Shchelokovsky Khutor is a unique open-air architectural and ethnographic museum of wooden architecture — there are no more than a dozen similar sites in all of Russia. The museum was opened on June 3, 1973; from 1974 to 1992 the museum collection was expanded. The museum's exhibits are rare monuments of wooden architecture of the 17th–19th centuries: wooden izbas, religious and utility buildings of the Nizhny Novgorod Volga region.
Shchelokovsky Khutor. Photo: arzamas.academy
In the 1990s–2000s the museum fell into decline, but in the 2010s a large-scale reconstruction began: to date more than ten objects have been restored. While the museum was closed for restoration, extensive archival work was carried out and regional expeditions across the Nizhny Novgorod region were organized, from which objects were brought to the museum-reserve. These expeditions helped uncover the history of the houses' construction and the biographies of their owners, enriching the existing information.
Obukhov's izba from Gorodetsky District, 19th century. Photo: Sveta Shuga
Details of Obukhov's izba. Photo: Sveta Shuga
One of the museum's key exhibits is the water mill (late 19th century). The mill was brought back to working condition: specialists preserved as many original parts as possible and restored damaged elements. The mill is a functioning exhibit: it can be used to grind flour and to hull grain. Also of special interest are Saltykov's izba with a nail-free roof (late 18th–early 19th century) and the two-storey Pavlova house with a 'gornitsa' on raised beams (mid-19th century). Currently one house, the church and the water mill — which is operated in the presence of a guide — are open to visitors.
Pavlova's house with carved façade decorations. Photo: Sveta Shuga
Spectacular folk festivities are held on the territory of the museum-reserve, and free guided tours are offered during which visitors are told about the daily life of people in the past, about various types and construction technologies, about what the interior furnishings of the houses looked like and how storerooms and mills were arranged. A picturesque forest lies next to the museum grounds. In addition to the reserve tour, there is also a tour dedicated to the local nature.
Svyatki (2019). Photo: Evgeny Sboev
