About the trip to Polkhovsky Maidan, about how I managed to get acquainted with the life of this amazing village, and about the search for the traditional “Maidan” nesting doll. Then it was not possible to buy such a nesting doll, but then I found out about Village Day, which is celebrated in Polkhovsky Maidan every year on September 21. And I decided to go there again that day, in the hope that they would organize a fair there, and at it I would be able to find what I was looking for.

In the morning I take a bus on the road to Voznesensky. Alamasovo, Naryshkino, Sarma Maidan, Bytkhyzino - again we pass through the same villages. The road is in poor condition, the bus is moving slowly and the nasty rain is drizzling, and in addition, the landscapes outside the window and the poor villages are a sad morning. In Voznesensky I change to a bus to Polkhovsky Maidan, and it travels along a familiar path: it passes through the village and in the middle of it goes down to the pond, passes some more, and at the last intersection turns south. The road is also broken, it goes through some abandoned meadows, and then finally turns to Polkhovsky Maidan. Having passed through the village, the bus stopped near the church on the small central square.

I decide to go into the church; at that moment there was a service there, and many residents were present at it, and a pleasant old priest conducted the service. The decoration of the temple is modest, but the carvings seem to be old, and here the thought comes that nothing has changed here for many years and, perhaps, even services were not interrupted during Soviet times.

Afterwards, I knocked on several houses and bought some supplies there; a mobile carousel “Romashka” was installed in the square, and a village festival was being prepared. Someone asked if the nesting dolls would be sold, but they answered in the negative. Here I think that, in principle, this is how it should be, there are few strangers in the village, and the residents will not sell nesting dolls to themselves! I later bought the nesting doll that I was looking for, but that was a year later in Nizhny Novgorod on Bolshaya Pokrovskaya. In the meantime, I’m returning to Voznesenskoye (as the locals for some reason call it Voznesensk). And so I decide to look into the nesting doll museum, which was invited to visit by a large stand on the main street. Once before that I happened to visit Voznesensky, and even then I wanted to visit the museum, but it was closed that day (Saturday). Not far from the place where the descent to the lower part of the village begins, there is a small alley, and that’s where the museum is located. Luckily it is open on this day (Wednesday).

The museum is housed in two rooms, the smaller of which houses lathes. There are such lathes in many houses on Polkhovsky Maidan, as well as in some surrounding villages and in Voznesensky itself. They were once turned by hand, with a second person turning a large flywheel. I don’t remember whether there was such a wheel in the museum or not.

There is also a set of turning chisels, and I must say - they are different from those that we used in labor lessons at school.

Next to it is another machine, also old, foot driven, and factory-made (the first one was clearly homemade). The first lathe appeared in Polkhovsky Maidan back in 1812, and gradually the lathe craft spread to the entire village.

In another, larger room, as you might guess, nesting dolls were placed. And here was a small model of an old workshop, with a lathe and a wheel.

At first glance, the museum does not have many exhibits. There are several large sets of nesting dolls, about several dozen dolls, and some of them were probably made specifically for the museum.

There are nesting dolls with traditional ones.

And with a not very traditional ornament.

And even with the “houses” pattern, the second traditional Maidan motif (it’s called little houses, but they are not always there :-))

Here's a little more of the motivation behind it.

Thirty-three heroes.

Fifteen Soviet republics (can you, reader, determine who is where?).

Right there in the museum are old products from the Krasnaya Zarya factory, which was once in Polkhovsky Maidan (I didn’t notice any traces of it there. Maybe it was in Voznesensky?). Here professional artists worked on the drawing, and probably one of them was the author of later works.

A few more works.

Several newer works. It’s a bit of a pity, but this style is now replacing the traditional Maidan ornament with a flower. And now find a traditional nesting doll. and even more so, a product with “houses” has become difficult. But still, I hope the traditional drawing with red flowers will not be forgotten, and there will be more work with it.

Employees of the Divmult studio visited the Voznesensky Museum of History and Local Lore, dedicated, in general, to the Polkhov-Maidan Matryoshka doll and turning in general. What can I say, we were impressed. We present a photo report to our visitors, but we still recommend going and seeing the exhibits with your own eyes. It's worth it 😉

Pond on the Varnava River in the village Voznesenskoye

This is the wheel that powered the lathe until electricity appeared. By the way, it appeared in Polkh-Maidan only in 1961.

In general, production looked like this: one sharpens, the other twirls. The model was made by Polkhov-Maidan master Ivan Grachev.

Russian doll. The top is fired, the bottom is painted.

In addition to nesting dolls, Polkhov-Maidan craftsmen make all kinds of toys and souvenirs

There is even such an exhibition in the museum. A museum employee said that children cannot be pulled away from her

The pride of the museum is the “33 Heroes” exhibition. The largest is 2.5 meters high (with a spear). All are turned from linden.

Another remarkable exposition - girls in national costumes of the peoples of the Soviet republics

In the center is a girl symbolizing Russia

In the nineties of the 19th century, A. Mamontova brought from Japan a figurine of a good-natured bald old man, the sage Fukuruma, to the Moscow toy workshop “Childhood Education”. It consisted of several figures nested inside one another. Wood turner Vasily Zvezdochkin, who then worked in this workshop, carved similar figures from wood, which were also nested inside one another, and artist Sergei Malyutin painted them to look like girls and boys. The first matryoshka depicted a girl in a simple city costume: a sundress, an apron, and a scarf with a rooster. The toy consisted of eight figures. The image of the girl alternated with the image of the boy, differing from each other. The latter depicted a swaddled baby.
The name "Matryona" was widespread at that time. This is where the name “matryoshka” comes from.

POLKHOV-MAIDAN PAINTING - production of painted turning products in the village of Polkhovsky Maidan, the village of Krutets and the village of Voznesenskoye, Nizhny Novgorod region. Turning products of the masters of this craft - nesting dolls, Easter eggs, mushrooms, salt shakers, cups, supplies - are generously decorated with lush ornamental and narrative painting. Among the pictorial motifs, the most common are flowers, birds, animals, rural and urban landscapes. Features of painting Since the middle of the 19th [century], in the village of Polkhovsky Maidan they began to produce unpainted turned wooden utensils, which were sold at fairs.

From the beginning of the 1920s, apparently under the influence of similar products by Sergiev Posad masters, Polkhov-Maidan dishes began to be covered with a burnt outline pattern. Soon the burning began to be painted with oil paints, and in the mid-1930s. aniline dyes diluted in alcohol. Gradually, the burnt outline of the design is replaced by more economical and easy-to-perform inking.

In 1928-1930 in Polkhovsky Maidan, the “Red Dawn” artel is formed from individual craftsmen. At the same time, an original artistic and decorative system was developed and the main specific techniques of local painting were identified. These techniques received established local names: “flowers with guidance” - flower painting is outlined with a clear black outline; “flowers without guidance” - the design is drawn on the background without a linear outline; "oil" technique - painting with oil or nitro paints on a dull colored background, "mottled" - the simplest brush painting with strokes or dots. Krutetsky masters In 1960, the artel was transformed into the Polkhov-Maidan Toy Factory.

At the same time, the production of similar turned painted objects began in the village of Krutets, located a few kilometers from Polkhovsky Maidan. Using experience, turning forms and painting techniques from their neighbors, Krutets masters make minor changes. For example, their nesting dolls are more rounded in shape, and in the painting of tableware, preference is given to plot motifs.

In 1972, in the regional center of Voznesenskoye, on the basis of a toy factory, the production and artistic association “Polkhov-Maidan Painting” was created, where professionally trained artists work. Despite this, the fishery continues to exist primarily on the basis of a family organization of production. Men are engaged in the production of turning “linen”, and women do painting. The products produced by the association are more souvenir in nature, their painting is more monotonous, and the design is less free than in the works of artisans.

Transport service by tourist class bus;
Tickets to museums according to the program;
Free seats for those accompanying the group.

Individual calculations are possible for any number of people.

Russian craftsmen are especially famous for the art of woodworking. Carved and chiseled souvenirs and household items coming out of their hands can truly fascinate anyone. And the painting by local artists complements the image of each creation and gives it originality. This art developed fastest and most successfully in the Voznesensky district of the Nizhny Novgorod region - and there were reasons for this.

The southeast of the Voznesensky region is sandy non-chernozem lands. It is not surprising that it was here that the participants in the Stenka Razin uprising were exiled in 1667. The calculation was simple: it was impossible to eat enough from the fruits of such lands, which means that the days of the former rebels were numbered. And yet they survived and founded the settlement of Polkhovsky Maidan, the name of which is well known to everyone who is interested in Russian folk crafts.

The lack of food grown on their own land forced the exiles to look for new ways. They became trade and turning. Very quickly, local turners became famous for their art, and over time, other settlements in the region began to take part in the famous Nizhny Novgorod fairs, which made their works famous not only throughout Russia, but also abroad. And when the matryoshka doll, borrowed from the Japanese, gained popularity in the 19th century, the talent of turners and artists in the Nizhny Novgorod region was fully revealed.

Souvenirs of the most different types, sizes and styles of painting are liked by everyone without exception.

Types of nesting dolls

Semenovskaya nesting doll, Polkh-Maidanskaya nesting doll, Voznesenskaya nesting doll - these names have long been heard. It was in the city of Semenov, Nizhny Novgorod Region, that a 72-seat nesting doll, amazing in its complexity, was carved - the largest one is exactly one meter high.

Each artist, each region has its own special style of painting. Semenov nesting dolls are distinguished by a large area of ​​unpainted areas. On the apron of such a red and yellow nesting doll - it is also called classic - there is always a bouquet of large flowers, slightly shifted to the right of the center. In the center of the composition of the Polkh-Maidan matryoshka doll there is also always a large rose hip flower (rose). It has more clarity, brightness, the lines are richer, it is somewhat reminiscent of colorful stained glass windows. Voznesensk artists love smaller floral motifs and are not afraid to experiment with colors and styles.

The classic Semyonovskaya nesting doll is popular and always loved.

Matryoshka today

Surprisingly, the tradition lives and develops to this day. Come to Voznesenskoye for at least a day and take a walk around the village. In almost every yard, linden logs are dried. Each of them must lie in the air for three years in order to be admitted to the sacrament of creating a nesting doll. In almost every home, in their free time from work and everyday worries, men still sharpen nesting dolls, and women paint them - each in their own way. Children, growing up, watch this and very quickly become masters: sons stand up lathe, and the daughters help paint the nesting dolls. Fairs still take place, where one’s eyes run wild from the beauty and variety of souvenirs.

Accessories are always hand-painted, even the smallest ones. These wonderful bright little things have a special appeal for all genders and ages.

Factory of nesting dolls in Voznesensky

Factory of Goodness and Happiness - this is what the Vozlesprom factory is called by employees who recently celebrated its ninth anniversary. New German machines began to be used here, on which even more workpieces of excellent quality can be turned. Here, new nesting dolls, toys and souvenirs are created, well known in their homeland and in various places on the planet, and the residents of the village themselves offer their creations, thanks to which the assortment grows even more.

The factory supplies dolls, toys, accessories and other souvenirs to wholesale and trading companies. In the capital of the Czech Republic, Prague, since 2010 there has been a wholesale division of VMKL, which has made the Voznesenskaya matryoshka doll a name known and loved in many countries in Europe and overseas.

You can admire and order the products of the factory and its partners (Gzhel, Khokhloma and other famous brands) on the official website of VMKL matreshkaoptom.ru. All questions will be answered by email [email protected].

There are many villages and villages in the Voznesensky district of the Nizhny Novgorod region. The most famous of them is perhaps Polkh-Maidan. This village is famous for its painted toys and, of course, nesting dolls.

In fact, for the first time, a matryoshka appeared in the Nizhny Novgorod region in the village of Merinovo, Semenovsky district. This happened in 1922. Then they brought it from the Moscow province, everyone liked this curiosity, and decided to try it too.

But the master will not copy, he will bring his own. This is how the image of Semenov’s nesting doll was born. And the half-Maidanovskaya appeared even twenty years later. This is what art critics Natalia and Sergei Kvach say.

In Polkh-Maidan itself they claim that, even before the revolution, matryoshka dolls were brought to the capital along with salt shakers and piggy banks, but this information is not documented.

One way or another, the most popular product in the Nizhny Novgorod region, and especially in the Voznesensky region, is still the matryoshka doll.

Some time ago there was an artistic and production association “Polkhov-Maidan Painting”. But with the beginning of “perestroika” the enterprise disintegrated. Turners and artists found it more profitable to work at home, in their lathes.

Private business

In all surrounding settlements, enterprises were closed one after another and jobs were being cut. People did not lose heart, but urgently retrained as nesting doll makers. Fortunately, most people have been accustomed to turning since childhood, and the demand for tararushkas and nesting dolls has only grown.

Local leaders never tired of repeating that thanks to her, the nesting doll, a social explosion was avoided. No mass unrest. Everyone found themselves on their own, without support.

From Nikolai Shemyakin’s book “What are we rich in?”

With the growth of qualifications, the assortment changed, piggy banks, boxes, and other toys were added to the nesting dolls. Even mediocre bosses became turners, since it was clearly possible to earn more.

The men turned, the timber was harvested, and the women and children painted. Gradually, private fishing began to develop in all directions. A division of labor has emerged: some harvest the linden, others turn it, and others paint it. Resellers appeared and their places at fairs in Moscow.

Photo gallery

More expensive than money

In the 1990s, not only in Nizhny Novgorod, but also in the surrounding regions, their own banknotes appeared. This was due to a lack of cash, so they called the “local currency” after the name of the leader, “Nemtsovka” for example.

In the Voznesensky district there was no need to enter your money. Local nesting doll makers, selling their goods, received real official money every week, which naturally then dispersed throughout the area.

There is some truth in every joke

Once, a well-known journalist wrote in the April Fool’s issue of a local newspaper that a monument to a nesting doll would soon be erected in the Voznesensky district. He indicated the exact location - at the entrance to the regional center from the Polkh-Maidan side, the author indicated Z. Tseritelli.

At the top of the note there was a corresponding note indicating the joke. But, despite this, many accepted it as the truth. And most importantly, even the district leaders liked the idea.

"Correct solution! And the place was chosen well. The matryoshka became the nurse of not just one Maidan, but of the entire region,” one of the leaders personally told the author of the note.

For various reasons, the monument has not yet been erected. But residents are confident that it will definitely happen.