Museum Retro Park – Listvyanka, Russia - Atlas Obscura

Museum Retro Park

Listvyanka, Russia

A tiny park off the beaten path covered in ingenious scrap metal sculptures.  

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Hidden away in the tiny lakeside village of Listvyanka, a touristy town best known for the massive Baikal Lake it borders, this little art space/steampunk tribute is a most incongruous yet magnificent place to visit.

Nestled deep in the area of town where the locals actually live, you’ll find — with some effort — Museum Retro Park (Ретро-парк), home of father-son painter-sculptor duo, Vladimir and Dmitry Osipov. 

The grounds of the tiny park are covered in Dmitry’s ingenious work with scrap metal: beautiful pieces of quirky metal animals and men of various professions, like cowboys and lion tamers. The elder Osipov, Vladimir, is no slouch either; he’s won multiple awards for his oil-on-canvas work. His recent pieces, focusing on the Lake Baikal area, adorn the walls of the small indoor gallery. The duo also collect vintage cameras, displayed inside, and vintage Soviet cars and motorcycles, on display outside.

Entry is only 100 rubles, yet this promises to be the highlight of a trip to Listvyanka and a fantastic bang for your buck. Keep your eyes peeled when walking along the lake as well; some of Dmitry’s pieces are on display there too.

Know Before You Go

The icon on Google Maps is accurate, but the signs and roads are not. Walk into Kulikova (ул. Куликова) from Lake Baikal. About 50 metres past Krestovaya Pad Hotel (крестовая падь), turn right and walk through a small T-junction until you reach a stream. Turn left and walk while keeping the stream on your right.

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