The Reptile Museum

T.I. Gortseva came up with the idea to create a museum. There is a legend among local residents that in the lower reaches of the Hotcha there once was a village called Gadovo and the so-called Serpentine Sea, or the famous Zmei Gorynych’s birthplace. The village of Gadovo’s etymology is explained by the fact that a large number of snakes were found in this area.

Snakes are presented as part of the museum’s exposition and made from a wide variety of materials including iron, stone, fabric, and wood. In addition to images and pictures of reptiles, most of which are realistic, there are also fabulous creatures such as the mythical Zmei Gorynych with his descendants and the biblical Snake-Tempter with his victim, Eve. There is the snake as a symbol of medicine. The Green Serpent, a symbol of alcohol, is Gorynych’s direct descendant and it is not by chance that there was a distillery in Gadovo that was closed during the anti-alcohol campaign of the 1980s. There are also Gorynych’s friends, all evil forest spirits. The collection is constantly updated with new crafts and gifts from visitors.

There is a specialized ethnographic section which is devoted to folk crafts and peasant life. Especially popular are the colorful applications, dolls, and patchwork, all created by local craftsmen.