260 km from the city of St. Petersburg, on the Svir River lies the fabulous village of Upper Mandrogs. The village and its inhabitants are unique! Several families in this village are engaged in different crafts: they draw, weave, and sew.
Miracles in the village
Upper Mandrog Village - This is a settlement of craftsmanship. Tourists visiting this place can take advantage of the wide range of services that the villagers provide. You can relax with your family or friends, improve your education (in several houses of the village hold master classes) or just walk. The service "corporate vacation" will allow you to choose one of the scenarios for the holidays, which are dedicated, for example, to the Day of Communism or immersion in the XIX century, etc.
The village includes 56 objects: this includes farm buildings (garage, ferry, dining room) and places visited by tourists (an old Arkhangelsk house, a manor, a forge, a squirrel, a glade of fairy tales and a mini zoo).
The structure of the craft settlement includes several houses in which various handicrafts are produced.
Puppet workshop
In the doll workshop of the village of Upper Mandrogs, there is an opportunity not only to find out what herbal toys are, but also to try to make them yourself.
The Vepsian belongs to the oldest doll, which the Podporozhsky district boasts. It is deducted from a woman whose image is cheerful and bright, of a mother-woman. This is the first of the dolls to have a clearly defined chest line. The Vepsian doll belongs to the pagan cult of the mother and is performed using the āno sewingā method. One of its varieties is the "wench girl." This is a ritual doll, which in old times was always given to newlyweds.
Herbalist - another of her hypostasis. In the dollās clothes, as well as in her hair, the needlewoman laid various fragrant herbs - mint, thyme, oregano, and then laid them at the patientās bedside.
A lot of toys were made before church and other holidays: on Palm Day - a girl-in-law, to Filippov's post - filipovka. The craftswomen did not forget about decorating the houses with dolls, symbolizing the housewives: with brooms and grips, buckets and cast-iron.
Icon painting
He lives in the village of Upper Mandrogs as an icon painter: draws paintings on a tree dedicated to religious subjects. The basis of creativity lies in Christian subjects. If the master draws an icon, then afterwards he must draw it into salary.
Kozulnitsa
What an interesting word! Think something about goats? Only partly ... Holidays in Mandrogs provide an opportunity to enjoy the magnificent gingerbread (roe), which is prepared by the craftswoman. They owe their name to the ancient stucco figures from rye dough, which the housewives performed in the form of pets. Then the figures participated in the ritual actions that took place during the holidays of agriculture. The rites were designed to increase productivity, encourage rains and favorable weather.
Today, the Arkhangelsk roe is traditionally baked for the New Year and Christmas, so that later with good wishes to be presented to relatives and friends. Gifts are not eaten, but put in a prominent place in the house. They will be there until next year. There is a belief that the more each family gives a roe, the more prosperity will be shed on it. From here the saying was born: "You give a roe - you get profit in the house."
Forge
In the forge, in the midst of heat and metal, the blacksmith reigns. Getting to visit him, everyone can buy something for himself. It can be either a small souvenir or a magnificent knife, whose handle is crowned with a mammoth tusk. The blacksmith forges all his work equally well and with soul. Each of the visitors can learn the basics of blacksmithing. Men note that the lessons made the most positive impression on them.
Seamstress
Pavloposadsky shawls, which form the basis of things manufactured by a seamstress, are the pride of Mother Russia. The things that come from them are easily recognizable by a variety of motives and colors. Every year they are more deeply rooted in the women's wardrobe. Clothing made from natural material is practical, warm and unique.
Sewing from flax
The tourist village never ceases to amaze! A seamstress is adjacent to a seamstress who makes linen, table and bed linen. The experiments carried out by scientists proved that each of the natural materials has its own energy, and flax has the strongest. Such things are able to give their owner calmness and poise, concentration and regularity.
This material is able to partially neutralize electromagnetic radiation, which is exposed to people who spend a lot of time at the computer. And for them, the best solution would be to buy a linen shirt or trousers.
Birch bark grass
Holidays in Russia can be active! And proof of this is a birch bark man who lives in the village with his wife. Under his sensitive and attentive guidance, each of the guests is given the opportunity to apply the old Russian craft. Tourists weave various objects from birch bark, the creation of which takes from 1 hour to 2 days. Among the masterās works, you can see real birch bast shoes, wicker salt shakers, children's toys, sharkunks (a baby rattle woven from birch bark and filled with peas or apple seeds) or feet (similar in shape to summer slippers, they can be used in dachas and in villages ) The birchman carries out his work without thread and glue, and many are wondering: why are the products very durable? The answer to this is skill.
The wife of a birch bark painter draws on clay, birch bark or wood. The traditional northern painting gives her works a unique author's charm, as many have noted.
Potter
The village of Upper Mandrogs boasts a craftsman in ceramics. A lot of people who want to learn how to work with clay come to the potterās master classes. And the age range is really huge: from a year and a half to 80. Visitors to the village spoke warmly about the time spent in the workshop.
The main thing a beginner should get used to is clay, its structure, understanding how to work with this material. In the first lesson, the master tells and helps his students to correctly form the blank so as not to break the conceived form. In his demonstration classes, the potter demonstrates his craft by teaching visitors to the village. The master performs one half of the work, and the student will finish it.
The master mainly sculpts his work from white clay. Some products must be dried for a month, so that later they become refractory and durable.
Jeweler
Engaged in the manufacture of pendants, bracelets, earrings and rings. The jeweler first performs more complex models from wax, and then embodies it in metal. If the product is simple, then it is immediately made of metal.
Jewelry work is a multi-step process that requires a huge amount of time. But not every job is easy - some products must be performed in several stages, so that after you connect the disparate parts into a single whole.
Guilloche
The recreation center āUpper Mandrogsā offers its guests such interesting contemporary art as guilloche, or burning on fabric.
This type of fabric art appeared less than 40 years ago in Russia, when in 1980 the architect Zina Kotenkova, being late, burned a hole in her favorite blouse with an iron.
Guilloche is the welding and cutting of artificial fabrics (crepe satin, gabardine, brocade, rayon) of various ornamental details. Work is carried out using a thin hot needle, which is inserted into the device for burning wood.
Today, the master has a patented manufacturing technology on wooden volumetric blanks of works in the guilloche technique. Caskets and dolls, Easter eggs and cutlery - all this is decorated with semiprecious natural stones or Swarovski crystals. Many of the masterās works are in collections in Russian homes and abroad.
The appearance of the village
The first ancient settlements on the Svir River appeared in the distant past, during the Veps. This is a small nationality that has traditionally lived in certain areas of Russia. The Vepsians helped maintain the trade route through the Svir River. Gradually, the village became prosperous. Here they began to extract granite, produce iron, build ships and trade. But in the war of 1941-1945, the village, which included 29 yards, was burned to the ground, and people were forced to seek refuge in other villages.
In 1996, the village of Upper Mandrogs of the Leningrad Region was recreated by artists who were able to turn it into an open-air museum of Russian architecture. About 100 people are constantly living in the village, and from the time of its restoration the inhabitants have increased: there were indigenous people aged from 1 year to 7 years. The village has a kindergarten and a school. Here they bake bread on their own according to old recipes and, probably, therefore it turns out so delicious.
The Museum of Vodka has about 2800 copies. Each visitor has the opportunity to exchange their bottle of vodka for the same, but produced in the city of St. Petersburg.
Numerous entertainments are designed for families with children, employees of companies traveling on corporate vacations for several days. Many noted that the kids really like it in Mandrogs. One-day tours are also provided, starting at 8 in the morning and ending at 9 in the evening.
Where to live?
If you choose a tour for more than one day, the question arises: where to live during the holidays? For visitors to the ethnographic center in the Upper Mandrogs, several accommodation options are offered.
Homestead - consists of two floors with three bedrooms on the second. The first floor has a large hall with a fireplace, a kitchen, a billiard room and a security room.
Each of the rooms in the estate is equipped with a bathroom.
Houses - each of them has two floors.
A hill house is a home for a small family of three or a couple. It is furnished with colored furniture, and can also please the presence of a stove laid out manually by tiles.
Carver House - suitable for families with children. It was built by the national artist Gusev Yu. I. The interior elements of the houseās interior were also executed by him: a chandelier in the form of a firebird, a staircase in the form of grapes. The house houses a collection of old samovars and irons.
House-tower - three couples with children can live here. It impresses with its intricate curly roof and large open veranda.
The casket house stands out among its brethren with an impressive copper roof that sparkles in the sun. Ideal for families with children or couples.
An elegant home can accommodate 2 couples with children. It has a harmonious interior, in which several eras have intertwined: modern, retro (represented by an old gramophone) and the distant past, embodied in the painting āunder the splintā.
The lace house is easily recognizable thanks to the carved decoration of the facades. Large, so feel free to accept 2-3 couples with children.
The painted house is a one-story hut for a small family. Decorators were able to completely recreate the original interior design of the house. All furniture and interior items have historical value.
Townhouse - 2-level apartment for convinced urban residents, equipped with verandas on each floor.
Restaurant - is among the first buildings built here. It consists of 14 rooms and a common lounge for gatherings.
The hotel has 33 rooms, of which 5 are for couples, and the rest have 2 single beds. The interiors of each room are copyrighted, so there are no two similar to each other.
The village of Upper Mandrogs has different reviews of tourists: someone really liked the holiday, and someone was not happy with the time spent here. Nevertheless, not every city dweller will appreciate such entertainment. But all agreed on one thing: nowhere else will you meet such nature and such a craft settlement.
The example of the fabulous village of Upper Mandrogs proves that there is where to come for a vacation in Russia!