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)

Dilaktorsky Boulevard in Totma

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

Point 9

Dilaktorsky Boulevard

Прогулки • 👀 Watch city life • 🌆🌿 Soak up the atmosphere

Historical Background

The boulevard is a public space named after the Dilaktorsky family. Their house once stood next to the surviving two-story house of the artist Vakhrushov. What are they known for? The daughter, Natalia, was a children's writer and war correspondent, and the editor of the famous poet Anna Akhmatova and the no less famous writer Mikhail Zoshchenko. The son, Nikolai, was a chemist, a Doctor of Sciences, and an academician.

5 Reasons to Stop Here

The boulevard is perfect for a leisurely stroll with the coffee you picked up at the previous stop. You can see old wooden houses and pause at the spots set aside for rest, and by the Vakhrushov house a whole information area awaits you, introducing historical facts about Totma. Don't forget to take photos with the art pieces!