Discover Murino: Parks, Churches and Art

Murino can be explored through several specific themes: park history, neoclassical church architecture, a surviving wooden house and art in public spaces. These themes give travelers different ways to plan their stay: architectural history and religious architecture are as much in focus as remembrance or public art. If you are considering Murino as a base for a trip, you can choose what to focus on according to which aspects of the town interest you most.

Park and Local History

Murinsky Park was established in 1973 at the initiative of the Murino village council and officially reopened in November 2015 following a comprehensive renovation. The two dates mark different stages: the creation of the park and its later extensive renovation. The park has sports and children’s playgrounds; festive and sporting events are also held there. If a festival or sporting event is a deciding factor for your trip, please check the specific dates in advance. Another historical trace is the “Rodnik” holy spring in Murinsky Park, which has been known to local residents for more than three centuries. The history of this place therefore extends beyond the dated stages in the park’s development.

Wooden House and Neoclassical Church

The Shagin House at 4 Borovaya Street is one of Murino’s oldest surviving wooden houses. The log building was constructed in the 19th century, while serfdom was still in effect, by Nikolai Shagin, a wealthy Murino peasant. Its construction method and date offer two specific perspectives: the log construction describes how it was built, while its period of origin places the house in a particular historical era. For travelers interested in architectural history, both the house’s age and its form of construction become tangible.

The Church of Saint Catherine offers a different architectural emphasis. It is a stone, single-nave church in the neoclassical style. It was designed and built in the late 18th century under the direction of Nikolai Lvov. In 1988, the church was fully restored and returned to the faithful. On December 6 of that same year, Metropolitan Alexius of Leningrad and Novgorod consecrated it as the first church in the Diocese of Saint Petersburg to be consecrated during the Soviet era according to the full episcopal rite. The church thus brings together a clearly described architectural form and a precisely dated period in its history.

Art and Remembrance in Public Spaces

Eleven small bronze figures by sculptor Denis Tretyakov, a graduate of the Ilya Repin Academy of Arts, are located on Yekaterininskaya Street. The artwork “Son Mendeleyeva” is on Mendeleev Boulevard and was inspired by the story of his fateful dream. It depicts Dmitri Ivanovich Mendeleev on a high pedestal, appearing to hover above it, with chemical elements seemingly surrounding him. Both examples make public art a distinct theme alongside the historic buildings.

The sculpture group “Medvedi dlya Medvezhki” was unveiled in 2015 on Settlement Day in Medvezhy Stan, on Oboronnaya Street. A bear-breeding station stood there in the second half of the 18th century. Another monument with a different historical connection is “Aviatoram Baltiki” in Murino: it commemorates the efforts of the defenders of besieged Leningrad and is located at 19 Aviatorov Baltiki Avenue. A monument in the form of a real L-39 “Albatros” trainer aircraft also stands on Aviatorov Baltiki Street.

The historic water tower in Medvezhy Stan also points to an earlier function of the place. It was commissioned in 1907 and supplied water to the Izhor Regiment. Alongside the house, church and public artworks, this history offers another perspective on Murino: the town’s former water supply, as well as its architecture and art, is one of the specific themes to consider when planning a trip.

Discover more destinations: Sosnovo, Sosnovy Bor, Pobeda, Svetlitsa, Yanino, Tamengont, Kobona, Michurinskoye.

For the broader travel overview: Leningrad Oblast.