Ugra National Park, also known as Национальный парк Угра in Russian, is located in central Russia. It is in the Kaluga region, near the Ugra River valley. The park was created on February 10, 1997. Its purpose is to protect the typical landscapes found in Central Russia. In 2002, the park was named a UNESCO biosphere reserve. The main office of the national park is in the city of Kaluga.

Geography

The park covers an area of 986,245 square kilometers (380,791 square miles). It is made up of seven clusters grouped into three areas:

• The northern part includes the Ugra River valley from the border with Smolensk Oblast down to Kurovskoye village. This area is divided among Dzerzhinsky, Iznoskovsky, and Yukhnovsky Districts.
• The southern part includes the Zhizdra River valley down to its mouth. This area is part of Kozelsky and Peremyshlsky Districts.
• The Vorotynsk area, the smallest of the three, surrounds the village of Vorotynsk. It is divided between Babyninsky and Peremyshlsky Districts.

Mammals in the park include moose, wild boar, roe deer, Eurasian beaver, and muskrat. The Russian desman, an endangered species, lives in lakes within the park.

Tourism

The rivers in the park are often used for kayaking.

The park is in a place with a long history and many cultural sites, including Optina Monastery, the old medieval town of Vorotynsk, and the site of the Great Stand on the Ugra River. This event happened in 1480 between the armies of the Grand Duchy of Moscow and the Golden Horde.

Nikola-Lenivets (ru), which is Europe's largest art park, is part of the national park.