旅人る - Tabibito

 

Yablonitsy, Chirkowitsy

 

Yablonitsy

An ordinary village in Leningradskaya oblast. Few abandoned buildings.

 

A church.

 

Some amazing houses.

 

There is a peculiar post in the center of the village erected in the first quarter of the 19th century, a grim remnant of the serfdom which was abolished in Russia in 1861. It says "The Village of Yablonitsy, serfdom, population 101 souls, land 164 desyatin". "Souls" means men. Women serfs counted only occasionally. Desyatina is a modern 1,09 hectares.

 

Chirkowitsy

Another village nearby. It is crossed by a Narva highway which runs from St. Petersburg to the Estonian border. This highway existed long before the invention cars, Chirkowitsy has an old Post house (1808). It was an inn where horses were kept and could be rented or changed out by travellers.

 

Recently restored church.

 

In front of it stands a cast-iron column in memory of Nikolai Demidov. He was a Russian industrialist, collector and arts patron. In 1819 he was made Russian ambassador to the court of Tuscany and died in Florence in 1828. In this city, a square is named after him. Also, in gratitude for patronage, the inhabitants of Florence in 1870 erected a pompous outdoor monument to "Demidoff" by Lorenzo Bartolini.

 

Where to stay (as of May 2022): the Post house in Chirkowitsy no longer welcomes travelers. Go to St. Petersburg.

Where to eat: as above

What to buy: no souvenirs whatsoever

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