Not just Yesenin: head of the Ryazan region Pavel Malkov names top tourism spots in the region
The Governor mentioned the world's largest carved wooden iconostasis, a unique biosphere reserve where Siberian cranes (known as sterkhs in Russian) and bison (zubrs in Russian) live, the best parachute jumping site in Russia, and much more. The tourism potential of the Ryazan region is often associated with the great Russian poet Sergei Yesenin, and his native village of Konstantinovo. The head of the region, Pavel Malkov, insists that the Ryazan region has many more unique and amazing places to visit as a family. He shared details about them specifically for the Press Office of the National Centre RUSSIA.
"Let's start with the places that see the most guests and tourists. This is the Ryazan Kremlin, which, thanks to the support of the Ministry of Culture of the Russian Federation, has been actively restored in recent years. For example, restoration work on the central Assumption Cathedral is currently underway. The external restoration is almost complete; the restoration of the interior and frescoes is now in progress. Furthermore, the cathedral houses a unique, the world's largest wooden iconostasis, 26 meters high. It is also being restored now, so soon we will see this object in its original form," said Pavel Malkov.
According to the head of the region, the second place that is also visited by a great number of guests is the village of Konstantinovo, the birthplace of the great poet Sergei Yesenin. When you are there, standing on the bank of the Oka River, you understand how such an amazing, unique talent could have been formed, he added. It is an incredibly beautiful place, which we are also actively developing: preserving all the pristine nature, and developing the museum dedicated to Sergei Yesenin, noted Pavel Malkov.
"Our region has many beautiful estate complexes. For example, the estate of the famous General Mikhail Skobelev in the Alexandro-Nevsky district or the estate of the playwright, publisher, ballet historian, creator of the Yerlinsky and Sochi dendrological parks Sergei Khudekov in the Korablino district. It is an amazing place. In this estate, one's soul feels good and calm," shared the Governor of the Ryazan region.
Pavel Malkov particularly highlighted the region's incredible nature, namely, the "Meshchera" National Park and the Oka Biosphere Reserve with its Siberian cranes and bison. Also, according to the head of the region, he would single out the many large cultural and public events held in the Ryazan region. For instance, the Festival of Creative Industries, or "The Sky of Russia" — the largest hot air balloon festival, which runs a whole week. Last year, over 70,000 people visited it.
"Among the places I would personally highlight, I really like our Krutitsy airfield in the Shilovo district. There you can practice some parachute jumping, fly on an aeroplane or a hot air balloon, or simply have a wonderful time. It is a marvellous place, the best parachute drop zone in our country, worth visiting even if you are not passionate about the sky and don't want to jump. Just going there and immersing yourself in that atmosphere is definitely worthwhile," concluded Pavel Malkov.
The interview with Pavel Malkov was held as part of the thematic week of the Ryazan region, which was held at the National Centre RUSSIA from 22 to 28 December 2025. During this time, cultural, business, and educational events dedicated to the region, its history, traditions, achievements, and development prospects took place at the venue.
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