Lalsk: the most beautiful village in Russia?

Stan and Karina head to where the North meets the Vyatka

Introduction

We’d wanted to visit Lalsk roughly since we started ya.ty.gorod. And finally, we did!

It (its current status is an urban-type settlement) is among the Most Beautiful Villages of Russia and on the wish list of even the most seasoned travelers!

Artemy Lebedev won’t let us lie :)

We recommend reading the article by the famous Vyatka local historian Vladimir Alexandrovich Lyubimov from the Encyclopedia of the Vyatka Land — here’s a link to the doc from the Lalsk Local History Museum website

Today it’s called a “model backwater,” and visiting it is “a ticket to a place frozen in the 19th century.”

Adam and Jamie from Mythbusters… Karina and Stan will test this myth “for durability”

the briefest history of lalsk

(what is L…lalsk?)

How to get there?

Let’s say you’re from Kirov, like us. And you don’t have a car.

We need to get to Luza, and from there — to Lalsk.

You can get to Luza either by the Adler — Vorkuta train (more expensive, harder to get tickets, but morning arrival) or by the suburban train Kirov — Luza.

Our option was the second one. It departs at 3:04 PM from “Kirov Passenger” and arrives in Luza by 10:30 PM. You can buy a ticket in the RZD app. The train itself, surprisingly, is new and nice.

If you want lower bunks — you need to book well in advance, 9 days before departure in each direction. Bed linens aren’t included in the ticket price. If you need them (at least one set for two) — you can pay for this service by card at the station box office or with cash in the car. Yes, about cash. You’ll really need it during these days.

Yay, we’re in Luza! Oh, we need somewhere to sleep :(

There are several hotels to choose from in Luza, and they say you can also stay in a hotel room at Lalsk-Agro in Lalsk itself.

We didn’t try the second option; the price range for accommodation in Luza — 1,000–1,300 rubles/bed.

Yes, we were surprised by this too, after hostels in central Nizhny for 800 rub. And so, we’re in an unfamiliar town, it’s night. Walking to a suburban hotel to save 300 rubles — not appealing.

So we chose “Prival”. It’s right across from the station. Very convenient.

A kind uncle-administrator showed and told us everything and pleased us with the fact that our room was ours for 24 hours, not until noon. If you return from Lalsk not by the evening bus but by taxi — there’ll be somewhere to zone out horizontally on your phone.

Before the bus, in the morning, you can walk around Luza itself. And so we did :)

And so, the final stage of our quest remains. The “Luza — Lalsk” bus

Its weekend schedule is very inconvenient (the only trip “there” — at 11:00 AM, the only one back — at 8:30 PM (for the night train).

The fare — 133 rubles

Besides the bus, you can teleport between Luza and Lalsk by taxi.

It exists here, with a dispatcher and a fixed fare. The cost of a ride in July 2022 — 750 rubles.

For the way back, that’s what we did. The driver gave us such a stack of business cards to hand out to friends in Kirov.

We took a photo for memory and left them at the hotel for those who need them more. We’re too modern and keep everything in phones and chats with ourselves in messengers.

If you’re the same, then here, save this “Taxi ‘Kopeyka’ 8-922-668-11-73”

Food will be very difficult. VERY DIFFICULT. Almost impossible. “Bristol” in Luza and… Lalsk saved us. By the way, you can pay by card there.

Alright, now you’re ready to complete this “Ninja Path”!

What to see in Lalsk?

Attractions, as in a neat “list” — there aren’t many here. This trip is about the vibe!

But “woooow!” is also present :)

Here’s a map with the minimum program:

By the old proven tradition, anywhere in the region, you should start with the Local History Museum — it serves as the unofficial main information center for tourists.

By another tradition, as almost everywhere, it’s closed on Sundays. I’ve never understood why nothing is open anywhere on the most convenient day for travel.

But we called in advance, and a miracle happened — they received us on a day off and gave us a tour.

Many thanks for that!

The Lalsk Museum is relatively young — founded in 1990 on the basis of a community one in the former mansion of Sergey Pryanishnikov.

You’ll get acquainted with a reconstruction of a late-19th-century house interior, the 450-year history of the town, the paper mill, a Russian northern izba, and the main hit — the “flax growing and processing” hall with beautiful, authentic costumes and the tools for making them. Artemy Lebedev, as we were told, also liked this hall the most.

After the tour, you can buy handmade souvenirs and history booklets in the Museum shop

The farthest of the attractions — the Assumption Church at the cemetery, built at the end of the 18th century. Right behind it — the necropolis of the Factory owners and their relatives.

Particular chills come from the tombstone of Sergey Mikhailovich Pryanishnikov. It bears a speech engraved from the Factory workers, where he served for over 53 years.

Artemy’s post in the social network with square pictures, banned in the Russian Federation

In the very center of town, we were blown away by the beauty of what we saw

The ensemble of the Resurrection Cathedral with a bell tower and the Annunciation Church — the calling card of Lalsk. Northern Baroque of the 17th–18th centuries.

The Resurrection Cathedral is the largest one, with five domes. Note that all its domes are small. We read that this is characteristic of the north.

Another “northern” feature — the decoration of the Cathedral with a belt of colored tiles.

In 1765, a clock made by a Lalsk craftsman was placed on the upper tier of the Bell Tower.

Until recently, you could climb it to enjoy the views, but now we enjoy the views only from a drone.

The Annunciation ship-church — the youngest and luckiest in the ensemble.

In 1937, it, like all Lalsk churches, was closed, but already in ‘45 it reopened and operates to this day.

The ensemble of Lunacharsky Square is now hard to recognize

Here, for example, is the building of the former Church of the Savior. Currently, the local House of Culture is in this building.

Merchant Shestakov’s House

The Administration of the Lalsk Urban Settlement is now located in it.

Shopping arcades and a great-looking (former) shop

As smart books about great cities to live in say, unimpeded access to water is very important.

Well, here it is! To the Lala River

We’re glad we made it there! We won’t urge you to repeat this path; instead…

… another batch of photos for the atmosphere!

Video

The part of the material where we suggest watching the video from the trip