Cultural heritage sites and the nature of the Usman Forest take centre stage in Novousmansky District. The Novousmansky District Local History Museum is located in the centre of the village of Novaya Usman; the Venevitinovo Biological Education and Research Centre provides insights into forest nature and ecosystems. This makes for a simple first decision when planning your trip: should the focus be on museums and memorial sites, or on nature? Each option gives your stay a different character.
Museums, Architectural History and Memorial Sites
The Novousmansky District Local History Museum is housed in a building constructed in 1917. In its courtyard, a KhTZ-brand tractor stands on a plinth; it is described as the district’s first tractor. The building and tractor thus offer two different points of connection to local history: the period when the museum was built and a technical object of particular significance to the district.
The school-focused excursion route “Pamyat ognennykh let” leads to memorial sites in Novousmansky District connected with the history of the Great Patriotic War, as well as to sites commemorating participants and veterans of local conflicts. One specifically named stop is in Shuberskoye: the Military Glory Square on Podlesnaya Street. In Novaya Usman, the “Krylya Pobedy” memorial also commemorates Hero of the Soviet Union Alexander Avdeev and the aviators who died for their homeland during the Great Patriotic War.
Architectural history can also be experienced at specific sites. The New Epiphany Church in Orlovo was built in 1885 to a design by Voronezh architect V. V. Stainovsky. The Veretennikov-Kiselyov family estate “Otradnoye” is located in the village of Khrenovoye. Its surviving parks are currently used by a children’s boarding institution—an important detail to bear in mind when planning a visit.
The Usman Forest, Nature Trail and Natural History Museum
The Venevitinovo Biological Education and Research Centre introduces students and the general public to the natural complexes of the Usman Forest. It does so through its natural history museum and an ecological trail that runs through a natural setting. The “Venevitinovo” trail passes several lakes and marshes, including the unique sphagnum-rich raised bog “Klyukvennoye-1”. If you plan to visit the centre, it is best to check the visitor arrangements in advance.
The “Priroda Usmanskogo bora” museum covers a range of natural history topics. A 2024 university report describes an exhibition on invertebrates of the Usman Forest, including aquatic invertebrates from the Usman River and floodplain lakes. Ungulate exhibits include a roe deer head and a wild boar head, as well as the antlers of an elk and a deer. The report also describes a multimedia exhibition where visitors can listen to birdsong and other natural sounds of the Usman Forest. These specific examples of animals are presented alongside the sounds of the forest.
Planning Your Trip
You can tailor your visit to your interests: the museum and memorials focus on history and remembrance, while the centre and nature trail highlight natural complexes, exhibitions and landscapes. When looking for a holiday apartment, you can first decide which of these themes you want your trip to focus on. Current access arrangements for the nature trail are not specified; check them before visiting.
At the level of the wider destination of Voronezh Oblast, the territory of the Khopyor Nature Reserve extends across the Novokhopersky, Povorinsky and Gribanovsky administrative districts. The routes described there differ in mode of travel, length and duration: the “Legendy Khopra” walking excursion is 5 km long and takes three hours; it is closed during the spring high-water period. The “Tur de Khopyor” cycling tour is 26 km long and takes four hours. These details allow you to compare the two tours directly without applying the spring restriction to the cycling tour.
Discover more destinations: Kantemirovskiy rayon, Povorinskiy rayon, Anninskiy rayon, Novousmanskiy rayon, Bobrovskiy rayon, Pavlovskiy rayon, Bogucharskiy rayon, Nizhnedevitskiy rayon.
Back to the overview of the wider destination: Voronezh Oblast.
