Kirovo and the Cultural and Natural Attractions of Kostroma Oblast

Cultural and nature-related themes offer additional context for the wider destination of Kostroma Oblast. Regional examples range from southern taiga and literary history to museums with regional collections, appealing to a variety of travel interests.

Nature and the Southern Taiga

The Kologrivsky Forest State Nature Reserve is located in the wider destination of Kostroma Oblast. It comprises two separate areas that preserve different landscapes of the southern taiga, with zonal and provincial physical-geographical features. This gives the reserve not only distinctive natural features but also a diversity of landscapes.

The “Puteshestviye v zapovednyy les” tour includes a visit to the ecological trail of the same name. It leads through a section of old-growth southern taiga forest. This brings two perspectives together: the path through a particular section of forest and the different landscapes preserved in the reserve’s separate areas. Check the current visitor arrangements before your trip.

Cultural History and Museums

The Shchelykovo Estate in Kostroma Oblast is associated with Russian playwright Alexander Nikolayevich Ostrovsky. Tours of the park and the house of A. N. Ostrovsky are held at 10:00, 11:30, 13:00, 14:30, and 15:30. They are intended for groups of five or more, or can be arranged for a fee for five people. As the schedule may change, check the current times before your visit. The times provide a general schedule; the group requirement should also be factored into your visit planning.

At the Susanino Local History Museum, five halls present, in sequence, the nature, archaeology, history, culture, and everyday life of the Susanino region. The renewed exhibition “Na perekrestke istorii i legendy” preserves Ivan Susanin and Savrasov’s “The Rooks Have Arrived” as important themes of the region. The museum also offers walking and bus excursions to places associated with Ivan Susanin, including the Isupovo Marsh and the villages of Derevenki and Domnino. While the halls organize the themes, the excursions take in specific, named places. Check in advance whether they are currently operating.

In Kostroma, “Kostromskaya Sloboda” features historic wooden houses and churches, as well as ethnographic exhibitions about the lives of peasants in the Kostroma region. The Natural History Museum focuses on something different: its permanent exhibition contrasts present-day animals, birds, insects, and fungi with the prehistoric past of the Kostroma region.

The Museum of Dreams in Nerekhta tells the city’s history through the life stories of people who dared to dream big. Original memorabilia bring these stories to life. The region’s cultural offerings thus range from historic buildings and exhibitions about peasant life to personal life stories.

Discover more destinations: Khmelevka, Lipki, Chukhloma, Drenevo, Kostroma, Sudislavl, Bolshaya Chezhma, Sharya

Back to the overview of the wider destination: Kostroma Oblast.