Sights of Voronezh

Around Ploschad Lenina

Aleksandr Pushkin Monument

  • outside 7 Ploschad Lenina

In a small square to the side of the pretty Voronezh Opera and Ballet Theatre is a statue of Russia's favourite poet - Aleksandr Pushkin. It was opened in 1999 on the 200th anniversary of the birth of the great poet. In form it comprises a bust of Pushkin on top of a column covered by a gazebo inscribed with the words "In centuries to come I shall be loved by the people, For having awakened noble thoughts with my lyre". Read more »

Aleksey Koltsov Monument

  • Koltsovsky Skver (Ploschad Lenina)

Aleksey Koltsov was a famous 19th century poet who was born and died in Voronezh. This monument to him which features a bust of him on a pedestal is the second oldest monument in Voronezh and was unveiled in 1868 in what became known as Koltsovsky Skver (Koltsov Gardens). During the war the monument was not damaged but German soldiers were buried alongside it. These bodies were subsequently removed after the war. Read more »

Maria Mordasova Apartment-Museum

  • apartment 32, 9 Ploschad Lenina
  • http://www.muzeinikitin.vzh.ru
  • 10:00 - 18:00, Tuesdays to Saturdays.

In 2005 the apartment where Maria Mordasova, a singer and People's Artist of the Soviet Union, lived from 1958 to 1997 was opened as the Maria Mordasova Apartment-Museum. The museum has displays on the life and work of the signer including personal items, concert costumes, letters, photographs and musical instruments. It is run as a branch of the Literary Museum. Read more »

Vladimir Lenin Monument

  • Ploschad Lenina

Voronezh's main square is Ploschad Lenina (Lenin Square) and in front of the Administration Building for the Voronezh Region is a statue of Vladimir Lenin. The monument was installed in 1950 after the original one was destroyed by the Nazis during the Second World War. Before the Revolution, the square was known as Konnaya Ploschad (Horse Square) as it was used for trading horses. Read more »

Around Prospekt Revolyutsi

Andrey Platonov Monument

  • next to 24 Prospekt Revolyutsi

Andrey Platonov was a Soviet writer and playwright who was born in Voronezh. This monument was unveiled in his hometown in 1999 on the 100th anniversary of his birth. It depicts Platonov walking along with his hands in his raincoat's pockets. One side of the plinth has an inscription has his name, while the other has the words "…Without me the people are incomplete.." lines spoken by one of his characters. Read more »

Annunciation Eparchial Cathedral

  • 18A Prospekt Revolyutsi
  • http://bks-vrn.ru/

The immense Annunciation Cathedral was built in the Russian revival style between 1998 and 2009 and is the third largest cathedral in Russia. The cathedral was built as a replacement of the previous Annunciation Cathedral which was built between 1718 and 1735 (itself replacing the original stone version completed on the orders of St Mitrofan of Voronezh in 1696). The previous Annunciation Cathedral was so heavily damaged in the Second World War that it was demolished in the 1950s… Read more »

Glory to Soviet Science Monument

  • intersection of Ulitsa Fridrikha Engelsa and Ulitsa Feoktistov

Situated in the centre of a small roundabout on the intersection of Ulitsa Mira, Ulitsa Fridrikha Engelsa and Ulitsa Feoktistov is an unusual monument in the form of a structure reminiscent of chromosomes surrounded by a ribbon inscribed with the words "Glory to Soviet Science". The base of the monument depicts various scientific instruments such as a microscope, a chemical retort, the bowl of Hygenia entwined with a snake and of course the hammer and sickle for good measure. Read more »

Ivan Chernyakhovsky Monument

  • Ploschad Chernyakhovskogo

The square outside the Voronezh-1 Railway Station is called Ploschad Chernyakhovskogo (Chernyakhov Square). It is named after the Army General Ivan Chernyakhovsky, a statue of whom stands in the centre of the square. Chernyakhovsky commanded a tank division during the defence of Voronezh and later became youngest army general during the war and a double Hero of the Soviet Union. He was killed in action in 1945. This statue to him was unveiled in 1993. Read more »

Ivan Kramskoy Museum of Art of the Voronezh Region

  • 18 Prospekt Revolyutsi
  • http://www.kramskoi.vzh.ru
  • 10:00 - 18:00, Wednesday to Sunday (Fridays: 11:00 - 18:00; last Thursday of the month: 12:00 - 20:00).

The Ivan Kramskoy Museum of Art was founded in 1933 as the Museum of Fine Arts which incorporated the art collection of the Regional museum. Since 1984 it has been named after the artist Ivan Kramskoy who was born in the Voronezh Governorate. The museum has departments on the art of the ancient world (including Egyptian artefacts), Russian art, Western European art, graphic art and decorative applied art. Read more »

Monument to White Bim Black Ear

  • outside 50 Ploschad Revolyutsi

This nice monument is to the setter called White Bim Black Ear, who got his name from being white with a black ear, from the story of the same name by Gavriil Troepolsky, who was born in the Voronezh Governorate. The monument was unveiled on the square outside Voronezh's Puppet Theatre in 1998. The statue is made out of stainless steel, although the dog's ear and one paw are made out of bronze. As a result Bim's ear is actually more golden than black due to it being rubbed by… Read more »

Osip Mandelstam Monument

  • Orlyonok Park (intersection of Ulitsa Chaikovskogo and Ulitsa Fridrikha Engelsa)

The Russian/Polish poet Osip Mandelstam was given permission to settle in Voronezh in 1937 after previously being exiled to the Perm Territory. It was in Voronezh that he created the Voronezh Notebooks cycle of poems. Mandelstam remained in Voronezh only until 1938 when he was arrested again and sent to the Gulag in the Russian Far-East, dying there in the same year. This monument was unveiled in 2008 in Orlyonok Park and depicts the poet standing on the ground with his hand on his… Read more »

Peter the Great Monument

  • Petrovsky Skver

Voronezh's monument to Emperor Peter the Great was first unveiled in 1860 and is considered the oldest monument in the city. However during the war the statue was removed by the Nazis and only replaced with a copy on the original pedestal in 1956. The monument is located in Petrovsky Skver (Peter's Gardens) and depicts Peter the Great pointing forwards with one hand and holding an anchor in his other, symbolising his ambition to make Russia a naval power, which Voronezh vital… Read more »

Victory Square Memorial Complex

  • behind 25 Prospekt Revolyutsi

Ploschad Pobedy (Victory Square is) is located off Prospect Revolyutsi and is a memorial complex to the defenders of Voronezh during the Second World War. It was opened in 1975 on the 30th anniversary of the end of the war. The main feature here is the monument comprising 13 figures representing soldiers, home guards, partisans and children. In addition there is also a 40 metre stela commemorating Voronezh being awarded the Order of the Patriotic War. Read more »

Around Sovetskaya Ploschad

Intercession Eparchial Cathedral

  • Sovetskaya Ploschad

The first record of a church dedicated to the Intercession of the Virgin Mary in the city came in 1615. This original church was constructed out of wood and the present-day stone replacement was built between 1736 and 1796 in the classical style. The church was further reconstructed in the mid-19th century. The cathedral was closed in 1932 but reopened in 1948 when it became the eparchial cathedral of the Voronezh Eparchy. In 1989 the relics of St Mitrofan of Voronezh were… Read more »

Around Ulitsa 20-letia Oktyabr

Literary Necropolis

  • intersection of Ulitsa 20-letia Oktyabr and Ulitsa Moiseeva

Voronezh's Literary Necropolis is a small cemetery which is all that remains of the Mitrofanovskoe Cemetery which was closed in the 1970s. The necropolis was kept to hold the remains of the poets Aleksey Koltsov (and his relations), Ivan Nikitin and Yelizaveta Militsyna. In 2009 the necropolis was renovated for the 200th anniversary of the birth of Aleksey Koltsov. Read more »

Around Ulitsa Karla Marksa

Dormition Admiralty Church

  • 9 Ulitsa Sofi Perovskoy (Admiralteyskaya Ploschad)

The oldest surviving church in Voronezh is the Dormition Admiralty Church which dates from the 16th century. In 1600 the Uspensky Monastery was founded around it on the orders of Tsar Boris Godunov. This monastery existed until 1700 when Peter the Great started to turn Voronezh into the Russian centre of shipbuilding. The monastery was closed and its monks transferred to the Aleksievo-Akatov Monastery. It was also at this time that the church got its new name - the Admiralty Church… Read more »

Ivan Nikitin House-Museum

  • 19 Ulitsa Nikitinskaya
  • http://www.muzeinikitin.vzh.ru
  • 10:00 - 18:00, Tuesdays to Saturdays.

The Ivan Nikitin House-Museum is located in the house that was built by the poet Ivan Nikitin in 1846 and where he spent the last 15 years of his life. A museum has been located here since 1924 although it was damaged during the war and later restored to how it would have looked. The museum details Nikitin's life and work and has on display his personal belongings and old publications of his work. The museum is run as a branch of the Literary Museum. Read more »

Ivan Nikitin Monument

  • Ploschad Nikitina

Ivan Nikitin was a 19th century Russian poet who was born and died in Voronezh. This monument to him was unveiled in 1911 on the 50th anniversary of his death. The square on which the monument stands was later renamed Ploschad Nikitina (Nikitin Square) in his honour. The monument depicts the poet sat down and reflecting with books at his feet on a granite pedestal. Read more »

Vladimir Vysotsky Monument

  • Ulitsa Karla Marksa

In 2009 a statue of the famous Russian bard Vladimir Vysotsky was unveiled in Voronezh. The monument depicts a bare-chested Vysotsky sat on a wrong-way-round on a chair holding his guitar. Although Vysotsky remains incredibly popular in Russia there were some criticisms of this monument as firstly he never visited Voronezh and secondly it is located near a Physical Education Institute and it cannot be said that Vysotsky set a good example of living a healthy lifestyle. Read more »

Around Ulitsa Osvobozhdenia Truda

Aleksievo-Akatov Convent

  • 1 Ulitsa Osvobozhdenia Truda

In 1620 a raid on Voronezh lands by Lithuanians was successfully repelled and in gratitude a wooden church was built and dedicated to St Alexius, Metropolitan of Kiev and All Rus, on whose feast day the attack occurred. Later this church became the Aleksievo-Akatov Monastery. The St Alexius' church was rebuilt in stone in 1674 and a second floor was completed in 1755. In the late 18th century walls and more stone auxiliary buildings were added. In 1804 work started on replacing… Read more »

Anatoli Durov House-Museum

  • 2 Ulitsa Durov
  • http://museum-vrn.ru/
  • 10:00 - 18:00, Wednesday to Sunday.

This museum is dedicated to Anatoli Leonidovich Durov the famous Russian clown and animal trainer. Durov moved to Voronezh in 1901 and the museum is located in the house where he lived. The museum's displays contain materials on the life and work of the showman, as well as of his descendants who followed in his footsteps. This house-museum is run as a department of the Regional Museum. Read more »

Presentation of Virgin Mary Church

  • 20 Ulitsa Osvobozhdenia Truda

The Presentation of Virgin Mary Church was built between 1770 and 1780 in the baroque style to replace an earlier version of the church which burned down. In form it is the standard 'octagon-on-cube' with an attached bell tower. The Russian author Ivan Bunin, who was born in Voronezh, was baptised here. In the 1920s the church's relics were removed and it was eventually closed in the 1930s. In 1990 the church was returned to the Orthodox Church and re-consecrated in 1999 after it… Read more »

Around Ulitsa Plekhanovskaya

Ivan Bunin Monument

  • Buninsky Skver (intersection of Ulitsa Plekhanovskaya and Ulitsa Ordzhonikidze)

The Russian author, poet, and Nobel Prize laureate Ivan Bunin was born in Voronezh in 1870 and so it is unsurprising to find a statue of him in the city. This monument depicts Bunin just before he left Russia, sat on a fallen tree trunk with a dog next to him. The monument was unveiled in 1995 on the 125th anniversary of his birth and the area around the monument was turned into the Buninsky Skver (Bunin Gardens). Read more »

Ivan Nikitin Literary Museum of the Voronezh Region

  • 3 Ulitsa Plekhanovskaya
  • http://www.muzeinikitin.vzh.ru
  • 10:00 - 18:00, Tuesdays to Saturdays.

The literary Museum of the Voronezh Region, which is named after Ivan Nikitin, is located in what was once the city council building, which dates from the late 18th century and was the first three-storey building in Voronezh. Inside the museum has three permanent exhibitions dedicated to the poet Aleksey Koltsov and the authors Ivan Bunin and Andrey Platonov, all of whom were born in Voronezh. Read more »

Regional Museum of the Voronezh Region

  • 29 Ulitsa Plekhanovskaya
  • http://museum-vrn.ru
  • 10:00 - 18:00, Wednesday to Sunday.

Voronezh's Regional Museum was established in 1894 in three rooms of the City Duma. During the war most of the museum's artefacts were evacuated and it was reopened afterwards. It moved to its present location in an early-20th century building which was used as a school for the blind in 1959. The main exposition in the museum is dedicated to the history of Voronezh lands and focuses on archaeological finds and the city's history of shipbuilding up to the civil war and the space… Read more »

Central District

Arsenal Exhibition

  • 43 Ulitsa Stepana Razina
  • http://museum-vrn.ru/
  • 10:00 - 18:00, Wednesday to Sunday.

The Arsenal Exhibition is dedicated to the Second World War or the Great Patriotic War as it is more commonly known in Russia. It was opened in 1979 in a former workshop of a cloth factory. It has on display collections of documents and medals connected with the war as well as the uniforms and weapons of the time. This exhibition is run as a department of the Regional Museum. Read more »

Kominternovsky District

Glory Monument

  • Ploschad Slavy (Moskovsky Prospekt/Ulitsa Kholzunova)

The Glory Monument is part of a memorial complex including a mass grave for Red Army soldiers who died in Voronezh during the Second World War. The monument was opened in 1967 and comprises a statue of a fallen soldier in front of a massive plinth. Just opposite the monument is a red pyramid structure in honour of Voronezh's title as a City of Military Glory Read more »

Kitten from Ulitsa Lizyukova Monument

  • 4 Ulitsa Generala Lizyukova

This unusual monument is inspired by the 1988 Soviet cartoon of the same name which features a kitten from Ulitsa Lizyukova in Voronezh who is turned into a hippopotamus living in Africa by a crow! This monument was unveiled in 2003, naturally on Ulitsa Lizyukova, and depicts a scene from the cartoon with the kitten and the crow in a tree. It has since become one of the symbols of the city. Read more »

Ruined Rotunda

  • 54 Ulitsa Transportnaya

One of the most haunting memorials in Voronezh is that of the ruined rotunda. The rotunda was originally part of the Regional Hospital that was blown up during the Second World War. After the war it was decided to leave the ruins as they are to serve as a poignant reminder of the devastation that the war brought to the city where over 92 percent of all residential housing were destroyed. Next to the rotunda is the St Vladimir's Church which was built between 1999 and 2009. Buses… Read more »