Candy Land

KOLOMNA, A CONTEMPORARY of Moscow, is one of the most picturesque cities in the Moscow region. Located just 110 kilometers from the capital at the junction of the Moskva and Oka rivers, the city features a blend of many Russian architectural styles, as if it were like a textbook illustration. What is more, the historical city center has been excellently preserved and features one of Russia’s most ancient kremlins, the largest tent-roofed belfry in Russia (dating to the seventeenth century — see front cover and above), and several churches. It is famous for the Novo-Golutvin Holy Trinity Convent, where they raise a rare dog breed (the Buryat-Mongolian Wolfhound) and Vyatka horses.

Kolomna is also famous for its apple orchards, which have graced the landscape here since the fifteenth century. So it is perhaps not surprising that, in 2008, the city added a new tourist attraction: the Pastille Museum, or, as the plaque on the building reads: “The Museum of a Disappearing Flavor.”

The museum is located on the country estate of the Suranovs, once a prominent local merchant family. It stands amid eighteenth to twentieth century homes that descend down to the river. The museum’s curators claim that this is where pastilles were invented as a means of preserving fruit, in the form of a delicious, healthy delicacy.