Kostromskoy District: Forests, Water and Culture

In terms of its natural environment, Kostromskoy District belongs to the taiga forest zone. Forests cover 47 percent of the district, while bodies of water account for 11 percent. Forests thus make up the larger share, while water remains a distinct part of the landscape. Within the district, the Volga runs for 48 kilometers as a riverbed section of the Gorky Reservoir. The district also lies at the confluence of the Volga and Kostroma rivers. This brings together its general classification as a taiga area with specific details about its forests, waters and river landscape.

Rivers and the Gorky Reservoir

The district’s smaller rivers include the Kuban, Shacha, Sushchyovka and Sendega. The district’s smaller rivers include the Kuban, Shacha, Sushchyovka and Sendega. The Kostroma floodplain of the Gorky Reservoir is also colloquially known as the “Kostroma Sea.” The names refer to different parts of the water landscape: the smaller rivers and the reservoir’s floodplain.

Literature and Local History

From 1999 onward, the park of the Shakhovskikh estate in Vasilyovo was the setting for annual Pushkin festivals. Another cultural point of interest is the Museum of the History of Karavaevo. The librarian Elena Mikhailovna Tsypylova can show visitors the exhibition and tell them about the history of the settlement and the breeding farm. If you plan to visit, check the current visiting arrangements in advance.

More to Explore in Kostroma Oblast

In Kostroma Oblast, the Kologrivsky Les State Nature Reserve comprises two sections that preserve different landscapes of the southern taiga, with zonal and provincial physical-geographical features. The “Journey into the Protected Forest” tour includes a visit to the ecological trail of the same name, which passes through a section of old-growth southern taiga forest. This specific nature trail adds a distinct regional perspective to the general classification of Kostromskoy District as taiga. Check the current operating arrangements before your trip.

Another cultural highlight of Kostroma Oblast is Shchelykovo, the country estate of the Russian playwright Alexander Nikolayevich Ostrovsky. Guided tours of the park and the house of A. N. Ostrovsky take place at 10:00, 11:30, 13:00, 14:30 and 15:30. They are available to groups of five or more, or for a fee covering five people. As the schedule may change, check the times before your visit.

At the Susanino Local History Museum in Kostroma Oblast, exhibits in five halls tell, in turn, about the nature, archaeology, history, culture and everyday life of the Susanino region. The renewed exhibition “At the Crossroads of History and Legend” preserves Ivan Susanin and Savrasov’s “The Rooks Have Arrived” as motifs of importance to 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. Ask in advance about current dates.

Discover more destinations: Nerekhtsky District, Sharyinsky District, Volgorechensk, Mytishchinsky District, Kostromskoy District, Makaryevsky District

Return to the regional travel overview: Kostroma Oblast.