Nikola-Lenivets

Nikola-Lenivets (Russia)

HISTORY 

OF THE PARK

Nikola-Lenivets has been a place of inspiration for the last 25 years. First — as a settlement of free artists who left noisy cities for the opportunity to create in nature's lap; then — as a testing ground for architectural experiments, poured out into festival "Archstoyanie"; finally, as a cultural center and the largest landscape park of Europe.

Modern history of Nicola Lenivets begins at the end of the 1980s. The pioneers were architect Vasily Schetinin and artist Nikolay Polissky. Later, in the 1990s, architects Anna Shchetinina and Julia Bychkova, designer Vasily Kopeyko also came here.

The area gained fame in early 2000s when Nikolay Polissky began to involve local people into creating of monumental installations made of natural materials — ziggurat of hay, tower of twigs, aqueduct of snow.

Initial objects made by Nikolay Polissky were not permanent. For example, some of them were burned, and it became an art event. As a result the idea of a regular festival of landscape objects started up. In 2006 the festival "Archstoyanie" was held here for the first time. Significant art-objects were created during "Archstoyanie" festivals.

Official site: http://www.nikola-lenivets.com/?lang=en