←The Russian Versailles

The Russian Versailles

Photo of route “The Russian Versailles”
Photo of route “The Russian Versailles” — 2
Photo of route “The Russian Versailles” — 3
11 points4 km4 hours

Yaropolets is a small village of about a thousand people near Volokolamsk. Over the 888 years of its existence it has passed from princes to tsars, and from them to emperors and counts.

Route author

Susanin Team

Things to do

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

Route points (11)

  1. Monument to V. I. Lenin and N. K. Krupskaya — point on route “The Russian Versailles”

    Monument to V. I. Lenin and N. K. Krupskaya

    🗿 Monument

  2. Church of St. John the Baptist — point on route “The Russian Versailles”

    Church of St. John the Baptist

    🕍 Place of worship

  3. Monument to A. S. Pushkin — point on route “The Russian Versailles”

    Monument to A. S. Pushkin

    🗿 Monument

  4. Goncharov Estate — point on route “The Russian Versailles”

    Goncharov Estate

    🏟️ Architectural landmark · 🌿 Public garden or park · 📜 Historic site

  5. Abandoned Church of Our Lady of Kazan — point on route “The Russian Versailles”

    Abandoned Church of Our Lady of Kazan

    🏟️ Architectural landmark · 📜 Historic site · 🕍 Place of worship

  6. Chernyshev Estate — point on route “The Russian Versailles”

    Chernyshev Estate

    🏟️ Architectural landmark · 📜 Historic site

  7. Obelisk in Honor of Catherine II — point on route “The Russian Versailles”

    Obelisk in Honor of Catherine II

    🗿 Monument

  8. Red Pond — point on route “The Russian Versailles”

    Red Pond

    🌿 Public garden or park

  9. Yaropolets Dam — point on route “The Russian Versailles”

    Yaropolets Dam

    ⚙️ Industrial site

  10. The Station's First Turbine — point on route “The Russian Versailles”

    The Station's First Turbine

    🗿 Sculptures

  11. Lenin Yaropolets Hydroelectric Station — point on route “The Russian Versailles”

    Lenin Yaropolets Hydroelectric Station

    ⚙️ Industrial site · 🌿 Public garden or park · 📜 Historic site · 🏟️ Architectural landmark

Lenin Yaropolets Hydroelectric Station in Volokolamsk

Point on route “The Russian Versailles”

Lenin Yaropolets Hydroelectric Station — point on route “The Russian Versailles”
Lenin Yaropolets Hydroelectric Station — point on route “The Russian Versailles”
Lenin Yaropolets Hydroelectric Station — point on route “The Russian Versailles”
Lenin Yaropolets Hydroelectric Station — point on route “The Russian Versailles”
Lenin Yaropolets Hydroelectric Station — point on route “The Russian Versailles”

Point 11

Lenin Yaropolets Hydroelectric Station

⚙️ Industrial site • 🌿 Public garden or park • 📜 Historic site • 🏟️ Architectural landmark

Historical Background

Yaropolets first got electricity in 1919, using a mill on the Lama River. Something as useful as electricity brought 700 families together in a cooperative, the Yaropolets Technical Partnership. When the members heard that V. I. Lenin had come to open a diesel power station in Kashino, they quickly set off there and asked the leader of the proletariat for a hydraulic turbine and a generator. The equipment was installed in 1922, and in 1939 the station was named the Lenin Yaropolets Hydroelectric Station. N. K. Krupskaya was actively involved in building and rebuilding the station, which is why the monument on the central square is dedicated to both her and Lenin.

How It All Started

They say it was the village's young theater lovers who pushed residents to electrify the village. In 1918 the drama club needed lighting for rehearsals, and attempts to rig up lamps came to nothing. So the villagers turned to Count Chernyshev's legacy — the dam and the water mill. Thanks to their efforts, electricity came to homes, the village council, the school, the hospital and the water pumping station.

Oh, You Fascists…

On October 30, 1941, Yaropolets was occupied by Nazi German soldiers. They blew up the station's machine hall, but the dam survived. The Germans retreated in January 1942, and residents set about restoring the station. The station supplied Yaropolets with electricity until 1958, when the village was connected to the national power grid.