Pochinok: City History on the Khmara

The Pochinkovsky Historical and Local History Museum opened on June 21, 2000, to mark the 90th birthday of local poet Alexander Trifonovich Tvardovsky. A municipal walking tour designed for people with limited mobility begins there with a visit to the museum rooms. The tour is expected to take about two hours. It also includes an exterior view of merchant S. Ya. Epstein’s house and a stop at the renovated city park. If you plan to take this tour, check the schedule and availability in advance.

The exhibitions cover the history of the district from ancient times to the present and introduce notable people from the region. The six halls include an exhibition hall and sections on “History of the District,” “Russian Everyday Life,” “The Postwar Period,” “Pioneers from Smolensk” and “Famous Countrymen.” The last of these halls displays documents and personal belongings of the Tvardovsky family.

The themes thus range from the district’s development and everyday life to the postwar period and regional figures. Those interested in Tvardovsky will find a dedicated connection to his family here; at the same time, the other exhibition themes place his story within a broader regional context.

Merchant S. Ya. Epstein’s house is considered Pochinok’s first two-story stone building. The municipal walking tour includes an exterior view of it. Another stop is the renovated city park, which residents established before the Second World War. The architecture and park represent different aspects of the city’s history: an early stone building and a public space created by local residents.

Other memorial sites are associated with 2010, although for different reasons. A bust of writer A. T. Tvardovsky was erected that year to mark his 100th birthday; the sculptor was A. N. Kovalchuk. Also in 2010, the “Heroes’ Alley” opened on the eve of the liberation of Smolensk Oblast from Nazi occupation. The stone Church of the Annunciation of the Most Holy Theotokos in Pochinok was built in 1999. Each date gives these places its own historical significance.

In the wider travel destination of Smolensk Oblast, the Gnezdovo archaeological complex represents a different historical focus. It is considered the largest complex of archaeological monuments in Russia and Europe from the period when the Old Russian state was taking shape. Today, about 2,500 burial mounds and a settlement remain there; the complex is protected as an archaeological monument of federal significance.

Landscape conservation is another regional theme: Smolenskoye Poozerye National Park was established in 1992 in the Demidovsky and Dukhovshchinsky districts to protect unique natural complexes for recreational, educational, scientific and cultural purposes. A viewpoint on the high southern shore of Lake Sapsho offers views of the lake and several islands. The “To the Springs” walking route begins in the village of Stary Dvor; two viewpoints were established at Lakes Svyatets and Sapsho in 2023–2024. Archaeology and protected landscapes thus complement Pochinok’s city history with other themes firmly rooted in Smolensk Oblast.

Discover more destinations: Rykshino, Sloboda, Pilichki, Luzhki, Sloykovo, Gerchiki, Tesovo, Vyazma.

How long does the municipal walking tour in Pochinok take?

It is expected to take about two hours. The tour begins at the Pochinkovsky Historical and Local History Museum. Check the schedule and availability if you plan to take it.

What can you learn at the Pochinkovsky Historical and Local History Museum?

The exhibitions cover the district’s history from ancient times to the present, as well as notable people from the region. The “Famous Countrymen” hall displays documents and personal belongings of the Tvardovsky family.

What is special about merchant S. Ya. Epstein’s house?

It is considered Pochinok’s first two-story stone building. The municipal walking tour includes an exterior view of it.

For the broader travel overview: Smolensk Oblast.