←A Town in the Palm of Your Hand

A Town in the Palm of Your Hand

Photo of route “A Town in the Palm of Your Hand”
11 points4 km4 hours

Take a walk through Russia's smallest town, Chekalin. The Duna hillfort, Devyagorsk, Lisin, Likhvin: all of these are Chekalin. A deep dive into history, extraordinary landscapes, and a unique geological section await you. And the secrets of the “Likhoy” (Wild) Town!

Route author

Susanin Team

Things to do

  • 📜 Learn the city's history
  • 🏛️🕰️ Compare the eras

Route points (11)

  1. Former Likhvin Treasury. Likhvin Antiquities Museum — point on route “A Town in the Palm of Your Hand”

    Former Likhvin Treasury. Likhvin Antiquities Museum

    🏛️ Museum · 📜 Historic site · 🏟️ Architectural landmark

  2. Monument to Lenin — point on route “A Town in the Palm of Your Hand”

    Monument to Lenin

    🗿 Monument

  3. Merchant Pronin's House. Military Pages of Likhvin Museum — point on route “A Town in the Palm of Your Hand”

    Merchant Pronin's House. Military Pages of Likhvin Museum

    🏛️ Museum

  4. Alexander Chekalin Garden Square — point on route “A Town in the Palm of Your Hand”

    Alexander Chekalin Garden Square

    🌿 Public garden or park

  5. Cathedral Hill — point on route “A Town in the Palm of Your Hand”

    Cathedral Hill

    🌿 Public garden or park · 📜 Historic site · 🔭 Viewpoint

  6. Zemstvo Hospital — point on route “A Town in the Palm of Your Hand”

    Zemstvo Hospital

    📜 Historic site · 🏟️ Architectural landmark

  7. Chapel (Soldiers' Prayer House) — point on route “A Town in the Palm of Your Hand”

    Chapel (Soldiers' Prayer House)

    📜 Historic site

  8. Church of the Savior and the Presentation — point on route “A Town in the Palm of Your Hand”

    Church of the Savior and the Presentation

    🕍 Place of worship

  9. Memorial Cross — point on route “A Town in the Palm of Your Hand”

    Memorial Cross

    🗿 Monument

  10. Chekalin House of Culture — point on route “A Town in the Palm of Your Hand”

    Chekalin House of Culture

    🕵️ Urban legend

  11. Prison Castle — point on route “A Town in the Palm of Your Hand”

    Prison Castle

    📜 Historic site

Prison Castle in Chekalin

Point on route “A Town in the Palm of Your Hand”

Prison Castle — point on route “A Town in the Palm of Your Hand”
Prison Castle — point on route “A Town in the Palm of Your Hand”
Prison Castle — point on route “A Town in the Palm of Your Hand”

Point 11

Prison Castle

📜 Historic site

Historical Background

The Likhvin prison is no Paris Bastille or Moscow Butyrka. In keeping with the town's small size, the prison is small too: a one-story brick building on a high stone foundation, with bars on the windows. More about its history: It was the only stone prison among all the district towns of Kaluga Governorate; the only other one was in Kaluga itself. In all the other towns the prison castles were wooden, surrounded by stone walls. By 1815 a prison for 32 inmates had been built in Likhvin. It was used until 1941. During the war, in 1941, it was somewhat damaged and was later used as a warehouse.