Tarusa is a small town on the banks of the Oka River in the Kaluga region, on the border with the Moscow Region. Tarusa is 30 km from Serpukhov and 140 km from Moscow. The hilly banks of the river create beautiful landscapes that have attracted creative people for two centuries. Since the 19th century, Tarusa has become one of the holiday destinations where the Russian creative intelligentsia comes.
From 1892 to 1902, the Tsvetaev family vacationed at the Pesochnoye estate in Tarusa every summer. Marina Tsvetaeva later recalled Tarusa as one of the places of her inspiration. Later, the artist Viktor Boris-Musatov lived in this estate, and then the Wulf family. Yuri Wulf was a famous scientist, and his wife, Vera Wulf, was a talented pianist. All of them held literary and musical evenings here and did a lot to make Tarusa a place of attraction for creative people.
Since Tarusa is located 140 kilometers from Moscow, many representatives of the Russian intelligentsia settled here, who for various reasons were obliged to live 101 kilometers from the capital. Many people wanted to live in Tarusa themselves. Famous residents of Tarusa include Joseph Brodsky, Andrei Tarkovsky, Konstantin Paustovsky, Svyatoslav Richter, Bella Akhmadulina, Alexander Solzhenitsyn, Bulat Okudzhava and many others.
Nowadays, many creative people still come to Tarusa. On the banks of the Oka River or in the Valley of Dreams, you can often see artists, people sitting under birch trees reading books. Walking along the trails among the ravines of Tarusa, you enjoy the beautiful pastoral landscapes of the nature of the central Russian strip.
On the opposite bank of the Oka is the Polenovo Estate, which was built by the great Russian artist Vasily Polenov at the end of the 19th century. In the summer season, ships sail there from Tarusa pier every day. Thus, tourists can visit the Polenovo Estate and take a walk in its surroundings.
The history of Tarusa
Tarusa was first mentioned in the chronicles of 1246. The city is named after the Tarusa River, which flows into the Oka River at this point. In the 13th century, Tarusa princes owned a small patrimony on these lands, but already in 1392 Tarusa became part of the Moscow Principality. In the Middle Ages, Kaluga lands often changed owners. Moscow princes, Lithuanian princes, Tatar khans replaced each other, and the cities were constantly ruined.
It was only in 1480, after Standing on the Ugra River, that the Kaluga lands finally ceded to Russia, but raids from nomadic tribes continued. In 1654, at the Pereyaslav Rada, Ukraine became part of Russia and the defensive importance of the Kaluga lands completely disappeared. So the whole Kaluga lands became a quiet province, and Tarusa became a small town on the bank of the river. Tarusa was remembered only in the 19th century, when its picturesque landscapes attracted creative people, and it became a place of rest among pastoral landscapes.
Tarusa Sights
All the sights of Tarusa are concentrated on a small area within walking distance from each other. The main attraction of Tarusa is the hilly banks of the Oka River, which are pleasant to walk along. The old two-storey building of the late 19th century has been preserved in the historical center. Peter and Paul Cathedral towers over Lenin Square (formerly Cathedral Square). The Tarusa Art Gallery building is attached to the cathedral.
A City Garden has been created near the cathedral, where you can walk along the Embankment of the Oka River. There are monuments to Marina Tsvetaeva, Bella Akhmadulina and Konstantin Paustovsky. There is a pier near the embankment. In summer, you can board a small ship here, which goes to the Polenovo Estate on the opposite bank of the Oka River.
Among the urban buildings, wooden houses of famous residents of Tarusa have been preserved. You should definitely visit the Museum of the Tsvetaev family, who came to Tarusa every summer at the end of the 19th century. The museum is also open in the house of Konstantin Paustovsky.
Most tourists spend their time walking along the banks of the Oka River. Birch trees grow on the bank, and benches are installed among them. Here you can relax and enjoy the countryside. A kilometer from the center, the Resurrection Mountain rises above the river, and the 17th-century Resurrection Church, the oldest stone building in Tarusa, has been preserved on it. There is Igumnov ravine under the mountain, where the Holy Spring flows, and the Bogolyubov Chapel was built next to it.
If you go further along the shore of the Oka, you can see the Cenotaph of Marina Tsvetaeva. In the story “Khlystovky”, Marina Tsvetaeva wrote that she would like to be buried in Tarusa, and if it`s impossible, then install a stone on the bank of the Oka River with the inscription "Marina Tsvetaeva would like to lie here." Then you can go to the small sandy beach. Above it, on a high bank, is the House of Writers. Concerts are held there, and the Svyatoslav Richter Festival takes place in the summer.
