The history of the place

During the following centuries, which were the time of strengthening of Russia state system, the Ugra river became an important strategic object. On the left bank of the river there arouse numerous outposts, which allowed to rebut the enemy contentions. Due to this fact the Ugra river was named as “The belt of the Blessed Virgin”.Many of historical battles took place on the banks of the Ugra river. The present name of the settlement Nicola-Lenivets appeared after one of them.The legend is as follows: Once in the beginning of the Middle Ages on the eve of Snt. Nicolay day an enemy host attacked the settlement from the opposite bank of the Ugra river. The history does not say whether it was a horde of Tatars or troops of Lithuanian knights, but their unexpected attack dashed the defense of the Russian warriors, which had to escape in order to keep their homes intact. The walkover blunted the enemies’ vigilance. They made a big feast and became lazy and slothful. At dawn Russian warriors smashed the enemy host. Since then the settlement was named Nicola in honor of Snt. Nicolay, whose protection helped the Russians to win the battle. Word “Lenivets” (Lazy-bones) was added in the memory of the fast defeat of both armies, as the place itself disposes people to laziness and idleness.

In year 1480 Nikola-Lenivets became the centre of the Great standing on the Ugra river, which put an end to the Tatar Yoke. In memory of that prominent event there was built a wooden chapel. In the 19th century it was replaced by a stone church of the Holy Trinity, which became the most eminent religious and cultural center for the local people. The church was built on the funds of a local landlord Muromtsev. Each of the dwellers contributed his share into the work. They worked a loam quarry and built baking ovens for brick manufacture and organized numerous forge and wood engraving shops.On the maps of the 19th century the settlement is marked by a symbol “from 2 000 to 10 000 inhabitants”. With the start of Soviet times the life of local people changed greatly. Religious service was abolished, the relics of the local church were removed, the iconostas was destroyed, the bells were thrown down from the bell tower, the priest was repressed. The cultural center was moved to Zvizzhi. (the root of the name means “squeal”). The legend says: One day during the period of the Great standing on the Ugra river a Russian hero called Nicola tortured a pig with his sword, looking at the burning fires of the enemy camp. The pig squeal put the fear of God into the enemies. Since then the place took it’s name – Zvizzhi. The central farmstead of kolkhoz “Druzhba” replaced the landlord manor. The only thing which reminds the olden times is a part of linden alley leading to Nicola-Lenivets. The Great Patriotic War brought even more destruction. The German army conquered local towns and villages easily. But in 1943 on their escape route they reduced all the houses to ashes. Only the church remained untouched.

The only merit of Soviet government was the foundation of milk plant in the building of the ravaged church, which helped to save the unique temple from destruction during the times of the “Khrushev’s presecution”. The plant was closed in the 70th. However by the early 90th the church lied in ruins. There were only seven tumbledown houses left in the village inhabited by three local people: Granny Katia, Anna Romanovna and Ivan Sokolov (Uncle Vanja). In 1989 a young architect from Moscow appeared in this corner of the world. Vasilij Shetinin came to the Ugra-river in search of a lost place far from civilization suitable for foundation of a little art-village. This idea was not new – Vasilij had worked out a concept of “The town of happiness” for Slava Polunin which was to be built not far from Snt. Petersburg. But the project had not been realized. That time he met with moral support from a lot of friends but the first man, who put absolute trust in this Utopian idea, was artist Nicolay Polisskij from “Mitki” fraction. Later on he worked out a new art-concept of Nicola-Lenivets and totally changed the landscape of an unknown village. Beginning with 1990 the realization of the project started. The Soviet government which was living it’s last days that time was not delighted with the idea the art-village, that’s why the artists had to avoid avant-garde architectural forms and designed the houses in a traditional manner. The concept of the first house design was worked out by Vasilij Shetinin and architect Yuri Grigoryan during several hours they had to spend in a very long queue to a liquor store not far from MARHI (Moscow Institute of Architecture, which they studied in that time). Later on Yuri dug the first trench for guest house foundation.

Many remarkable people took part in the first stage of the village developing. In 1990 designer Vasilij Kopejko participated in night piratical wood campaigns and in 1997 decided to join the friends and built his own house in Nicola. In 1995 architect Anna Chizhova with her daughter Julia came from England to Nicola for a short visit but stayed forever and changed her surname to Shetinina. In 1995 eccentric businessman Igor Kireev joined the company. He gave support to the projects of Nicolay Polisskij and financed the restoration of the Holy Trinity church (years 2000-2003). An outstanding Moscow doctor Alexander Goryachev, who supported the concept even in 1989 built a house here as well. In 1998 there appeared an access road, which was constructed with support of the local governor. Thanks to this fact the inhabitants of Nicola and their guests got an opportunity to drive to the place in any weather.

Nowadays Nicola-Lenivets is a registered nature-conservative and historical zone which belongs to National Park “Ugra”, founded in 1992. Since 2000 Nicola-Lenivets has become an outpost of the contemporary art, thanks to the objects of Nicolay Polisskij, which were realized with the help of the dwellers of Nikola-Lenivets and Zvizzhi. The main peculiarity of these famous objects is that they are built out of natural materials: hay, firewood and even snow. In summer of year 2005 the artists founded a non-commercial partnership “Crafts of Nikola-Lenivets” and started designing of open-air museum, hotel and art school.

In 2006 an architectural festival “Archstoyanie” (“Architectural Standing”) took place here.