Discover Tarusa: Museums, Memorial Sites and Routes

Tarusa’s cultural profile ranges from an 18th-century cathedral to memorial sites dedicated to the Tsvetaev family, art collections and traces of Paustovsky. There are also themed routes of varying lengths and using different modes of transport. If you are looking for a holiday rental, you can start by considering whether museums and literary history or a route will be the focus of your stay.

Art, Literature and Remembrance in Tarusa

The Peter and Paul Cathedral was consecrated on 22 March 1790 in honour of the Holy Apostles Peter and Paul. The Tarusa Art Gallery offers a different perspective on the city’s history: its main exhibition features Russian works of art by artists from the 18th to the 20th century whose lives and work are closely connected with Tarusa.

The cenotaph of Marina Tsvetaeva stands on the high bank of the Oka. The stone bears the inscription: “Here Marina Tsvetaeva wished to lie.” The Tarusa Tsvetaev Family Museum is located in the restored so-called “House Tyo.” Marina and Anastasia Tsvetaeva stayed there during their winter visits to Tarusa between 1907 and 1910. The exhibition presents materials about Marina Tsvetaeva and her family.

Eduard Steinberg’s Museum Workshop displays his preserved, unchanged working environment and documentary materials. Sergei Zharov’s private museum has a very different focus: his works include imaginative sculptures made from scrap metal, and the collection also contains more than 100 antique irons.

The “Cherdak” Museum was established in December 2018. Its exhibition includes objects from the 19th to the 21st century that illustrate the Soviet and pre-Soviet eras. One particularly tangible exhibit is a 1977 record player made by Moscow’s “Aggregat” Experimental Plant, on which visitors can listen to old records. Check the latest visitor information before your visit.

Paustovsky Routes and Different Ways to Explore

Route descriptions published in 2025 list two different formats. “Po tarusskim mestam K. G. Paustovskogo” is a 12-kilometre combined bus and walking route. It passes the local history museum, K. G. Paustovsky’s house and grave, the valleys of the Tarusa and Oka rivers, the grave of V. E. Borisov-Musatov, the memorial stone for M. I. Tsvetaeva and the N. P. Rakitsky Arboretum. Check current arrangements and transport details with the museum.

The description of the 9.6-kilometre “Ilinsky Omut” route, also published in 2025, lists the local history museum and K. G. Paustovsky’s house, as well as the Tarusa River and Ilinsky Omut, as connected points. The distances make it possible to compare the scope of the two options; the longer route is explicitly described as combining bus travel and walking. Ask the museum about current route conditions.

Another literary format is the audio play “Pamyat lyubvi.” It guides listeners along a route from Eduard Steinberg’s workshop to the Oka riverside promenade, bringing figures from the past to life in the cityscape. Check the latest project information before making plans.

Visiting Hours and Other Activities

At the K. G. Paustovsky Memorial House Museum, guided tours run every hour from Wednesday to Sunday between 11:00 and 18:00; the last tour starts at 17:00. As operational details may change, check the latest visitor information before travelling.

The Tarusa Tourist Information Centre offers a city tour, an excursion to Tarusa’s country estates, and a walk and scavenger hunt following in Paustovsky’s footsteps. Workshops in pottery, painting and mosaic art are also available. Ask the centre about current availability. This will help you coordinate museum visits, literary themes and planned excursions during your stay, and choose a holiday rental based on the experiences that matter most to you.

Discover More Destinations

Discover more destinations: Inino, Maloyaroslavets, Levshino, Ermolino, Pekino, Bebelevo, Mokroye, Razdol.

For the main travel overview: Kaluga Oblast.