In Kovylkinskiy District, the places featured range from botanical natural monuments and springs to churches and an artist’s house museum. When planning your trip, it helps to ask a simple question: would you rather focus on the landscape and its pine forests, or on the cultural history of the individual places?
Pine Forests and Nature Conservation
Sosnovy Les is a 613-hectare botanical natural monument near the Moksha sanatorium, designated in 1979. Its stands consist of 90 percent complex pine forests; the remaining ten percent comprises birch, pine and spruce plantings. The natural monument was established to serve the recreational and health needs of Kovylkino’s residents and the Republic of Mordovia as a whole.
A comparison with Linev Kordon reveals two very different scales: this botanical natural monument covers 4.4 hectares and consists of mature pine forest. Linev Kordon was also designated in 1979. Thus, a large area with a more diverse composition contrasts with a smaller forest monument and its mature pine stand.
Nature conservation also includes a state reserve for wild medicinal plants. It covers 200 hectares of pine forest and serves to preserve these plants, particularly St John’s wort (Hypericum perforatum L.). This protection of medicinal plants adds a specific botanical focus to the forest theme.
Springs, Architectural History and Museums
Keredeshi Spring is located in the centre of Staroye Drakino. A wooden bathing facility and a low fence have been built there. The spring is also considered to have cultural and aesthetic significance. The Rodnik Chasovnya natural monument includes a small wooden chapel and a bathing facility; the spring is covered and enclosed with stone. Check the condition of the facilities before visiting.
The area’s cultural history also has several facets. Only the “winter section” of the cemetery church in Kochelaevo, dedicated to the Icon of the Mother of God “Life-Giving Spring”, has survived. The former Arapov family estate includes 19th-century buildings. Both sites offer a glimpse of historic architecture, while the F. V. Sychkov House Museum in Kochelaevo displays personal belongings of the artist and his wife. The artist’s studio also exhibits 16 copies of his works.
Further Context: Republic of Mordovia
The wider travel destination of the Republic of Mordovia offers further nature and culture experiences. The “Get to Know the Mordovian Nature Reserve!” educational trail is located near the reserve’s central administration in Pushhta. It teaches visitors about typical local flora and fauna, as well as aquatic ecosystems. A special permit is required to visit. Guided tours of the reserve’s natural history museum are held year-round for groups and individuals and must be booked in advance. Visitors can also listen interactively to animal and bird calls there.
Smolny National Park was established on 7 March 1995 to protect especially valuable natural complexes in the coniferous-broadleaf forest zone of the Republic of Mordovia. Its southern forest area and the adjoining floodplain of the Alatyr River form a bird area of global importance. On the 1.5-kilometre-long “Forest Work” educational trail, pine and broadleaf forests meet; along the way, visitors learn about forest protection and reforestation. The trail is accessible only during the warm season. The Lesnoy Trial tourist route is equipped for cycling and skiing. The “Phenology of the Russian Forest” route can be explored on foot, by bicycle or on skis, and introduces visitors to seasonal changes in the development of plants and animals.
MASTOR in Parakino offers a different experience: the route comprises three ethnographic educational trails through the surroundings of an old Mordovian village and is designed for use in all seasons. Along the trails are rest areas with gazebos, equipped picnic spots, spaces for traditional Mordovian games, swings and art installations set in the natural landscape.
Discover More Destinations
Discover more destinations: Dubenskiy District, Atyashevskiy District, Saransk.
Back to the main travel overview: Republic of Mordovia.
