Bryansk: Children's Theatre Bryansk landscape: autumn in Ovstrug

Bryansk oblast is a province of the Russian Federation located in the Central Russia south of Moscow. It borders on Ukraine and Belarus. The oblast covers 34.9 thousand square kilometers; the population is 1,361.1 thousand people. The oblast center is the city of Bryansk (458 thousand people). Other major cities are Klintsy, Novozybkov, Dyatkovo.

Consequences of the accident at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant of 1986 seriously affected the oblast: about 35 thousand square kilometers were contaminated with radionuclides. Nevertheless, the striking beauty of this land and its rich historical heritage still attract tourists.

One third of the oblast is covered with forests, mainly mixed ones. Their dazzling beauty has at all times inspired artists and poets. Fedor Ivanovich Tyutchev and Alexei Konstantinovich Tolstoy created their poetic masterpieces here.

The Bryansk oblast is one of the bridges of the cultural fellowship of Russia, Ukraine, Belarus and countries of far abroad. Cultural traditions of the three East Slavic countries are integrally bound here in monuments of architecture, the language and folks’ culture. More than a thousand monuments of history and culture were preserved in this territory. Thirteen cities and rural settlements have the status of a “historical locality”.

The Bryansk land’s past is presented in exhibitions of 17 museums. Among the most famous are the Bryansk museum of local lore, partisan movement history museum, memorial museums of F.I. Tyutchev in the village of Ovstug and A.K. Tolstoy in the village of Krasny Rog. The exhibitions in ancient Trubchevsk, Karachev, Sevsk, Starodub, Pogar, Pochep and Old Believers’ centers Klintsy and Klimov, presenting the nature and history of this land, are also worth much.

The center of the oblast, Bryansk city, was founded in 985. Its major architectural and archeological monuments are Svenski monastery, Chashin mound (the birthplace of Bryansk), the ancient Kremlin of Bryansk on Pokrovskaya Mountain, Peter and Paul monastery. The historical nucleus of the city, Pokrovskaya Mountain, soars up on Desna River brae. The modern administrative and cultural center spreads to the south and west. The old city picturesque layout is preserved due to the bank line unevenness. The verticals of Voksresenskaya, Vvedenskaya and Spaso-Grobovskaya, Pokrovskaya and Gorne-Nikolskaya churches stick out in the old city panorama.

Klintsy is the second largest city of Bryansk oblast. It was one of the Old Believers’ centers, now known for its textile industry. Old Believers’ churches and merchant mansions add to the city charm. Klintsy is followed by the city of Novozybkov, the place of residence of the Old Believer archbishop of Novozybkov and all Russia. It is also known for its ancient temples.

Trubchevsk is famous for its archeological and architectural monuments, in particular the Trinity Cathedral of the 13th-19th centuries with the tomb of the dukes Trubetsky. The abundance of the Trubchevsk museum collection is second only to the oblast one. The Ant treasure-trove of the 6th-7th centuries is unique. Kvetunsky old town, the predecessor of annalistic Trubchevsk, 10 kilometers away from the modern city, is really impressive.

Useful links:

http://brnk.ru/ - open Bryansk directory;
http://www.bryanskobl.ru/ - website of Bryansk Oblast administration
http://goroda.novozybkov.ru/ - photos of Bryansk oblast towns

Welcome to Bryansk oblast!

The page contains photos by N.Romanov and N.Spilenok.