Textile Capital, City of Brides and Constructivism

12 points8 km3.5 hours

Ivanovo is a city of many nicknames: the City of Brides, the city of the avant-garde, the Russian Manchester, the Calico Capital and more. Come see its Constructivist masterpieces up close and travel back in time in this avant-garde city, the youngest and most unusual city of the Golden Ring.

Route author

Susanin Team

Things to do

🔍🖼️ Spot interesting details
🍲🎶 Local culture

Route points (12)

Shchudrov Chamber in Ivanovo

Point on route “Textile Capital, City of Brides and Constructivism”

Point 9

Shchudrov Chamber

📜 Historic site • 🏟️ Architectural landmark

Historical Background

Not far from Revolution Square stands one of the city's most unusual sights, the Shchudrov Chamber. Built in the 17th century, this small house is the oldest brick building in the city. It was once the village administration office, a kind of “office” for the steward of the village of Ivanovo, who calculated the peasants' quitrent and kept the landowners' account books. In the 19th century the building was bought by Osip Shchudrov, a peasant who had made his fortune, and he set up a manufactory inside, a workshop for printing patterns on fabric. The building has been named after the merchant Shchudrov ever since. The house was rebuilt several times and changed its purpose more than once. At various times it housed a warehouse, apartments, shops and even a casino.

Architecture

This building shows just how deep the cultural layer here is: originally it had two stories, but over time the ground floor sank below street level. Even more valuable is that the building has kept its 17th-century decorative features. The south facade, once the main one, is nicely decorated, with carved window surrounds.