City `s history
Coat of arms (1781): “white goat, red field, green land”
Coat of arms since 2003.
Kozlov was founded by decree of Tsar Mikhail Fedorovich on September 5, 1635 as a fortified point for the defense of Ryazan, as well as Shatsky, Ryazhsky and Dankovsky places from the raids of the Crimean and Nogai Tatars.
The construction of the fortress on the banks of the Lesnoy Voronezh River was led by governors I. Birkin and M. Speshnev. In their “Unsubscribe” they described the newly founded fortress in the following way... and on the Kozlov tract, by your sovereign decree, asking God for mercy... the fort, which was to be instead of a city, was besieged on October 11th. And the number, sir, is about three hundred and seventy fathoms <...> And the bridge will be on the fort along the policeman with obstructions, and there will be two carriageway towers, and eight blind towers, and a tower near the hiding place, and there will be a ditch near the prison... and the hiding place will be brought - from the tower to the Voronezh River at the fort walls to the Voronezh River it is twenty-one fathoms, and the well, sovereign, in the city we are your slaves, there is no one to dig, there are no craftsmen and well gear... And the church... was laid over in the name of the Most Holy Theotokos of the honest and glorious Intercession of October on the 18th day .
From January 1647 to the summer of 1648, Roman Fedorovich Boborykin was appointed governor in Kozlov.
Academician Falk, who visited Kozlov in 1769, found that it was larger and more populous than Tambov, but it was built worse and its inhabitants were engaged in more rural trades, although there were 1064 merchants in it. In 1779, Kozlov received the status of a district town of the Tambov governorship.
Since the 18th century, Kozlov developed as a large trading center in an agricultural region. In the 19th century, trade in bread, livestock, silk, cloth, fish, salt flourished in the city, and there were also handicrafts. In the second half of the 19th century, the processing of agricultural raw materials began (mills, slaughterhouses, distilleries and lard refineries, tobacco factories, elevators). By the end of the century, Kozlov had two iron foundries, a bell factory, and large railway workshops.
At the same time, the architectural appearance of Kozlov took shape, which has largely been preserved to this day.
In 1932, in honor of the scientist-breeder Ivan Vladimirovich Michurin (during his lifetime), the city of Kozlov was renamed Michurinsk.
In 1985, the city was awarded the Order of the Badge of Honor.
Seven reasons to visit Michurinsk
1. The distance from Moscow to Michurinsk is 400 km. Not a big deal, but a trip to Michurinsk will diversify the long weekend.
2. The city is very interesting architecturally. In Michurinsk, ancient merchant houses and public buildings have survived. A walk around Michurinsk will bring great pleasure to those who appreciate the pre-revolutionary past of small towns.
To Michurinsk's credit, we note that the city center and its pedestrian street are in good condition. It's nice to walk around the city, looking at its houses and streets.
3. In Michurinsk you can join the theatrical life. The Michurinsky Drama Theater offers performances of classical and modern repertoire. For example, plays based on the works of V. Volodin “Elder Sister” and “Don’t Part with Your Loved Ones”, “Medea” by L. Razumovskaya are staged here. The immortal “Three Sisters” by A.P. Chekhov is also included in the repertoire. The troupe performs many performances for children. Open the theater website and buy tickets online.
Michurinsky Drama Theater
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4. In Michurinsk you can improve your cultural and intellectual level. In the local history museum you will learn the history of the region. We highly recommend the house-museum of I.V. Michurin.
The house is authentic; it has preserved the life-time atmosphere of a self-taught scientist. You can also take a walk in the garden.
The famous master of socialist realism, Alexander Mikhailovich Gerasimov, is honored in Michurinsk. The house-museum of A.M. Gerasimov and an art gallery have been opened, where a worthy collection of the artist’s paintings is collected.
We devoted a detailed article to the museums of Michurinsk.
5. Temples of Michurinsk. I agree that Michurinsk is not Rostov, Borovsk or Serpukhov with a scattering of amazing churches. But the Bogolyubsky Cathedral and Elias Church fit perfectly into the city ensemble. Interesting icons are kept in the Church of Elijah the Prophet.
6. I’ll add the city park to the list of reasons to visit Michurinsk. Of course, it cannot be compared with the garden of the Erignac estate or the Summer Garden of St. Petersburg. But, I assure you, Michurinsky Park is like that spool - it’s small, but expensive. Even we adults were delighted with the imagination of the decorators. What can we say about children?
7. Gastronomic tourism is another reason to spend a weekend in Michurinsk. Did you think that this is not such a serious reason? Don't tell me! The availability of delicious and budget-friendly cuisine is a huge plus for a tourist city. For example, in Penza we barely found a couple of decent establishments for dinner. (But Penza is a regional city!) We give Michurinsk a solid A in this regard. Turnouts? Definitely! Watch the review of the Michurinsk cafe!
Let's look at each point in more detail.
Michurinsk. A little history and geography
In the chapter on the history of the city, you will have to call it by its true name - Kozlov. The year of birth of the city is considered to be 1635. A fortress under this name was built in the lower reaches of the Lesnoy Voronezh River. It arose to defend the southern borders of the Moscow state from attacks by Tatars and thieves.
The name of the city may come from its location - Kozlovo tract. Sometimes the name of the quitrent peasant Prince Dmitry Ivanovich Pozharsky - Semyon Kozlov - is mentioned. One way or another, in documents of the 17th century, the future Michurinsk is listed as “a new city in the Kozlov tract.”
In the 18th century, residents of Kozlov and the surrounding area were mainly engaged in peasant crafts. Agriculture dominated trade until the end of the century. And in the 19th century, merchants gained strength. They traded fish and livestock, silk and cloth, bread and salt. Production did not lag behind either. Mills, a tobacco factory, and a distillery flourished in Kozlov. By the end of the 19th century, heavy industry came into force. There was a bell factory and two iron foundries in Kozlov.
At the end of the 19th century, an architectural ensemble of merchant buildings took shape in Michurinsk.
The beginning of the twentieth century did not bring joy to anyone, including Kozlov. In 1932, during the life of the famous breeder, the city was given his name - Michurinsk. Perhaps this is the only Soviet renaming that does not cause any complaints.
As of 2021, the population of Michurinsk was just over 93 thousand inhabitants. The same figure was observed in 1970. The richest year in terms of population was 1990 - 122 thousand. Recently, the population has been steadily declining. Since 2012 there has been constant negative dynamics. The same decline is noticeable from 2005 to 2009. Then the population dropped to 89 thousand.
Now the population of Michurinsk is increasing due to students. Education at an agricultural university is much cheaper than in Europe or the States. That's why young people from India and Africa choose Michurinsk! In the picture are “indigenous Michurintsy”.
