Kimry Art Nouveau

27 points3 km4 hours

Today we'll stroll through the historic center of what was one of the largest villages in the Russian Empire. Before the revolution, Kimry was home to peasant shoemakers who supplied leather goods and footwear to practically the whole country. Every peasant or merchant felt duty-bound to build a bright, handsome house to stand out from the neighbors. That's why Kimry has kept a unique set of peasant-built architecture, which we'll explore from every angle on today's walk.

Route author

Susanin Team

Things to do

📜 Learn the city's history
🏛️🕰️ Compare the eras
🔍🖼️ Spot interesting details

Route points (27)

Wooden House of Alexei Sergeevich Luzhin in Kimry

Point on route “Kimry Art Nouveau”

Point 18

Wooden House of Alexei Sergeevich Luzhin

📜 Historic site • 🏟️ Architectural landmark

Historical Background

This is the house of the wealthy grain merchant Alexei Sergeevich Luzhin. It was built in 1909 in the Art Nouveau style that was fashionable at the time. Many people think it is one of a kind, with nothing like it anywhere, ever. In fact, part of our little fairy-tale tower house was copied from buildings on the Peschanka estate near St. Petersburg. Still, the architect did a wonderful job of combining elements of those buildings and tying them together with an original turret. Without knowing the backstory, it's hard to imagine the house without that lovely turret. By the way, the Luzhin house is a record holder: its round window is a full 3.15 meters (over 10 ft) across! It is currently the largest round window among the pre-revolutionary wooden buildings that survive in Russia.