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Konstantinovo is a village in the Rybnovsky district of the Ryazan region. Located on the picturesque high right bank of the Oka 43 kilometers north-west of Ryazan. Konstantinovo is famous for the fact that Russian poet Sergei Alexandrovich Yesenin was born here on October 3, 1895 (in a new style). In Konstantinov passed the childhood and youth of the poet. In the central part of the village there is the State Museum-Reserve of S. A. Yesenin.
Konstantinovo is a village in the Rybnovsky District
of the Ryazan Region, located on the high right bank of the Oka River,
43 km northwest of Ryazan. It is the birthplace of the poet Sergei
Yesenin, and its main attractions are associated with the life and work
of the poet, as well as with the nature and history of the Russian
village. The village is part of the State Museum-Reserve of S. A.
Yesenin, which makes it a popular destination for tourists and fans of
Russian literature.
1. Yesenin Estate
Description: The
memorial house of the Yesenin family, where Sergei Yesenin was born and
spent his childhood (1 Yesenin Street). Built in 1871, restored after a
fire in 1926.
Features: A wooden log house with a thatched roof,
typical of peasant houses of the late 19th century. Inside are authentic
family items: a stove, a table, icons, benches. In the courtyard there
is a barn and a garden with apple trees, sung about in the poet's
verses. The exhibition tells about Yesenin's life before 1912, when he
left for Moscow.
Visiting hours: Daily from 10:00 to 18:00 (ticket
office until 17:30), Monday is a day off. Ticket price: about 100-200
rubles.
Why it is worth visiting: The atmosphere of the poet's
childhood and the opportunity to see the life of a Russian village that
inspired his work.
2. Church of the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God
Description: A wooden church of the 18th century, located in the center
of the village, next to the Yesenin estate.
Features: Built in the
1770s, rebuilt in the 1860s. Modest architecture with one dome and a
bell tower. Inside, an oak iconostasis from the late 19th century,
donated by the merchant I. P. Kulkov, has been preserved. Yesenin was
baptized here in 1895. Kulkov's grave is in the churchyard.
Why it's
worth visiting: Connections with the poet's life and an example of
traditional rural architecture.
3. House of the priest John Smirnov
Description: A museum in the house where the priest John Smirnov,
Yesenin's spiritual mentor, lived, on Yesenin Street, 3.
Features: A
wooden house built in 1909 with carved window frames. Inside, there is
an exhibition about the life of the rural clergy and Smirnov's influence
on the young poet. Furniture, books, and photographs from the early 20th
century have been preserved.
Visiting hours: From 10:00 to 18:00,
closed on Mondays. The ticket is included in the general ticket for the
estate.
Why it's worth visiting: A look at the spiritual atmosphere
that surrounded Yesenin in his childhood.
4. Zemstvo School
Description: The primary school building, built in 1910 by the merchant
Kulkov, is located opposite the Yesenin estate.
Features: Yesenin
studied here from 1904 to 1909. The exhibition recreates a classroom
from the early 20th century: desks, textbooks, inkwells. It tells about
rural education and the poet's first steps in literature.
Visiting
hours: From 10:00 to 18:00, closed on Mondays. Ticket - about 100
rubles.
Why you should visit: The story of Yesenin's childhood and an
example of a rural school of the past.
5. Kashin Estate
Description: The landed estate of Lidia Kashina, the last owner of
Konstantinovo, on Tsentralnaya Street, 10.
Features: A two-story
wooden house from the late 19th century with a mezzanine. Kashina
inspired Yesenin to create the image of Anna Snegina in the poem of the
same name. The exhibition includes interiors of the landowner's life and
the family's personal belongings.
Why you should visit: Literary
connections and an example of merchant architecture.
6. Literary
Museum
Description: A modern building of the museum-reserve next to
the Kashin estate.
Features: The exhibition is dedicated to Yesenin's
work: manuscripts, photographs, first editions of poems. Exhibitions and
poetry evenings are held here, especially on the poet's birthday
(October 3).
Visiting hours: From 10:00 to 18:00, closed on Mondays.
Why you should visit: A deep dive into Yesenin's poetic legacy.
7.
Oka Panorama
Description: An observation deck on the Oka bank,
offering a view of the river and flood meadows.
Features: A
picturesque landscape that inspired Yesenin to write many poems ("Goy
you, Rus', my native ..."). In the summer - green expanses, in the
winter - snow-covered distances.
Why you should visit: Natural beauty
and connection with poetry.
8. Church of the Assumption of the
Blessed Virgin Mary
Description: A 19th-century stone church on a
hill, 500 meters from the Kazan Church.
Features: Built in 1819 in
the classical style with funds from the Kupriyanov merchants. It was
used as a parish church until Soviet times. Today it is being restored.
Why you should visit: An architectural addition to the history of the
village.
Tips for visiting
How to get there: From Ryazan by
bus (route Ryazan - Rybnoye - Konstantinovo, 1-1.5 hours, about 150
rubles) or by car along the M5 highway (40-50 minutes). In summer, there
is a boat from Ryazan (2 hours).
Time: It is best to visit from May
to October, especially October 3 (Yesenin's birthday), when festivals
are held. In winter, the scenery is beautiful, but cold.
Infrastructure: There is a cafe "Chaynaya" and a hotel at the museum,
but the choice is modest - take food with you.
Konstantinovo is a village located on the high right bank of the
Oka River, 43 km northwest of Ryazan. Its history spans over 400
years and is closely intertwined with the development of Russian
village life, and in the 20th century, with the name of Sergei
Yesenin, who was born here on October 3, 1895 (new style).
Ancient period and foundation (17th century)
The first written
mention of Konstantinovo dates back to 1619 in the "Cadastre books
of the Ryazan region". At that time, the village belonged to the
royal family and was part of the palace department. Its name is
probably associated with the name Konstantin, popular in the
Orthodox tradition, although the exact etymology is unknown. In the
17th century, Konstantinovo was a small village with a wooden church
of the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God, around which a community of
peasants was formed.
In the mid-17th century, the village
came into the possession of boyar families — first the Myshetskys,
then the Volkonskys. Yakov Myshetsky, one of the owners, gave
Konstantinovo as a dowry to his daughter Natalia, who married Kirill
Alekseevich Naryshkin. In 1728, their son Semyon Kirillovich
Naryshkin, a close associate of Peter I, became the owner.
18th–19th centuries: development and change of owners
In the 18th
century, Konstantinovo remained a typical Russian village, where
peasants were engaged in agriculture, cattle breeding, and fishing
on the Oka. In the 1770s, the village passed to the Olsufyev family,
and in 1879 it was acquired by the Kupriyanov merchants from
Bogoroditsk — Sergei, Alexander, and Nikolai Grigorievich. The elder
brother, Sergei Grigorievich (1843?–1923), made a significant
contribution to the development of the village: in the 1880s, he
built a zemstvo school, facilitating the education of peasant
children.
In 1897, Konstantinovo was bought by the Moscow
millionaire Ivan Petrovich Kulkov, the owner of apartment buildings
on the Khitrov Market. Kulkov continued the Kupriyanovs' work,
building a new school building and decorating the church with a
wooden oak iconostasis. For his charity, he was honored to be buried
in the church grounds by order of Bishop Nikodim of Ryazan and
Zaraysk. After his death in 1911, the village was inherited by his
daughter Lidiya Ivanovna Kashina, who maintained the traditions of
charity until the revolution.
The 20th Century: Yesenin and
the Soviet Period
A new stage in the history of Konstantinovo
began in 1917. The revolution changed the way of life: the
landowners' lands were confiscated, and the village became part of a
collective farm. However, Konstantinovo became world famous thanks
to Sergei Yesenin, who spent his childhood and youth here. His
family - peasants Alexander Nikitich and Tatyana Fedorovna Yesenin -
lived in a simple hut, which later became part of the museum.
During the Great Patriotic War, Red Army troops passed through
Konstantinovo on their way to the west. Soldiers often took a
handful of soil from Yesenin's yard as a symbol of their homeland.
In 1965, for the poet's 70th birthday, the S. A. Yesenin State
Museum-Reserve was created in the village, including the Yesenin
estate, the zemstvo school, the house of priest Ioann Smirnov and
the Church of the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God. This made
Konstantinovo an important cultural center.
Modernity
Today, Konstantinovo is a small village with a population of about
350 people (according to 2010 data). It retains the appearance of a
traditional Russian village thanks to its status as a
museum-reserve. The main attractions are memorial sites associated
with Yesenin and picturesque views of the Oka. The village attracts
tourists, poets and fans of Yesenin's work, remaining a symbol of
Russian lyricism and peasant life.