Where does Zmey Gorynych live? On “Kudykina Mountain” (Lipetsk region). The giant Serpent Gorynych from the Lipetsk region became famous thanks to Instagram. Where is the monument to the Serpent Gorynych?

Probably every parent dreams of finding a place where they can relax with their child, combining outdoor recreation and interesting entertainment. If you are one of them, then we bring to your attention an overview of just such a place. Safari Park "Kudykina Gora" in the Lipetsk region is a great place for family vacation, located in an ecologically clean area. Here you can not only take a walk, but also have great fun with the whole family and take great photos as a souvenir.

The total area of ​​this safari park is about 500 hectares. It is located on the banks of the Don River and is part of a protected area. This place has been considered the most popular attraction in the entire Lipetsk region for several years. In order for you to get a complete picture of this place, you need to describe in more detail the most popular entertainment, services and art objects, among which it is especially famous giant statue"Snake Gorynych on Kudykina Mountain».

Playground

This town on the territory of the Kudykina Gora park is the largest playground in Russia and the dream of every child. There is big ship, many towers with slides, as well as swings, rope ladders, horizontal bars, labyrinths and many other children's entertainment for active rest. And adults love this place for the sincere smiles of their children and their joyful laughter.

Visiting the children's town is free. The only condition is that you need to take off your shoes at the entrance in order to preserve the sandy surface of the site.

City of masters

The city of craftsmen is amazing not only for its special atmosphere, but also for the fact that it was built completely without nails. The greatest masters from the Ivanovo region worked on its creation. With its appearance, the City of Masters represents a wooden fortress that seems to have stepped out of the pages of Russian fairy tales.

During the warm season, guests of the Kudykina Gora safari park in the Lipetsk region will enjoy interesting master classes and excursions that will help them get an idea of ​​how life and folk crafts developed in the region. Ancient Rus'. Here life is simply in full swing, and there is not a single street on which craftsmen would not work.

It will be interesting for both children and adults to see how masters such as:

  • blacksmiths;
  • tanners;
  • soap makers;
  • tailors;
  • needlewomen doing beadwork.

In the winter season, the City of Craftsmen changes dramatically. This craft kingdom turns into the Residence of Grandfather Frost. Any child will be delighted with the magical atmosphere that permeates this place. Here children can show their best talents in fun games, which are arranged for the children by the faithful assistants of Santa Claus. And it will be very interesting for adults to watch how children play in the snow, make snowmen and decorate the Christmas tree, and they themselves can join in this fun. They will help you appreciate the beauty of the Kudykina Gora safari park (Lipetsk region) photo:

Book store

Here you can purchase bright and unique works by modern children's writers for your child. You can also find interesting board games and miniature animal figurines that every child will love and will be an excellent souvenir of a visit to this family safari park.

You can also buy other souvenirs here that will remind you of this place. For example, magnets with photos depicting the most beautiful places in the park, such as “The Serpent Gorynych on Kudykina Mountain” (Lipetsk region), calendars and even real fresh ostrich eggs and peacock feathers.

Riding school

For those who live in or near Lipetsk, a great way to spend time in Kudykina Gora Park is the riding school. Any child between the ages of 12 and 17 can learn to ride these beautiful, majestic and proud animals completely free of charge. Classes are held 4 times a week. Adults can also go horseback riding here.

Zoo and farm

Safari Park "Kudykina Gora" is famous for its diversity of fauna.

It is here that you can see completely different animals in one space, such as:

  • Donkeys, which are the first animals of the park;
  • Buffaloes, who love to swim in the park's river and take mud baths;
  • Deer, which are represented by deer, wapiti and David's deer, which is a very rare species;
  • Ostriches, of which there are two types: African ostriches and Emu ostriches from Australia;
  • Camels are considered the largest representatives of the Kudykina Gora animal park;
  • Guanaco llamas, which are affectionate animals that always welcome guests;
  • Black-shouldered peacocks, considered one of the most beautiful birds in the world.

But this is still far from full list animals that can be found at the Kudykina Gora Zoo.

In total, about 50 species of animals and birds live here. During the daytime, they calmly walk behind a wooden fence, and at night, they sleep in their houses, built especially for them. You can also feed the animals with vegetables, which you can bring with you or buy right here.

Group excursions and walks

The Kudykina Gora Family Park is a popular place for excursions. Every year tourist groups from all over the country come here, as well as groups of schoolchildren from the Lipetsk region and other nearby regions.

An interesting quest program has been created for the children, which includes games with visiting and exploring all the main attractions of the park, an educational program on the history of Ancient Rus', a science show, a visit to the petting zoo and even meals. This excursion must be booked in advance.

Also "Kudykina Gora" is amazing beautiful place, which is great for family outings. Popular place for them there is an ancient mound, to which a special path leads, passing through a gate made in the form of a hero’s helmet. Also favorite routes for visitors to the safari park are the font of the Spring of Wisdom, the “eye” spring and the Church of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker.

It is also necessary, when visiting the Kudykina Gora park (Lipetsk region), to see the statue “Snake Gorynych”. It was her photo that made this park famous throughout the country, becoming an Instagram “star”. The beautiful sights of this place are also such art objects as “Petunets”, “Three Heroes” and “Trojan Horse”.

If you get hungry or tired while visiting the safari park, you can relax in a cozy cafe.

Winter fun


Kudykina Gora Park is also popular in winter; there is entertainment here for every taste. Here you can not only visit the Residence of Father Frost, but also spend active time skiing and skating. Equipment for this can be either brought with you or rented. Also, for the convenience of visitors, there are comfortable changing rooms equipped with lockers.

A photo of a 15-meter statue of the Serpent Gorynych from the Kudykina Gora park in the Lipetsk region was published on the official Instagram blog, as well as in a selection of nine best photos world, which the social network publishes every week. Foreigners are delighted with the dragon, and Russians explain to them in the comments what kind of character this is.

His photo was chosen for publication by the official Instagram blog, and in two days the post received 1.3 million likes.

The encounter with the three-headed dragon looks like something out of a fantasy fairy tale, but Anton photographed it in the Lipetsk region, Russia.

Anton's photo was also included in the selection of nine best photos that the social network publishes every week.

Foreigners were confused by the photo, and Russian Instagram users began to explain what kind of character this was.

"The Return of Grendel" Or go-go Godzilla."

“It’s a hydra or whatever it’s called. It's from the Percy Jackson movies."

“No, this is not a hydra, this is the Serpent Gorynych, and we need to call three Russian heroes.”

“This is Zmey Gorynych. In my translation: Serpent Son of the Mountain. He lived in the Far Far Away Kingdom, in the Thirtieth State on Kudykina Mountain.”

Many foreign bloggers decided that there was a dragon in front of them, and began to joke that they really existed.

"I love dragons."

“So they really exist.”

“It’s not real, it’s just a rock. If it were a dragon, Anton would be afraid to photograph it.”

Under the original post on Anton’s account, many are surprised how the photo with Zmey Gorynych even ended up on the official Instagram blog, because the guy is not a celebrity. At the time of writing, he has 1.5 thousand subscribers.

Hello!

General information (from Wikipedia):

The park opened in 2007. The park is one of the most visited tourist attractions in the Zadonsk region and the entire Lipetsk region. The area of ​​the park is 500 hectares. The park opened in 2007.

There is a riding school and hippotherapy classes are held.

In winter, the park offers skiing, skating, snow tubing, zorbs, and ice skates for kids.

How to get there?

The park is located in the Lipetsk region near the highway M4 "Don". From Moscow - 400 km . Therefore, if you go, you need to plan an overnight stay. In my case, we stayed with relatives in a village nearby.

I was driving through Zadonsk. After passing the bridge, you need to turn left and go to the village Kamenka. The park is located on the left side literally right behind the village. Landmark - when you drive down the mountain on the left you will see the huge Serpent Gorynych on the horizon!

By the way, in Kamenka, near the road, it is located store "Pyaterochka" , where before the trip you can buy something to eat or drink with you (although there are no problems with this in the park, but everything will cost more).

We got to the park by car. Nearest major train station in the city Dace.

Where to leave the car?

We arrived quite late and free seats there was practically none for cars. We found it in the upper parking lot, where there is no surface.

Below (closer to the park) there is another parking lot with asphalt pavement and markings. So, of course, there were no places at all. But in the upper parking lot the car could be left in the shade, and below only in the sun.

After leaving the car and having a little snack, we headed to the park. The first thing to do was to study the map that hung at the entrance -


Just in case, I bought a paper map for 20 rubles. Entrance to the park - free!


The area is really huge! But there are signs and everything can be found without problems -

First of all, we went to the ancient Russian fortress, which stood on the mountain. As it turned out, this is the city of Zmey Gorynych -


To the left of the road there is a pond with sandy beach. It was very hot outside and many were swimming -



On the right is the stage. This park hosts various festivals and events -


Information about what is planned for the park is on the website. I found out about this on back side, purchased park card -


By the way, we had to walk through open areas for quite a long time! Don't forget sun protection and a hat. And now we are almost at the gate -


Looks very cool! Real medieval fortress without windows and doors. Giant arrows and green tails of the Serpent Gorynych stick out from the walls.

Entrance to the fortress is paid - 250 rubles -

We bought tickets and went inside. The first thing we had to go through was a corridor inside a rotating cylinder -


Due to the rotation, the illusion of “motion sickness” is created. And here we are inside Zmeegrad -


Serpent Gorynych is not such a kind character. Therefore, the atmosphere in Zmeegrad is appropriate.

The first thing we visited was a quest in the labyrinths of the fortress.

Entrance through a hole with teeth -


The welcome inside is appropriate to the atmosphere "You're welcome!" and also warn "Dear guests, take care of the bones!" Then you need to climb the stairs to the second floor from where you will begin your journey through the halls and corridors of the gloomy Zmeegrad -

As for the quest, when we bought the ticket we were given a piece of paper with a crossword puzzle and tasks.

You could run around and look for answers to questions to get a prize in the souvenir shop. But we had little time, and the children were still too young for this, so we just walked and looked. But there were also those who enthusiastically searched for answers to the tasks.

The passages between the rooms are narrow with teeth made of foam rubber -


Each room has something "unusual". For example, here is Gorynych’s “bins”. The grain is scattered and you need to walk along the stumps so as not to get stuck in it -


In another room, animal bones are scattered on the floor -


Bones hang from the ceiling -


And on the walls hang skulls with burning eye sockets!


But all this is not scary at all! None of the children cried. Everyone looked around with enthusiasm and waited to see what would happen in the next room -

In the next room there were musical instruments -


And there are also “bones” hanging for the “game” -


In the last room there was simply a flickering light on and an excited voice was repeating "Leave the premises immediately!"


Coming out of the labyrinth we found ourselves back in the square. There are several houses inside. For example, the cannibal's house, in which there was a huge table with huge chairs and cutlery -

A severed leg lay on the table. A huge piece of meat was hanging on a spit in the oven -

Here you can just walk around and take photos. Even sticking your head through the table and ending up... on the cannibal's plate.

Also, a strange trace was discovered inside Zmeegrad and archaeological excavations are underway -


There are many souvenir shops around -



You can find whatever you like - beautiful clay figurines or beaded crafts.


There are also workshops where various master classes are held with children -


There is even a “Ghoul Salon” where you can have an unusual photo session -

Several rooms are located different objects with whom you can take a photo. But I personally somehow didn’t want to be photographed with my “cut off head.” Maybe someone will like it, it's not for everyone.

After visiting Zmeegrad we went out to the park again.


Now we headed to the symbol of the park - the huge figure of the “Snake Gorynych”. We passed by giant arrows -


Some arrows stick out from the wall. As if there was a big battle -


And here we are near the Serpent Gorynych himself!


The figure is made of concrete. It impresses with its size and detailing of small details -



The only thing for some reason was that they put sunglasses on his eyes. To be honest, he would look more brutal without glasses. But it is what it is.


From the Serpent we went down and passed by the helmet of the hero -

Then we headed towards the children's town -


On the left there is a trampoline and a zorb pool -


Cost 10 minutes 300 rubles! Compared to Moscow, it’s even more expensive! But business is business.


Passage to the town through the beautiful fairy-tale gates -



You can climb the stairs to the gate and take a photo from above.

Everything is done very beautifully and it feels like it was done with soul -

Bicycle rental nearby -


There are many places in the children's town where children can climb, ride on swings or slides -


It is curious that the area is covered with sand. Everyone on the playground takes off their shoes first.


The petting zoo houses various horses, deer, roe deer, ostriches, etc. You can feed them and ride them. Everything is naturally not free.







As it turned out, every cloud has a silver lining. We were there on Sunday and it was on this day at 19:30, once a week Gorynych in the field makes his roar and spews out fire! Many children and adults gathered around Gorynych. And so the show began!


As it turns out, Gorynych has huge speakers built inside him and he really “roars”! And from the mouth there is real fire!!!


It didn't last long. (3-4 times). But it's really impressive! I've never seen anything like it!!!

It was a great end to the walk! We really liked the park! Most importantly, the children appreciated it and for a long time remembered how “the dragon breathes on the mountain.”

Regarding food in the park

There are many different cafes on the territory where you can choose what to eat. We had enough sandwiches that we took with us from home and a visit to Pyaterochka in front of the park.

Regarding toilets

There are toilets. But the one in the parking lot is simply terrible! Terrible stench and hole in the floor. It is simply impossible to enter there. Bleach hurts your eyes. As a result, everything around is polluted. There are several blue dry closets on site. But I think there could be more of them and they could be better.

But overall I really liked the park! I think you can spend a wonderful weekend there. That's why I recommend it!

See my reviews on the topic of weekend getaways:

- In Moscow - Tsaritsyno park, Kuzminki-Lublino park

If you want to choose a place to relax, I recommend the following sites:

The Kudykina Gora family park, which is located 11 kilometers from Zadonsk, Lipetsk region, overnight received a new wave of visitors, all thanks to one interesting exhibit. We are talking about the statue of the Serpent Gorynych, which literally “blew up” social networks.

The work of Ukrainian sculptor Vladimir Kolesnikov is described as “extremely realistic” and “frighteningly attractive.”

A huge giant in the form of the Serpent Gorynych actually towers over the entire park, demonstrating fire-breathing mouths.

The director of the Kudykina Gora park, Yulia Uvarkina herself, states that the fairy-tale antagonist has become an integral part of the exhibition and is the most recognizable hero of the epics. ? Can it be called the most authentic fairy-tale hero Russian epic?

A short excursion into the world of fairy tales and epics

“Kudykina Gora” in the Lipetsk region has become one of the most popular for a reason tourist destinations not only in Lipetsk, but also on a national scale. Gorynych himself is a recognizable and very popular figure, despite the fact that the snake statue actually symbolizes the recognition of the relevance of the evil principle in Russian fairy tales and epics.

The dragon not only performs the function of Cerberus from, guarding the entrance to the kingdom of the dead through the Kalinov Bridge, it is also the actual material embodiment of destructive energy. Usually depicted with the number of heads being a multiple of three.

The dragon appears quite often in the mythology of various nationalities and, along with the snake, means a negative beginning. In Russian fairy tales and epics, the Serpent Gorynych is assigned the role of a constant opponent of the protagonist, be it Dobrynya Nikitich or Ivan the peasant son. In the last fairy tale, by the way, on Kudykina Mountain lives, which can also be called one of the names of Gorynych, as an epithet of unclean, bad, evil.

In the vast majority of cases, the serpent falls under the blows of the hero's sword or mace, which actually means the loss of evil and the victory of light. The snake also personifies rebirth; in some fairy tales, in place of severed heads, new ones appear, in double quantity.

Reasons for popularity

Despite the fact that Serpent Gorynych is primarily a negative character, his popularity and recognition are extremely high.

First of all, the reason for this is the popularization of dragons, as well as the symbolic embodiment of power, which Gorynych certainly is.

In addition, the snake remains one of the primary characters in epics and legends, so it is not possible to note its contribution to the formation fairy worlds pretty hard. For example, the author, who in 2015 published several of the best photographs of the kite at the stage of the initial implementation of the project in the park, quickly gained worldwide popularity. The photo collected more than 1 million likes and the park near the village of Kamenka became the center of attention, including for foreign tourists.

Project implementations

“Kudykina Gora” is visited by tens of thousands of tourists every year, but in 2007, few believed in the success of the idea. Contrary to expectations, the fairy-tale format appealed to the audience and quite quickly tourist activity in Lipetsk grew.

Gorynych himself was laid down in 2015. The original project underwent several changes; only general forms remained from the initial incarnation. The statue is made on a metal frame and “sheathed” with concrete. In each mouth there is a powerful gas burner, so that the “mountain” in Lipetsk is illuminated at night by flashes of flame. The statue received national recognition, and the publication of the exhibition on Instagram instantly became the center of attention everyone's attention.

What else is “Kudykina Gora” rich in?

Zmey Gorynych is far from the only interesting character in family park.

On the territory of the recreational zone, you can visit a real fortress, sit on the knees of a hero, and even take a training course in the “city of masters.”

The park even has a spring with a font where you can take ablutions. Of course, hungry tourists will be fed in one of several cafes.

According to critics' reviews, Kudykina Gora is one of the few truly interesting and unique recreation areas in Russia.

Is the Serpent Gorynych the only one among Russians?

The Serpent Gorynych on the territory of “Kudykina Gora” in Lipetsk is certainly beautiful in its gigantic incarnation and fits perfectly into the atmosphere of the park. However, according to some commentators in in social networks, it is a little unfair that snake statues in other recreation areas throughout Russia and the CIS have been ignored.

For example, residents of Petrozavodsk were the first to erect a statue in honor of the fairy-tale character (2000).

Kharkov, river embankment Lopan

Kharkov and Novosibirsk also have their own Gorynych. Overall, the hero remains extremely recognizable and popular.

For ordinary Russians and residents of the CIS, snakes are simply one of the well-known heroes, while bibliophiles and literature teachers rejoice at the increased popularity of Russian folk tales among the younger generation.

The image of the dragon can be traced among the Normans, Assyrians, and Khits; the Greeks also had their own Echidna. The Russian analogue has its own specifics and has never been completely forgotten.

The fact that statues are erected in honor of an albeit negative, but still literary, character, who have also become world famous, speaks in favor of a high commitment folk traditions and folklore, which has always been an example of excellent taste and high education.

 

It might be useful to read: