Merchant Totma: From Salt Works to Sea Discoveries

17 points7 km0 hours

This route introduces you to the unique salt-making trade that made Totma one of the richest towns of the Russian North. This old town of seafarers and explorers also preserves the memory of the Totma merchants who conquered Alaska and California. We'll begin the tour at “Totma Salt,” a cultural and historical landscape complex in the village of Varnitsy, Totma District, Vologda Region. It introduces the ancient salt-making trade, which played an important role in the town's development. Here you'll learn all about salt making and see open-air museum exhibits and the Kokorev Garden. The route was prepared as part of the “Vsyako Doyedem” (“We'll Get There Anyway”) project.

Route author

Yulia Drugashkova

Things to do

История
Парки
Ремесло

Route points (17)

“Totma Salt” Cultural and Historical Complex in Totma

Point on route “Merchant Totma: From Salt Works to Sea Discoveries”

Point 2

“Totma Salt” Cultural and Historical Complex

История • 📜 Learn the city's history • 🗺️🎒 Themed route

History

Totma's history is closely tied to salt making. The people of Totma achieved great success in deep drilling, learning to build highly complex engineering structures for extracting brine from deep underground: the so-called brine-lifting pipes.

The Pipe Is Calling!

The medieval saltworks is the centerpiece of the “Totma Salt” cultural and historical landscape complex. Five salt-making pipes were found in the village of Varnitsy, and a tourist trail with information boards, boardwalks, and bridges was laid out between them. Here you will not only learn the history of salt making but can also take part in evaporating salt. You'll see a marvelous phenomenon: the water in a brine-lifting pipe does not freeze even when the temperature drops below zero. The site has an interactive room that presents the history of salt making clearly and with examples. At the visitor center you can buy souvenirs and food products made by local craftspeople.