Excursion to the Bolshoy Boldino 2019

On November 30, 2019, an excursion trip to the village of Bolshoy Boldino was organized by the trade union committee of our Institute.
Bolshoy Boldino is located 170 km southeast of Nizhny Novgorod. In ancient times, this area was inhabited by Mordovian tribes engaged in collecting honey from wild bees - storing, which explains the ancient name of the village - Zabortniki. There is also an opinion that the name Boldino comes from the common Mordovian name “Bolda” - “head”. For the first time, Big Boldino is mentioned in archival documents dated 1585. From the end of the 16th century for 300 years the ancestors of the great Russian poet A.S. Pushkin owned a family estate in the village of Bolshoy Boldino. The last owner of the village was Lev Anatolyevich, the poet’s great-nephew. And already in 1911, the Boldin estate was acquired by the state ... Although the great poet himself did not live here, he gladly visited these parts for a new portion of inspiration and ideas for future works. It was in this place that the genius of Russian literature began the period of the famous Boldin autumn - the time when he created some of his most famous works. Here were written more than thirty lyric poems, “Little Tragedies”, “Belkin's Tales”, “House in Kolomna”, the last chapters of “Eugene Onegin”, “The Bronze Horseman”, “The Queen of Spades”, fairy tales and much more. Currently, the historical part of the village is a cultural monument of federal significance.

The main attraction of the village is the State Literary-Memorial and Natural Museum-Reserve A.S. Pushkin's "Boldino." The museum, dedicated to the Boldian period of the poet’s life and work, is housed in the master's house of the Pushkins, on the territory of an old manor park with ponds and a carved wooden bridge. The main exposition of the museum is in the house, preserving the decor of the rooms of Pushkin’s times. All things, documents and manuscripts are genuine. The master's kitchen, a bathhouse, a human room, a horse carriage, a stable, a barn were recreated. They host ethnographic expositions telling about the life of the estate during the Pushkin era.

Immersed in the atmosphere of the Pushkin autumn, neither cold weather nor the absence of golden foliage in the park prevented us. The museum staff not only conducted a fascinating tour, but also warmed us with the fragrant "Boldian tea" with pies.

Today, Boldino and the A.S. Pushkin State Museum-Reserve are visited, along with admirers of the writer's work, by people who wish to escape from the hustle and bustle of cities and spend several hours or days in the midst of beautiful nature.

Also, during the tour, a small campaign dedicated to World AIDS Day (December 1) was held. The international symbol for supporting HIV-infected and AIDS patients is the red ribbon. The red ribbon is a symbol of hope that scientific developments and clinical trials aimed at finding a vaccine or drug that can stop HIV infection and AIDS will succeed, as well as a symbol of protest against ignorance, discrimination and social exclusion of people living with HIV infection and AIDS.