The Town

Konakovo sits on the banks of the Volga, Russia's longest and most famous river. It is a smaller Russian town of about 60,000 people. According to the woman in the Konakovo museum there has been a settlement here since ancient times, and she showed us the artifacts to prove it, where hunters, fishermen and peasant farmers would set up camp. The town is in two parts, the old town, and Konakovo. The old town was a village on the banks of the Danhovka river, which runs into the Volga, it is a mess of single story homes, made of logs, wood, clapboard, block or brick. The basic shapes are the same, but the angles at which these houses have settled are crazy, many look like they will fall over in a strong wind. Some more enterprising owners add extensions, which provide much amusement for architectural connoiseurs. Made of whatever the owner can get their hands on, they come in all shapes and sizes, some build on top, others at the side; the overall effect is like Soweto would be if they had -30c winters.

In the early sixties the power station was built about 5 kms upriver from Konakovo, to do this a dam was built and the area above the dam flooded, the flood plain took in many villages and so a new town was built to house the inhabitants of these villages. All of the housing in this part of the town is Soviet style apartment bloks; five, seven and nine stories depending when they were built. Very little thought was given to the overall layout of the town so the apartment blocks are randomnly placed in clusters that over time have joined together. The locals know their way through this maze, we don't, so we walk twice as far to get anywhere than everyone else. The discovery of a new route to the shops or a cafe sends a flurry of phone calls and SMS messages through the expat community.

A typical apartment is one to two rooms, quite small, with a kitchen. bathroom, and a balcony, originally the balconies were open but over time they have been closed in by a variety of building materials. The balcony is also used to hang any stuff that is surplus to requirement from, such as bicycles, old bird cages, or older furniture that you do not want to throw away.

The main street is Prospekt Lenin, which runs from the middle of town down to the river, it is wide, has a tree lined boulevard down the middle of it, a nice statue of Lenin and plenty of benches to sit on. When the weather is warm the locals get out of their apartments and stroll and sit outdoors, chatting, drinking beer on Prospekt, it is the social centre of the town.

The roads are dreadful, although they have repaved the Prospekt and put in pedestrian crossings, and improved the sidewalk. The sidewalks are also dreadful, potholes, metal bits sticking up, unpaved sections and mud when it rains.

There is no road drainage system so when it rains the whole town sort of sits in a puddle, walking around is hazardous; unless you know the high spots, you will get wet feet.

The market features prominnently in every Russsian town, here you can buy everything from food to clothes. The main market stalls are covered and mostly run by Armenian's who are sociable and when you get to know them can always barter a bit with them. Then you have the babushka's selling product from their own backyards, cow's and goat's milk, vegetables, jam, and this time of year mushrooms from the forest. On the weekends the market is always crowded and is a great place to stroll around, see friends, have a beer in one of the three or four cafe's and do some serious people watching.

We have no large supermarkets, our best supermarket on Prospekt burnt down in August, but there is no shortage of small shops selling food and groceries. There is more than one within walking distance of any apartment block, I have four within five minutes walking distance from my apartment.

To get around the town you have two choices, walk or taxi. Taxis are not expensive, 60 rubles for anywhere in town, 70 rubles to anywhere in the old town.

We are at the end of the line for the train from Moscow, the town is a holiday destination for Muscvites, and many Muscvites have Dachas in the countryside around Konakovo. It is a also a popular destination for fishermen in both the summer and winter. Trains run regularly five times a day and are inexpensive.

All in all it is not a bad place to live, close to Moscow, close to nature, on the Volga, it could be worse.