Kostromskoy District: Taiga, Forest and Volga

Geographically, Kostromskoy District belongs to the taiga forest zone and combines woodland with a landscape shaped by bodies of water. The district lies at the confluence of the Volga and Kostroma rivers; the Gorky Reservoir is another feature. When planning your trip, you can choose whether you are more interested in the taiga and forests or in the rivers and reservoir. If you are looking for a holiday apartment in Kostromskoy District, you can start with this question of landscape, then choose the cultural attractions you would like to add.

Taiga, Forest and Water

Forests cover 47 percent of the district, while bodies of water account for 11 percent. The forest area is therefore around four times as large as the area covered by water. These percentages describe the land-use pattern across the entire district; the taiga classification, by contrast, identifies the broader natural region. These two scales complement each other: they show both the distribution of forest and water and the district’s geographical classification. For travelers who want to take the type of landscape into account when choosing a destination, this is a practical starting point before specific cultural sites become part of the trip plan.

The Volga and Smaller Rivers

Within Kostromskoy District, the Volga runs for 48 kilometers along a riverbed section of the Gorky Reservoir. The Kostroma floodplain area of the reservoir is colloquially known as “Kostromskoye more.” Smaller rivers in the district include the Kuban, Shacha, Sushchyovka and Sendega. The district’s connection with water thus extends from the 48-kilometer stretch of the Volga in the reservoir to several smaller rivers known by name. If you are especially interested in rivers when choosing a place to stay, these different scales can help guide your interests.

Culture in the District

The cultural attractions are also tied to specific places. A series of annual Pushkin festivals began in 1999 in the park of the Shakhovskikh estate in Vasilyovo. At the Museum of the History of Karavaevo, Elena Mikhailovna Tsypylova can show visitors the exhibition and tell them about the history of the settlement and the breeding farm. Please check the museum’s visiting arrangements in advance. The two examples appeal to different interests: a literary event in an estate park, and a story that brings together the history of a settlement and a breeding farm.

More Places to Visit in Kostroma Oblast

In Kostroma Oblast, the “Puteshestvie v zapovedny les” tour in the “Kologrivskiy les” nature reserve includes a visit to the ecological trail of the same name. It passes through a section of old southern taiga forest; the state nature reserve preserves, across two separate areas, different southern taiga landscapes with zonal and provincial physical-geographical features. Check the current visiting arrangements for the tour before your trip.

The Susanino Local History Museum in Kostroma Oblast tells the story of the nature, archaeology, history, culture and everyday life of the Susanino region in five rooms, in that order. The renewed exhibition “Na perekrestke istorii i legendy” preserves Ivan Susanin and Savrasov’s “The Rooks Have Arrived” as motifs of importance to the region. In Shchelykovo, also in Kostroma Oblast, tours take visitors through the park and the house of A. N. Ostrovsky. Tours are offered at 10:00, 11:30, 13:00, 14:30 and 15:30 and are intended for groups of five or more, or can be booked by paying for five people. As arrangements may change, check the current times and conditions before visiting.

More Destinations

Discover more destinations: Makaryevskiy rayon, gorod Volgorechensk, Sharyinsky District, Kostromskoy rayon, Nerekhtskiy rayon, Mytishchinsky Rajon.

Return to the main travel overview: Kostroma Oblast.