Pereslavl-Zalessky is one of the oldest cities in Russia, which was founded in 1152 by Prince Yuri Dolgoruky. Its main attraction is the “green paradise” – the dendrological garden named after S.F. Kharitonova. This is what some people call the Pereslavskiy Arboretum. People go there to be in touch again with nature.
In Pereslavl-Zalessky, there are a lot of different historical monuments, a lot of places where a tourist can go to: pagan Blue Stone, natural beautiful Pleshcheevo Lake, boat of Peter the Great, steam locomotives and trolley – in general, there are a lot of places where you can have fun. These tourist attractions are common and definitely fun, there are always a lot of people there and sometimes they have to stand in lines. But with the arboretum it turned out a little differently.
About the Arboretum
The arboretum is located in the southwestern part of the city, on a hill, from where a wonderful panorama of the whole city and a picturesque lake opens. This national park was founded in 1952 by Sergei Fedorovich Kharitonov, Honored Forestry Officer of Russia. This is why the arboretum is better known as the Kharitonov Arboretum.
The garden covers an area of 58 hectares, on which various trees and shrubs of foreign and domestic flora are planted. Basically, the vegetation of the garden is represented by maple, rosaceae, birch and honeysuckle. Most of them were imported from China, Japan, Europe and America, Crimea and the Caucasus, Siberia.
You can walk around the garden both on foot and on bicycles, which are for rent here. It is highly recommended to take bicycles, because without them you need several hours to go around the territory. To learn more about the “local residents” of the arboretum, it is better to travel with a guide who will tell you about the life of these plants. Pleasant atmosphere, wonderful aroma of wildflowers, and the shade of branching trees create a complete spiritual harmony.
The Flora of the Kharitonov Arboretum
The territory of the park occupies the southern botanical and geographical area of the Yaroslavl Volga region. Here passes the border of the subzones of southern taiga and mixed forests. Morphological and hydro-climatic conditions in combination with the complex structure of the soil cover create the conditions for the formation of a rich composition of the plant and animal world. The flora of the national park has about 790 species of vascular plants belonging to 98 families, which is 75% of the modern native flora of the Yaroslavl region. A lot of medicinal, honey, fodder, ornamental and edible plants can be found here.
The flora of Pleshcheyevo Lake National Park has been studied quite well, but despite this, botanists still find new types of plants unknown to this territory. In general, the flora of the park can be ranked among the most interesting botanical complexes not only in the Yaroslavl region, but also in Europe.
The uniqueness of some rare species lies in the fact that they are located near the natural borders of their ranges.
A special group of wild rare and endangered plant species of the national park is included in the regional list of rare and endangered species for the center of the European part of Russia. There are 19 of such species: dwarf birch, sedge coniferous, venus slipper speckled, black crowberry, Siberian iris, small-fruited cranberries, raspberries, saxifrage swamp, etc.
Due to the special geographical position of the park at the junction of the southern taiga and mixed forests, a group of rare plants is found that gravitates to the ecological range of broad-leaved forests: high fescue, Beneken fire, forest anemone, Prescotta buten, Kaufmann’s sedge, hairy sedge, forest sedge, and multi-flowered.
Of particular interest is a group of rare and very rare species that grow in swamps. Among them are dwarf birch, cumanica, ovoid hiding place, tamper sedge, aspic sedge, etc. Many of these species are exclusively ancient tertiary relics.
Of considerable interest in the park is a group of rare plants – halophytes: Primorye triosterene, reed foxtail, marine tuberkamysh, swamp ostericum, and Tabernemontan reed.
Visiting Rules
The arboretum is a specially protected natural area of federal significance located in the Yaroslavl region with special environmental, educational and recreational significance as a unique natural complex, characterized by high natural diversity and the presence of rare or well-preserved typical natural communities, rare and vulnerable species of plants and animals. Each person visiting the national park must be sure to know the basic rules of conduct on its territory:
- Do not chop trees and shrubs;
- Do not tear flowers – they can be rare and even endangered species;
- Do not fish with nets or other fishing gear. This is strictly prohibited;
- Do not deviate from the tourist routes and ecological trails arranged for you;
- Do not drive into the forest and do not wash anything near the water bodies;
- Do not use outboard motors and other motorized vehicles on the lake;
- Do not collect biological and geological collections;
- Do not disturb animals and birds with loud radios;
- Refrain from washing dishes with detergents in water. This can be detrimental to their inhabitants;
- Do not damage buildings, trees, stones, full houses, information boards and tourist camps, do not put inscriptions on them;
- Do not make bonfires in the open ground (bonfire is allowed only in the grill), do not throw burning matches and cigarettes, do not destroy parking lots for rest;
- Take away household garbage in special containers; in their absence, garbage should be taken out with you.
It might be nice to spend some time alone walking around the park on your own, but if you are interested in plants and want to understand the local fauna better, it is advised to have the walk with a guide who will explain everything to you. A visit in the spring is said to be the best, as it is the time when the plants bloom.