Melenki District

The Melenki district is located in the south-east of the Vladimir region and in the eastern part of the Meshchera lowland. This is the region’s richest in flora area. 53% of the district is forested. The population of the district is 33,246 (2018). The administrative center is the city of Melenki with a population of 13,789 people  (2018).  The district was formed on April 10, 1929 as part of the Vladimir district of the Ivanovo Industrial Region. Since August 14, 1944, the Melenki district has been part of the newly formed Vladimir Region. In May 2005, the district was given the status of a municipal district. In 2010, the Melenki district was significantly affected by natural fires. The population of the completely and partially burned villages of Mildevo, Kamenka, Yuzhny was relocated to the newly rebuilt village of Ivatino.

The names of many famous people in Russia are associated with the Melenki district. Melenki – the birthplace of P.I. Lebedev-Polyansky (1882-1948), a major Russian revolutionary, Soviet literary critic, academician whose monument was erected in Vladimir in front of the building of the philological faculty of the Vladimir Pedagogical Institute at the Golden Gate. Also in the city of Melenki was born N.P. Kamanin (1908-1982) – Soviet pilot, legendary leader of the expedition to save the Chelyuskin polar explorers, who received the title of Hero of the Soviet Union No. 2 in 1934, a major military commander on the fronts of the Great Patriotic War, colonel general of aviation, organizer of training of the first Soviet cosmonauts . Here, in Melenki, O.V. Rozanova (1886-1918) was born, one of the largest artists of the Russian avant-garde with a unique coloristic talent, bright but short fate.  

Today, historical industries are developing in the economy of the city of Melenki, a linen plant, a sewing factory, and a foundry-mechanical plant are operating. In addition, the location of the city in the forest Meshchera region determined the development of timber processing here.

Crafts associated with the presence of a clay deposit have long been developed on Melenki land. In the village of Korovino near Melenki there is a pottery center associated with the Malakhovs dynasty of potters. In addition, the Melenki district is known for its masters of withy weaving, blacksmithing, wood carving, patchwork, embroidery, making folk costumes, leather artwork, etc. The main organizations that oversee folk art are the Coordination and Methodological Center of Culture and Folk Art of the Melenki District, Dmitrievogorsk Cultural and Leisure Center of the Melenki district, rural houses of culture.

For almost twenty years now, the famous historical and patriotic club "Rusichi" has been operating in Melenki. It is engaged in the reconstruction of ancient Russian military art and related crafts, for which it has received many Russian and even international awards.

Crafts and trades
Pottery
Making of white clay products coated with colored contrast glaze.
Blacksmith craft
Today, blacksmithing craftsmen are rare. But nevertheless, forges that are engaged in manual forging are preserved.
Wood carving
Argunovo carving. Morden masters of wood carving.
Art processing of leather
Weaving
Wood painting
Vladimir patterns is an original painting, when the paint is applied not with a brush, but with a foam rubber swab or just an artist’s finger, forming a light cloud.
Embroidery
Embroidery in the technique of " white satin-stitch ", "Vladimir seam".
Scrappy sewing
Today, craftswomen collect from rags and fashionable clothes, and rag dolls, and even paintings.
Russian folk costume
Women's folk costume of the Vladimir province was modest, practical chintz fabrics dominated.
Weaving of withy
In Vladimir land withy was an available material: willow thickets were abundant on the banks of the Klyazma, the Oka, etc.
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