Myshkinsky District: Mice, Museums and Volga Riverbanks

Myshkinsky District combines unusual mouse-themed attractions with village history and museums along the Volga. Myshkin is known as a museum town and has well-preserved old merchant buildings. In Martynovo and Uchma, local history museums explore the distinctive features of village life and the history of these places. You can therefore tailor your trip to the subjects that interest you most, from collections and town history to village traditions and exhibitions.

Mouse Museums and Merchant History in Myshkin

The district is home to a mouse museum said to be the only one of its kind in the world. The tourist and educational complex “Myshkin Palaces” also features a mouse theme: it includes a zoo with live mice and a cheese room. Guests can also enjoy a royal reception with a mouse theme; the complex also includes a center for mouse affairs. These attractions give families a range of ways to start conversations about the unusual collections and activities together.

Just beyond the Mouse begins a boulevard that is a popular place for walks among both residents and visitors. Myshkin’s merchant history is also reflected in the mill of the Chistov merchants: it has three sections, including a machinery section and a mouse section. The estate of merchant T. V. Chistov also houses the exhibition “Myshkin in Old Photographs,” which is free to enter. Check whether the exhibition is currently available before visiting.

Other collections focus on different subjects. The Historical and Ethnographic Museum “Myshkin – Capital of the Barge Haulers” was established in honor of the barge haulers from Myshkin, who were considered the best on the Volga. The “Flax” Museum tells the story of flax cultivation in the Myshkin area. Myshkin is also home to the “Russian Valenki” Museum. The town has had a felt-making and fulling workshop for more than 100 years. The district is also home to an Orthodox museum of private family collections and the museum exhibition “Secrets of the 18th Century.” Another museum is dedicated to vodka maker Pyotr Smirnov, who came from Myshkin County.

Katskari Culture and Summer Program in Martynovo

The Katskari Ethnographic Museum in Martynovo collects and preserves the language, daily life, traditions, crafts, songs and other aspects of Katskari culture. Rather than focusing on a single custom, it offers a broad look at the Katskari way of life. The summer program includes a visit to the museum courtyard and an opportunity to meet domestic animals. Ask the museum whether these activities are available seasonally.

The summer program also includes Katskari-style stewed potatoes, tea and a country-style meal at a shared table. Advance requests are required. The shared table and museum activities offer a different focus from Myshkin’s mouse and merchant themes: here, food, crafts and traditional culture take center stage. Local history museums in Martynovo and Uchma also offer excursion and cultural entertainment programs that introduce visitors to village life and history.

Exhibitions and the Volga Riverbank in Uchma

The Uchma Museum Complex is housed in granaries and a chapel dating from the 19th century, on the gently sloping bank of the Volga. The first building and the chapel tell the story of Uchma and its connections to Byzantium and Renaissance-era Europe. An exhibition in the second granary focuses on the village, its people and “Russian Atlantis.” Together, the buildings bring local history and different perspectives on village life into focus.

The Uchma Museum also tells the story of the Kassian Hermitage and the fate of the Russian village. Its exhibitions include “One’s Own Boat. Old Women on Love,” featuring intimate monologues by Uchma’s oldest female residents. A church dedicated to Saint Anastasia the Deliverer and the Venerable Kassian of Uglich has been in operation in the former monastic settlement in Uchma since 1994.

The museum complex grounds include a landing stage, from which you can walk along an old branch of the Volga. The museum is open from April to November by prior arrangement, so arrange your visit in advance. Those especially interested in village history and the Volga landscape will find a different focus in Uchma than in Myshkin, while Martynovo brings together Katskari culture and a summer program.

Discover More Destinations

Discover more destinations: Breytovsky District, Myshkinsky District, Leninsky District, Uglich, Rybinsky District, Rostov, Gavrilov-Yamsky District, Bolsheselsky District.

Back to the regional travel overview: Yaroslavl Oblast.