Smolenskiy District: Teremok and Natural Monuments

Flenovo brings together arts and crafts and educational history in Smolenskiy District: the historic and architectural complex “Teremok” comprises surviving buildings from the former Tenishev estate. Protected landscapes are also part of the area, including a lake, a peat bog, and a park. Culture and nature thus offer different focal points for a trip. If you are looking for hotels in Smolenskiy District, you can consider which of these aspects of the destination matters most to your plans.

Art and educational history in Flenovo

“Teremok” displays works from the Talashkino workshops. These include furniture designed by S. V. Malyutin, watercolors by M. A. Vrubel, ceramics by N. K. Roerich, and painted balalaikas. The exhibition brings together different forms of arts and crafts; the names of the artists and craftspeople provide a distinct point of reference for each work.

Another focal point is the history of a school for peasant children, which M. K. Tenisheva opened in 1894. As part of the exhibition on the school, museum staff lead interactive tours for children at the complex. “Teremok” thus brings together arts and crafts and a specific chapter in educational history. Those interested in both will find different facets of a place here, without having to reduce them to a single theme.

Natural monuments in Smolenskiy District

One of the area’s notable landscape features is the source of the Sozh River. It is near Radkevshchina, ten kilometers southwest of Smolensk, and has been a natural monument of regional significance since 1981. Lake Kasplya has held the same protected status since 1981. The district therefore offers a river source and a lake as distinct natural points of interest.

The “Domanovskoye” peat bog covers a much larger area: this natural monument spans 440 hectares. Priyutino Park, meanwhile, has been a natural monument of regional significance since 1975. Its designation recognizes its historical and memorial value as an example of 18th- and 19th-century garden and park art. At the same time, the park needs restoration and protection. The bog, bodies of water, and historic parkland show how varied the destination’s natural and cultural heritage sites are.

More to explore in Smolensk Oblast

The “Smolenskoye Poozerye” National Park is located in the wider destination of Smolensk Oblast. It was established on April 15, 1992, in the Demidovskiy and Dukhovshchinskiy districts to protect unique natural complexes for recreational, educational, scientific, and cultural purposes. The “K istokam” ecological trail is a circular route that begins in the village of Staryy Dvor. A track for mobile apps such as Geotreker or MAPS.ME supports independent hikes. In 2023–2024, two viewpoints were set up along the ecological trail at Lakes Svyatets and Sapsho. Separately, a viewpoint on the high southern shore of Lake Sapsho offers views of the lake and several islands.

The Gnezdovo archaeological complex is also part of the wider destination of Smolensk Oblast. About 2,500 burial mounds and a settlement have survived there. The complex is considered the largest complex of archaeological monuments in Russia and Europe dating from the formation of the Old Russian state, and it is protected by the state as an archaeological monument of federal significance.

Discover more destinations: Khokhlovo, Sychevskiy District, Roslavlsky District, Yelninsky District, Smolensk, Kardymovskiy District, Yartsevskiy District, Kholm-Zhirkovskiy District.

For the overview of the wider destination: Smolensk Oblast.