Kostroma

Rent a hotel room - Rent an apartment - Health centres, tourist centres - Adventure holidays

General information

Kostroma Region is located in the central part of the East European Plain bordering on Ivanovo, Yaroslavl, Volgograd, Kirov, and Nizhny Novgorod regions. It covers an area of 60 100 sq.km. Most of Kostroma Region has a temperate continental climate with an average January temperature of -12 °C and an average July temperature of +18 °C. Annual precipitation is about 600 mm. The vegetation consists mainly of softwood and coniferous forests.

Kostroma, the regional center, is one of Russia's oldest cities (founded in 1152) and is part of the famous "Golden Ring" of Russia. It is located 372 km from Moscow. The city is divided into Dmitrovsky, Leninsky, and Sverdlovsky districts.

Kostroma Region is part of the Central economic district. The largest industrial centers are Kostroma, Sharya, Nerekhta, Galich, Bui, Manturovo, and the old jewelry craft center of Krasnoe-on-Volga. The main industrial sectors are textiles, woodworking, engineering, and food. The Kostroma State Regional Power Plant (Kostromskaya GRES) operates in the region.

The trend towards stabilization in the economy has had a positive impact on agriculture in Kostroma Region. The number of head of cattle, pigs, sheep, and goats has increased significantly on farms of all categories compared to the previous year; and grain, legume, potato, and vegetable yields have also increased.

Four higher educational institutions, 19 secondary technical schools, and 567 regular schools operate in the region. There are 33 doctors in all specialties per 10 000 residents. The regional health care system includes 94 hospitals.

Resources

Forests are one of Kostroma Region's most important resources. They cover 72.6% of the region's area; total timber reserves are 617 million m3. Spruce, pine, birch, and aspen are the main timber species growing here. In addition, more than 1000 herbaceous and woody shrub species are found in the region, including 9 species listed in the Red Book of the Russian Federation and 14 tree species and 150 herbaceous plant species under government protection.

The region's animal life is rich and varied. Forest hunting grounds cover an area of 4.6 million hectares; aquatic and open hunting grounds occupy another 1.3 million hectares.

The productivity of these lands is still relatively high, although there is a pressing need for drastic changes. However, this problem can be solved if local government agencies work effectively to attract the needed investments to the region.

Kostroma Region is covered by an extensive system of 3189 rivers and streams with a total length of 14 694 km. There are 535 rivers with lengths from 10 to 100 km and 22 rivers with a length of more than 100 km. The main river is the Volga, which flows for 82 km within the region; its width ranges from 800 to 1200 m, and its average depth is 10 m (up to 20 m in some places). Construction of the Gorki hydroengineering complex has significantly raised the water level. Part of the Kostroma Lowlands with a cluster of lakes (e.g., Velikoe, Idolomskoe) has been flooded, and the Kostroma reservoir with an area of 174 km2 has formed. The main power source for the region is the Volgorechensk State Regional Power Plant (Volgorechenskaya GRES) with a capacity of 3.6 million kW at 80% load.

More than 40 species of fish inhabit the various water bodies of the region. Fishing reserves comprise 56 800 hectares of reservoirs, 19 900 hectares of lakes, and about 14 700 km2 of rivers.

Kostroma Region is sparsely populated compared to neighboring regions, which at first glance seems paradoxical, since it is one of the most beautiful native Russian areas of the country. The lines from Pushkin, ":There is the Russian soul, there is the savor of Rus:," come to mind at the mention of the name "Kostroma". However, there is an explanation for this. For the last 50 years, the region has been considered unproductive and dependent on subsidies. In point of fact, the region was formed from territories that were not included in other regions, and, as is well known, these regions gave up the very worst.

Culture

In addition to being a business, scientific, and educational center, the city of Kostroma is the center of the region's cultural life and has a well-organized system of recreational and entertainment facilities.

The theater arts are also well represented in the region. There are theaters of all scales from student and avant-garde to serious and classical theaters. Contemporary art is on display at museums, art galleries, and exhibitions. For the younger generation, there are sports clubs, cafes, casinos, entertainment centers, and discos.

Many famous writers, poets, artists, and playwrights have glorified Kostroma. One of these was the Russian dramatist Aleksandr Nikolaevich Ostrovsky. The A.N. Ostrovsky museum house is located in the village of Shchelykovo.

Kostroma is rightly called a treasure house of Russian culture. The names of great cultural, scientific, and artistic figures such as poet N.A. Nekrasov, dramatist A.N. Ostrovsky, artist B.M. Kustodiev, and merchant P.M. Tretyakov [founder of the famous Tretyakov Gallery in Moscow] are connected with the city.

Kostroma has preserved many works of great Russian sculptors. One of the monuments of the old city are the market arcades built in the main square many centuries ago. Another attraction and ornament of the city is the fire tower built by the architect Fursov. A large number of churches were built in Kostroma during the period of classicism [Renaissance to the 18th century], many of which exist to this day. The Kostroma Historical and Architectural Museum is located within Trinity (Troitsky) Cathedral at the Ipatyevsky (St. Ipaty) Monastery, and beside it is the Museum of Russian Wooden Architecture. Troitsky Cathedral amazes visitors with its loftiness and beauty. The walls and vaulting of the main part of the church, altars, and cupolas are richly decorated with paintings by artists of the time. The cathedral also has a unique work of decorative carving: a royal chapel that was a gift of Mikhail Romanov. The cathedral's greatest possessions are a large number of icons and splendid works made of wood, bone, and stone by Old Russian craftsmen.

In the Church of the Resurrection on-the-Debre (Khram Voskreseniya Khristova na Debre), you can see the original paintings of the Three Saints Chapel (Trekhsvyatitelsky predel).

The doors are always open at the Museum of Fine Arts in Kostroma, which occupies the premises of the former Romanov Museum. The museum has a large collection of paintings by great past and contemporary artists. The Old Provincial Theater, which was founded in 1808 and is now called the Ostrovsky Drama Theater, also operates in Kostroma.

The Kostroma branch of the Russian Cultural Foundation is working hard to develop culture and the study of local lore and preserve the region's cultural heritage. The main facts of its activities are "Culture and Creativity," "Country and Culture," "Culture, Education, and Science," and "Culture and the Publishing Business." Publishing projects and the preparation of cultural programs are being carried out under its guidance. The regional archives, science library, department of education, bishopric (eparchy), TV and radio broadcasting company, and city, district, and regional administrations all assist the foundation in its work.