Dmitriyevsky District: Popovkino and Historical Traces

• Every year on May 6, a procession in Popovkino carries an icon to the holy spring.
• The first settlers arrived in Popovkino in 1670; a church was built on the shore of a lake.
• The estate ensemble in Pervoye Avgustovskoye was entered in the state register as a cultural heritage site of regional significance in December 2024.

Every year on May 6, a religious procession in Popovkino carries an icon to the holy spring. Many people gather for the procession on this day. There is also a chapel at the spring, built according to Orthodox tradition. The fixed date and religious occasion give the place a distinctive historical character. If you are traveling specifically for the annual procession, check the event date again before booking. Discover more destinations: Dmitriyev-Lgovsky.

The first settlers arrived in Popovkino in 1670; a church was built on the shore of the lake there. The former landscape has also been recorded: six ravines converged in a star shape at Popovkino, on the border with Bryansk Oblast. Between them lay a lake fed by springs emerging from wooded slopes. The settlement’s history and this former landscape offer a different perspective on time from the annual procession.

The estate ensemble of Grand Duke Mikhail Alexandrovich is located in the village of Pervoye Avgustovskoye. In December 2024, it was entered in the state register as a cultural heritage site of regional significance. The registered estate ensemble and Popovkino’s religious and historical traditions thus complement one another as distinct local themes. The distinction is useful for orientation: Popovkino is defined by a recurring custom and local history, while Pervoye Avgustovskoye is notable for its cultural heritage status.

At the level of Kursk Oblast, there are additional, distinct natural and historical themes. The ecological trails “Streltsy Steppe” and “Nature Reserve Oak Forest” run through the Central Black Earth Biosphere Reserve. A nature museum covers the reserve’s history, climate, soils, plants, and animals. The reserve can be visited only as part of a guided tour; check the conditions directly with the reserve in advance.

The Kursk Battle Historical and Memorial Museum in Ponyri covers the first days of the war in the district, the occupation, the partisan movement, and the district’s liberation on February 13, 1943. A large part of the exhibits is devoted to preparations for the Battle of the Kursk Bulge and the Ponyri defensive operation from July 5 to 11, 1943. A diorama depicts the battle for Ponyri railway station on July 10, 1943, including the events and people of that day. These examples belong to a broader regional view of Kursk Oblast, not to the description of a single place in the district.

Discover more destinations: Kursky District, Sovetsky District, Kursk, Lgovsky District.

When does the procession in Popovkino take place?

It takes place every year on May 6 and carries an icon to the holy spring. If you are traveling specifically for this occasion, check the date in advance.

What does the museum in Ponyri show?

Among other things, the exhibition covers the occupation, the partisan movement, and the district’s liberation. A diorama depicts the battle for Ponyri railway station on July 10, 1943.

Can the biosphere reserve be visited without a guide?

No. It can be visited only as part of a guided tour. Check the conditions directly with the reserve before your trip.

For the broader travel overview: Kursk Oblast.