Yuzha

Historical information
Museums
Accommodation    Yuzha was transformed from a village into a settlement in 1922, and on 6 of June 1925 received status of town. The region of Yuzha was organized by the resolution of Presidium of All-Russia Central Executive Committee (VTSIK) from the 10 of June 1929.
    The territories of the region are included into the land between the Volga and the Oka, where Slavic colonization of Finnish – Ugor tribes was performed. This explains the origin of some geographical names like Yuzha, Teza, Kleasma, Ktschara, Cheremisino and others. The territory of Yuzha became a part of the Starodubski principality, and when it was separated they constituted Reapolovski ancestral estate with the center in ancient village Reapolovo. From the 15 century those lands were included into united Russian state.
    The patronymic estate of princes Pozharski the ancestors of princes Starodubski was situated in the Yuzha region.
    It was the Mugreev estate where prince Dmitri Mihailovich Pozharski healed his wounds and it was there where the embassy from Nizhni Novgorod arrived. The embassy asked the prince to be the leader of the peoples’ volunteer corps to Moscow which ended 27 of October 1612 in liberation of Moscow from Polish invaders. In the place of Borock, where the corps stopped, memorials in honor of the liberator of Moscow prince Pozharski were built. According to his son’s will Nikolskaya Borkovskaya Hermitage was founded.
    The Teza river is known as ancient trade waterway. Five wooden locks made in the 1-st half of the 19 century are functioning, they make the Teza navigable. The idea of creating those lock systems belongs to Peter the Great, who visited Shuya in 1722. He immediately appreciated the prospects of the Teza, as a trade water way.
    Yuzha gives a brilliant example of transforming of an ancient ancestral estate into an ancient textile industrial settlement with the help of the merchants named The Balins. This settlement became a fine architectural example of rare compositional integrity, which unites industrial, residential and country estate zone round hand-made lake Vazal. It is also an impressing example of realization of the idea of city- garden and of complex solution of social problems in pre-Revolutionary Russia.
    There are two historical settlements Holui and Hotiml on the territory of this region.
    The settlement of Holui situated in picturesque place alongside the Teza river appeared to be beneficial environment for creative work of folk masters of Russian decorative art not by chance. Holui is widely known for its embroidery and papier-mache miniature painting handicrafts.
    Historical data indicates that Holui was one of the centers of icon- painting in 17 - 19 centuries. Creative use of the best traditions of Russian art, search for new forms lead painters of Holui to the creation of the new line in miniature painting. Holui art artel (association for common work) was created in 1934. It was headed by original painters S.A.Mokin, K.V.Kosterin, D.M.Dobrinin, V.D.Pouzanov-Molev. Together they lead hard struggle for new art. Since then they became famous not only in out country, but abroad too. The works of acknowledged masters V.A.Belov, N.I.Babourin, N.N.Denisov, B.I.Kiseliov, B.Tihonravov, A.A.Kamorin, A.M.Kosterin, V.I.Fomin and many others and also painters of middle-aged generations P.A.Miriashin, V.N.Sedov and young painters decorate exhibitions of Russian and foreign museums and private collections. The new trend of miniature painting such as icon painting is also being reborn.
    Ancient Russianvillage Hotiml founded in 1560 by rebel peasants of Suzdal boyars and runaway monks at the place of ancient town site on the banks of the Teza. A very interesting phenomenon of petty traders (ofence) with their unique business language and way of life was closely connected with the Yuzha region. St. Nickolas and Assumption churches were built of stone in the end of 18 – the beginning of the 19 century. The painters of Paleh made sketches from Assumption frescoes using plots from the Bible, later those sketches laid the foundation of Granovitaya Chamber frescoes in Moscow Kremlin. Hotiml was also famous for its unique wooden rolling water mill and outstanding wooden lock and Assumption fairs. Russian merchants from many cities of central Russia used it as a water way. Here not far from the village Fofanovo the house where the grandmother of the great Russian writer Anton Chekhov lived and where his mother was born is preserved. The history of this famous village is presented in a very interesting school museum in Hotimil.