the navigator museum and others.
Kolomna Pastille Museum. Photo: Anna Filatovskaya, for ATOR
With this diversity, it is worth bearing in mind that not all Kolomna museums can be freely visited. This is not the usual option when you go in, buy a ticket and inspect the exhibition.
In almost all Kolomna museums, sightseeing is possible only as part of group excursions, and there can be only one or two per day. You must register in advance.
Therefore, if you want to get to know the museum exposition and not miss any excursions, you should carefully study the opening hours and time of excursions when planning a trip, so that you can plan your city tour based on the schedule of museum visits.
Another option is to come to Kolomna not for one, but for two days, and leave the second one entirely for visits to museums.
At the entrance to the Gramophone Museum in Kolomna. Photo: Anna Filatovskaya, for ATOR
We originally planned to return home on the same day, so we only got to those museums that we managed.
But only one succeeded – it was the Artkommunalka residence museum, recreated on the site of a huge communal apartment, where 26 families, more than a hundred people, once lived. There were 40-50 children of different ages living in this apartment all the time, so it was never quiet here.
Artkommunalka Residence Museum. Yerofeyev and others”, Kolomna. Photo: Anna Filatovskaya, for ATOR
During a tour of the communal apartment (the museum is located only in a part of the former huge apartment), you can see the belongings of the residents and the furnishings of similar apartments from the 60s of the last century: furniture, books, toys, clothes and interior items. The cost of the tour lasting about 40 minutes is 400 rubles.
In the Artkommunalka Residence Museum. Yerofeyev and others”, Kolomna. Photo: Anna Filatovskaya, for ATOR
PANORAMIC VIEW OF THE CITY AND THE LOCAL WATER CARRIER
For lovers of panoramic views and photography, we recommend going up to the observation deck at the bell towerSt. John the Theologian Church. The entrance costs 150 rubles, and you can climb three levels.
John’s Bell Tower- The Theological Church, Kolomna. Photo: Anna Filatovskaya, for ATOR
The bell tower is located in the center of the city and the view from here is beautiful – on the Kremlin and Cathedral Square.
View of Cathedral Square from the Bell Tower of St. John the Theologian Church, Kolomna. Photo: Anna Filatovskaya, for ATOR
View from the Bell Tower of St. John the Theologian Church in Kolomna. Photo: Anna Filatovskaya, for ATOR
There is a monument to Lenin not far from the church with a bell tower. According to the guide, some time ago, vandals broke off his right arm, which he was pointing into the distance. After that, the sculptors attached a new right arm to him, which, according to residents, for some reason is about one and a half times longer than it should be. If Vladimir Ilyich lowers this hand, it will be below his knee.
Another interesting attraction in the city is the monument to the water carrier. It is located next to the scale where spring flood records are recorded.
Monument to the water carrier in Kolomna. Photo: Anna Filatovskaya, for ATOR
Water in Kolomna was transported in wooden barrels until the beginning of the 20th century, then a water pipeline was built. The monument to the water carrier was erected not so long ago, but it has already become popular.
Local residents use it to determine the level of flooding of the Moskva River: they monitor how the river has overflowed – “to the boots”, “to the waist” or “to the cap”. In some years, the monument was sometimes completely hidden under water. The profession of a water carrier no longer exists, but these phrases have been preserved here since those times.
WHAT TO BRING WITH YOU FROM KOLOMNA
Of course, the pastille is worth a try in Kolomna. This sweet appeared in the city in the Middle Ages as a way to preserve the apple harvest. Thanks to the enthusiastic residents, the old recipe was revived and the production of the same pastille resumed.
Now they produce more than 30 varieties of delicacies, which are made from berries and fruits, mainly from Antonovka apples. Kolomna has a pastille museum, but you can also visit it with a guided tour and by appointment.
Kolomna kalach is a local brand paired with marshmallows. The ancient industry in the city has also been restored, and rolls are baked according to pre-revolutionary recipes. By the way, now, as then, they are made with a “handle”, a round bow. Previously, it was needed for hygiene reasons – they baked rolls on the street, there was nowhere to wash their hands. People ate them by holding this very handle, then gave it to dogs or beggars – those who did not disdain to finish eating the discarded shackles. Hence the expression “to reach the handle”, that is, to completely sink.
You can try the famous rolls with various fillings at the popular Kalachnaya Museum, but keep in mind that there is a queue for it from morning to evening, and you also need to sign up for tea excursions.
The queue for rolls can be observed in Kolomna all day. Photo: Anna Filatovskaya, for ATOR
As for local specialty drinks, there are many of them in retail outlets in the city, which were served with branded lemonade in the hot summer, fragrant mead is sure to become more popular now. For those who are driving, I recommend taking it home with you: you can choose from a variety of options in the draught drinks store.
If, after reading the article, there is a desire not only to come to this wonderful city for a day, but even to stay overnight and devote full time to various interesting museums (which you should not forget to register in advance!), there will be no problems with accommodation – guests will not stay in Kolomna without an overnight stay.
Here, in relative proximity to the city center, or even in the very center, you can find small cozy mini-hotels in old buildings, standard hotels, and unusual ones, for example, on the water.
Anna Filatovskaya
Photo: Anna Filatovskaya, for ATOR