The small, cozy town of Totma is located on the picturesque bank of the Sukhona River. The city was founded in 1137, a little earlier than Moscow. It has preserved most of the historical buildings. For this reason, Totma is among the 41 cities that are recognized as particularly valuable in the historical sense in Russia.
Sights of Totma in the Vologda Oblast are special - those can only be found in the Russian provincial outback. In former times, Totma was one of the richest cities in the country. Was salt mined here in the distant past? and, of course, the city was of great economic importance to the state.
A small town is located away from major highways in the north. It would seem, what special sights can be here? Nevertheless, Totma in the Vologda Oblast is one of the most important tourist centers not only in its region, but throughout the Russian North. Residents of Totma were among the first in Russia to master the salt industry. Presumably, this happened in the 15th century. Salt, a very expensive food product in those days, was evaporated from brine, which was extracted from salt keys. On the banks of the rivers Solonukha and Lyapunikhi Kovda, the inhabitants of the villages of Galitskaya and Uglitskaya built the first wineries.
Totma landmarks
Various styles were used in the architectural development of the city — classicism, Russian baroque, eclecticism. Peasant and merchant houses, warehouses, barns, farm buildings are perfectly preserved here. Wooden houses are decorated with decorative carvings, lacy iron pipes, mezzanines.
Jerusalem Entrance Church
Of particular interest to tourists are the iconic sights of Totma. Photos and descriptions of them are often published by travel agencies working in this direction. The temple was built over 17 years. Construction work was completed in 1794. Funds for its construction were allocated by the Panov brothers, and wealthy locals raised it.
The temple is a two-story building - the lower floor (winter or warm) is consecrated in honor of Christ's entrance to Jerusalem, and the upper (summer or cold) - in honor of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker. The construction is striking in its exquisite beauty - like a snow-white sailing ship, it rushes into heaven. The temple is richly decorated with cartouches, original elements in the form of a scroll or shield. The Museum of Mariners began its work in the temple building in 1996.
Church of the Nativity
Be sure to visit this church while exploring Totma's sights (we posted a photo in this review). The temple was built in 1779. Unfortunately, history did not preserve the names of the creators of this unique architectural monument, which is made in the style of the classical Totem Baroque.
The structure is two-story. The upper floor is consecrated in honor of St. Nicholas, and the lower - in honor of the Nativity of Christ. The walls of the church are decorated with magnificent stone lace, and the structure itself is light, resembling a candle. The temple is active, it contains the relics of Theodosius of Totemsky, who founded the Spaso-Sumorin Monastery.
Church of the Assumption
This landmark of Totma is an unfinished building, consisting of one floor and a dome. The construction of the temple began in the middle of the XVIII century. It is likely that the architects planned to return to the construction of the second floor later, when funds were found for this. However, this did not happen, and the temple remained one-story.
The church is located on a hill near the Sukhona River. Climbing to the observation deck of the bell tower, you will enjoy magnificent views of the surrounding landscapes.
Spaso-Sumorin Monastery
Perhaps the most significant attraction of Totma. One of the once most beautiful monastery ensembles is located two kilometers from the city, on the banks of the Kovda and Pesya-Denga rivers. The monastery complex was a vivid example of classicism in architecture.
The monastery began to be built in 1554, when Theodosius Sumorin, a monk of the Savior-Prilutsky monastery, came to this land. He put a lot of effort into the prosperity of the monastery, for which he was later canonized. Initially, all church buildings were made of wood. Only at the beginning of the XIX century they began to rebuild in stone.
However, in the XX century the monastery was haunted by misfortunes - looting, fires, the transfer of buildings to a military unit and an orphanage. All of them led to the fact that there were ruins from former greatness. Nowadays, the monastery expects the beginning of a large-scale restoration, you can see only a few surviving buildings.
Museums of the city: museum of local lore
The sights of Totma are very diverse. What to see in the city besides religious buildings? There are several museums in the city that you should visit to get to know the history of the city. The Museum of Local Lore is the oldest in the Vologda Oblast. It was founded in 1915. It is located in a building that once belonged to a religious school. The museum has three departments. In the historical department, visitors are introduced to the history of Totma from the 12th to the 20th century. In the art department you can see exhibits that reflect the culture and traditions of the local population. The renewed nature department introduces guests to the world of flora and fauna.
Visitors are interested in the museum children's room “Open Ekomir”. Here, playing, young visitors, get acquainted with the outside world, explore and learn the laws of nature.
House-Museum of I. A. Kuskov
A native of Totma, I. A. Kuskov founded (1812) and was the ruler of a Russian fortress located in California, which was called "Fort Ross", today is a national park of the United States. In the house where the great discoverer lived the last years after returning to his homeland, in 1990 a museum was opened.
The exposition presents documents, personal items, letters telling about the life and work of the famous sailor.
Museum of Church Antiquities
This amazing museum appeared in Totma in 1995. It is located within the walls of the former church of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Visitors have the opportunity to see old icons (XVI-XIX) related to copper plastics, copper warehouses, objects of worship: church utensils of past centuries, clothes of clergymen.
House of merchant Kuznetsov
Among the attractions of Totma, many guests of the city distinguish the house of Kuznetsov. Of course, it is a masterpiece of traditional northern Russian architecture. The large balcony with wooden columns and carved decoration is made in the best traditions of Totem architecture.
Monument to F. M. Vakhrushev
The outstanding Russian artist F. M. Vakhrushev was born and raised in Totma. The famous master of the landscape, was a very religious person. Over the years of his work, he painted the walls of the Kiev Pechersk Lavra, made several frescoes in his native city.
Monument to the black fox
This animal is a symbol of Totma, its image can be seen on the coat of arms of the city. By the decree of Catherine II, this beast appeared on the coat of arms as a sign that the inhabitants of Totma "are practicing in catching these animals." However, black forms of the fox (black-brown and silver-black) are not found in the vicinity of Totma. The black fox is rather a symbol of the merits of the city's seafarers and merchants in the development of the coast of North America and the Pacific islands in the XVIII-XIX centuries.
What to see in the vicinity of the city?
We did not tell you about all the attractions of Totma. Varnitsa, Uglitskaya, s. Nikolskoye, the village of Los - the suburbs in which there are interesting historical, natural and architectural objects.
Varnitsa is a small village located in the Totemsky district. By road, the distance to Totma is 3 km. The village got its name due to the fact that in the past it was engaged in salt production. The Church of the Resurrection of Christ, located in this village, is an outstanding monument of religious architecture of the XVIII century, made in the Baroque style.
The wooden Resurrection Church at this place was from the XVI century. The stone temple was built in 1775. It was built in two stages - at first a winter lower church was erected, later - a summer (upper) one with a bell tower. In the exterior decoration are presented - a wide cornice decorated with a frieze, pilasters along the edges, curly frames of window openings.
The interior decoration was not preserved in its original form, there are only a few fragments of frescoes. Today, the church is partially restored, and parishioners can attend it, on large church holidays, services are held here.
In the village of Nikolskoye there is once the orphanage of the poet Nikolai Rubtsov, and now there is a museum dedicated to his work. The museum is located in a two-story wooden building of the XIX century. Here Nikolai Rubtsov lived and studied from 1943 to 1950. Exhibits of the first hall tell about the history of Nikolskaya land. In the second, you can learn more about the poet’s military childhood. The third room is dedicated to his wandering life. The fourth is an exhibition of children's art.
Near the village of Los there is a unique natural monument. Stone Moose is located in the channel of the Sukhon River. During the flood, he hides under the water. The size of the stone is impressive - 8x4 meters. It rises two meters above the water, the same amount of "hiding" in the water. In the thirties of the XX century, they tried to blow up the stone, believing that it interferes with shipping. This is one of the largest single stones that have ever been mentioned in documents since the 18th century.
Locals love to tell that, during the journey of Peter I to Arkhangelsk, the king rested on this stone and drank tea. Since then, the stone has often been called the “king’s table”. This giant of granite exceeds 2.5 times the famous Thunder-stone, on which the Bronze Horseman is installed in St. Petersburg.