Khanty-Mansiysky Rayon: Seliarovo, Culture and Nature

• Seliarovo is one of the oldest settlements founded by Russian old settlers.
• The village retains houses from the 19th to the early 20th century, including homes of old settlers and special settlers.
• The rural merchant’s manor museum presents three permanent exhibitions in the merchant’s house.
• The stone Church of the Ascension in Gornopravdinsk was built in 1835.
• The Lugovskie Mammoths natural monument is located in the Ob floodplain and protects a natural and geological formation as well as a site where mammoth fauna has been found.

Seliarovo’s historical significance is reflected both in how the village is described and in its surviving buildings. The museum describes Seliarovo as one of the oldest settlements founded by Russian old settlers. Houses dating from the 19th to the early 20th century offer a tangible sense of its architecture; the surviving buildings include homes of old settlers and special settlers.

Another historical stop is the “Rural Merchant’s Manor Museum.” It is located in Seliarovo and is a branch of the Museum of Nature and Man of the Khanty-Mansi Autonomous Okrug–Yugra. The merchant’s house features three permanent exhibitions: “Peasant Interior,” “Merchant’s Shop,” and “Merchant’s Salon.” Their names lead from the world of peasant domestic life to merchant spaces, making the house’s thematic layout easy to follow.

The granary is also part of the museum grounds: two exhibition halls cover local hunting and fishing, as well as mail transport by horse-drawn carriage. The museum thus presents everyday life and livelihoods alongside the exhibitions in the merchant’s house. In Gornopravdinsk, the stone Church of the Ascension adds another perspective on history. It was built in 1835.

The regional natural monument “Lugovskie Mammoths” is located in the Ob floodplain. It was established to protect a unique natural and geological formation and a site where mammoth fauna has been found. Here, conservation connects landscape and geological history: the site is significant not only for its natural features, but also for the mammoth fauna documented there.

The program “Visit Bear Stepan” in Shapsha offers a different experience. It includes a guided tour for children along the Cherkasova Ecological Trail, a workshop on making a souvenir from natural materials, and a visit to the animal enclosure complex with information about the animals. The program can be tailored to customer preferences. It brings together nature, hands-on activities, and information about animals in an offering whose components clearly differ from the historical exhibitions in Seliarovo.

For summer, a river connection to Seliarovo aboard the motor ship “Linda” from the river port in Khanty-Mansiysk is listed. Since this information is undated, check before traveling whether the seasonal service is currently operating. In winter, Seliarovo can be reached by motor vehicle via a winter road. Check current road conditions before setting out. The seasonal change also means switching from a motor ship on the river to a winter road for motor vehicles.

Other places in the wider destination, “Khanty-Mansi Autonomous Okrug,” offer a broader regional perspective. In Khanty-Mansiysk, Samarovsky Chugas Nature Park protects valuable natural complexes, rare plants and animals, pristine forests, and unique landscapes at the confluence of the Ob and Irtysh rivers. Its objectives also include regulated recreation and environmental education.

The museums in Khanty-Mansiysk also have a different focus from the merchant’s house in Seliarovo. The Museum of Nature and Man has a collection of more than 100,000 records of Yugra’s history and culture. The Museum of Geology, Oil and Gas displays minerals, materials on geological exploration, paleontological finds from the region, and equipment used by geologists and oil workers. At the Torum Maa open-air museum, an educational excursion follows a hunting trail and explores hunting tools used by Indigenous peoples. These subjects provide a broader cultural and natural-history context for planning a trip.

Discover more destinations: Beryozovsky District, Gorod Nyagan', Sovetsky District, Surgutsky Rayon, gorod Surgut, Gorod Nizhnevartovsk, gorod Yugorsk and Nizhnevartovsky Rayon.

What does the manor museum in Seliarovo display?

The merchant’s house has permanent exhibitions titled “Peasant Interior,” “Merchant’s Shop,” and “Merchant’s Salon.” Two halls in the granary cover local hunting and fishing, as well as mail transport by horse-drawn carriage.

How is the seasonal journey to Seliarovo described?

For summer, a river connection aboard the motor ship “Linda” from Khanty-Mansiysk is listed. In winter, the journey is by motor vehicle via a winter road. Check current service or road conditions in advance.

What does the Lugovskie Mammoths natural monument protect?

It protects a natural and geological formation in the Ob floodplain, as well as a site where mammoth fauna has been found.

See the wider destination overview: Khanty-Mansi Autonomous Okrug.