The history of Upper Mandrog (as shown on the map) begins only in 1844. An ordinary village on the banks of the Svir. Chapel and 18 patios. The population grew over time, but not by much. In 1939 only 439 people lived there. Outside. During the war, Mandrogi came under Finnish occupation. The neighbors left on time. The village was completely destroyed during the liberation in 1944. But the meander of the Svir River, the ship pines and the sweet air remained.
In 1996 construction workers arrived here. We transported 8 old houses on logs from the Vologda and Arkhangelsk regions. Even the wooden church of the Old Testament prophet Elisha was installed.
The deep Svir bathes the town, forming a kind of peninsula. Very convenient for cruises. Snow-white three- and even four-story ships began to dock in Mandrogi. From St. Petersburg and even Moscow. And these are thousands of tourists a day. Can you imagine the scale?
However, in 2019, Mandrogi was deprived of its status as a populated area. The post office, where postcards with the company’s stamp could be sent, was closed. And all because there has been no indigenous population here since the war. They say that recently three grandmothers who were born in Mandrogi came here. They walked and walked and left. Don’t discover anything. The only thing left was the foundation and the stove pipe, which was covered in moss. They got lost among the tourists.
But I personally could not get lost among the tourists, due to the absence of the latter. The snow wasn’t knee-deep, just ankle-deep. Silence, like in a nature reserve, and no one to ask directions. But behind the edge of the forest appear towers with high vaulted ceilings and turrets, and on the towers there are weather vanes in the shape of mythical animals. The lazy Svir carries its waters, splashing on the hard ice. Sailing will only begin on May 15. Snow-white motor ships from St. Petersburg and Moscow will appear, yachts will dock, and there will be no crowds of tourists. Then the Mandrogs will tremble!
In the meantime, there is an opportunity to plunge into Russian antiquity. But the price of 125 thousand rubles per person for two days is not only a hassle, but actually exceeds my budget.
– Do they whip you with the reins in the stables if something goes wrong? – I ask the organizers.
– What are you talking about?! – they are offended.
However, my wife will take the reins anyway if she finds out what he wanted to spend the family money on.
First of all, right at the reception you are introduced to the curator. This is a charming girl in a dress from Kustodiev’s paintings and a kokoshnik. For two days she will be responsible for your safety and authenticity. That’s why the first things that go into the storage room are phones and other gadgets. You won’t even be able to listen to your favorite music before going to bed and television had not yet been invented in the 19th century. Unless they offer you an apple on a plate.
Then there is the obligatory change of clothes. For men, a linen blouse with a sash, for women, a dress with a high waist. You can select jewelry from those made in Mandrogi.
You will sleep in an authentic Russian cabin. If you want, on the stove, if you want, on the floor. And if you want, on a wooden “merchant” bed in a small room with a modern orthopedic mattress. They do not offer to sleep in the haystack for lack of one. They place a feather bed and a colorful quilted blanket on top. This is where the soft bed dip is. And behind the window the wolves howl. Or the organizers are just having fun, who knows.
After lunch at a plank table made of clay bowls, where boiled rutabagas, porridge and even suckling pig are served, it is time to get to work. The men go out to the yard to chop firewood, the women are busy by the stove. Chef-instructors dressed in old Russian costumes teach the basics of the same cuisine. But what happens to photographs for memory if they take away our phones? Don’t worry, citizens diving. The curator will film everything and provide you with a complete photo and video report about his stay in Mandrogi.
In the evening, a new master class: how to properly heat a sauna. This is when smoke from the fire passes through the steam room and out the window. There are secrets here. The smoke of the homeland is very beneficial for the body; not a single insect can stand it. True, it will take two more days to remove the soot smell with a normal shower.
And in the morning you will have to personally harness the horse named Cascade. Then you will take a walk through the town with the breeze. There is a lot to see here. At least for felt boots. It’s under glass. More precisely, under the display case. The height of the trunk is 3 meters. Size 360. St. Petersburg artist Valeria Loshak spent half a ton of wool and spent a lot of time proving to foreign observers that it was not a sock, but a shoe. After all, it was included in the Guinness Book. They say that at night field mice wander through the plants. And where can they, the poor, hide from the frost?
And the blacksmith Alexey will welcome you to the forge. He blows the forge on the wood. Authentic! He teaches you how to forge horseshoes. Then you can take them as a souvenir. He offered to buy a newly forged fireplace poker. It looks like Alexey did it, but it looks like Fabergé. Only 2.5 thousand rubles. It’s a shame he never had a fireplace. And it is unlikely to happen.
You can take master classes for all tastes. There is pottery, spinning on a spindle, modeling with polymer clay, carving bones, chasing and making dolls and amulets. Did you miss something? The only negative: the old houses are located exactly on the main road that goes from Svir to the restaurant. And opposite there is a gigantic fair, cleaner than Sorokinskaya. Well, how can you sit behind a blind, cloudy window when modern beauties, dressed in nylon and denim, run into the restaurant? This requires endurance. This is probably why the immersion course is designed for two days. No city dweller could take it anymore.
I’ll be honest: I didn’t dare ask for a “dive”. The publishers did not want to pay and the wife did not forgive. The curators told me everything colorfully, trusting in my generosity and feigning indecision. I was just pretending to be a tourist. He never showed his publishing identification. But because it is correct. Otherwise, they would start courting you and show you this and that for free. I don’t like. And you, reader, too.
I limited myself to a forge with a horseshoe and a vodka museum. As you know, journalists generally speak out against alcohol. But I couldn’t get past the vodka museum: I saw a real organ through the windows. Interested. And there is an altar or a wailing wall: 2584 bottles of vodka “decorate” the wall up to the ceiling. On the ceiling there are frescoes with Mendeleev and even demons. The green snake does not sleep, it is held in high esteem here. And in sculptures, in bottles and even in mosaic art. When the boats arrive, there are no crowds at the bar counter. This is probably the most profitable project. For 300 rubles they will tell you everything and will even serve you two for 50. Children enter for free, but accompanied by their parents. Although there are no juices or mineral water here.
…I had a great weekend. She wrote this note. We visited the Magic Town of Mandrogi. There is something to remember about “immersion.” Meanwhile, we have to immerse ourselves in the bustling life of the capital. But I’ll come back!
