Kostroma

• The Kostroma region was founded in 1944

• Region's area – 60,100 sq. km (0.35 % of Russia's total area)

• Region's population (c 1.01.2000) – 793,000 people (0.54% of Russia's population)

• Density of population – 13.4 p./sq. km

• Administrative regions – 24

• Cities of regional subordination – 7

• Population of the largest cities: Kostroma – 287,000; Nerekhta – 28,700; Bouy – 28,500

History and Culture

Modern Kostroma is the administrative, cultural and industrial centre of Kostroma region founded on 13th August, 1944. Kostroma spreads over both sides of the Volga. Its right bank and left bank are united by two bridges – railway and a road bridge.

Nowadays, besides the traditional textile industry there are engineering plants, plants that produce radio electronics, medical equipment, woodworking machines, looms etc.

There are four institutions of higher education in Kostroma: a teacher training college, a university of technology, an agricultural academy and a higher military school of chemical defence.

There are museums of history and architecture, and fine arts, a theatre, a puppet show, a philharmonic orchestra, a circus, libraries, creative associations of painters, writers and composers.

Kostroma was founded by prince Yuri Dolgoruki and that's why, by right, it is called the younger sister of Moscow.

The face of the town has kept the stamp of the centuries – the earth citadel rampart of the beginning of the 15th century, the stone ensembles of Ipatyevski and Bogoyav-lenski Monasteries, the amazing temple of “Voskresenie na Debre” are memorials of the epoch of prosperity of Kostroma in the 16-17th centuries.

The emblem of Kostroma, a galley flying over the waves was presented by the empress Catherine II in 1767. Kostroma occupies a separate place in the history of the Russian State as the cradle of the House of Romanovs. In 1613 the Zemski Sobor – the largest meeting of Russian Nobility of the Middle Ages decided the mater of election of Tsar. Mikhail Fyodorovich Romanov was elected. During the spring of 1613 Mikhail lived in Ipatyevski Monastery. The embassy with an invitation to the region arrived there. In Kostroma the patriot of Russia Ivan Sousanin commited the exploit glorified by the great Russian composer M. Glinka in the opera “A Life for the Tsar”.

The representatives of the House of Romanov also visited Kostroma. The last Russian emperor Nicholas II attended the celebration of the 300 th anniversary of the House of Romanov, which was held in Kostroma in May 1913.

The town was built in accordance with a concise plan developed at the end of the 18th century. The pride of Kostroma are the stone buildings, which were built over a period of several decades: administrative and commercial, which are rightly counted among the best examples of Russian provincial classicism.

The best way to become acquainted with Kostroma is to walk slowly along its streets that remember the great Russian dramatist Ostrovski, poet Nekrasov and painters Kustodiev.

Sights

Ipatyevsky Monastery
The museum-preserve was founded in 1958 and situated on the territory of two architectural complexes – Ipatyevski Monastery (founded in the 13th century) and museum of architecture and ethnography (founded in 1957).

The museum-preserve is one of the largest Russian museums (its collection consists of more than 400,000 units of storage) and includes more than 50 memorials of architecture of the 16–19th centuries. The museum preserve is a member of the Russian museum association and member of RATA “The Golden Ring of Russia”.

The main point of interest in the Ipatyevski Monastery is the Troitsky Cathedral (the middle of the 17th century) with the unique fresco made in 17th century by the best Kostroma icon painters Guri Nikitin and Sila Savin.

In the centre of Kostroma there are branches of the museum preserve: the church of Spas in the Krasnie Rows and the Literary Museum (the former guardhouse). There are 13 branches of museum in the district centres of Kostrama region.

The exposition of the museum-preserve that are situated in the Ipatievski Monastery and in the museum of architecture and ethnography (MAE) are:
1. “The Sacristy of Troitski cathedral” – contributions by the boyar and tsar families of Rurikovitch, Godunov and Romanov – the memorials of church arts of the 14-17th centuries.
2. “The History of Kostroma Land from Ancient Times to the end of the 19th century”
3. “The Modern History of Kostroma Land” (20th century)
4. “Church Antiquities of the 14-19th Centuries” – is dedicated to the 2000th Christmas anniversary.
5. “Russian Tea Drinking Ceremony”.
6. “The Last Russian Emperor Family Chronicle” – in the chambers of Romanovs.
7. “Entomological Collection of I. Rubinsky”.
8. “The Nature of the Kostroma Land”.
9. There are expositions at all of wooden architecture in the MAE.

The museum-preserve offers the following kinds of excursions through the museum, the town of Kostrama, towns of the “Golden Ring of Russia” and the towns of Kostroma land for all categories of tourists:
Lodging groups of tourists at any hotel in Kostroma, at any tour base or rest home of Kostroma region including
- Organizing food and transport
- Supplying interpreting guides
- Organizing additional cultural programmes (concerts of chamber chorus, folk bands, excursions on ships of the “Moscow” type along the Volga and Kostroma Rivers, visits to painters' studios and craftsmen's workshops.

Kostroma State United Museum of Fine Arts
The museum was set up on 1st October, 1966. The museum is situated in two buildings that are the architecture:
- The former Romanovs' museum was built in 1913 for the celebration of the 300th anniversary of the House of Romanov.

The former Assembly of Nobility, which is one of the best monuments of late provincial classicism.

The museum owns a unique collection of Russian fine arts, which counts about 15,000 of exhibits, and among them the works of the old Russian arts and religious castings, the unique old Russian painting – the icon “Apocalypse” of 16th century. Russian art of the 19-20th centuries is represented by canvases by I. Aivazovsky, F. Vasiliev, I. Levitan, I. Shishkin, I. Repin, V. Polenov, B. Kustodiev, K. Korovin, A. Golovin, P. Konchalovsky, V. Tailin, V. Bart, N. Goncharova, O. Rosanova and others.

The museum keeps a unique collection of works by Efim Chestnyakov – a philosopher, a writer, a poet and a painter that counts more than a thousand graphical sheets, pictorial canvases, manuscripts and earthenware sculptures.

The “Shchelykovo” state museum and reserve
Among the places in Russia that are associated with outstanding writers, the memorial estate of the grate Russian playwright A.N. Ostrovsky, Shchelykov, became increasingly famous. In 1847, this estate was bought by the writers' father, and Ostrovsky spent 20 summer seasons at his favourite manor. Shchelykovo is reflected in more than 20 plays written by Ostrovsky. It is seen in the Yarilina valley and in the blue spring where the heart of Snegourochka melted, a character familiar to every Russians child. The characters of the plays “Wolves and Sheep”, “Forest” are also reminders of this manor. Tourists visit the memorial estate, walk in the park with humpbacked bridges, and see the exposition of the museum of literature and theatre.
Kostroma region, Ostrovsky district, Shchelykovo,

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