Pikalyovo: Local History Museum and Festival History

• The Pikalyovo Local History Museum opened in 1978; its collection traces its origins to exhibits from the school museum in the village of Spirovo.
• The collection includes metal objects and tools forged by local blacksmiths from bog and lake iron ore.
• The “PIKALYOVSKIE ASSAMBLEI” music festival was held annually from 2012 to 2019 in Pikalyovo and Boksitogorsk, in Leningrad Oblast.

Two points in time should be distinguished when it comes to the museum: it opened in 1978, while its collection originated with exhibits from the school museum in the village of Spirovo. The collection includes metal objects and tools forged by local blacksmiths from bog and lake iron ore. The objects therefore reveal both the finished products and the local craft of blacksmithing.

Other exhibits explore the lives and activities of residents of the Boksitogorsk District in the frontline area, as well as local residents who fought in the Great Patriotic War. The district is part of the exhibition’s subject matter; the local history museum itself is in Pikalyovo. Thus, handcrafted objects and the history of the people are presented side by side, while remaining distinct themes.

Annual editions of the “PIKALYOVSKIE ASSAMBLEI” music festival took place between 2012 and 2019 in Pikalyovo and Boksitogorsk. The festival’s history is therefore connected to both cities and has a clearly defined timeframe. This offers a different perspective on the area’s culture than the museum collection: one is a series of events, while the other focuses on preserved objects and exhibition themes.

If you are planning a stay based on your cultural interests, these distinctions can help you tell the themes apart: the blacksmithing work and the history of district residents belong to the local history museum in Pikalyovo; the festival connected Pikalyovo with Boksitogorsk. Both aspects provide context without presenting the festival’s history as a current event date.

In the wider destination of Boksitogorskiy rayon, the “Astracha, 1941” museum tells the story of events near Tikhvin in November and December 1941. It also focuses on the real stories of a Russian boy and a German boy. The interactive exhibition continuously displays a chronicle of wartime on four screens; visitors can interact with authentic objects from that period. This museum offers a distinct historical focus alongside the themes of the Pikalyovo Local History Museum.

Landscape-related themes also concern the wider destination of Boksitogorskiy rayon: some worked-out quarries have filled with water to form artificial lakes. Fish found in the quarries include trout, muksun, perch, roach, bream, and catfish. Another regional tradition is Somino Peter’s Fair, a revived tradition of the urban settlement of Efimovskoye. Efimovskoye was once a well-known merchant village. These themes belong to the district and should be distinguished from the specific local history of Pikalyovo.

Discover more destinations: Shcheleyki, Ushaki, Sredniye Krupeli, Belichye, Poroshkino, Gavrilovo, Novoye Devyatkino, Kingissepp.

When did the Pikalyovo Local History Museum open?

The local history museum opened in 1978. Its collection traces its origins to exhibits from the school museum in the village of Spirovo.

In which years was the music festival held?

“PIKALYOVSKIE ASSAMBLEI” was held annually from 2012 to 2019 in Pikalyovo and Boksitogorsk.

What does the “Astracha, 1941” museum show?

The museum in the wider destination of Boksitogorskiy rayon covers the events near Tikhvin in November and December 1941, as well as the real stories of a Russian boy and a German boy. Its interactive exhibition uses four screens and authentic objects from wartime.

See the wider travel overview: Leningrad Oblast.