Self-Guided Audio Tour of Two Manors and an Old Hydroelectric Power Station in Yaropolets

This is an adventure walk for those who want to spend a busy weekend a couple of hours away from Moscow. And also for those who are tired of the standard tourist routes in the spirit of "Kremlin-monastery-and here was Pushkin" (although Pushkin was in Yaropolets:)

This is an immersion in history. But not a school lesson: it's not about dates and names, but about the stories of people who lived here 100, 200 and 300 years ago.

You will see two estates of the XVIII century: one belonged to Pushkin's mother-in-law, the other to the ambitious Count Chernyshev, who dreamed of a house that would impress the Empress herself. And his dream came true. But now the luxurious residence is abandoned and turns into ruins. And the Goncharovs' house is standing there as if nothing had happened.

You will walk through an old park, where you can shoot a mystical thriller at least now. Go out to the bank of the Lama and see a fascinating semicircular dam, and on the other side of the river - a 100-year-old hydroelectric power station, which even Lenin came to see.

And if you pay attention, you will find a lot of things that are hidden from the eyes of an unprepared traveler.

Put on comfortable (and preferably waterproof) shoes and go on a trip!

You can get to Yaropolets from Moscow by bus from Tushino. Or you can get to Volokolamsk by train from the Riga railway station and then - about 15 km by bus or taxi.

It's better to leave early: so you will have the opportunity to use recommendations on what to do after the tour.