Kostroma Oblast.

History

Kostroma is traditionally said to have been founded by Yuri Dolgoruky in 1152; the Mongols sacked it in 1238, and it later became the seat of a principality. Around 1330 the baptised Tatar prince Chet founded the Ipatiev Monastery, and in 1613, when the Zemsky Sobor chose the young Mikhail Romanov as tsar, he was living there. The same era gave rise to the story of Ivan Susanin, a peasant from Domnino who led a Polish detachment deep into the forest. After a great fire in 1773 Kostroma was rebuilt with streets fanning out from a point near the river, and the oblast itself was created on 13 August 1944.

Culture & traditions

Kostroma is regarded as one of the best-preserved examples of 18th-century town planning, with a fire tower of 1825–1828, the governor's house and market arcades at its centre. The Ipatiev Monastery has the painted Trinity Cathedral, and the Hypatian Codex chronicle was found within its walls. Susanin's story inspired Glinka's opera Ivan Susanin (1836), and at his Shchelykovo estate Ostrovsky conceived The Snow Maiden in 1873, later turned into an opera by Rimsky-Korsakov. The old towns of Nerekhta, Galich, Soligalich and Makaryev keep their classical 18th- and 19th-century buildings.

Nature

The main rivers are the Volga and the Kostroma, and the regional capital stands where they meet. Most of the land is forest, which has long made the region one of Europe's leading timber areas. The climate is continental, with long, very cold winters and short warm summers. Ostrovsky adored his Shchelykovo estate, calling it 'the Kostroma Switzerland' and seeing in it the spirit of old Rus.

Food & drink

The market arcades in central Kostroma belong to the neoclassical ensemble built after the fire of 1773 and were historically the city's main trading place. They are a natural starting point for exploring the city and its local produce.

Practical information

Kostroma Airport handles domestic flights, but most travellers come by train: the railway has linked Kostroma with Moscow since 1887, and the trip takes six to seven hours. Driving is also easy, including via neighbouring Yaroslavl. The oblast keeps Moscow time (UTC+3). Winters are long and cold, so summer and early autumn are the best seasons for Kostroma and the Volga banks.

What to see

• Ipatiev Monastery — cradle of the Romanov dynasty, with its painted Trinity Cathedral
• The fire tower — symbol of Kostroma's neoclassical centre, rebuilt after the fire of 1773
• Market arcades — the historic trading galleries at the heart of the city
• Shchelykovo — Alexander Ostrovsky's estate, where The Snow Maiden was conceived
• Ivan Susanin Monument — honouring the Time of Troubles hero from Domnino

Cities on the map

• Kostroma 265,959