The village of Palekh is about 250 miles from Moscow, not far from Ivanovo. The Palekh craftsmen succeeded in evolving a highly original painting style, making expert use of the decorative black background, gracefully silhouetted, expressive figures, sophisticated color schemes and exquisite ornamental patterns. They favor narrative, mostly fairy-tale subjects. Palekh has a good museum of local icons and boxes (Palekh State Museum), fine restored 14th to 19th century icons in the Raising of the Cross Church and numerous shops and exhibitions selling Palekh boxes, the min souvenir of the Ivanovo Region. The Palekh articles may be found in numerous museums of the world since their artistic value is of great height.

Techniques and Style. The real Palekh box is instantly recognizable. There is no art form in the world like it and none that can transmit its peculiarly infectious "magic". Palekh boxes are simply exquisite, conjuring up worlds of fairy-tales and enchantment on the tiniest surfaces. Palekh Art School trains masters of Palekh miniature painting

Places of interest in Palekh:

• State Museum of Palekh Art.

• House Museum of P.D.Korin.

• Private Museum Studio of the National Artist of Russia Nikolay Golikov.

• House Museum of Ivan Ivanovich Golikov— the founder of Palekh miniature.

• Museum of Sculptor Nikolay Vasilevich Dydykin.

• Studio of Vyacheslav Fyodorovich Morokin.

• Studio of Anna Aleksandrovna Kotukhina.

• Krestovozdvizhensky Church with a helm belltower of the 18th century, a carved iconostasis and paintings by Yaroslavl masters, 1807.

• Church of Elijah the Prophet (Ilyinsky Church) with an ancient country churchyard.

• Ivan Mikhajlovich Bakanov's House

• Ivan Petrovich Vakurov's House

• Michael Petrovich Vakurov's House

• The Solonin Brothers’ House