Veskovo: Whitefish and the “Botik of Peter I” Museum Estate

• The “Tsarstvo Ryapushki” Museum explores whitefish and Lake Pleshcheyevo.
• The “Botik of Peter I” Museum Estate is located on Gremyach Hill by the lake, in the old village of Veskovo.
• The Museum Estate was founded in 1803. Its exhibition, “V nachale slavnykh del,” covers the history of the estate from the late 17th century through Nicholas II’s visit in 1913.

Whitefish appears on the coat of arms of the city of Pereslavl-Zalessky, and the “Tsarstvo Ryapushki” Museum tells its story. A guided tour explores why the fish was called “tsarskaya seld” (“royal herring”), how it was caught and salted, and how it was preserved for storage. This gives the topic a clear progression, from catching the fish to preserving it. Information about Lake Pleshcheyevo adds to the focus. The museum therefore goes beyond the name of the whitefish, connecting its story with its processing and the lake.

The Museum Estate is located on Gremyach Hill by Lake Pleshcheyevo, in the old village of Veskovo. Its founding in 1803 and the time span covered by the exhibition address different questions: the exhibition begins in the late 17th century, when the tsar’s amusement court stood on the estate, and continues through the visit of Nicholas II, the last Russian emperor, in 1913. Its historical arc thus spans several centuries, while 1803 marks the year the Museum Estate was founded.

The two endpoints of the exhibition’s time span make its chronology especially clear: it begins with the tsar’s amusement court and ends with the imperial visit in 1913. The Museum Estate was founded in between; this is a separate date.

Yaroslavl Oblast is also home to other distinct cultural attractions. In Pereslavl-Zalessky, the Transfiguration Cathedral dates back to the 12th century. It is the city’s oldest church and the earliest surviving architectural monument of the Vladimir-Suzdal school. Here, the focus is on the place of an early religious building in history.

In Rybinsk, the museum-reserve is housed in the New Grain Exchange building. The building was constructed in 1912 on the high bank of the Volga, to a design by Moscow architect A. V. Ivanov. In Uglich, meanwhile, the surviving Kremlin includes an architectural ensemble dating from the 15th to the 19th century: it comprises the Princes’ Chambers, the Church of Tsarevich Dmitry, the former City Duma building with museum exhibitions, and the Transfiguration Cathedral with its bell tower. The latter is Uglich’s main active place of worship. These regional examples therefore highlight different themes: religious architecture in Pereslavl-Zalessky, the history of the grain exchange in Rybinsk, and a layered historical ensemble in Uglich.

Discover more destinations: Breytovo, Fominskoye, Goloperovo, Kriushkino, Perebory Microdistrict, Bolshoye Selo, Shaposhnitsy and Veslevo.

What topics does the “Tsarstvo Ryapushki” Museum cover?

It tells the story of whitefish, why it was called “tsarskaya seld” (“royal herring”), how it was caught, and how it was salted and preserved. Lake Pleshcheyevo is also part of the guided tour.

When was the “Botik of Peter I” Museum Estate founded?

The Museum Estate in Veskovo was founded in 1803.

What period does “V nachale slavnykh del” cover?

The exhibition covers the period from the late 17th century, when the tsar’s amusement court stood on the estate, through Nicholas II’s visit in 1913.

For the broader travel overview: Yaroslavl Oblast.