Kozlovskiy District: Volga, Steppe, and Museums

• The district includes a 30-kilometer stretch of the Volga in the Kuybyshev Reservoir.
• The lower course of the Anish flows through the district and empties into the reservoir.
• Attikovskiy Stepphang Reserve covers 255.5 ha; Kovyl'naya Steppe covers 38.2 ha.
• The Butyakov Museum is located in the village of Nizhnee Anchikovo and opened in November 2016.
• The merchant Grigori Volchkov's house in Kozlovka dates from 1914.

The stretch of the Volga in the Kuybyshev Reservoir forms part of the landscape of Kozlovskiy District. The right bank is high along this stretch and, except at the mouth of the Anish, is not flooded.

The lower course of the Anish runs through the district and empties into the reservoir. This gives the area two distinct geographical features: the longer stretch of the Volga in the reservoir and the river course that ends there. The location of the mouth is also important when viewing the landscape, since it is the specific exception to the otherwise unflooded right bank described above.

The regional state nature reserve Attikovskiy Stepphang is located in the rural settlement of Attikovo. It was established in 1996 to protect and study a steppe biocenosis unusual for the Chuvash Republic and was expanded in 2006. A biocenosis is a community of organisms in an area. The reserve covers 255.5 ha.

Kovyl'naya Steppe is located in the territory of the rural settlement of Tyurlema. The regional state nature reserve was established in 1996 and covers 38.2 ha; it lies on the elevated right bank of the Volga. It protects a section of steppe described as unique to the Chuvash Republic. Feather grass, listed in the Red Book of Russia, grows there.

The two protected areas therefore represent different priorities: at Attikovskiy Stepphang, the stated aims are to protect and study an unusual steppe biocenosis. At Kovyl'naya Steppe, the elevated location on the Volga bank and the feather grass listed there are additional features. Their areas also differ considerably: 255.5 ha at Attikovskiy Stepphang compared with 38.2 ha at Kovyl'naya Steppe.

The museum of Sergei Nikolayevich Butyakov, a Hero of the Soviet Union, is located in the village of Nizhnee Anchikovo. It opened in November 2016.

In Kozlovka, the merchant Grigori Volchkov's house, built in 1914, stands on the bank of the Volga. It adds a specific historic building in the town to the themes of museums and protected areas. The N. I. Lobachevsky House Museum also has a tradition of organizing traveling exhibitions of the Chuvash National Museum.

As a broader context, the Chuvash Republic offers another perspective on regional museum themes. In Cheboksary, the Museum of Chuvash Embroidery is housed in a historic two-story building in the city center. It opened on June 23, 2015; previously, the building was used as an infirmary for soldiers of the tsarist army. The museum is a branch of the Chuvash National Museum.

The first exhibition hall presents the history of Chuvash folk embroidery from the 18th century and its professional development in the 20th century. Among the oldest and most valuable exhibits are an 18th-century women's shirt with three pairs of kĕskĕ chest patterns, a bridal blanket, and embroidered towels for the groom with stitches on both sides. This regional museum context is therefore distinct from the nature reserves and historical sites of Kozlovskiy District.

Discover more destinations: Kozlovka, Gorod Novocheboksarsk, Cheboksarskiy rayon, gorod Alatyr', Mariinsko-Posadskiy rayon, Cheboksarskiy Rajon, gorod Shumerlya, Yantikovskiy rayon.

What is the difference between the two steppe reserves?

Attikovskiy Stepphang covers 255.5 ha and was established to protect and study a steppe biocenosis unusual for the Chuvash Republic. Kovyl'naya Steppe covers 38.2 ha and is characterized, among other things, by its location on the elevated right bank of the Volga and the feather grass that grows there.

Where is the Butyakov Museum?

The museum of Sergei Nikolayevich Butyakov, a Hero of the Soviet Union, is located in the village of Nizhnee Anchikovo in Kozlovskiy District. It opened in November 2016.

What does the Museum of Chuvash Embroidery exhibit?

The first hall covers Chuvash folk embroidery from the 18th century and its professional development in the 20th century. The exhibits mentioned include an embroidered women's shirt, a bridal blanket, and the groom's towels.

For the broader travel overview: Chuvash Republic.