The Nizhniy Novgorod region

Along the route across North Zavozhye of Nizhegorodsky region one of the indispensable objects to visit is the capital of golden khokhloma - the city of Semenov. Khokhloma painting and Semenovskaya matreshka are known far beyond the borders of Russia and are often considered to be the symbols of Russian folk culture and art. For the purposes of creating objects of exhibition it is planned to build a museum-tourist complex "Golden-Khokhloma" in Semenov where in the area of 200m2 the history of the famous folk craft will be presented as well as folk spoon industry, Fedoseyvsky toys, wood carving and others, museum-exhibition hall where matreshka painting master-classes will take place.

It is also planned to create a souvenir shop and a restaurant in the area of the complex where tourists will be offered dinner served in "tsarist crockery". The cost of building of the first part of the museum amounts to approximately USD 1 million. The second part including creation of a museum of matreshka and Semenovsky painting proposes expenses amounting to USD 1, 3 million. Co-financing is necessary for the building of the museum. Project-estimate documentation is at an assimilation stage.

One of the obstacles in tourism development in North Zavolzhye is the absence of comfortable means of accommodation, which could meet the demands of not only Russian but also foreign tourists for whom visits, to the museum and factory of khokhloma painting is one of the necessary elements of the programmer. The area for building of the hotel complex "Golden Khokhloma'' is proposed to be on the bank of a picturesque forest river Kerzhenets, 10km from Semenov. The tourist complex in the form of an ethnographic village will be located in the area of 23hectares and include the main building of a hotel for 100 rooms, a cottage settlement for 15-20 houses, a health-entertainment complex: a gym, bowling, billiards, gambling machines, a swimming pool with aqua slides. It is essential to build 8km of roads, 4km of gas supply, 2km of electricity lines there is an artesian water borehole.

The total cost of the project is USD 4-5 million.