Novousmanskiy District: Forests, Wetlands and Museums

The grounds of the Venevitinovo Biological Center form the southwestern part of the Usmansky Forest. In Novousmanskiy District, the center connects a specific forest area with its interpretation: it introduces students and the general public to typical and unique natural complexes of the Usmansky Forest. The Natural History Museum and the natural surroundings of the ecological nature trail are integral to this work. The forest’s natural environment is thus the focus both as a landscape and as a subject of education.

Forest and Wetlands Along the Nature Trail

The Venevitinovo ecological nature trail passes through several lakes and wetlands, including the unique Klyukvennoye-1 sphagnum bog. The trail therefore encompasses a range of landscape features, with the raised bog identified as a distinct natural complex. For travelers interested in wetlands, it offers a special perspective on the broader forest theme. Together with the Natural History Museum, it connects the natural complexes in their surroundings with their presentation in the museum.

Natural History Museum and Local History

The collection of the Usmansky Forest Natural History Museum comprises about 1,500 items. These include exhibits representing various taxonomic groups of invertebrates, display cases with their natural nests, and botanical specimens from mycology, bryology, and higher plants. The collection thus brings together zoological and botanical subjects. Museum visits for excursions must be arranged in advance.

The local history museum in Novousmanskiy District is located in the village of Novaya Usman, in a building dating from 1917. While the Natural History Museum focuses on the complexes of the Usmansky Forest, the local history museum adds a regional perspective. The year the museum building was constructed gives this destination a specific historical connection.

In the wider destination of Voronezh Oblast

Other natural destinations lie within the wider destination of Voronezh Oblast. The territory of the Khopyor Nature Reserve extends across the Novokhopersky, Povorinsky, and Gribanovsky administrative districts. Two tours there can be compared by mode of travel, distance, and duration: the “Legendy Khopra” walking tour is 5 km long and takes three hours; this route is closed during spring floods. The “Tour de Khopyor” cycling tour is 26 km long and takes four hours. When planning this walking tour, be sure to take the seasonal closure into account.

The Natural History Museum at the Khopyor Nature Reserve presents the reserve’s wildlife and habitats in two halls. Exhibits cover beavers, Russian desmans, aquatic and predatory birds, as well as wild boar, elk, fallow deer, and red deer. The exhibition also includes a large relief map of the reserve. Check the museum’s visitor rules before your trip.

A different landscape within Voronezh Oblast features at the Divnogorye Museum-Reserve, known for its chalk landscapes, with unusual rock formations on steep slopes and large ridge-like chalk ravines. Divnogorskiy Canyon is about one kilometer long and up to 200 meters wide. The museum-reserve includes Stone Age settlements, the ruins of the medieval Mayatskaya Fortress, and ritual cave complexes. Six ritual caves and cave complexes are carved into the chalk massif on the right bank of the Tikhaya Sosna and Don rivers, stretching for about 8.5 km.

Discover more destinations: Orlovo, Podkletnoye, Pavlovskiy District, Ramonskiy District, Kantemirovskiy District, Voronezh, Anninskiy District, Verkhnekhavskiy District.

Back to the main travel overview: Voronezh Oblast.