旅人る - Tabibito

 

Kaluga

 

A city 200 km southwest of Moscow. Despite the consequences of the Second World War, buildings of the 18th and 19th centuries have been relatively well preserved here.

 

Few cozy streets.

 

The building of the former Land Bank (1914) with its surroundings is very reminiscent of Japanese architecture of the Meiji and Taisho eras. For example, the kimono store "Marui Imai" in Hakodate.

 

The house of the merchant Terenin (also 1914) would not have looked foreign in Japan too.

 

Zolotarev's town estate now used as a local museum.

 

A manhole cover from Kishinev on its premises.

 

Campaigning for the "special military operation" is exclusively official.

 

Spontaneous "z" on the wall were spoiled.

 

At the same time, no one glosses over or spoils the symbols of peace.

 

A memorial plaque on a house in honor of an officer who died fighting terrorists in the Caucasus Mountains in 2013.

 

For some reason, they cleaned off all the patina from the church of Cosmas and Damian.

 

Another small cross was noticed on the lopsided cross of the Church of the Epiphany.

 

The stone bridge across the ravine built in 1785.

 

Some street art.

 

On buses in Kaluga they write that this is a trolleybus.

 

Trolleybuses exist though.

 

Details.

 

Getting in (as of Ocrober 2022): M3 Ukraine highway from Moscow has a gruelling two-lane stretch at the border of Moscow and Kaluga oblast but otherwise is quite good. Trains from Moscow to Kaluga are relatively fast (2,5 or 3 hours journey) and depart from Moscow Kievskiy railway terminal. Be sure to buy tickets to Kaluga I station, because Kaluga II (or Kaluga Sergiev Skit) is far from the city.

Where to eat: The Solyanka cafe at Kirova street. Coffee shop chain 1554.

What to buy: Best souvenir shops are located close to Zolotarev's estate on Pushkin street. The local specialty is a sweet dough (Kaluzhskoe testo) which resemble shapeless gingerbread.

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