Kurkino: Church and Kurkinsky Park

• The stone Church of the Apostle and Evangelist John the Theologian was probably built around 1765.
• The church had a side altar dedicated to Saint Nicholas the Wonderworker.
• Kurkinsky Park of Culture and Recreation is in the centre of Kurkino and has recreation areas, a football field and an ice hockey rink.

The Church of the Apostle and Evangelist John the Theologian combines an approximate date with a specific religious detail: it was probably built of stone around 1765 and had a side altar dedicated to Saint Nicholas the Wonderworker. The construction date and dedication provide two different clues for placing the religious building in its historical context.

If you are interested in church architecture, it is worth considering these details separately: the probable construction date indicates when the church was built, while the dedication to Saint Nicholas identifies the side altar. Together, they give a concise picture of the historic church without requiring any further details about the building.

Kurkinsky Park is in the centre of Kurkino. Its facilities include recreation areas, a football field and an ice hockey rink. The park thus brings together leisure areas and specifically designated sports facilities.

Entertainment, games, competitions and sports programmes have also been held in the park. These types of programmes are distinct from the facilities mentioned above: the facilities describe the park, while the programmes refer to activities that have taken place there. This gives you two perspectives on the place—its amenities and the different kinds of events.

In the wider destination of Tula Oblast, the exhibition “Skazanie o Mamaevom poboishche” at the Tulskiye drevnosti Museum explores the Battle of Kulikovo. Its interactive areas give visitors the opportunity to weave a piece of chain mail, try on armour and learn how to read miniature illustrations in chronicles.

A second exhibition at the museum, “Sekrety tulskikh masterov,” features a pottery workshop, a blacksmith’s workshop and household items from the 17th to the 19th centuries. The themes are clearly distinct: this exhibition focuses on crafts and everyday objects, while the other combines the Battle of Kulikovo with hands-on activities.

The Tulskiye drevnosti Museum is housed in an early 20th-century manor house that belonged to the merchant and philanthropist Stepan Aleksandrovich Yermolayev-Zverev. At the Yasnaya Polyana Museum Estate, visitors can take a guided tour of the central part of the estate from May to October. The tour covers Tolstoy’s favourite places for daily walks, the local flora and fauna, and the history of the Tula defensive lines and Tolstoy’s plantations.

Other regional highlights have a different focus: the artist Vasily Polenov designed all the buildings on his Polenovo estate himself. The Romantsevskiye Mountains, also known as Konduki, are a former open-pit coal mine in Tula Oblast. Thus, within the wider destination, architectural history and the story of former land use sit alongside the museum themes.

The museum and monument to the heroes of the Battle of Kulikovo are located in the village of Monastyrshchino, in Kimovsk District, Tula Oblast. This location adds a specific place to the region’s cultural highlights without equating it with Kurkino.

When was the church in Kurkino built?

The stone Church of the Apostle and Evangelist John the Theologian was probably built around 1765. It had a side altar dedicated to Saint Nicholas the Wonderworker.

What facilities are there in Kurkinsky Park?

The park has recreation areas, a football field and an ice hockey rink. Entertainment, games, competitions and sports programmes have also been held there.

Where are the museum and monument to the heroes of the Battle of Kulikovo located?

They are located in the village of Monastyrshchino in Kimovsk District, Tula Oblast.

For the wider travel overview: Kurkinskiy rayon.