Yashkinsky District: Rock Art, Museums and Village Traditions

In Yashkinsky District, topics range from rock art and local museums to traditional stories and recurring events. Rock art, local museums, historical walks and autumn traditions shape Yashkinsky District. The range extends from early rock depictions and local history to the Pumpkin Museum and autumn festival in Pacha.

Rock Art and History in Yashkino

The central rock at “Tomskaya Pisanitsa” features more than 300 depictions; most of the figures show elk.

In Yashkino, visitors can join the “Gorod Ya. Peshkom po Klubnoy” guided tour by arranging it by phone. The route follows Suvorov Street, formerly Klubnaya Street, from the Memorial Monument to Heroes’ Square. This makes the walk through Yashkino a route with a specific series of stops. If you plan to take this tour, remember that you need to arrange it by phone.

The Yashkino Local History Museum is the first stop on the “Druzhim gorodami: Yashkinskiy okrug” visitor program. Topics covered there include the history of the lime plant, which began operating in 1907, and the cement production that developed from it, described as the first in Siberia. The museum also focuses on 17th-century Russian settlers, the Kalmak—a small ethnographic group of Siberian Tatars—and Germans deported from the Volga region in 1941. A Hall of Military Glory is dedicated to the courage and selflessness of Yashkino’s residents.

Village Museums and Historic Sites

The school museum in the village of Polomoshnoe has been in existence for more than 50 years and focuses on the history of the local area. Its staff offer the “Iz Polomoshnogo s lyubovyu” guided tour. It covers the lives of Old Believers in Siberia, the construction of the Trans-Siberian Railway and Kolchak’s troops’ retreat during the Civil War. The tour thus brings together several distinct historical topics that are important to local history.

Buildings of an old, pre-revolutionary mosque and a madrasah have been preserved in Yurty-Konstantinovy. The “Etnograficheskiy tur po krayu sibirskomu, zemle Kuznetskoy” ethnographic excursion also visits sites in the village, in the Kalmak people’s historical homeland. The route was established in 2020; check the current arrangements before planning your visit.

Pacha: Pumpkins and Autumn Traditions

Russia’s first Pumpkin Museum is located in the village of Pacha. Its exhibits and information focus on pumpkins. The annual “Pachinskaya tykva” festival, held every autumn in the Pacha rural settlement, is a fitting complement. The festival focuses on living history and rural national traditions. If you’re planning your trip around a specific event date, check the details for the relevant year.

The “Zaychikha” jeep sprint is also held annually in Yashkino in August.

Nature and Activities as Additional Highlights

The Itkarinsky Spring, a hydrogeological natural monument, is located near the village of Itkara. Another option for a themed outing is the trout farm in the village of Sinerechka, considered a place for fishing and relaxation. Check in advance whether visits are currently possible.

The different highlights can help narrow down your accommodation search: Yashkino offers historical museum topics and a named walking tour, Pacha combines a pumpkin exhibition with an autumn festival, while Polomoshnoe and Yurty-Konstantinovy focus on other aspects of local history. First choose the experiences that matter most to you, then tailor your search for a holiday apartment or holiday home accordingly.

Discover more destinations: Kolmogorovo, Tashtagolsky District, Leninsk-Kuznetsky City, Prigorodnyy, Novokuznetsky District, Anzhero-Sudzhensk City, Tashtagolsky District, Belovsky District.

For the broader travel overview: Kemerovo Oblast.