Historic and ethnographic Hunting Museum

The historical facts claim that the Voronezh province has written many a glorious page into the history of Russian hunting. Let’s remember at least the famous painting “The morning of the princely hunt” by Nicholas Roerich, stored in the Voronezh Fine Arts Museum, or the imperishable work of Yegor Dryansky “Notes of a tiny one”, eloquently testifying to the beauty of our forest-steppe, which was abundant in game, and about the prowess of local hunters. Probably few people know that at the beginning of the 20th century it was the hunters from the Voronezh province, the second after their brothers from St. Petersburg, who created the Imperial Society for the proper hunting and hard-breeding of horses, and that it was our fellow countryman, Nobel laureate, writer and hunter Ivan Bunin, who became known to the whole world largely due to the very positive and creative impulse received from wandering in the fields with a gun.

Also, the subtle ruler of the hunting soul, Gabriel Troepolsky, and Vasily Peskov, who praised the forest river Usmanka! They are sensitive to hunting and fishing, their history and culture in the Voronezh region. What can we say? Here, people from a very young age are able to appreciate the beauty of their native nature and take care of its gifts. Therefore, the need has long been present for the creation of a special museum in the Voronezh region in order to preserve for the descendants the very spark and spirit of Russian hunting, which, sadly, has recently undergone transformation and unjustified oblivion.

In order to preserve the hunting subculture for posterity, a group of enthusiasts from the creative team of the television studio “Vit-ar” created a historical and ethnographic hunting museum in the Liskin district of the Voronezh region, which housed more than 260 exhibits.

We are well aware that our museum is not the Hermitage, nor the Louvre museum, and we do not claim world fame at all. It is enough for us to see the amazed eyes and the joy of visitors, to hear their enthusiastic exclamations, and to observe their cautious entry into the fascinating world of wanderings and adventures, which the history of Russian hunting is so rich in.

The exhibition hall houses an exposition of trophies, including those obtained by famous personalities in our country. The collection of antlers, European roe deer and fallow deer antlers contains unique artifacts dating from 1944, and 1952–1973. Most of the exhibits are gold medalists of Russian and international hunting exhibitions.

There is an exposition of hunting weapons and historical artifacts related to hunting, which were found in the steppes of the Pridonye region, in the places where the so-called Nogai tract lies through.

A special place is occupied by a literary exposition of works, personal items, and manuscripts of the classics of Russian hunting literature. The exposition was compiled under the guidance of and with the direct participation of a member of the Hunting and hunting economy journal editorial board, writer V. B. Chernyshov, and rector of the Moscow Conservatory A. S. Sokolov (grandson of the writer I. S. Sokolov-Mikitov).

The museum displays the “Hunting in Art” stand with the works of famous sculptors and artists: animal painters K.R. Chernyavsky, S.A. Soldatov, and V.I. Donets.

On the territory of the museum, wildlife watching from viewing platforms and tasting of hunting cuisine are organized in the evening.