Bolshaya Kuzminka: Leisure and Local History

• The HILLPARK water complex has a heated outdoor pool measuring 25 × 16 m and 1.5 to 1.8 m deep.
• The seasonal heated children’s pool is 30 cm deep and intended for children up to eight years old and up to 120 cm tall.
• HILLPARK offers activities including footgolf, mini-football, beach volleyball, basketball, tennis and badminton.
• By decree of Peter the Great, an ironworks for anchor production was founded in the town between 1703 and 1706.
• A memorial to residents who fell in the Great Patriotic War was erected in 2010.

The two pools differ considerably in size, depth and use. The heated outdoor pool measures 25 × 16 m and is 1.5 to 1.8 m deep. The heated children’s pool is also seasonal and 30 cm deep. It is intended for children up to eight years old and up to 120 cm tall, and has the “Osminog-1” slide. If you are planning a visit with children, you can take these age and height limits into account. The seasonal restriction applies specifically to the children’s pool.

The sports facilities also cover a range of activities. In footgolf, players try to kick a football into each hole on a nine-hole course using as few kicks as possible. HILLPARK also offers mini-football, beach volleyball, basketball, tennis and badminton, as well as a shooting range and GTO sports grounds. The range spans everything from a game with a clear nine-hole format to various sports; you can plan around the activities that interest you.

An early milestone in the town’s economic history was the ironworks, founded by decree of Peter the Great between 1703 and 1706 to manufacture anchors. The church’s architectural history includes several distinct events: in 1856, a stone church with two altars was built on the site of an older church destroyed by fire; this church was destroyed in the 1930s.

Another local landmark is the memorial, erected in 2010, to residents who fell in the Great Patriotic War. It features a bust of Nikolai Dmitrievich Valyaev, a Hero of the Soviet Union. A handmade sculpture of the Most Holy Mother of God was installed at the Church of the Intercession of the Most Holy Theotokos in autumn 2021. On August 11, 2023, a Divine Liturgy and a prayer service with a procession were held in this church. The date refers to this specific event.

In Lipetsk Oblast, the “Galichya gora” Nature Reserve is a distinct natural and scenic attraction. It consists of six separate sections surrounded by developed and agricultural land. The reserve protects characteristic forest-steppe communities and groups of rock-dwelling plants on Devonian limestone outcrops in the valleys of the Don, Bystraya Sosna and their tributaries. The cliffs of “Galichya gora” rise on the right bank of the Don in the centre of the oblast.

Another regional highlight is “Kudykina gora” Park in the Zadonsky District of Lipetsk Oblast, described as a recreational, landscape and dendrological park. One of its striking features is the 15-metre-tall, three-headed “Zmey Gorynych” sculpture, with a pointed tail, claws and scales. For visitors interested in landscapes and designed park spaces as well as local history, these offer different themes from the sports activities in Bolshaya Kuzminka.

The Lipetsk Regional Museum of Natural History is located on the central estate of the nature reserve and is visited by thousands of day-trippers each year. Its open-air area includes a garden of alpine plants and rare species, a breeding station for birds of prey and a medicinal herb garden. Check that these areas are currently accessible before visiting. The oblast also has regional attractions for those interested in culture: Yelets lace is one of the region’s seven ancient crafts and traditions listed in the Register of Intangible Cultural Heritage.

When searching for hotels, it helps to decide on your main focus first: if water and sports are your priorities, HILLPARK’s facilities are the most direct option. For a cultural and historical focus, consider the town’s history, memorial and church heritage. If you are mainly interested in nature or regional themes, you can also include the examples from Lipetsk Oblast mentioned above in your travel plans.

Discover more destinations: Gryazi, Podgornoye, Usman, Argamach-Palna, Skornyakovo, Utkino, Gryaznoye, Lipetsk.

Which children is the children’s pool intended for?

The seasonal heated pool is intended for children up to eight years old and up to 120 cm tall. It is 30 cm deep and has the “Osminog-1” slide.

What can you do at HILLPARK besides swimming?

Activities listed include footgolf on a nine-hole course, mini-football, beach volleyball, basketball, tennis, badminton, a shooting range and GTO sports grounds.

What historical connections does Bolshaya Kuzminka have?

Highlights include the ironworks founded between 1703 and 1706 to manufacture anchors, the construction and destruction history of the stone church, and the memorial erected in 2010 to residents who fell in the Great Patriotic War.

For the wider travel overview: Lipetsk Oblast.