Kodinsk: Church Construction and Angara Pies

Kodinsk can be explored through two different stories: the construction of the Church of the Protection of the Most Holy Theotokos and the “Day of the Angara Pie” festival (“Den Angarskogo piroga”). One tells of an initiative by residents of the city and other settlements in the district; the other brings together baked goods, competitions and art in a festival programme with specific dates.

A Church Built to a Clear Timeline

The decision to build the church was made in 1991, at the initiative of residents of Kodinsk and other settlements in the district. The building site was consecrated on 9 July 1995, and construction was completed in August 1997. Several years separate the decision from the completion, with clearly distinct milestones along the way: the shared initiative, the consecration of the building site and the finished church. The church’s construction thus offers a tangible way to explore the history of the area and the initiative of people from Kodinsk and the district.

Angara Pies and Festival Culture in Kodinsk

In 2026, the “Day of the Angara Pie” festival (“Den Angarskogo piroga”) was held for the twelfth time at the “Lan” ski base in Kodinsk. The programme included a market featuring baked goods by local makers, as well as competitions centred on Angara pies. Other competition categories included souvenir products, distinctive tea blends and family cookbooks with recipes from the traditional cuisines of the peoples of Russia.

The applied arts exhibition “Beauty Lives in the People” (“Schiwet w narode krasota”) and additional areas for young people added another cultural element. The 2026 edition thus combined culinary themes with crafts, design and recipes. If you want to plan your stay around attending the festival, check the dates before you travel.

More Nature to Explore in Krasnoyarsk Krai

The wider destination of Krasnoyarsk Krai offers nature attractions in their own right. The Yergaki Nature Park, a protected area of regional significance, lies in the south of the region. In summer, visitors can hike and take horse-riding tours; in winter, options include skiing, snowboarding, snowmobile tours and snowshoeing. These seasonal activities give visitors different ways to plan their trip, as a summer stay and a winter stay do not offer the same programme.

The Putorana Zapovednik offers another kind of landscape: the Putorana Plateau features table mountains rising 1,000 to 1,500 metres above sea level, canyon-like basins of tectonic lakes and numerous waterfalls. Kinzelyuksky Waterfall, in Kuraginsky District, has a total height of 328 metres. These are on a different scale from the rock formations of Krasnoyarskiye Stolby National Park, also in Krasnoyarsk Krai.

At the eastern entrance to Krasnoyarskiye Stolby National Park, rocks such as Yermak, Kitayskaya Stenka, Maly Berkut and Storozhevoy, the Vorobushki group and the Takmak massif are accessible in almost any weather. The main routes are marked and can take anywhere from 30 minutes to a full day. The round trip from the eastern entrance to Takmak Rock is about four kilometres and takes three hours. Bus No. 37 runs to the “Stolby (Vostochny Vkhod)” stop; from there, an access road of about one kilometre along an unpaved road leads to the eastern entrance. Check the bus service before you travel. The “Krasnoyarsky Hiking” mobile app makes it easier to find your way.

Historical Ways of Life in Krasnoyarsk Krai

Another example in Krasnoyarsk Krai is the Shushenskoye Museum-Reserve. Located in the settlement of the same name, it recreates a Siberian village from the Russian Empire in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The site includes 194 architectural monuments of rural architecture, including peasant houses, a merchant’s shop, a smithy and a prison fortress. In 2011, the Novaya Derevnya architectural and ethnographic complex, with a nature and landscape park, opened on the site.

The museum-reserve’s programmes introduce visitors to the traditions and customs of the past and offer insights into peasant life. Activities include sampling peasant food, learning the basics of traditional crafts, and taking part in games, customs and festivals. The Shushenskoye Museum-Reserve thus offers a different focus from the history of church construction and the festival programme in Kodinsk: here, the emphasis is on historic buildings and learning about ways of life in earlier times.

Choose the Focus of Your Trip

When looking for a holiday apartment in Kodinsk, it helps to decide what you want to focus on first: would you like to explore Kodinsk and its local history, or are you also planning to discover the nature and culture of Krasnoyarsk Krai? The examples above appeal to different interests—from a festival with specific dates to marked hiking trails and historic architectural monuments.

Discover More Destinations

Discover more destinations: Zhuravlevo, Krasnoyarsk, Ust'-Kamo, Parnaya, Minderla, Sharypovo, Minusinsk, Divnogorsk.

For the broader travel guide, see: Krasnoyarsk Krai.