Nikonova lies on the left bank of the Rezh, three kilometres downstream from Koptelovo. The village’s history brings together its connection to the Mamin family and a memorial to the victims of the Civil War and the Great Patriotic War. The division of the village into an upland and a lowland area, as well as a stream that flows into the Rezh opposite the village, also helps to place the village and its surroundings in context.

On the Rezh: Location and Terrain

One half of Nikonova lies on an upland, the other in a lowland area. Several old farmhouses stand on the upland. The riverbank and the terrain provide two different frames of reference: the Rezh locates Nikonova on the river, while the upland and lowland describe the shape of the village from within. The farmhouses are associated with the higher part and add a specific historical feature to the topography. To understand the layout, it is worth considering these details separately: the riverbank location tells you where Nikonova lies along the river; the elevations show how the village is spread across the terrain.

The stream Karamash, which flows into the Rezh opposite the village, is part of Nikonova’s surroundings. Its confluence is therefore in the surrounding area, not within the village. Together with the riverbank location and the position downstream from Koptelovo, this provides more precise bearings: Nikonova, the Rezh, and the opposite confluence are distinct reference points. This distinction helps differentiate the village’s location from its surroundings.

The Mamin Family and Local History

Nikonova is considered the ancestral home of the Mamin family; its best-known member was the writer D. N. Mamin-Sibiryak. Vasily Ignatyevich Mamin was born in Nikonova and was the family’s first clergyman. These are two distinct biographical connections: the family’s ties to the place and the birth of one of its members in the village. The family connection includes both the well-known writer and a clergyman whose role within the family is explicitly identified.

The village’s name also has a dated history. In 1680, Nikonova was also called Mamina; in 1696, it was renamed Nikonova. The two dates mark the change from Mamina to Nikonova. Alongside the family history, there is therefore a separate history of the place name: one set of details concerns the family’s origins and its members, while the other concerns the name of the village. The name’s history and the biographical connections can thus be understood as distinct aspects of Nikonova’s past.

The Memorial on the Riverbank

A memorial to the victims of the Civil War and the Great Patriotic War stands on the bank of the Rezh in Nikonova. It was erected in 1967 on the site of a former fire station. In September 1918, seven supporters of the Reds were tortured there. A metal pyramid stands on a concrete plinth; the memorial bears the names of those who fell in the Civil War and the Great Patriotic War. The year it was erected and its former location are part of the memorial’s history, while its dedication commemorates both wars. Thus, a specific event from 1918 and remembrance of those who fell in two wars come together at the same place.

Different themes help orient visitors in Nikonova: the river location and terrain, the Mamin family and its ties to the village, the development of the place name, and the memorial and its history. If you are interested in family history, the connection to the Mamins offers a distinct focus; the memorial, by contrast, provides insight into the history of the war and the village through its precisely identified location and design.

Discover more destinations: Reftinsky, Byngi, Krasnyy Partizan, Pervouralsk, Zapadnyy, Troitskiy, Kushva, Kungurka

For the regional travel overview: Sverdlovsk Oblast.