Divnogorye is an amazing nature reserve in the Voronezh region. Aficionados of unique landscapes, history, archaeology, and ancient architecture will find it interesting to visit the Divnogorye farmstead, located near Voronezh. The settlement itself and the natural architectural and archaeological museum-reserve owe their beautiful name to the chalk pillars, which the locals called “divas” (wonders). The main attractions of the complex, which occupies 11 sq. km, are an ancient fortified settlement and temples carved into the chalk deposits.
Map of the Divnogorye Museum-Reserve
Let’s start our story with a map of the reserve’s objects – this will immediately give you the opportunity to see a list of attractions and their location (click to enlarge the map).
- Administration and Ticket Office
- Divnogorye Farmstead
- Divas (Chalk Pillars)
- Start of Excursions
- Cave Church of the Sicilian Icon of the Blessed Mother of God
- Mayatskoye Fortified Settlement
- Geological and Paleontological Exhibition “Childhood of the Earth”
- Divnogorye Canyon
- Archaeological Park
- Paleolithic Site and Remains of Ancient Horses
- Spring
- Recreational Zone
- Tikha Sosna River
- Don River
- Paleolithic Workshops
Divnogorye Attractions
Great and Small Divas
Chalk remnants in the form of bizarrely shaped pillars rise on the steppe plateau. Now only six of them remain, although there used to be more than twenty. The pillars (divas) were destroyed during the Great Patriotic War and later, during the construction of the railway. 
The Great Divas are located near the museum complex administration, while the Small Divas are on the lands belonging to the men’s monastery, north of the reserve.
There is one more pillar – the Lonely Diva, located on the eastern side, and there is neither a road nor a path to it.
Church of the Sicilian Icon of the Blessed Mother of God
According to a monastery legend, the image of the Sicilian Mother of God was brought to the Divnogorye plateau by two Orthodox monks who fled from Italy to Rus’ (Russia) from persecution by Catholics. According to tradition, the icon ascended onto the pillar itself, marking the place it would guard. Unfortunately, the original Sicilian icon was lost, but there is a copy made from it in the 19th century in Divnogorye.
Note: it is cold inside the caves even on the hottest summer day (about 10-12°C), so stock up on warm clothing.
Mayatskoye Fortified Settlement
The most ancient structures discovered by archaeologists within the boundaries of the current Divnogorye museum-reserve in the Voronezh region are the fortress walls, potters’ workshops, and the burial ground of the Mayatskoye fortified settlement. The rectangular chalk fortress with six-meter ramparts was built on a high cape where the Don and Tikha Sosna rivers merge, in the 9th-10th centuries. The white-stone walls served as an excellent landmark or beacon (Russian: mayak) for the entire district, which is possibly where the settlement got its name. 
Research began here at the end of the 19th century; scientists found that a Khazar aristocrat lived in the Mayatskaya fortress with his warriors and personal guard. In the Divnogorye museum, you can see discovered kitchenware, weapons, beads, and runic inscriptions that have not yet been deciphered were found on the rocks. The cape where the settlement is located is an excellent viewing platform. Wonderful views of the surroundings open up from it.
Divnogorye Canyon
A large canyon with chalk slopes is located a short distance from the Mayatskoye fortified settlement. Water flows have cut deep furrows into its slopes. The canyon looks very picturesque. 
Archaeological Park
An archaeological park is located near the fortified settlement, which is a reconstruction of a medieval village with clay-daubed huts and various household items.
Other Caves of the Reserve
There are a great many different caves dug into the thick layers of chalk rock on the Divnogorye plateau. To escape from raids and ruin in troubled times, monks built underground tunnels of complex configuration, located on different levels, connected by passages and ladders. Many inhabitants of the monastery are buried in such dungeons.
The reserve also includes the following caves: the Selyavninsky cave complex, Ulyana’s Cave, and Shatrishche Mountain. There is an unfinished cave church on Shatrishche Mountain. To see it, you need mountaineering training and special equipment.
Holy Dormition Monastery
To protect Russian lands from the constant attacks of nomadic Tatars, the Holy Dormition Men’s Monastery was founded on the Divnogorye plateau in 1653. All its premises were located inside the chalk mountain, the main structure being the cave church of John the Forerunner.
The monastery existed successfully until the 1920s of the last century, but was then ruined and closed, and a rest home was opened in its place, followed by a hospital, and then a sanatorium. In the 90s, the monastery was returned to the eparchy, and services and restoration work began there, which continues to this day.
Here you can see the caves that served as cells for hermit monks. Today, the men’s monastery in Divnogorye is active; its inhabitants maintain the cave churches in proper condition and perform services in them.
Please note: the Holy Dormition Divnogorsky Men’s Monastery is not part of the reserve. Excursions and visits there are organized separately. An application can be submitted on the official website of the monastery дивногорский-монастырь.рф or by phone +7 920 436 3257.
Nature
According to geologists, the surface of the Divnogorye steppe plateau consists of hard layers of chalk (up to 100 m thick in some places) and a thin layer of soil. This relief originated during the Miocene period (more than 5 million years ago), when there was an ancient sea on the territory of the Voronezh region. Later, its waters dried up, and the bottom, where the remains of plankton and other living organisms accumulated for millennia, became a hilly plain. Now the Don and Tikha Sosna rivers flow here.
A special microclimate has formed on the steppe plateau. The weather in Divnogorye is usually hotter and drier than in other areas of the region because the elevated surface of the plateau heats up quickly, and warm air, rising upwards, disperses the clouds. The nature of Divnogorye is very diverse. Flowers and grasses of alpine meadows and several types of steppes grow here; there are representatives of Mediterranean fauna and relict plants. Many species of insects inhabit the plateau, over 20 of which are listed in the Red Book.
How to Get There
The official address of the museum-reserve is:
- Voronezh region, Liski district, Divnogorye farmstead, Divny lane, house 27.
You can get here by bus, electric train, or car. The straight-line distance from Voronezh to Divnogorye is 79 km, and by road – 123 km.
- By car. The trip by car from Voronezh will take 1 hour 45 minutes heading south; approximately half of the route is on the toll road M-4.
- By electric train. Starting May 4, 2019, on Saturdays, you can travel from Voronezh to Divnogorye by direct electric train. It departs at 9:19 AM and returns to Voronezh 1 central station at 6:20 PM. The electric train reaches the “Divnogorskaya” station in 2 hours 15 minutes, from where it is a 12-minute walk (1 km) to the museum-reserve. The timetable for the Voronezh-Divnogorye electric train can be viewed at the suburban ticket offices of the Voronezh-1 station.
- By bus. There is no direct bus from the Voronezh bus station to Divnogorye. You need to take the Voronezh-Liski bus, which runs 5 times a day: at 7:00, 8:30, 10:00, 15:15, 17:00, 19:30. You need to travel on it to Liski (1 hour 45 minutes), and from there – on the suburban bus №152 (Liski-Divnogorye), which runs twice a day: at 7:00 and 1:00 PM. Travel time is 40 minutes.
Where to Spend the Night
There are several hotels within 40 km of Divnogorye.
- Hotel “Don” in Liski. A well-renovated hotel, with air conditioning, and breakfast is included in the room price. The price for a double room is from 2000 rubles.
- Guest house “Dom na khutore” (House on the farmstead) in the village of Podgornaya near the reserve. You can find out prices and book by phone +7 920 426-06-77
>> - Mini-hotel “Granat” in the city of Liski (40 km from Divnogorye) – each room has air conditioning, Wi-Fi, a private kitchen, and a bathroom. >>
- There are other hotels in Liski too, you can choose a suitable one here:
- Tents. A camping site is located near the museum administration, where you can pitch a tent. There is water, electricity, a toilet, a summer shower, and a large table with a canopy. Placement is charged at 100 rubles per person per day. A spot on the site must be booked before the trip. If the weather permits, travelers can stay in tents in the floodplain of the Tikha Sosna River, where a tourist and recreational zone has been allocated. There is no infrastructure there, but beautiful views open up from here.
Excursions
Please note: a guide is required to visit the caves, the Mayatskoye fortified settlement, and the Paleolithic sites.
The following excursions are conducted in Divnogorye:
- “To the Land of Divas”. This is a walking tour to the Great Divas and the Church of the Sicilian Mother of God. Duration is 2 hours, conducted from May to November.
- “In the Footsteps of Ancient Horses”. On this route, you can get acquainted with the exhibition “Childhood of the Earth” and the Paleolithic site of ancient horses. Duration 1.5 hours, conducted from May to November.
- “Secrets of the Mayatskaya Fortress”. A two-hour route, including a visit to the Mayatskoye fortified settlement.
- “Steppe Odyssey”. Within this three-hour tour, you can get acquainted with the unique flora of the reserve and the chalk remnants of the Great Divas.
- “Tales of the Divnogorye Caves”. As part of this three-hour tour from the end of May to mid-July, you can get acquainted with insects, lizards, snakes, birds, and marmots during the three-hour tour “Old-timers of Divnogorye. In the World of Animals.” Another themed excursion is dedicated to archaeology, called “Necklace of Antiquity,” and includes a visit to the archaeological park “From Nomadic Camps to Cities.” The full cost of three-hour excursions is 380 rubles per person, and two-hour is 260 rubles. Schoolchildren, pensioners, and students must pay 195 rubles, 200 rubles, and 205 rubles, respectively, for 3 hours, and 135 rubles, 140 rubles, and 145 rubles for 2 hours. The museum-reserve provides benefits to participants of the Great Patriotic War, pupils of orphanages and boarding schools, large families, people with disabilities, conscripted servicemen, Suvorov, and Nakhimov cadets. The schedule of excursions for individual travelers is posted on the official website of the Divnogorye museum-reserve. Organized groups must book a tour in advance.
You can walk around the territory of the museum-reserve independently without a guide for free. However, visiting the archaeological park and the caves in the Great Divas will be unavailable in this case.
At the end of the tourist season (after November 5), an excursion can be booked in advance for a group consisting of 7 or more people.
Conclusion
Divnogorye is a unique place. If you have the opportunity to go there, or stop by on the way, for example, if you are traveling from Moscow or St. Petersburg to the south, we highly recommend setting aside time to visit the museum-reserve.
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