
Kimry is a small town about 130 km north of Moscow. Few people outside Russia have heard of it, but it has one of the country's most beautiful collections of Northern Art Nouveau architecture.
At the beginning of the 20th century, Kimry became rich thanks to its famous shoemakers. Local merchants built elegant houses inspired by the architecture of St. Petersburg and Northern Europe. Unlike the more decorative Art Nouveau found in other cities, Northern Art Nouveau is simpler and more solid, with asymmetrical facades, bay windows, towers, carved wooden details, and a fairy-tale atmosphere.
Sadly, Kimry is slowly disappearing. Many historic buildings have already been abandoned for decades, and some are beyond saving. Every year more of this unique architecture is lost.
Walking through Kimry today is both beautiful and heartbreaking. You can still see what an extraordinary town it once was, but you also see how much has already vanished.
It is hard not to think how different things could be if money were spent on restoring places like this instead of on war and the destruction of people's lives. Cities like Kimry are part of our shared cultural heritage, and once they are gone, they can never truly be brought back.