Discover Osa: Museums, history and walking tours

• The Holy Trinity Cathedral was built from 1902 to 1916 in the Russian-Byzantine style.
• The “Priroda Osinskogo Prikamya” exhibition features more than 670 objects relating to the nature of the Osa area.
• A historical walking tour passes through Sobornaya Square and along old streets to the Kama embankment.

The Local History Museum is located on the site of the former Osa settlement, which existed from the 2nd century BC to the 3rd century AD. The museum building is the former Cathedral of the Dormition. It was built from 1792 to 1824 with funds donated by parishioners and was the city’s first stone building. The site therefore brings together the history of the early settlement and the architectural history of a church building constructed several centuries later.

The “Priroda Osinskogo Prikamya” exhibition presents the nature of the Osa area through more than 670 museum objects. These include fossils from the ancient Perm Sea, rocks, minerals and mineral resources, as well as shells, insects, fish, birds and other animals. Gymnosperms and angiosperms are also represented. The collection thus brings together examples from different areas of the natural world rather than focusing on a single group of animals or plants.

A notable feature of the exhibition is the nature diorama of the same name. It is described as Russia’s second-largest nature diorama and measures 180 m², including its naturalistic foreground. Another diorama focuses on events from the Peasants’ War of 1773 to 1775; it is described as the only one of its kind in Russia. The contrast highlights the museum’s different themes: the nature of the Osa area in one diorama, and a historical event in the other.

Another exhibition, “Vitus Bering - Osa. Na puti k Velikim otkrytiyam,” explores the key stages of the Second Kamchatka Expedition across Russia, led by Vitus Bering. Together with the diorama about the Peasants’ War, it offers an approach to historical themes distinct from the natural history collections.

A walking tour of Osa’s historic district passes through Sobornaya Square and along old streets to the Kama embankment. Along the way, you’ll follow historic pavements and cobbled streets; the tour also includes the open-air exhibition “Osa. Vremya masterov” – “Progulki po starinnoy Ose.” The route therefore combines the urban landscape with an exhibition about old Osa. The walking tour described is available by prior request.

Another walking tour ends at the Holy Trinity Cathedral. The church was designed by Perm architect A. B. Turtsevich and is considered a monument of church architecture. Built between 1902 and 1916 in the Russian-Byzantine style, the cathedral offers a tangible connection to the city’s architectural history.

On the Local History Museum’s quest, participants walk through the streets with museum staff and learn interesting facts about old Osa. This quest is available by request. The ornithological excursion is also available by request: along the trail, participants can listen to birds and observe them with binoculars. If you’re choosing between the activities, you can think of the historical walk and nature observation as having different focuses; confirm your preferred tour with the Local History Museum in advance.

For those looking beyond Osa to the wider destination of Perm Region, the Basegi Nature Reserve has two excursion routes: “K vershine Severnogo Basega” and “K Yuzhnomu Basegu.” The “K vershine Severnogo Basega” route is listed as 11 km, including the return journey, and takes 5 to 8 hours, including the guided tour and rest breaks. The excursion season runs from June to October. The route starts at the checkpoint by the “Schastlivyy” ranger post and continues on foot for 3,700 metres through taiga forest—that is, the mountain forest zone—as well as about 300 metres across mountain meadows. Check the arrangements with the nature reserve before planning this route.

Khokhlovka is also part of the wider destination of Perm Region. It is the Urals’ first open-air architectural and ethnographic museum of wooden architecture, and it opened to visitors in September 1980. Its collection includes farmsteads belonging to the Komi-Permyaks and Russians, dating from the late 19th to the early 20th century. Khokhlovka also features wooden churches and a bell tower that are more than 300 years old, as well as an architectural complex from a saltworks and a tent-roofed windmill. These regional examples offer a different focus from Osa’s urban history and museum themes.

Discover more destinations: Kungur, Berezniki, Lysva, Perm, Gremyachinsk, Alexandrovsk, Kuyeda and Gubakha.

What distinguishes the two dioramas at the Local History Museum?

The “Priroda Osinskogo Prikamya” nature diorama is described as Russia’s second-largest and measures 180 m², including its naturalistic foreground.

Which Local History Museum activities are available by request?

The quest through Osa’s streets with Local History Museum staff and the ornithological excursion are available by request. The historical walking tour described is also offered by prior request.

How much time should you allow for the route to North Baseg?

The “K vershine Severnogo Basega” route takes 5 to 8 hours, including the guided tour and rest breaks; the 11 km includes the return journey. The season runs from June to October. Check the nature reserve’s current arrangements before planning your trip.

View the wider travel overview: Perm Region.