Navlya: Discover Cultural and Memorial Sites

• The Museum of Partisan Glory focuses primarily on the partisans and underground resistance fighters from Navlya during the Great Patriotic War.
• A dedicated exhibition area is devoted to singer Anastasia Vyaltseva (1871–1913).
• An obelisk, a tank monument, and memorial sites at P. I. Derevyanko Square commemorate different aspects of wartime history.
• A tourist route developed in 2013 includes, among other stops, the Square of the Komsomol Underground Fighters and the museum.

The Museum of Partisan Glory centers on the history of partisans and underground resistance fighters from Navlya. Nearby, the exhibition area devoted to Anastasia Vyaltseva offers a different cultural perspective: visitors can listen to recordings of her voice there. The same museum thus presents wartime history and music side by side, without merging them into a single theme.

A historical religious event also forms part of the town’s cultural heritage: on July 20 and 21, 2021, a joint service for the patronal feast was held at the Church in Honor of the Icon of the Mother of God of Kazan. The specific dates give this connection a clear historical context.

The obelisk to the liberators and partisans was erected in central Navlya on September 17, 1968. Memorial plaques added in 1971 provide specific details: one names 14 partisan units formed in the district between 1941 and 1943. The monument and its inscription therefore relate both to remembrance and to the history of the units.

Another monument was erected in May 1985 to commemorate the tank crews of the 10th Separate Guards Tank Brigade of the 1st Tank Corps of the 11th Guards Tank Army of the Bryansk Front. The brigade took part in liberating the district center. A heavy IS-2 tank stands on the pedestal—a distinctly different memorial subject from the obelisk and its plaques.

P. I. Derevyanko Square in the center was named in 2008. In 2010, a memorial wall bearing the names of 14 partisan units of the “Death to the German Occupiers!” Brigade and a bust of the brigade commander, Pyotr Ilyich Derevyanko, were added. The Square of Military and Partisan Glory of Pyotr Derevyanko and the Square of the Komsomol Underground Fighters are also counted among Navlya’s attractions.

The natural monument “Partisan Oak,” of federal and regional significance, is located near the village of Glinnoye. It is a natural attraction in the vicinity of Navlya and should not be confused with the memorial sites in the town center.

The wider destination of Bryansk Oblast offers other, distinct themes. The Dyatkovo Crystal Museum presents more than two hundred years of glassmaking history. Its collections include colored and colorless crystal pieces made using rare techniques, Soviet glass compositions, and vases and decorative objects from the 19th and 20th centuries. The collection also includes gifts and keepsakes made for prominent figures, as well as artistic light fixtures and glass ensembles.

The themes are different at the Bryansky Les Nature Reserve in Bryansk Oblast: it lies between the Desna and Nerussa rivers and is the region’s only nature reserve. Visitors can experience the wilderness through environmental education, routes, and observation. The area is also a center for breeding and reintroducing bison, which historically lived in this region. In Navlya, by contrast, local partisan history takes center stage.

The “Around the Partisan Oak” tourist route, developed in 2013, includes a visit to the Square of the Komsomol Underground Fighters and the Museum of Partisan Glory in Navlya, within Navlinsky District. If you plan to use this route information, check access conditions in advance.

Discover more destinations: Zhukovka, Pervomayskoye, Krasnyy Kurgan, Titovka, Osinovaya Gorka, Seltso, Domashovo and Klintsy.

What is the main focus of the Museum of Partisan Glory?

The exhibition focuses primarily on the partisans and underground resistance fighters from Navlya during the Great Patriotic War. A dedicated area covers Anastasia Vyaltseva and includes recordings of her voice.

What memorial sites are there in Navlya?

They include the obelisk to the liberators and partisans, the monument featuring an IS-2 tank, and memorial sites at P. I. Derevyanko Square and other squares in the town.

Which stops are included on the “Around the Partisan Oak” route?

The route, developed in 2013, includes the Square of the Komsomol Underground Fighters and the Museum of Partisan Glory in Navlya, within Navlinsky District. Check access conditions before planning your visit.

Go to the wider travel guide: Bryansk Oblast.