Discover Sharya: Railway, City Park and Local History Museum

In Sharya, a historic railway station, a city park with activities for children and a local history museum with permanent exhibitions on regional history come together. This lets you plan your stay around railway history, time in the park and exhibitions, with specific options to suit different interests.

Railway History and City Park

The Shar’ya railway station dates from 1906 to 1908; the station building dates from 1906. Anyone interested in railway history and historic buildings will find a tangible starting point here for getting to know Sharya through its past.

The city park has a children’s area and various rides. There is also a narrow-gauge railway where a small children’s locomotive can run. Check locally whether the railway is currently operating. In summer, the open-air museum in the park presents an exhibition on forestry and the timber-processing industry of Kostroma Oblast. Its seasonal focus also makes the park a place where an outdoor visit can be combined with an insight into the region’s working and economic history.

Local History Museum: History, Nature and Guided Tours

The Sharya Local History Museum offers several thematic perspectives: its permanent exhibitions cover the ethnic history of the Vetluga area, the region’s natural environment, Sharya’s residents during the Second World War and the Vetluga Fair. The scope ranges from landscapes and regional history to memories of a specific period and local life. Guided tours of the exhibitions are available, and events are also held at the museum. As no fixed dates are given, it is best to check the current schedule for a tour or event before your visit.

When choosing a holiday rental in Sharya, you can first consider what you want your stay to focus on: the history of the railway station, time in the city park or the exhibitions at the Local History Museum. Those travelling with children will find a children’s area and various rides in the park. The examples below offer further perspectives on culture and nature at other named places in Kostroma Oblast.

More Culture and Nature in Kostroma Oblast

In the Kologrivskiy les Nature Reserve, the “Puteshestvie v zapovednyy les” tour 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 consists of two separate areas, preserving different landscapes of the southern taiga with zonal and provincial physical-geographical features. For nature lovers, the hike through a section of old-growth forest and the broader view of the southern taiga’s landscape diversity complement each other. Check the tour’s current arrangements before travelling.

A different focus awaits you in Shchelykovo: this is where the country estate of Russian playwright Alexander Nikolayevich Ostrovsky is located. Guided tours of the park and house are scheduled for 10:00, 11:30, 13:00, 14:30 and 15:30. They are for groups of at least five people; alternatively, payment for five people is required. As arrangements may change, check the current conditions in advance. The Susanino Local History Museum has its own focus: its five halls guide visitors in sequence through the region’s nature, archaeology, history, culture and everyday life. A renewed exhibition, “Na perekryostke istorii i legendy,” preserves Ivan Susanin and Savrasov’s “The Rooks Have Arrived” as motifs of importance to the region.

The other museums in the oblast also offer a range of different perspectives. At “Kostromskaya sloboda” in Kostroma, visitors can see historic wooden houses and churches, as well as ethnographic exhibitions about the lives of peasants in the Kostroma region; check current visiting arrangements in advance. The Museum of Dreams in Nerekhta tells the city’s history through the life stories of people who dared to dream big, and displays original memorabilia. The Natural History Museum features present-day animals, birds, insects and fungi alongside the paleontological past of the Kostroma region.

The Susanino Local History Museum also offers walking and bus excursions to places associated with Ivan Susanin. These include the Isupovo bog and the villages of Derevenki and Domnino. If you would like to include these options in your plans, check dates and availability directly in advance. This will help you decide whether your trip will focus mainly on Sharya’s city park and museums, or whether you would also like to explore other cultural and natural features of Kostroma Oblast.

Discover more destinations: Bolshaya Chezhma, Khmelevka, Kirovo, Glebovo, Borovikovo, Lunëvo, Kostroma, Bui.

For the regional travel overview: Kostroma Oblast.