The Dymkovo district sits across the river from the city center, a low-lying area that for centuries housed the potters and craftspeople who made Vyatka's most famous export. The brightly colored clay figurines — stylized ladies in wide skirts, prancing horses, cockerels, and bears — are decorated with bold geometric patterns in white, red, yellow, and gold. They are immediately recognizable and found in Russian folk art shops across the country, but the workshops here in Dymkovo are where the tradition lives.
Several workshops are open to visitors, and you can watch artisans at work forming, firing, and painting the pieces by hand. Each figure takes days to complete. The workshops sell directly and prices are reasonable for handmade pieces with genuine provenance. The Vyatka Regional Museum has a historical collection if you want context before visiting the workshops, but seeing them made is the more memorable experience.