Discover Novousmansky District

In Novousmansky District, local history, remembrance and the natural landscapes of Usman Forest come together. In Novaya Usman, visit the local history museum and the “Krylya Pobedy” memorial; at the “Venevitinovo” Biological Teaching and Research Centre, learn about the forest’s natural ecosystems. When looking for a holiday rental, consider whether you would like to focus your stay more on cultural and memorial sites or on nature. This will help you choose the focus of your trip.

Local history and memorial sites

The Novousmansky District Local History Museum is located in the centre of the village of Novaya Usman. Its building was constructed in 1917. In the museum courtyard, a KhTZ tractor stands on a plinth; it is described as the first tractor in Novousmansky District. The museum therefore offers two distinct points of connection to local history: the historic building and the tractor model described as the first.

The “Krylya Pobedy” memorial in Novaya Usman commemorates Alexander Avdeev, a Hero of the Soviet Union, and the airmen who died for their homeland during the Great Patriotic War. The school-oriented route “Pamyat ognennykh let” leads to memorial sites in the district connected with the history of this war, as well as places of remembrance for participants and veterans of local conflicts. One stop on the route is the Square of Military Glory on Podlesnaya Street in Shuberskoye.

Experience the nature of Usman Forest

The “Venevitinovo” Biological Teaching and Research Centre provides students and the general public with knowledge about the natural ecosystems of Usman Forest. These include the nature museum and the surrounding environment along the Ecological Teaching Trail. The exhibition and trail offer two different ways to explore nature: viewing it in the museum and engaging with the landscape along the path. Check the centre’s visiting arrangements before your visit.

A 2024 university report describes an exhibition about invertebrates of Usman Forest at the “Priroda Usmanskogo bora” museum. Examples include aquatic invertebrates from the Usman River and from floodplain lakes. The report also mentions ungulate exhibits: a roe deer head, a wild boar head, and the antlers of an elk and a red deer. Another multimedia exhibit lets visitors listen to birdsong and other natural sounds of Usman Forest. The nature theme thus encompasses the diversity of smaller creatures and selected ungulate exhibits, as well as the forest’s soundscape.

The “Venevitinovo” Ecological Teaching Trail passes several lakes and wetlands. These include the unique “Klyukvennoye-1” raised bog, characterised by sphagnum mosses. The trail complements the museum’s educational offering with views of natural habitats. If you plan your trip around this focus, both the nature exhibits and the lakes and wetlands form part of the picture of Usman Forest.

Architectural history in Orlovo and Khrenovoye

The district’s cultural heritage also includes architectural and estate history. The New Epiphany Church in Orlovo was built in 1885 to a design by Voronezh architect V. V. Stainovsky. The “Otradnoye” estate of the Veretennikov-Kiselev family is located in the village of Khrenovoye. Its surviving parkland is currently used by a children’s boarding school. While the church is notable for its year of construction and architect, “Otradnoye” also forms part of local history through the present-day use of its parkland.

Discover more destinations: Pavlovskiy rayon, Bogucharskiy rayon, Povorinskiy rayon, Bobrovskiy rayon, Kantemirovskiy rayon, Ramonskiy rayon, Verkhnekhavskiy rayon, Nizhnedevitskiy rayon.

Back to the main travel overview: Voronezh Oblast.