Volga open spaces

I painted this picture after traveling to the Zhigulevsky nature reserve of the Samara region. This is a view from Strelnaya Mountain. The top of Mount Strelna is one of the highest points of the Zhiguli. According to legend, in the 16th-17th centuries, Strelnaya Mountain, as well as some other mountain peaks, were used as observation posts by bands of fugitive peasants, who are known in history as the "Zhiguli freeman". It was the time when the serfs who fled from the unbearable oppression on Samara Luka created here a kind of "Volga republic", living according to the laws of the "wild field". Zhigulevskaya freemen, led by Fyodor Sheludyak, participated in the uprising of Stepan Razin. Nowadays, on the top of Mount Strelna, an observation deck for tourists coming here has been tripled. According to the rules, visiting these places is possible only as part of organized groups and with the permission of the directorate of the Zhigulevsky State Reserve named after I.I. Sprygin.