The Reserve-Museum's Landscape

The restricted area of the museum is the territory, which is historically connected with the events described in the Sholokhov works. The main purpose of this rural area is the creation of the open-air museum, the exhibits of which are villages, stanitsas and Don nature themselves.

Ostrovnoe natural boundary is the place with wonderful scenery which is frequently depicted in "Still Don". Here one can find Rassohovo Lake and Kalmitskiy ford through which Grigoriy moved towards rebellion positions. And the Girl's Lawn where Cossacks drank vodka each year on St. Peter's day after dividing the meadow and Alyoshkin forest where Grigoriy
used to trap foxes. You can also see Tchyorniy slope where Grigoriy used to run after a flock of wild ducklings and to fish tenches from dawn till night in the Round lake. In the centre of the natural boundary there is a beautiful Ostrovnoe Lake with a small island - one of the most favourite Sholokhov's resting places.
Nowadays the same landscape is preserved. The nature here is diverse and rich. Here one can find several botanical monuments such as a "Veshenskiy oak". Only 4 adult males can encompass the tree with outstretched arms, diameter of the trunk is 2.4m. (on the chest level - 1.3m). The height is 25m. Great 25m. spherical crown in summertime casts a shadow which square is 600 m. The oldest pine-trees of the Mid Don grow in "Antipovskyi coniferous forest" which covers the territory of 110 hectares.

Investigation of the reserve-museum's nature provided discovering of 1500 spices of plants, 269 - mushrooms, more than 2700 - animals. Many rare spices which are under national "Red Book's" preservation have been discovered. The animals are Mediterranean owl, sterlet, musk-rat, marsh-otter, white-tailed sea eagle, gray crane, bustard, and others. The plants are: water chestnut, water lilly, Shrenka tulip and others. Geography and geology of the district are also investigated. The main purpose of the research work is to preserve the unique historical, cultural and natural area.