Ethnomir

EthnomirRussian: Этномир is an ethnographic park and museum 80 km from Moscow. It is a popular holiday destination for families with kids. The concept of Ethnomir is to create a park which brings together cultures from around the world and presents them in one site. To this effect, houses of different peoples of the world and so-called “ethno-courts” have been reconstructed on the site’s 140-hectare premises, recreating the feel of a specific ethnic group’s culture. With everyday crafts and world music master classes, Ethnomir is a very interactive destination for families.

Ethnomir is located in the village of PetrovoRussian: Петрово, in Kaluga OblastRussian: Kaluzhskaya oblast or Калужская область, 7 km from the town of BorovskRussian: Боровск. Huge hotels along a small rural road are the first thing you see as you approach the site. The park has over ten hotels to accommodate visitors, each of them with country-specific architecture – one is reminiscent of an Oriental caravanserai, another has an Asian pagoda roof design and so on.

Tickets

If you stay at a hotel in Ethnomir, entrance tickets to the park are included in the price for the duration of your stay at the hotel. But it’s not an all-inclusive system as you’ll have to pay extra money to visit many places in the park. If you want to visit the park without staying overnight, you should purchase an entrance ticket. In both cases, you’ll get a bracelet which is your passport to getting into the park.

The Heart of Ethnomir

The Peace StreetRussian: Ulitsa mira, or Улица мира, lies at the heart of Ethnomir in an almost two-kilometre-long, two-storey pavilion named Around the worldRussian: Vokrug sveta or Вокруг света. It is actually a corridor bordered by facades (and, behind them, the interiors) of forty two traditional houses from all over the world, including Japan, China, India, Germany, France and Italy. Strolling along the street, you’ll visit very different countries around the world and get a chance to experience their cultures.

Shopping

Shops selling traditional tourist souvenirs are set up in front of some houses to enhance the impression of traveling around the world. You can buy pyramids, beetles and magnets in the House of Egypt or traditional sampona flutes, decorated bags and purses in the booth selling souvenirs from South America, and many more. The Peace Street is extremely crowded on weekends, so the best time to get around there is either early in the morning or later in the evening. The pavilions are open 24 hours a day.

Master classes

The Peace Street offers a wide variety of master classes. Most of them are not included in the entrance ticket price and are available at extra cost (200 to 400 rubles each). Visitors get to create their own ceramic jar, design a shawl, play the drum, write a hieroglyph or get familiar with decoupage, stained glass painting and many other techniques. Master classes included in the entrance ticket price take place in three pavilions located on the Peace Street: the House of TajikistanRussian: Dom Tadzhikistana or Дом Таджикистана, the House of Ukraine and BelorussiaRussian: Dom Ukrainy i Belorusi or Дом Украины и Белоруси and the House of the Balkan StatesRussian: Dom stran Balkanskogo poluostrova or Дом стран Балканского полуострова. Master classes start at 10 a.m. and alternate in different Houses; they are about half an hour long and aimed mainly at school-aged kids, but some of them will also suit preschoolers. Have a look at the schedule of events in advance.

The Russian Stove Museum

The ethno-court called the Russian Stove MuseumRussian: Muzey russkoy pechi or Музей русской печи, located opposite the pavilion Around the World on the Peace Street, offers free master classes and excursions mainly themed around folk dolls and charms. The World of Ukraine and Belorussia ethno-court holds master classes in the creation of folk dolls and arranges excursions to the World of the Ukrainian khatatraditional house with a stove of Ukrainians, Belarusians, western and southern Russians, and partly of Poles . Alternatively, join the Give us your fist program that traditionally sets out from the North, Siberia and the Russian Far East ethno-court. If you are tired of master classes, take a walk around the small Poultry YardRussian: Ptichiy dvor or Птичий двор or have a look at the Husky NurseryRussian: pitomnik haski or питомник хаски. Ten-minute dog sledding tours are available in winter (additional fees apply).

Food for visitors

At dinnertime, you have a wide selection of cafés and restaurants to choose from. The options include Russian, Georgian, Asian and Ukrainian dishes, among others. Excursions and master classes in ethno-courts resume after lunch, usually starting at 3 p.m. Pay a visit to the South Asian CountriesRussian: Strany Yuzhnoy Azii or Страны Южной Азии ethno-court or go to the Dolls MuseumRussian: Muzey kukol or Музей кукол or the USSR MuseumRussian: Muzey SSSR or Музей СССР housing a collection of various objects from the Soviet era. And don’t forget the get-together in a yurt at night where a Koryakan indigenous people of the Russian Far East from the Kamchatka Peninsulapeninsula in the Russian Far East will tell you about daily life of peoples inhabiting his homeland and sing their songs for you. You may also love adventure games in the upside down house Volshebnaya StranaRussian: Волшебная страна (Fairyland), the rope labyrinth DebriRussian: Дебри (Wilderness) and the dinosaur park DinoparkRussian: Динопарк.

Relaxation

The park’s spa programs are available for adults looking for relaxation. The Sri Lanka hotelRussian: otel Shri-Lanka or отель Шри-Ланка has a bathing zone and spa treatments from the well-known traveler Aleksandr Dedyukov who collects beauty recipes from around the world. The traditional Russian banyaa small room or building designed as a place to experience dry or wet heat sessions, BereginyaRussian: Берегиня, complete with veniksbunches of dried branches and leaves and steam rooms is located near the Belorussky Khutorsmall settlement, consisting of one, sometimes several households.

What’s so special about the Ethnomir’s hotels?

As a rule, Economy Family rooms are rooms with bunk beds. If you have small kids, it’s probably best to book rooms with regular beds (there are not many of them around). The Cruise HotelRussian: otel Kruiz or отель Круиз, located on the second level of the Peace Street, is closest to all the attractions and from there you can get down to the Peace Street without having to put your coat on This is particularly important in winter, since there are no changing rooms in the pavilions.

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