There are many old Russian cities in Central Russia: Sergiev Posad and Aleksandrov, Rostov the Great and Pereslavl-Zalessky, Bezhetsk and Yuryev-Polsky... History has treated many of them mercilessly: great in their ancient Russian past, they gradually fell into decay and lost their economic and political significance were abandoned during the Soviet period and almost finished off by perestroika and Yeltsin’s wild capitalism. They saw off the 20th century with broken dusty streets, numerous church ruins, empty store shelves and a modest variety of collective farm market. But small towns in Russia are being revived, each in their own way! The city of Myshkin is the most famous example of such a transformation. This is all the more remarkable because throughout the 70 years of Soviet power he was under suspicion as a particularly dangerous “counter-revolutionary element”, and was even demoted from the city to the village. And yet he rose from the dust and ruins like a Phoenix bird. How did the residents of Myshkin manage to perform the “miracle on the Volga”? Who are these people who preserved and revived their unique city, nicknamed “little Petersburg” before the revolution? Where is Myshkin going in the 21st century? And can his example become a guiding star for other small towns in Russia? This wonderful book by local historian and writer Vladimir Grechukhin is an epic of Russian perseverance, perseverance, patriotism, love for one’s small and large Motherland. After reading it, you begin to love the old Russian town on the Volga in absentia and strive to move to Myshkin with all your soul.