Peremyshlsky District: Ugra, Trails and Monastery History

• Vorotynsk was once an urban-type settlement and is now a village within Ugra National Park.
• Lake Tish is an important botanical area and a stopover for migratory birds.
• The Pokrovskie Kurgany nature trail passes a group of kurgans designated as an archaeological monument.
• Sharovkin Monastery was founded at the beginning of the 16th century.

Lake Tish is located in Ugra National Park and is significant both for its plant life and as a stopover for migratory birds. For anyone interested in natural environments, it offers a specific point of interest for planning a trip: the focus is not only on the lake itself, but also on its importance for plants and migrating birds.

A steep ridge runs alongside the village of Zhelokhovo, offering views of Lake Tish. The lake is one of the most scenic in Kaluga Oblast. The ridge has traditionally served as a launch site for paragliders, so the landscape is also associated with a long-standing recreational activity. This does not imply that there is a current operator or organized flight offering.

The trail can be explored on foot or by bicycle and is suitable for visitors of different ages. Information boards, signposts and bicycle parking are among the facilities described. The group of kurgans along the trail is designated as an archaeological monument and burial mound site. This combines getting out into the landscape with a specific archaeological theme.

The trail offers a panorama of the Zhizdra River as well as a view of Sharovkin Monastery. The monastery dates from the 16th to 18th centuries. The trail description therefore brings together two distinct impressions: the river landscape and a view of a historic monastery. Check the current trail conditions with Ugra National Park before visiting.

Sharovkin Monastery was founded at the beginning of the 16th century near the hermitage of the hermit Feognost Sharovka. He gathered a community of hermits there. The site's history can still be read in buildings that are in very different states of preservation.

The monastery’s Church of the Dormition is being restored gradually, and services are held there. Since 1974, it has been a federally designated historical and architectural monument. By contrast, only ruins remain of the monastery’s second church, the Church of St. Sergius. It is designated as a monument of regional historical and cultural significance. A holy spring of the Prophet Elijah, with a bathing pool, is also located near the monastery.

The Church of the Dormition in Achlebinino was built in 1916 at the behest of I. Ya. Konshina, the estate’s last owner. The church has been restored, and services are held there. Achlebinino is also associated with Irina Yakovlevna Konshina’s historical work.

Konshina organized a folk embroidery workshop there, involving embroiderers from 69 villages. She designed patterns for peasant embroidery herself and taught children to draw. She also founded a temperance society and a library. These activities are part of the site’s history; they do not mean that the institutions of that time still exist today.

In the wider travel area of Kaluga Oblast, the “Tsarstvo russkoy vykhukholi” Museum provides information about the habitat, biology and adaptations of the Russian desman. It plays recordings of the animal’s calls and shows it on a screen, not in person. The museum opened in 2024 and is located in Peremyshl District, near Korchevskie Dvoriki. Individual and group visits are available; confirm current visitor arrangements in advance. Alongside the landscapes and architectural history, it offers insight into a regional nature topic.

Discover more destinations: Kaluga, Dzerzhinskiy rayon, Kozelskiy rayon, Maloyaroslavetskiy rayon, Zhukovskiy rayon, Yukhnovsky District, Borovskiy rayon.

Can you explore the Pokrovskie Kurgany nature trail on foot and by bicycle?

Yes. The trail is described as suitable for exploring on foot or by bicycle and has information boards, signposts and bicycle parking. Check the current conditions with Ugra National Park in advance.

What condition are the churches of Sharovkin Monastery in?

The Church of the Dormition is being restored gradually, and services are held there. Only ruins remain of the Church of St. Sergius.

What does the Russian desman museum show?

The museum covers the species’ habitat, biology and adaptations. Recordings of its calls are played; the animal can be seen on a screen, not in person. You should confirm current visitor arrangements in advance.

See the wider travel overview: Kaluga Oblast.

More places within the same destination:

Dzerzhinskiy rayon.