Kostroma.

History

Tradition credits Yury Dolgoruky with founding Kostroma in 1152, while the first chronicle mention dates from 1213. In the 13th century it became the seat of an appanage principality; the Mongols sacked it in 1238, and later the grand princes of Moscow repeatedly took refuge here during sieges. In 1613 Mikhail Romanov was proclaimed tsar at the Ipatiev Monastery. After a great fire in 1773 the town was rebuilt to a plan approved by Catherine II in 1781, with streets fanning out from the central square.

Culture & traditions

The Ipatiev Monastery now operates as a museum-reserve, and next to it, in the Ipatiev settlement, an open-air museum of wooden architecture was created in 1955–1958. The drama theatre dates back to 1863. The Epiphany-Anastasia Monastery keeps the Feodorovskaya icon of the Mother of God, attributed to the 10th century. Kostroma bills itself as the home of the Snow Maiden and has long been famous for linen, which is still produced here.

Sport

The city's main football club is Spartak, founded in 1959 and known at times as Tekstilshchik and Tekmash. The team plays at the Urozhay Stadium. It folded for financial reasons in 2018 and was revived in 2022.

Food & drink

The city promotes itself as the "cheese capital of Russia", so local cheese is the first thing to try. Cheese and linen goods are Kostroma's most recognisable souvenirs.

Practical information

Most visitors come by train from Moscow, a journey of about six hours; the railway reached the town back in 1887. Sokerkino airport has a small number of flights, including to Saint Petersburg and seasonal routes south. In summer Volga cruise ships call at the river port, and the road bridge across the Volga opened in 1970. The climate is temperate continental with long cold winters, so late spring to early autumn is the easiest time to visit.

What to see

• Ipatiev Monastery — where Romanov rule began in 1613
• Museum of Wooden Architecture — old houses and churches in the open air beside the monastery
• Susaninskaya Square and fire tower — Kostroma's best-known symbol
• Trading Rows — the Red and Great Flour Rows at the heart of the neoclassical centre
• Epiphany-Anastasia Monastery — home of the ancient Feodorovskaya icon