Astashovo Terem

Martyan Sazonov was born a serf, was freed in 1861, made money as a carpenter in St Petersburg, and in 1897 came home and built himself a house in the style of a terem: a tall wooden tower with a turret, a balcony, fretwork under every eave and carved detail on everything that would take it, standing alone in the fields of a small northern village. The village disappeared during the Soviet century, the house was left in the forest, and by 2000 it was collapsing. A private restoration in the 2010s dismantled it, replaced rotted timber, and rebuilt it on the same site; it now works as a small museum and guesthouse, which is what pays for it. Inside are stoves, painted ceilings and a collection of objects from abandoned houses of the district. The surroundings are the other half of the story - the road in is rough, and there is essentially nothing else there.

Highlights

• The 1897 terem - a carved wooden tower house built by a man born a serf.
• The fretwork - carved detail under the eaves, on the balcony and the turret.
• The rescue - a house dismantled, repaired and rebuilt after near collapse.
• The emptiness - forest and fields where the village used to be.

When to go

May to September for the road; winter visits are arranged and the approach is by tracked vehicle. Two hours, or stay overnight.

Practical notes

The final road is rough and impassable to ordinary cars in mud season; transfers are arranged with the house. It is a working guesthouse, so day access depends on bookings. There is no shop, no cafe outside the house and no mobile signal in places.

Nearby

Chukhloma and its lake are north; Soligalich is beyond.