Sharkan: Experience nature and Udmurt culture

Sharkan offers several reasons to discover nature and Udmurt culture: a specially protected natural area, a clearing with wooden figures of Udmurt spirits and gods, tours of a knitwear factory, and activities at Tol Babay’s estate. When choosing a holiday apartment, you can consider which of these themes you want to shape your stay. If you are planning tours or workshops, check their respective conditions and schedules.

Nature and Udmurt Imagery

Sharkan Nature Park in Sharkan is a specially protected natural area with natural features and sites of ecological and aesthetic value. It serves the purposes of nature conservation, environmental education and recreation. This makes the park a distinctive attraction for travellers interested in nature and its protection. The “Skazochnaya Polyana” offers a different scene: this clearing in Sharkan is surrounded by wooden statues of Udmurt spirits and gods. The natural setting and the crafted imagery thus offer contrasting ways to spend time in the town.

Tours and Activities

At Tol Babay’s estate in Sharkan, tours are offered of Tol Babay’s house or the house of Obyda-Kar, the Udmurt Baba Yaga. Visitors to the estate can also take part in Udmurt folk games and traditional customs. Workshops on making souvenirs are available by appointment. Check in advance which tours and activities are available on your preferred date.

Sharkan Knitwear Factory specialises in women’s knitwear. On tours offered to visitors, you can see the workshops, production areas and equipment. Booking by phone in advance is required; tours take place on Tuesdays from 10:00 to 14:00. Check the current arrangements before travelling. This will help you include the visit in your plans. If you are interested in production and craftsmanship, this offers a different theme from the folk games and traditional customs at Tol Babay’s estate.

Cultural Perspectives in the Udmurt Republic

The wider destination of the Udmurt Republic also offers distinctive topics in cultural history. The Peter Tchaikovsky Museum opened in Votkinsk in 1940. The exhibition features a reconstructed interior of a house from the mid-19th century. Its exhibits include historical furniture from the 18th to the 20th century, porcelain, postcards, paintings, books and the Wirth piano, on which the composer learned to play. Peter Tchaikovsky’s family lived in Votkinsk from 1837 to 1848, for a total of eleven years. The museum rooms and the family history highlight different aspects: the former shows a historical domestic interior, while the latter provides a biographical connection.

Another regional perspective can be found at the Ludorvai Museum Reserve. It includes more than 20 buildings from the late 19th to the early 20th century and offers a glimpse into the daily lives of Russians, Besermyan and Udmurts from the 19th to the early 20th century. Its wooden architecture includes a tent-shaped windmill, a valuable monument built in 1912 by Fyodor Dragomirov from the Udmurt village of Chem-Kuyuk. Idnakar offers a glimpse further back in history: from the 9th to the 13th century, it was a centre of Udmurt cultural, trade and craft life. According to legend, the Udmurt hero and prince Idna founded the Cheptsa hillfort, where the “Idnakar” Museum Reserve is located.

If you are interested in these topics in cultural history, you can also consider the Udmurt Republic as a wider travel destination.

More Destinations

Discover more destinations: Industrialnyy, Zavyalovo, Khokhryaki, Leninskiy, Sarapul, Glazov, Staroye Martyanovo, Votkinsk

Go to the wider travel overview: Udmurt Republic.