Negino: The Tara and the History of Ustar

The small Tara, a left tributary of the Seva, divides the present-day village of Negino into Negino itself and the former village of Ustar. This layout makes the village’s history particularly easy to understand: Ustar was incorporated into Negino in 1964 and, as a former village, is part of the description of the present-day settlement. To understand Negino’s place in the region, it is therefore helpful to consider both the present-day village and the former place name together, without treating the two historical layers as equivalent. The river marks the geographical boundary between Negino itself and Ustar. This makes it possible to understand the history of the settlement through two names and the different periods to which they belong.

The History and Memory of Ustar

Ustar’s history also includes a tragic episode. On 16 May 1942, the village at the time was attacked by Hungarian punitive units. Seventy people were killed, including elderly people, women and children. The 6th Hungarian Rifle Division was involved in the killing of Ustar’s population. The attack is part of the history of the village of Ustar at that time; its incorporation into Negino did not take place until 1964. This chronology keeps the events separate from the later reorganization of the settlement. This is not an easy topic to encounter during a stay, but rather a reason to approach the memory of these events with respect. Families can decide for themselves how much detail they wish to share about the events with children.

In the wider travel destination of Bryansk Oblast, the Khatsun memorial complex commemorates the victims of the Nazi occupation regime in the Bryansk region, as well as the Russian villages destroyed during the Great Patriotic War.

Culture and Nature in Bryansk Oblast

Also located in Bryansk Oblast is the Ovstug Museum Estate, on the banks of the Ovstuzhenka. Ovstug was the family estate of the Tyutchevs and the birthplace of Fyodor Ivanovich Tyutchev. Its riverside setting, family history and connection to the poet’s birthplace give this regional cultural attraction a distinctive biographical dimension.

The Dyatkovo Crystal Museum in Bryansk Oblast offers a different cultural focus. Its exhibition spans more than two hundred years of glassmaking history. Works in colored and colorless crystal were made using rare techniques. On display are artistic compositions by Soviet glassmakers, vases and decorative furnishings from the 19th and 20th centuries. The collection also includes gifts and souvenirs created for well-known figures, as well as artistic lighting fixtures and decorative glass ensembles. The variety of objects and designs showcases different aspects of glass art, from vessels and furnishings to compositions and lighting. The museum therefore offers a distinct way to explore the region’s cultural history, clearly different from the local history of Negino.

Bryansk Oblast’s Bryansky Les Nature Reserve also offers a distinctive focus on nature and landscapes. It lies between the Desna and Nerussa rivers and is the region’s only nature reserve. Visitors can experience wilderness through environmental education, routes and wildlife observation. The area is also one of the centers for breeding and reintroducing European bison, which were historically native to this region. Bryansk Oblast thus brings together a range of subjects: remembrance and local history, biographical cultural heritage, glass design, nature observation and bison reintroduction.

When choosing a holiday apartment in Negino, you might first consider whether the settlement’s earlier history should be the main focus of your stay, or whether you would prefer to plan around the wider cultural and natural attractions of Bryansk Oblast. The first option leads back to Negino and Ustar; the second takes the wider region as its point of reference.

Discover more destinations: Domashovo, Pochep, Osinovaya Gorka, Kokorevka, Krasnaya, Klintsy, Belye Berega, Krasnyy Most.

View the wider travel guide: Bryansk Oblast.