Vologda Oblast.

History

Belozersk appears in the chronicles under 862 and is counted among Russia's oldest towns; Totma was founded in 1152, and Veliky Ustyug is first mentioned in 1207. Vologda itself traditionally dates from 1147, though historians debate the year. In the 14th and 15th centuries monks founded influential monasteries here, and in the 16th and 17th centuries Veliky Ustyug grew rich on the river trade between Novgorod and the White Sea. In 1565 Ivan the Terrible planned to make Vologda his capital and built its St Sophia Cathedral. The present-day oblast was formed on 23 September 1937.

Culture & traditions

The region's artistic treasure is Dionisius's frescoes in the Ferapontov Monastery, a UNESCO World Heritage Site described as the only fully painted church of its kind to survive in Russia. Veliky Ustyug is famous for silver filigree, niello and birch-bark fretwork, and for sending out the explorers Semyon Dezhnyov, Yerofey Khabarov and Vladimir Atlasov. Vologda has nearly 200 federally protected monuments, including its kremlin and the Spaso-Prilutsky Monastery, and Vologda lace is the city's calling card. The battle painter Vasily Vereshchagin was born in Cherepovets.

Nature

The oblast is set among large lakes: Beloye, Kubenskoye and the south-western shores of Lake Onega, while the Rybinsk Reservoir spreads out near Cherepovets. Russky Sever National Park and the Darwin Nature Reserve protect much of this landscape. In Vologodsky District the divides of three river basins meet, one of very few such triple divides in the world. Veliky Ustyug stands where the Yug flows into the Sukhona, and the town takes its name from that confluence.

Sport

The oblast's sporting centre is Cherepovets, home to the Severstal ice hockey club, named after the city's steelworks. The city also fields basketball and chess teams.

Food & drink

Vologda butter is a famous brand created in 1871 by the Danish merchant Friedrich Buman and the Russian entrepreneur Nikolai Vereshchagin, the year Vologda's first butter factory opened. Together with lace and flax it makes up the trio of things the city is known for, and the region's dairy still has a reputation for quality.

Practical information

Vologda's airport has flights to Moscow and regional cities, and Cherepovets has an airport too. Vologda is easy to reach by rail, and Cherepovets lies on the Volga–Baltic Waterway. The oblast keeps Moscow time (UTC+3). The climate is humid continental, with long cold winters and mild summers; summer suits the monasteries and lakes, while winter is the season for Ded Moroz in Veliky Ustyug.

What to see

• Ferapontov Monastery — Dionisius's frescoes, a UNESCO World Heritage Site
• Kirillo-Belozersky Monastery — one of the largest fortified monasteries of the Russian North, founded in 1397
• Veliky Ustyug — an old town with almost all its monuments intact, and the home of Ded Moroz
• Vologda Kremlin and St Sophia Cathedral — relics of Ivan the Terrible's would-be capital
• Russky Sever National Park — protected northern lakes and forests
• Totma — a historic town on the Sukhona, founded in 1152

Cities on the map

• Vologda 313,944