Kovrov: Getting to Know the Town

11 points3 km1.5 hours

This route takes you through old Kovrov and introduces its history and architecture. You'll see the Nativity and Transfiguration cathedrals, the fire station, the Trading Rows and other landmarks of the 19th and early 20th centuries, as well as places tied to the town's development.

Route author

Susanin Team

Things to do

📜 Learn the city's history
🔍🖼️ Spot interesting details

Route points (11)

Dokukin Merchant House
🕵️ Urban legend · 🍽️ Cafés and restaurants
Dokukin Merchant House
Points will be available after purchasing the route
Sokolov Merchant House
📜 Historic site

Sokolov Merchant House in Kovrov

Point on route “Kovrov: Getting to Know the Town”

Point 11

Sokolov Merchant House

📜 Historic site

Historical Background

The merchant Sokolov's house on Abelmana Street was built in the late 19th century by Ivan Petrovich Sokolov. The family lived in town during the industrial boom of the textile trade, when the first practical sewing machines appeared. The house was built in the Russian architectural style of the period as a spacious two-story brick building with wooden floors. In 2017 it was added to the list of cultural heritage sites. Nothing certain is known about Ivan Petrovich's occupation, but the house served as the family home for several generations.

The Sokolov Family

Pavel Ivanovich Sokolov, son of the founder of the family home, met his future wife Louise Chaduc in France. She moved to Kovrov, where their son Nikolai Pavlovich was born in 1914. Louise raised the child and taught music. Pavel brought a Renaissance piano from Germany, and the house hosted musical evenings with the whole family: grandfather Ivan Petrovich, grandmother Tatyana Rodionovna, the parents, the son and guests. These gatherings were part of the Sokolovs' life in Kovrov until the upheavals of the early 20th century.

Architecture and Status

The building is a typical late-19th-century low-rise house: brick walls, two stories and a layout carefully planned for the family and servants. It keeps the features of Russian architecture of the time and stands out among Kovrov's buildings. Today the house remains an architectural landmark and part of Kovrov's historic center.