The old Russian town in the Vladimir region is a real open-air museum. It is difficult to describe cultural attractions of Gorokhovets with words, but they are worth seeing in order to plunge into the noble life of the XVII-XVIII centuries at least for a while. In this city, you must 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, preserving the charm of past centuries.
City architecture
Beautiful temples, old mansions and stone merchant houses are the highlights and the main attractions of Gorokhovets. Russia has retained on its territory only 20 merchants' chambers, and 7 of them are located in this town. It is interesting that among these structures there are no two identical. Each house has its own “status”, by which one can judge the place of its former owner in the social hierarchical ladder. Here the mansions and chambers of wealthy merchants, the houses of the middle-class merchant guild and simple houses of ordinary workers have been preserved.
Residential buildings seemed to dissolve in temples and monasteries, built on considerable donations from wealthy citizens.
Churches and Monasteries
Numerous churches and monasteries are by no means the main attractions in Gorokhovets, but they also deserve attention. In the central square of the city stands the Annunciation Cathedral. The majestic and strict five-domed church with a tall and slender belfry was built at the expense of the merchant Ershov in the early XVIII century. At the expense of the same merchant, another church was earlier built - Voskresenskaya, which became the first stone church in the city. The biggest disputes of old-timers and local historians have unfolded around the Church of All Saints, built in the Russian style at the beginning of the XX century. Until now, opponents have not come to a consensus on whose funds it was built.
In Gorokhovets there are 3 monasteries built in the XVI-XVII centuries. The oldest among them is the Znamensky Monastery, founded in 1568, surrounded by endless forests. And the title of the most outstanding landmark of Gorokhovets belongs to Sretensky Cathedral, located on the territory of the monastery of the same name in the south-eastern part of the main square of the city. Crowned with domes, decorated with volumetric stucco molding and interesting decorative elements, he involuntarily attracts admiring glances.
House of merchant Sapozhnikov
However, not only and not so many monasteries are famous for Gorokhovets. A walk around the city will certainly pass by the old buildings of the city's posad. The first building that we will “visit” is the merchant house-museum of Sapozhnikov (Ershov). The three-story building rises above the ordinary one-story buildings. Unremarkable in appearance, it impresses with its interior decoration. On the ground floor there are spacious canopies, master rooms and a reception hall. On the second - bedchairs, the interior of which was recreated with great care, here you can see and evaluate the decoration of the rooms of the wealthiest 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 House
Gorokhovets and its attractions are best viewed during a walk, 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 structure painted in light green tones - the Morozovs' house. The building is decorated with delicate light carvings and fancy turrets covered with a scaly roof. Now the former merchant’s house has been given over to the children's library.
Prishletsov House
Further down the same street is another “fabulous” house in which the chairman of the Zemsky Council once lived . This is truly a magnificent building, a real wonder of Gorokhovets. Above the entrance to the house there is a square turret, tiled and crowned with a spire. Triangular dormer windows, a barrel-shaped mezzanine stepwise rise from its base to the roof ridge, and an unusual "pot-bellied" superstructure is built over the central part of the mansion. Another highlight of the mansion is the wooden platbands decorating its windows with carvings of amazing beauty: here birds of paradise and mermaids lurk 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 example 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 the cramped rooms, powerful walls and decorations remain typically Russian . Also preserved is the old porch of the house with a narrow staircase leading to the "girl's" little room. In the 80s of the last century, the Shiryaev’s house was restored, restoring its original forms and details.
Shorin's house
On the Nizhny Novgorod Highway lurk another interesting house, built in the style of Russian fairy tales - the estate of Shorin, a large breeder and shipowner of the early XX century. This house is distinguished by a mixture of Russian style and Art Nouveau. The main distinguishing feature of these chambers are turrets in the corners of the house and wavy lines of window openings with unusual devitrification. An unknown architect also decorated the house with carvings with numerous sockets in the spirit of the traditions of folk craftsmen.
House of King Peas
What other attractions does Gorokhovets have? The house of King Peas is located here. Local residents skillfully defeated the name of their city, creating a real fairy kingdom in the former Shorin estate (now the House of Crafts and Folk Art). Here, King Pea himself sits on the throne, and with him is his retinue and the pea buffoon. Before the visitors of the excursion, a real performance is played with stories about the original Russian traditions, with songs, dances and jokes-jokes that create the feeling of a real holiday. The king sets riddles to his guests and treats them to pea puree.
Ski resort
The question that tourists face when they examined the sights of Gorokhovets: "Where to go for 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 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 argue that witches and sorcerers flock to the mountain, who, dancing, trample all living things on it, others believe that the trees do not grow on the mountain, because in ancient times there was a pagan temple, however, scientists have a more “mundane” version of the lack of vegetation - strong winds that blow it year-round do not allow seeds to take root on the mountain.
In winter, it’s worth going to the most famous ski resort in the Vladimir region, which is located on Puzhalova Gora. There are 16 tracks of varying complexity with a height difference of 70 meters and a width of up to 40-50 m. Those who wish to practice the art of bends can go to a specialized tubing track. For less extreme guests, the resort has a toboggan run. Snowboard lovers are waiting for a snowboard park with five jibbing figures. An interesting activity for everyone will be found for every guest of the Puzhalova Gora resort.
No wonder the sights of Gorokhovets attract lovers of native Russian medieval architecture. Once in this city, one involuntarily plunges into the atmosphere of a fairy tale and antiquity, inspired by merchant houses and old Russian monasteries.