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)

Rubtsov Square in Totma

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

Point 16

Rubtsov Square

История • Прогулки • 🚶‍♂️ Waterfront

History

The Totma land held special significance in the life of the well-known poet Nikolai Rubtsov. He dedicated a great many lines of verse to this quiet green town. The poet himself often visited Totma. He especially loved a spot on the high bank of the Sukhona River where the town pier used to be. He could spend hours here, drawing inspiration from nature and composing poems. A monument to the poet was erected here in 1985.

Today

The square is a lovely place to stroll and daydream. It has comfortable paths and wooden boardwalks that recall Totma's traditional wooden footways. Interestingly, the benches surround the monument to Nikolai Rubtsov, “inviting” you to sit beside the poet and admire the Totma scenery he celebrated in his poems. Admirers of Nikolai Rubtsov's work gather on the bank of the Sukhona to recall lines by their favorite poet.