are made of granite. The memorial is a rectangular stele with a bas-relief in the form of Blagoev's face.
Monument to those killed in local wars
The pedestal of the monument is made in the original form - in the form of steps on the barrow leading to the base of the stele. The names of 9 Zarayz warriors who died in the performance of their military duty in local conflicts are engraved on the monument. On the granite slab-obelisk there is a bas-relief of Mikhail the Archangel and the emblem of the Russian Ministry of Defense. The authors of the project of the monument are M. Sigaev and G. Polupanov. Architect - S. Ovcharenko. The opening of the monument took place in 2009.
Waterfalls on Gremukha
An interesting natural site is located 20 km from Zaraisk, on the border with the Ryazan region in the village of Bolshiye Belynichi. Two small waterfalls are located on the Gremukha stream, which flows into the Osetr River. The height of the cascading waterfalls is 1 and 2 meters. They are visited with pleasure not only by local residents, but also by visiting tourists. After all, waterfalls are a great addition to the beauty of the surrounding pristine nature.
Zoo center "Svyatopol"
10 kilometers from Zaraysk there is an amazing place - the farm "Svyatopolye". Its main inhabitants are huskies. You can play with them and take pictures, and in winter you can take a ride on a sleigh pulled by these beautiful dogs. Other inhabitants of the farm include a ginger cat, geese, goat and reindeer. They gladly accept treats from horse visitors. A photo with a predatory buzzard will be interesting.
