MY HOME IN SIBERIA

In a poor village, in an area rich in culture, in Asian Russia just behind the Ural mountains, I bought a house good for my own future and to recieve guests.

The house is an old farmers home (kristiansky dwor) with stables for five or six house-animals and homes for living for two families. In an old state and with the comfort of about one hundred years ago. A museum.

At this moment one of the houses is equiped to live in during four seasons a year. It is made by tree-trunks that are laid into each other in a very clever way and are made equal like a wall. By this the walls can be painted. You can still see formes and nerves of the trees. In the centre of the house you can find the heating. This heating is in this house remarkable comfortable. Its seizes are about two by two by two metre, made by stone and roughly tiled. You can sleep upon this heating with two people. You may cook upon the boiling ring and heat your water for washing. You may bake bread and fry meat in the oven. The two fireplaces must be filled by wood. The stoking is a special art that I could reasonable learn in my two months staying in the house.

I bought the house in october 1999 and lived in it during two months. In this period I was busy by obtaining equipment for the house like dinner-service, carpets, matrasses, bedclothes, quilts, a cupboard, a table, chairs, curtains etc. I also cloosed and painted the windows. Also the kitchen has been painted. I totally cleaned the inner court by exemple leaving about one hundred old bottles of wodka in the old patato-cellar. This spring I want to change a room into a bathroom. The stairs to the garret by this occasion will be replaced. A water-drainage will be realized. The toilet in the new bathroom in summer only can be used for 'small messages'. Another toilet is in the outside.

Outside the house is the waterspring. This spring has a high siphon just as we probably know from Hungry or Suomi, to help to bring the water up. Almost the whole village comes to take the water here. In the heart of winter the water of the spring does not freeze. In spring there is much water by the overflowing of river Tura. I am curious what far the water comes and if my court will become wet. Surely not the houses, as was assured.

The village is one of ten villages alongside Tura. My village Ritshkowa is the smallest one: about ten houses. Also the centre of the rayon Verkhoturje is alongside the river. The name means: "At the high bank of the Tura". At that bank are a Kreml (a fortress surrounded by a wall), a monastery and a cathedral. Beside seven other churches, a second cathedral and another monastery: Verkhoturje really is the old centre of the Urals, which is prooved by all those buildings. In the valley of Tura also is situated the place of pelgrimage Merkushina. My house and the village Ritshkowa is situated between those two centra. Ritshkowa is just along the main road. This road in the next years will become asfalted. This valley in this part of Siberia has the most northern possibility to let grow grains. This agriculture is services the cattle-breeding. Mostly barley is let grown as power-fodder for cows. Each village has its kolchos (firm). All villagers also have cattle in their houses. In my village Ritshkowa are sheep, goose, cows, chickens, pigs and a horse.

What can be done in this house?

If you go by bus or taxi the mainroad from Verkhoturje to Ritshkowa - at first asphalt, later gravel - what empty is this landscape. In Ritshkowa much room, old houses half ruined, dwellings far from each other, silently.

Is there something to do in such an empty, silent and quiet village?

* The house at itself is an adventure * In the village nice families, much children and animals. At our feet we scout the meanders of the Tura, there we fish pike, probably hunt ducks or swans. * Siberian wood we find reachable by feet going the other side. Moors with berries so as cranberry we find at the other side of river Tura in a day's walk. * By car or autobus we visit the shop, disco, church, monastery or the pelgrimage path to Machnjewo. * Verkhoturje has shops, cafees, museums, architecture, a market and many contacts at a distance of 36 kilometer, to and fro by bus or taxi. * Excursians of more than one day are to organize: to the Ural-mountains: Konshakovsky Kamen at Karpinsk; to museums on art in Nizhny Tagil and Jekaterinburg; to the open air museum and Romanov-memorial at Alapajevsk; to parts of the pilgrimageroute on feet; to the famous kurort Samoshwet; to the modern Tshaikovskymuseum in Alapajevsk; to river Ob for Salekhard and Khanti-Mansiesk; Partly by taxi also in one day.

In the months juin till august there are good antimusquito-creams and musquitos. From november till april there is beautiful white snow. You here then can 'langlaufen', hunt, visit churchcentra and winter; the house offers all comfort, also for the coldness.

How do we arrive at this house in Siberia?

There are several possibilities, but: a VISUM is needed.

A touristvisum is expensive and asks expensive nights in Moskwa. A personal visum is cheaper and asks an official invitation. I in april go to Russia and can organize your invitation with pleasure. The university asks 50 dollar. The visum in your country then costs about 40 dollar more. I will try to organize a cheaper invitation, but ask you to give me to take to Russia 50 dollar. I also need a copy of your passport. If the invitation is much cheaper I will give you back a part of the money.

In my addres you can ask a paper (in dutch) about the going by train: "To Siberia in four days or 'with 50 dollar'". The journey in four days from Amsterdam may cost about 225 dollar to and fro and can start on any day. The cheaper travel must start on sunday and takes 6 or 7 days for those people that have time.

Most normal is to fly to Moskwa; take bus 551 or 655 to Moskwa Retchnoy Waksal; metro to Komsomolskaya; Kazansky Waksal; train to Jekaterinburg, train Verkhoturje. Somewhat more than two times 24 houres; the night in the train is comfortable. Total costs to and fro about 500 USD from London.

Qiucker is to fly to Moskwa, bus 551 of 655 to Retsjnoi Waksal and from there by the same bus back to the aeroport Sheremetjewo-1. Fly to Jekaterinburg, to the station, train Verkhoturje. About 36 houres for about 550 USD from London.

The most quick is an aeroplane directly to Jekaterinburg; from Germany goes Lufthansa from Hannover Airport. Costs 1000 USD.

From Verkhoturje I can take you up or you organize a taxi yourself or ask for autobus or taxi possible via the scool nearby the station. The director is Vera Voroshilowa, telephone 319 - 21695. The address of the house is: Dom 3, 624397 Ritshkowa, Verkhoturje Rayon, Swerdlovskaja Oblast, Rossya. In the village everybody can point out my house. You are welcome in the whole village. I this summer hope to have telephone and an e-mailaddress, ring NL-23-5355897 to inform this; you at this place for sure can phone home from Verkhoturje.

You can come unexpectedly and then must take food with you for a day or two. In Verkhoturje there are plenty shops. Per night I ask 7,5 USD and also the food will have this price. Familyreduction. A month has 25 days. Normal support to your staying costs no money. For a group I like to be a guide for 50 USD a day and 250 USD a week. Taxis average cost about 5 USD (in Rubels) for 40 km. All excursions can be done by train and then cost little. I may help you in your different payments on your way.

AnneKlaas de Groot, Marjoleinpad 58, 2034 ME Haarlem, tel 023 - 5355897

When I am not in Holland the telephone is taken by G. de Wilde. He is often not at home and has no telephone answering device.

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