Zhukovka is located in the north of the Bryansk region. This is a
small and unremarkable city, which is an interchange station for
commuter trains from Bryansk to Smolensk.
Zhukovka is located 60
km northwest of Bryansk, among pine forests at the confluence of the
Vetma River and the Desna. Zhukovka arose in 1867 during the
construction of the Orel-Vitebsk railway. Ten years later, an iron
foundry was built here (again for the needs of the railway), followed by
a workers' settlement. In 1962, Zhukovka was given the status of a city,
and in the 30s it became a regional center. Population: 18,400 people
(2009).
The architecture of Zhukovka is as diverse as its
history. In other words, there is nothing interesting here, but only
beautiful forests in the vicinity of the city and a couple of
sanatoriums where workers of the Bryansk factories relax. In Zhukovka
itself, industry is mainly light: a furniture factory, a grain
processing plant and a bicycle factory. The name of the city is
associated with Zhukov, but not with the one Zhukov in the Kaluga
region, and not with the one Zhukovsky in the Moscow region, but only
with the unknown landowner Zhukov, whose lands were located next to the
railway under construction.
Zhukovka is lined with a variety of Soviet-era buildings, but none of
them look remotely attractive. Perhaps the most interesting thing here
is the war memorials, which, however, were also created in Soviet times.
Pochtovaya Street, popularly called “Broadway” or “Broadway”. Along
with the adjacent lane of the same name, it is the concentration of all
the “movement” in the city, which is especially evident in the evening
against the backdrop of the mysteriously quiet surrounding streets. The
street is completely pedestrian, and there is a lot of interesting
things here: a post office, a communications center, a central district
library, a children's library, a restaurant, a Metro club, several
shops, 2 fountains, that is, almost all objects important to the
population.
The city square is located next to Pochtovaya Street. The
plan is a square, previously entirely made of concrete slabs. On one
side there is a permanent covered stage. The square, as befits a
regional center, is overlooked by a monument to V.I. Lenin. There is
also a monument with an eternal flame, and in front of it is the mass
grave of the liberating soldiers.
Until recently, Peoples' Friendship
Park was one of the most beautiful places in the city. The park is
located between Karl Marx and Pochtovaya streets, directly opposite the
station. It was founded in 1975 by participants of the second
All-Russian meeting of school forestries in honor of the 30th
anniversary of the Victory (which the stele reminds of). There are many
monuments in the park: “Glory to Labor” with a capsule “to be opened in
2017”, monuments to Internationalist Soldiers (without a capsule),
Heroes-Compatriots (also without a capsule) and, finally, the original
monument to the Partisan Region - again without a capsule, but with a
map of the Zhukovsky district and the expressive faces of the partisans.
Unfortunately, in 2010, contrary to the wishes of the residents,
construction of a sports and recreation complex began, which turned the
best part of the square into an endless construction site.
Komsomolsky Square is adjacent to the city square. In 1896, a temple was
built here at the expense of the nobleman G.I. Gantskevich in the name
of St. Alexander Nevsky in memory of the rescue of the Royal Family
during a train crash near the Borki station (which, by the way, is
located near Kharkov and has nothing to do with Zhukovka). Around 1931
the temple was closed, and in 1942 it was blown up and burned by the
Nazis. Nowadays there are buildings of branches of Sberbank and
Rosselkhozbank, and in the center of the square there is a monument to
Komsomol members of the 20s.
Park of Culture and Leisure named after.
Tyutcheva is a vacation spot for Zhukovsky residents. The entrance to
the park, decorated with wooden carvings, is also interesting, as is the
barred dance floor, donated to the Zhukovsk youth by the bicycle factory
team in 1971. The special design of the dance floor was probably
intended to educate future bicycle builders: to fight ideologically
incorrect music and accustom young people to the correct Soviet stage.
The Zhukovsky Motorcycle Plant was previously known as the Zhukovsky
Bicycle Plant and produced up to 400-600 thousand bicycles per year,
including the famous Desna bicycles. The designer’s idea for the plant’s
logo is interesting—the abbreviation ZhVZ is made in the shape of a
bicycle. The importance of the enterprise for local residents is
reflected by the appearance of a bicycle on the coats of arms of the
district and city: a case that is perhaps unique in world heraldry. Now
the plant is increasingly producing not bicycles, but motorcycles, ATVs
and scooters, but these vehicles have not yet appeared on the Zhukovka
coat of arms. Located next to the plant (at the end of Kalinin Street),
the district cultural center (formerly the ZhVZ cultural center) stands
on a small square with a fountain and an obelisk, and in front of the
entrances there is another, also small square with honor boards and a
funny sculpture depicting a worker, a collective farmer, and why - then
an astronaut, although a cyclist cutting between a worker and a
collective farmer would be much more appropriate here.
In Zhukovka,
brick-on-brick painting is common, that is, making wall images by laying
out colored bricks in a gray wall made of sand-lime brick. Popularly,
one of the houses with similar decoration is called the house with a
deer, although in fact it depicts an elk. Another example of local
painting is the five-meter slogan “Study, study and study again”, which
for some reason is not called by the people in any way, but quite
resembles the “Testaments of the Great Helmsman”.
The churches are
exclusively new: the Alexander Nevsky Church (corner of Krasnofokinskaya
Street and Smolensky Lane), the wooden Intercession Chapel on the
territory of the boarding house and the wooden Resurrection Chapel in
the cemetery. For lovers of more exotic religions, the city has a
Seventh Day Adventist Church (42A Tolstoy St.) and a Baptist house for
services (63 Kalinina St.).
Old water tower near the train station
School forestry - the first school forestry in the USSR, founded in 1949
The children's art school was built from the bricks of a church
dismantled before the war in Vshchizh
Glade of Fairy Tales - a
children's playground with psychedelic wooden sculptures
Military
monuments are found everywhere: an obelisk to the hero of socialist
labor A. Degtyarev on the territory of PU-33 (what does war have to do
with it?), a bust of the pioneer partisan Volodya Filatov (near school
No. 1), an obelisk of the 6th Guards Division (a ten-meter reinforced
concrete pylon in the shape of a bayonet at the fork in the
Zhukovka-Bryansk-Rzhanitsa roads, where the division began its combat
journey), a mass grave of executed civilians on the lane.
Krasnoslobodsky, mass grave of soldiers of the 258th Infantry Division
of the 50th Army of the Bryansk Front (Glinka village).
Billiards "Russian Pyramid"
Cycling track: free access, you can
ride your own bike if you don’t mind
Ice skating: Zenit stadium next
to the bicycle factory (good ice, lighting), Lesnaya Polyana stadium on
Pervomaisky lane. (good ice, lighting, there are hockey goals and
sometimes hockey competitions are held), city square (small and low ice
quality), cycling track (ice quality is average, illuminated on one side
in the evening).
Bathing: usually occurs on the gum. The main city
beaches are Peschanka (next to the Zhukovsky sanatorium) and Podsolnukh
(half a kilometer north of Peschanka) next to the dangerous but
attractive suspension bridge. Extreme lovers can also try swimming in
the Barzhi area (between the road and railway bridges, south of the
city), a quarry ( 1.5 km northeast of the city border), a fire reservoir
in Madyarovka, Lake Vodnevskoye (now private and paid, used for
corporate recreation, there is a boat).
Sports: rental of sports
equipment at the Zhukovsky sanatorium ((905) 100-05-06, 10:00-17:00
except Mon), Zenit stadium next to the bicycle factory, Lesnaya Polyana
stadium on Pervomaisky lane, stadium " Young Spartak"
By train
Zhukovka is located on the Smolensk-Bryansk railway line.
From Bryansk there are trains every 1-2 hours (the journey takes 1 hour
40 minutes), from Roslavl there are motor railcars 4 times a day (the
journey takes 2 hours). The Smolensk-Bryansk express train runs four
times a week (3.5 hours from Smolensk). Summer trains such as St.
Petersburg-Adler or Smolensk-Simferopol also stop in Zhukovka. In
winter, there may be no long-distance trains at all.
The station
has a typical post-war station building. Information: +7 (48334)
3-58-73.
By car
Zhukovka is located next to the A141 highway:
65 km from Bryansk, 91 km from Roslavl, 207 km from Smolensk. From
Moscow you can go both through Bryansk and through Zhizdra, Kosilovo.
Finally, for lovers of beauty, there is an alternative route from
Roslavl (via Dubrovka, Lutovinovka and Semyonovka) - a rather romantic
road with extremely rare traffic and a dangerous bridge over the Desna.
The road is mostly paved; It was built in the mid-90s, so it is not
marked on the maps.
By bus
There is no bus station in
Zhukovka. Its function is performed by a ticket office next to the
railway station. Inquiries by phone. +7 (48334) 3-13-81, 3-06-13 (ticket
office) and 3-29-95 (vehicle convoy). There are few buses: from Bryansk
there are minibuses from the bus station (3 times a day) and buses from
the Bezhitskaya bus station (2 times a day), there is also a night bus
from Moscow from the Teply Stan bus station. All other buses go along
A141 and do not call at Zhukovka, but stop (and only on request) at the
turn in Letoshniki, from where you will have to get 12 km to the city by
taxi, hitchhiking, local buses or something else. For example, buses
from Smolensk to Bryansk, Smolensk to Orel, and St. Petersburg to Kursk
pass along the route.
There is one bus route and three minibus lines in Zhukovka. Cost of
the trip: 10 rubles (2012).
Getting around the city is easy. To
the east of the station, Pochtovaya Street and Karl Marx Street begin:
between them is the center (or what could be the center). At the end of
Poshtovaya Street opposite from the station there is a cultural park
named after. Tyutchev, and 200 meters to the south the territory of the
bicycle factory begins. The Desna River is located west of the railway,
1.5 km from the station.
Taxi (for 2012 the standard price in the
city is 70 rubles): Voyage (3-13-22, (905) 176-92-50, (920) 843-73-40,
(952) 967-02-81), City (3-33-99), Courier (3-56-00).
Due to the
proximity of the bicycle factory, the most popular means of transport is
the bicycle (according to rumors, at one time salaries at the plant were
paid in bicycles: in those years Zhukovka could lay claim to the title
of the bicycle capital of Russia). But for some reason there are no car
rental points in Zhukovka.
There are a large number of shops and small retail outlets in the
city center.
Grocery stores: Magnit (2 pieces), Central,
Delicatessen, Yubileiny, Mechta supermarkets. There are no 24-hour
stores, so at night you will have to be content with a kiosk near the
Penguin and a store at the gas station. It is also interesting to go to
the city market.
Among locally produced products, we can recommend the products of the
Zhukovsky bakery (bread, loaf, muffins, buns, etc.) and the Zhukovsky
dairy plant (milk, kefir, etc.). There is also a local delicacy in
Zhukovka - chilim nut. Chilim is collected mainly from Nut Lake and
boiled in salt water. You can buy it during the season (that is, in
August) at the city market. The taste is reminiscent of boiled potatoes.
Chilim is a dark brown “horned” nut in appearance. Eating it requires
skill, as you can get hurt by its “horns.” In local areas there is a
legend that this nut grows on only a few lakes in the world, but this is
not at all true, although the plant is indeed quite rare and is listed
in the Red Book of Russia.
In city cafes, the bill for a hot dish
does not exceed 100 rubles (2012):
Bistro Snack Bar
The snack bar
near shop no. 16 (opposite the station) is popularly known as “The Three
Little Pigs”
Cafe "Nice" - st. Soviet
Cafe "Chilim"
Cafe
"Cheburashka"
Pizzeria "Shlyupka"
Pizzeria in the premises of the
former “Dark Bar” (popular name)
Restaurant "Desna" - Pochtovy Lane.
At Anatolyevich's
Sloboda (in Grishina Sloboda)
Club "Metro" - st. Pochtovaya
There are only two hotels in Zhukovka, both are located near the
Desna River a couple of kilometers from the center of the settlement.
1 Sanatorium Zhukovsky, Embankment st. 5.
2 Park Hotel Slavyanka,
Embankment st. 1.
There are also many camps and recreation
centers in the vicinity of Zhukovka, but it is impossible to get there
from the street.
In Zhukovka, a traveler faces a number of dangers: many stray dogs, it is very dark at night (even on the central streets), uneven roads and even more uneven sidewalks, numerous puddles, as well as an abundance of cyclists who absolutely do not follow the rules. They can drive both on the roadway and on sidewalks. Therefore, it is necessary to be especially careful: both the driver and the pedestrian. In short, an ordinary Russian city, and then there are cyclists...
City telephone code: 48334
Postal code: 242700 and 242702
All 4 major telecom operators are represented: Beeline, MTS,
MegaFon, Tele2
Zhukovka is located on the left bank of the Desna River, 61 km from
Bryansk.
In the city there is a railway station of the same name
Zhukovka on the Bryansk - Smolensk line.
In 1867, construction of the Oryol-Vitebsk railway began. The
organizer of the construction was Pyotr Gubonin. To maintain the road
and refuel the locomotives with water and firewood, Gubonin settled
several families here. This is how the story of Zhukovka began.
In 1871, Zhukovka turned from a stop into a station. In 1879-1880 a
station with a cafeteria was built. Not far away were the lands of the
landowner Zhukov (he was selling timber and building sawmills). The
sawmills of Velkovsky and the Francis brothers were the first industrial
enterprises of Zhukovka.
In 1878-1881, construction of the
Zhukovka-Lyudinka (Kletnya) road began. We needed rails and parts for
them. For this purpose, an iron foundry was organized in Zhukovka. In
1894, the Oryol-Vitebsk railway became state-owned.
On October 1,
1896, the zemstvo elementary school opened. In 1896, the Alexander
Nevsky Temple opened. Now this place is where Komsomolsky Square is
located. There is a version that P.I. Gubonin is buried here.
At
the beginning of the 20th century, a railway school was built in
Zhukovka. In 1907-1910, a three-year school was opened, a postal and
telegraph office and a veterinary station appeared in the village.
In 1914, an anti-tuberculosis sanatorium began its activities
(during the First World War it acted as a military hospital).
On
October 1, 1929, Zhukovka became a regional center.
In 1927-1928,
a year before the formation of the Zhukovsky district, more than a
hundred small and handicraft industry enterprises were already operating
in the Zhukovsky volost. The population was employed in brick
production, metal processing, blacksmithing, mechanical engineering, the
flour-grinding and cereal industries, and bakery. According to the TSB,
in 1930, 4,010 people lived in Zhukovka.
On October 31, 1931, the
All-Russian Central Executive Committee classified Zhukovka as a
workers’ settlement.
Zhukovka was occupied by Nazi troops in September 1941, and from the
very first days a partisan struggle unfolded in the area.
The
partisan detachment “For the Motherland” was created on Zhukovsky soil
on the initiative of an underground group of communists from the
Beloglavaya station. On May 1, enemy garrisons in the villages of
Knyavichi and Strashevichi were defeated, and Soviet power was restored
in many villages. The “For the Motherland” brigade defeated three German
headquarters, 36 enemy garrisons, blew up 4 railway bridges, derailed 81
enemy trains, and destroyed more than 6 thousand German soldiers and
officers.
Fascist punitive forces tortured and shot 243 people in
the village of Matrenovka for contacts with partisans. The village was
burned to the ground, repeating the fate of Belarusian Khatyn.
In
September 1943, Soviet troops completely liberated the Zhukovsky region
from the German invaders. The liberated area lay in ruins. Restoration
of the destroyed economy began. Fishing artels, an industrial plant, a
regional consumer union, and a railway canteen began their activities.
Already in October 1943, the question arose about reviving the convoy
plant.
In the four years after the liberation of the area, new streets,
buildings of the village council, the district executive committee,
canteens, shops, and libraries appeared. A new club has been built, a
secondary school and kindergarten have opened their doors, a new
hospital and outpatient clinic are being built. New streets are being
built, roads are being repaired, and a city park is being created.
The Rest House (now the Zhukovsky sanatorium) came into operation,
pioneer camps were being built, and the tub sanatorium was being
revived. In 1952, there were one secondary and two seven-year schools in
Zhukovka. In 1953, the district House of Culture opened, and a
vocational school began operating. A new railway station was opened in
January. In 1960, a boarding school for children was built on the banks
of the Vetma River.
On August 30, 1962, by decree of the
Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the RSFSR, the workers' village of
Zhukovka was given the status of a city of district subordination.
In accordance with the Law of the Bryansk Region dated July 28, 2020
No. 65-Z “On the transformation of municipalities that are part of the
Zhukovsky municipal district in the Bryansk region, by merging them into
a newly formed municipal entity with endowing it with the status of a
municipal district and introducing amendments to certain legislative
acts of the Bryansk region”, the urban settlement “city of Zhukovka” and
9 rural settlements became part of the Zhukovsky municipal district of
the Bryansk region.
Bochary is a village lost in the forests and almost abandoned 30 km
west of Zhukovka, one of the centers of the partisan movement. Here are
the burial places and memorial of the 1st Kletnyanskaya Partisan
Brigade, which fought the Nazis in 1942-43.
How to get there: no
public transport
Vshchizh is an ancient village on the right bank of
the Desna, 15 km southeast of Zhukovka. Even before the village, in the
XI-XII centuries. here was a city that belonged to the Chernigov
principality. This city was completely destroyed during the Mongol
invasion and was never rebuilt. Now in its place is a settlement with a
beautiful view, the foundation of a pre-Mongol church hidden in the
grass, as well as a memorial cross. In the village itself there is a
squat Tikhvin Church (1886), rebuilt from a pre-revolutionary village
school building. In addition to the church (or, more correctly, next to
the church), the building houses the museum of ancient Vshchizh, where a
collection of archaeological finds collected by enthusiasts is
presented. Valuable exhibits are in the funds of the Moscow Historical
Museum.
How to get there: buses to Dyatkovichi twice a day, then 3 km
on foot along the Desna
Golubeya is a village on the right bank of
the Desna, 10 km north of Zhukovka. There are several military memorials
dedicated to the battles of August-September 1941, as well as the
Trinity Church (1844), which is a fanciful interpretation of the Russian
style.
How to get there: practically impossible without a car. You
can drive a couple of stops towards Roslavl to the station. Olsufyevo,
and then look for ways to cross the Desna.
Dubrovka is located on the
Bryansk-Smolensk railway, 25 km from Zhukovka. It differs from it in
only two features: firstly, it is not a city, but an urban-type
settlement; secondly, the central production here is not bicycles, but
twine. Perhaps the most notable feature of Dubrovka is the emphasis on
the first syllable instead of the expected second.
How to get there:
trains to Roslavl, Smolensk
Letoshniki is a village on the A141
highway, 12 km from Zhukovka. This is where the turn to the city itself
is located. Near Letoshniki (1 km towards Bryansk) there is a memorial
to the soldiers of the 50th Army who fought a heroic defense here in
August-September 1941.
How to get there: buses to Bryansk,
Dyatkovichi, Ovstug
Matrenovka is a village 25 km north of Zhukovka.
On May 20, 1943, Matrenovka was completely burned by the Nazis for
assisting the partisans. Now there is a typical memorial here. There are
practically no inhabitants left.
How to get there: buses to Kosilovo,
then 3 km on foot
Ovstug is an ancient village in which the
museum-estate of F.I. Tyutchev is located. Although Ovstug formally
belongs to the Zhukovsky district, it is located very close to Bryansk,
so it is not at all necessary to go to Zhukovka to get to Ovstug.
How
to get there: buses 3 times a day
Rzhanitsa is an unremarkable
village 17 km southeast of Zhukovka. There used to be a ski factory in
Rzhanitsa, and in the vicinity of the village there is still a beautiful
lake Svyatoe. The water in the lake is black, but clean.
How to get
there: trains to Bryansk
Seshcha is a village on the Bryansk-Smolensk
railway, the next station after Dubrovka. Near Seshcha there is a large
military airfield, opened before the Great Patriotic War. During the war
years, a partisan group operated here, about whose exploits the film
“Calling Fire on Ourselves” was filmed.
How to get there: trains to
Roslavl, Smolensk