Kimry - the capital of wooden Art Nouveau
The small town of Kimry has located 160 km from Moscow in the Tver region on the banks of the Volga River. The first mention of the settlement dates back to the era of Ivan the Terrible. Tourists come to this city primarily to look at the diverse architecture. There are about 119 monuments of architectural heritage in Kimry. Of particular interest among them are wooden buildings in the Art Nouveau style. Behind the scenes, Kimry is considered the capital of wooden Art Nouveau, which is well deserved. Why Kimry? Perhaps such a concentration of Art Nouveau is because, in 1859, a fire in Kimry destroyed most of the village (Kimry received the status of a city in 1917). When rebuilding houses from scratch, the architects were guided by modern eclecticism and Art Nouveau at the turn of the XIX-XX. This style arose (at the end of the 19th century) from eclecticism, which borrowed elements of styles that existed earlier. Art Nouveau is characterized by the rejection of straight lines, angles; the style gravitated towards a natural beginning, abundantly using floral ornaments and animalistic motifs. Each architectural monument of Art Nouveau is a unique example of subordination to one idea of both the exterior and the interiors of the building. One person could have invented everything from the front of the house to the cutlery. The new style quickly spread throughout Europe. In France, it is known as Art Nouveau (new art); in Austria, it was called Secessionsstil (Secession style), but in Germany - Jugendstil (young style). Russia also did not stand aside and quickly adopted Art Nouveau, as evidenced by numerous buildings in different cities.
The maximum number of attractions are located in three streets: Kirov's street, Lenin's street, and Uritsky's street. Of course, you can also find interesting architectural monuments in the lanes and on the outskirts, but there is a particular tourist center in every city that attracts guests.
On Kirov's street (near the bus stop), you can see a small yellow wooden house. It was built at the turn of the century and belonged to the Luzhin merchants. The unusual facade of the building with round window openings, a turret, and a brightly visible tree structure creates an amazing and unique flavor.
On Kirov's street (near the bus stop), you can see a small yellow wooden house. It was built at the turn of the century and belonged to the Luzhin merchants. The unusual facade of the building with round window openings, a turret, and a brightly visible tree structure creates an amazing and unique flavor.
Across the street, there is a house built in the style of a Russian tower with a bay window that turns into a turret. Unlike the first object, this one has a more restrained color scheme.
At Lenin's street 15, is an old two-story house. The wood surface does not have a paint layer, taking on a dark brown hue. With such a monochrome palette, the wood pattern seems darker and more mysterious.
At Uritsky's street 65, is the Cathedral, built and consecrated in 1911. The temple was closed in 1929, along with the vast majority of other churches across the country. The cathedral was opened after the war in 1947.
There is an attractive freestanding brick building in the Art Nouveau style on the way to the church. Unfortunately, the facade of the building has signs of destruction. The layer of facing bricks and majolica tiles is gradually being lost.
Once a merchant building at the turn of the 19th and early 20th centuries, many buildings have lost their original purpose and are used as retail outlets.
At Kirov's street is the local history museum of the city of Kimry. The basis of the exposition is a collection of footwear from the 18th-20th centuries, which is no coincidence because, in addition to Art Nouveau, Kimry was famous for its shoe masters. The monument to the shoemaker was erected in 2014 in front of the city administration building.
At Kirov's street is the local history museum of the city of Kimry. The basis of the exposition is a collection of footwear from the 18th-20th centuries, which is no coincidence because, in addition to Art Nouveau, Kimry was famous for its shoe masters. The monument to the shoemaker was erected in 2014 in front of the city administration building.
In addition to the existing heritage, there are barely survived monuments, of which there are also a lot in the city. For example, on today's Teatralnaya Square site, there was once Cathedral Square with Gostiny Dvor, of which only the facade has survived.
