Why? Russia has a long history and traditions dating back in centuries. Several pretty distinct arts are unparalleled, and I would like to give them a mention in my blog.
Where? I have lived most of my life in St. Petersburg and being a local, I know a pretty good spot to get the souvenirs. I went there many times when I needed a present from Russia. It is called DK Krupskoy (ДК Крупской). I am NOT sponsored by them. But, since they are relatively unknown and provide a good value, I find this information valuable for travelers. More about DK Krupskoy at the end of the post.
So in summary, in this blog post, you will get to know the basics about the Russian handicrafts and about my favorite place to get them in St. Petersburg. I went to DK Krupskoy recently to buy a couple of things, so the post is accompanied by some fresh pictures.
Table of Contents
Russian souvenirs and handicraft
To be honest, I am not a fan of buying souvenirs. I bought more as presents than I bought for myself. I usually prefer something that I can use: mugs, plates, boxes for tea or spices. Even Russian dolls, instead of keeping them behind the glass, you can store something inside.
So, here I listed the most common Russian handicrafts. I also tried to limit them to something useful, skipping the uber-expensive and impractical items. All pictures are taken at DK Krupskoy.
Here are the Russian handicrafts in a nutshell:
Matryoshka dolls
Let’s start with the nice obvious one. Matryoshka dolls, also known as stacking dolls or nesting dolls. These are wooden figures that decrease in size and are placed one inside another.
Classically, these are figures of women in traditional Russian costumes. But the theme is quite open in our days. There could be anything, from Russian leaders to Simpsons.
Khokhloma
It is old, traditional wood painting/handicraft style. It first appeared in the 17th century. Khokhloma mostly has leaf, flower, berry patterns over black, gold, or red. It shows the value of forests and nature in Russian culture.
Gzhel
Gzel dates back to the 19th century. These are blue and white ceramics. It takes the name from the village that first produced them (around 30 km from Moscow).
Fedoskino miniatures
It takes its name from the village of origin, located near Moscow. Typically, it is oil paint, applied in many layers. Traditionally, it pictures Russian folklore. However, nowadays, the topics are very broad.
Birchbark handicrafts
Birchbark has been used as a material for a very long time. The first mentions are in the documents about the foundation of Rus. At that time, it was used instead of paper. In the modern world, it is mostly used for decoration items and souvenirs.
Russian Maiolica
In simple words, Maiolica is white pottery, decorated with colors. It is made in many places around the world. Russian Maiolca obviously focuses on Russian folklore.
One shop offers an impressive selection, and actually (unlike many others there) has an online shop. But no deliveries outside Russia…
Amber handicrafts
Now, this is clearly not exclusive to Russia. However, in Russia, work with Amber has a long history and tradition. Many items sold in Russia are also related to Russian folklore.
A bit more about DK Krupskoy
Now, let’s talk about this place a bit more. A woman at one of the shops told that they almost never have tourists, but they have customers that come back. (I guess I am one of them). The prices are around 2 times less, comped to souvenir places in the city center, but unfortunately, they suck in advertising. So no one really knows about them.
DK Krupskoy used to be a massive book market. But nowadays, when physical books are less popular, the number of spots is just a fraction of what it used to be. It became a place to get school textbooks and supplies. But also, it grew an outstanding number of souvenir shops.
Their website though still tells about books and only briefly mentions the “Gem Market”, which doesn’t really describe the things you can find. (So I had to do it for them).
Guys, who run DK Krupskoy. If you read this, I would like you to suggest updating your website. It now looks like straight from the 90s. You should give more information about the handicrafts, so tourists would find you.
Practical information
Here is the place on the map. It is 10 minutes walk from Elisarovaskaya metro station.
That’s the building. You should enter and walk straight to pass the remaining book stores. Most of the “Gem Market” is on the second and third floors.
Despite many renovations, there are still signs of USSR
And yes. There would be a language barrier, but most of the items have price tags. Shouldn’t be a problem.
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