Travel back in time

What would your day be like if you were born 200 years ago near Omsk?

Well, your mornings would, for sure, start with firing up the stove. This must be done in such a way that the heat from the logs warms the hut for as long as possible. Then you would go and check on the horse: does it have enough hay? Is it warm enough in the stable? Then, maybe, a trip to the blacksmith to get some new horseshoes. 

Next on the to-do list is to exchange a couple of clay pots for a newly woven cloth. And, of course - bring water from the well, in order to start making dough for the apple pie… Sounds delicious, right?

The museum offers all that without the need for time travel. 

😉 You can get such an experience in the historical and cultural museum-reserve ‘Old Siberian’ without the need for actual time travel!

How to travel back in time?

The ‘Old Siberian’ museum is located in the settlement of Bolsherechye, which is only two and a half hours drive from Omsk by car. You’ll never get bored on your way there with roads like that and be ready to immerse yourself in the peasant and merchant life of old Siberians. 

You open the door to an old screeching izba, and the aroma of freshly-baked pirogi immediately sweeps you off your feet. Hot potatoes in a pot, and various pickled foods are already waiting for you on the table.

You open the creaky door to a hundreds-of-years-old izba and the aroma of pies freshly baked in a Russian oven knocks you off your feet, while hot potatoes in a cast-iron pot and homemade pickles are already waiting on the table. The tour is very interactive that way!

You then throw a glance around the place and suddenly see genuine everyday items, painstakingly collected and preserved - none of them hidden behind a glass. The guides are there to give detailed explanations on everything. 

There are several izbas and workshops on the territory of ‘Starina’. You can visit a blacksmith and try to blow a horn, or watch a weaver work hard on a new canvas. If there’s a lot of snow, then take a ride on a sleigh pulled by a hardy horse. And you can always get warm at the potter’s workshop: clay loves the heat.

Decided to stay the night? Ask for the Siberian banya to be heated up! Then in the morning you will definitely have the strength to get up earlier to hear the bell ringer and even climb the bell tower to him.

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Russia Beyond would like to thank the Starina Sibirskaya staff for their help in organizing the filming, a warm welcome and the best pies we’ve ever had!  🌝