Kostroma (Костромa)
Fire Observation Tower
Kostroma is an historic city in central Russia, the administrative centre of Kostroma Oblast. A part of the Golden ring of the Russian towns, it is located at the confluence of the Volga and Kostroma Rivers.
Above is the Ipatiev Monastery, one of the most famous in this region of Russia. See all that snow and ice? That is the frozen Volga river. In summer it flows freely but the top freezes over in winter.
As one of the northernmost towns of Muscovy, Kostroma served for grand dukes as a place of retreat when enemies besieged Moscow in 1382, 1408, and 1433. In 1375, the town was looted by Novgorod pirates ("ushkuiniki"). The spectacular growth of the city in the 16th century may be attributed to the establishment of trade connections with English and Dutch merchants (Muscovy Company) through the northern port of Archangel. Boris Godunov had the Ipatievsky and Epiphany monasteries rebuilt in stone. The construction works were finished just in time for the city to witness some of the most dramatic events of the Time of Troubles.
It is understandable why the Romanov tsars regarded Kostroma as their special protectorate. The Ipatievsky monastery was visited by many of them, including Nicholas II, the last Russian tsar. The monastery had been founded in the early 14th century by a Tatar prince, ancestor of the Godunov family. The Romanov tsars had the magnificent Trinity Cathedral rebuilt in 1652; its frescoes and iconostasis are a thing of beauty.
Ipatiev Monastery in summer.
Entering the city by bus or train, it feels sad that the never ending landscapes of forests (which you cross coming from Yaroslavl) or the hilly countryside (which you ride through when you come from Ivanovo) disappear upon entered town. Like any suburb of a Russian town with 300 000 inhabitants, Kotroma's outskirts are morose and grey.
Approaching towards the ancient city centre though, it feels different: as you cross the bridge coming from the station you discover an older part of Kostroma, just on the shore of the large Volga river. All the streets, like a spider net, converge to the central attraction area, where most of the shops are installed under the imposing white stone trading arcades.
The air is fresh and it feels nice to walk around the streets, the markets, the park, the river bank where boats and hydrofoils stop at two embarkment piers. The charm of the ancient trading city remains, and its special location right on the shore of such a large river gives it a brightness, a special feeling of standing in the midst of history.
Built in 1559-1565, the five-domed Epiphany Cathedral was the first stone edifice in the city; its medieval frescoes perished during a fire several years ago. The minster houses the city's most precious relic, a 10th-century Byzantine icon called Our Lady of St. Theodore (Russian: Федоровская Богоматерь). It was with this icon that Mikhail Romanov was blessed by his mother when he left for Moscow to claim the Russian throne. They say that just before the Revolution the icon blackened so badly that the image was hardly visible; it was interpreted as a bad sign for the Romanov dynasty.
Above: Resurrection Cathedral, a world heritage site.
The Ipatievsky monastery survives mostly intact, with its 16th-century walls, towers, belfry, and the 17th-century cathedral.
Apart from the monasteries, most of the city churches were either rebuilt or demolished during the Soviet years. The only city church that survives from the 17th-century "golden age" is the of gold instead. He resolved that the unearned gold was the devil's gift and decided to spend it on building a church, beautiful within and without. Two other 17th-century temples, of rather conventional architecture, may be seen on the opposite side of the Volga.
You can see the name of the train station on the side of the building. That is
Шарья (Sharya), a small village near Kostroma. It serves as the main train station for the region. See the directions below on how to get into Kostroma by trolley bus - very easy and quick.
There are daily trains to and from Moscow, St Petersburg, and Yaroslavl. The train station promises little from the outside, but once inside it surprises and is very clean, no queues, some signs in English, a waiting room, a pharmacy, and a decent small cafe open 24 hours a day, where you can eat fast for 70 roub. ($2.3 US).
Next to the exit there are phones to make free phone calls in the city. The railway station address: Sovetskaya, #33; Telephone (0942) 54-22-64.
Directions to the city centre: You can either take trolley #2 to get from the train station to the city (and return on the same trolley), or you can walk to Privokzalnaya (Привокзальная) square (along the main avenue, going to the direction of the city centrum) and take any bus or trolley from there. It is about a 15 minute trip.
Above: the old Romanov summer palace when the early Tsars used Kostroma as their summer holiday home.
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