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Denis Sinyakov
A severe deluge one year gives way to mild flooding the next, but then it happens that two springs in a row everything is submerged.
Denis Sinyakov
By car: take Route M7 to the town of Lapinska, then the A113 to Yuzha, before following the signs to Kholuy.
Denis Sinyakov
Kholuy can be reached by bus. From Moscow’s Schelkovsky bus station, take the bus to the town of Yuzha (twice daily at 10:30 and 20:45; 8 hours; RUB 446). In Yuzha, change bus for Kholuy (4 daily; 30 mins).
Denis Sinyakov
The “gondoliers” (as Kholuyniks call the ferrymen) are paid 60 rubles per hour by the local administration. The service is free for residents and operates from 6am to 10pm.
Denis Sinyakov
Yet they always prepare for the worst: the local administration arranges a ferryboat service, while residents move valuables out of harm’s way and board up.
Denis Sinyakov
Kholuyniks, by their own admission, are philosophical about the high water season.
Denis Sinyakov
The main local production facility, which manufactures lacquer miniatures, was brought to a standstill due to flooding.
Denis Sinyakov
Peak flooding in Kholuy occurred at the beginning of May. The school and art college closed for an unscheduled break.
Denis Sinyakov
The local Teza River has overflowed, leaving only a few islets: a shop and houses built on high ground.
Denis Sinyakov
This year's flooding in Kholuy was a little different: Easter came late, so the habitual overlap was missed.
Denis Sinyakov
High water is an annual spring event in the village — so much so that tourists from Ivanovo and Moscow come every year to feast their eyes on the "Russian Venice," generally around about Easter time.
Denis Sinyakov
Residents of Kholuy in Ivanovo Oblast, to the north-east of Moscow, are accustomed to the spring floods: here they happen every year.
Denis Sinyakov
The correct pronunciation of the name of the village places the stress on the first syllable. The word "khOluy" meant a wattle-fence made of twigs to catch fish. Fishing was a very well developed industry in the village, and residents were called "KhOluyniks."
Denis Sinyakov
Kholuy(distance from Moscow to Kholuy 378 km) is an age-old village of icon painting and lacquer miniatures in the Yuzhsky region of Ivanovo Oblast, located on both banks of the Teza River. Kholuy is one of the historic places in Russia’s Golden Ring.
