Vologda, Russia

Vologda

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Hotels, motels and where to sleep

Restaurant, taverns and where to eat

 

Description of Vologda

Vologda is a city in Russia, administrative, cultural, transport and scientific center of the Vologda region, the center of the Vologda region, which is not included, having the status of a city of regional importance and forming the city district municipal formation "City of Vologda".

Vologda is located 450 km from Moscow and 650 km from St. Petersburg. The population of the city - 312 420 people. (2018). Together with the subordinate rural settlement of Molochnoe, within the boundaries of the urban district, the population is 320,702 people. (2017). The area is 116 km2. In terms of area and population, it is slightly smaller than Cherepovets, located 126 km to the west.

It is one of the cities with particularly valuable historical heritage: 224 monuments of history, architecture, and culture have been identified in the city; 128 of them are taken under state protection. Vologda is one of the largest cities in the north of Russia.

The date of foundation is unknown, the first mention in the annals falls on the year 1147.

 

Travel Destinations in Vologda

Orientation

The center of Vologda can be divided into four historical districts:
The city is the central part around the Kremlin
Verkhny Posad - the territory located above the Kremlin along the Vologda River
Nizhny Posad - part of the city below the Kremlin along the river
District - part of the city, which is located across the river
The outskirts are less interesting, but something interesting can be seen there.

Tourist Information Center (TIC)  , Sovetsky Prospekt, 6, 3rd floor. ☎ +7 (921) 061-60-46, +7 (800) 550-41-61. Mon-Fri: 8:00–17:00, Sat-Sun closed. It is located in the building of the former Golden Anchor Hotel, one of the best stone buildings in the city, built by the merchants Bryzgalovs in the late 1880s. For a long time this four-storey building was the tallest in Vologda. On the facade you can see lion masks and caryatids rare for the city. At the beginning of the 20th century, it was the best hotel in Vologda, comparable in quality to those in the capital.

 

Kremlin
1   Vologda Kremlin (former Bishop's Court) , st. Sergei Orlov, 15 (Kremlin Square). ☎ +7 (8172) 72-25-11. Wed-Sun: 10:00 – 17:30; Mon, Tue - day off.. The Vologda Kremlin began to be built by Ivan the Terrible in 1565, as a stone fortress of his new northern residence. The fortified territory was supposed to cover an area of 46 hectares and be located within the modern streets of Mira, Leningradskaya, Oktyabrskaya and the Vologda River - this was 2.1 times the area of the Moscow Kremlin. However, during the life of the king, only two stone walls and 11 towers were erected, while the rest of the fortifications remained wooden. Sophia Cathedral and Bishop's Court were built inside the fortress. During the Time of Troubles, the wooden part of the citadel burned down. By the beginning of the 19th century, most of the remaining fortifications were dismantled, as the fortress had lost its strategic importance. By this time, the Resurrection Cathedral and the Bell Tower were erected on its territory. What is now called the Vologda Kremlin was its bishops' chapel, where the residence of the Vologda bishops was located. In 1671-1675, the Archbishop's Court was surrounded by high walls, and a compact complex of buildings from the middle of the 17th century was formed next to the St. Sophia Cathedral. The total area of the "small Kremlin" is 2.3 hectares, and the length of the walls is 550 meters. Now it is the central attraction of Vologda, which is a museum-reserve: the entrance to the territory of the Kremlin is free, but visiting the buildings is paid.

2 Sophia Cathedral, st. Sergei Orlov, 15 (Kremlin Square). 200 rub. (together with the bell tower). The oldest surviving stone building in Vologda, built in the image and likeness of the Assumption Cathedral of the Moscow Kremlin. The almost 60-meter six-pillared temple is crowned with five domes, which originally had a helmet-like shape. The smooth whitewashed walls and domes have little to no decoration, reflecting northern austerity and brevity of local architecture. The main works were carried out by order and under the personal supervision of Ivan the Terrible in 1568-1570. However, after the sudden departure of the tsar in 1571 from Vologda, the cathedral remained undecorated and unconsecrated. It was completed only in 1587 already under Tsar Fyodor Ioannovich. From 1587 to 1923 - the main cathedral of the city - 12 Vologda bishops are buried here. In 1612 it was badly damaged by the Polish-Lithuanian invaders, but already in December 1613 it was repaired and re-consecrated. Inside the temple, frescoes created by Yaroslavl icon painters under the direction of Dmitry Plekhanov in 1686-1688 are well preserved. In the cathedral there is the largest fresco in Russia on the theme of "The Last Judgment" - its area is 400 square meters. The third five-tier wooden iconostasis in the Baroque style of 1724-1738, written by the Polish painter Maxim Iskritsky, has also survived to our time. In subsequent years, the temple was renovated several times, and in 1923 it was closed and transferred to the local history museum - an exposition on the history of religion and atheism was located here. During the restoration of 1966-1968. the cathedral was returned to the strict majestic appearance of the 17th century, and the extra outbuildings were dismantled. Now the temple is used jointly with the Russian Orthodox Church: it is open to the public in the summer as a museum, and services are held here on some church holidays.

3  The bell tower of St. Sophia Cathedral. The 78-meter bell tower, erected in a pseudo-Gothic style, is already the fifth in a row: the first three were wooden - only in 1659 the first stone one was erected from the demolished Kremlin walls. After 10 years, its top was dismantled, and a modern, higher one was built on the old foundation. On the tower of the bell tower there are chimes made in Moscow in 1871. They are connected to a system of bells that have been preserved since the 17th century and work several times a day. In summer, an observation deck is open on the upper tier of the bell tower, from which a panoramic view of the historical center of Vologda opens. To climb, you need to overcome 300 steps on a spiral wooden staircase.

4 Resurrection Cathedral, st. Sergei Orlov, 15, p. 3. ☎ +7 (817) 272-12-28. 8:00–19:00. The two-storied five-domed cathedral in the simplified Baroque style was erected in 1772-1776. as a warm temple in addition to the cold St. Sophia Cathedral. The temple was built on the site and from the material of the demolished southeastern tower of the Kremlin. In 1824, the main entrance with columns and a pediment was added to the cathedral. In 1938 the temple was closed, the iconostasis was dismantled, and the painting was lost. Since 1954, the department of the regional art gallery has been located here. Only in December 2016 the temple was returned to the Russian Orthodox Church, the relics of Bishop Anthony were transferred here. In August 2017, restoration work began in the cathedral, which is still ongoing, and services are held in the lower church.

The Bishops' Court housed the chambers of the Vologda bishops, which included several buildings.
5  Economic building. The oldest stone civil building in Vologda, built in 1657-1659. as the Treasury order, later received its current name. It stands out with a mezzanine above the front door - important documents were kept here, and food, kvass and wine were stored in the cellar. To the left of the building is the Nameless Building and the Exaltation of the Cross Church over the Holy Gates 1687-1692.
6  Simonovsky building. A large three-story building with a two-tier open gallery was erected in 1667-1670. - the first stone residence of the Vologda bishop was located here. A high house church of the Nativity of Christ was built at the building, which was abolished in the second half of the 18th century. On the second floor of the building were the personal chambers of the bishop and halls for ceremonial receptions. Now the building houses a museum exposition dedicated to the nature and history of the Vologda Territory. On the left side of the building adjoins the Gavrilovsky building, built at the end of the 17th century as the cells of Archbishop Gabriel. Now there are ticket offices and the excursion department of the museum.
7 Joseph Corps (House of Joseph the Golden). One of the most beautiful buildings of the Bishop's Court, built in the Baroque style, commissioned by Bishop Joseph the Golden in 1764-1769. There are four halls with high ceilings in the building: green, red, blue and gold - the rulers were met here. So, in October 1824, Emperor Alexander I was received in the golden hall. The interior decoration of the halls was very luxurious, but to this day, mainly stoves of the 18th century, lined with colored tiles, have survived. The tiles are painted with various subjects that can replace a picture book.

Next to the southern wall you can see the wooden one-story Bishop's summer house with carved architraves, which now houses the museum's administration. Until the middle of the 18th century, it stood outside the Bishop's Court on Cathedral Hill.

 

Around the Kremlin

8  Monument to K.N. Batyushkov, Kremlin Square (near St. Sophia Cathedral). A bronze sculpture of a local native, Konstantin Batyushkov, was opened on the embankment of the Vologda River in 1987, in honor of the 200th anniversary of the famous poet. Sculptor Vyacheslav Klykov portrayed Batyushkov standing on a pedestal in the military uniform of a participant in the Patriotic War of 1812, next to a downcast fighting horse, which is left for the sake of creativity. On the right, on a separate pedestal, there is a barefoot peasant woman with a flute, personifying the poet's muse - folk art, and in the distance, another component of the composition, the goddess Athena in a helmet with a lowered shield, symbolizes Batyushkov's military poetry. One of the best monuments in Vologda, a popular place for photo shoots.

9 "Church of Alexander Nevsky", st. Sergei Orlov, 10 (next to the Kremlin). The church is located next to the Resurrection Cathedral on the so-called "Known Mountain", successfully complementing the panorama of the Kremlin churches. The first wooden church on this site until the end of the 18th century was wooden and was dedicated to Nicholas the Wonderworker. The stone temple that has survived to this day dates from the second half of the 19th century. On the occasion of the visit of Emperor Alexander II to Vologda in 1869, the church was rebuilt and re-consecrated in honor of his heavenly patron, the hipped bell tower was replaced with a spire-shaped one. In 1941-1945. a military unit was located in the church, and after the return of the temple of the Russian Orthodox Church in 1997, it became the regimental temple of the Vologda garrison.

10  Monument to the letter "O". A 2.5-meter patterned sculpture was opened in the square on Cathedral Hill in June 2012 to perpetuate the typical for the inhabitants of the Vologda Oblast dialect with “okan” on the unstressed letter O, which has already become the brand of the region, but is less and less common in real life.

11  Bench "Let's sit, have a look." The forged bench is another art object dedicated to the Vologda “okany”, installed on the Cathedral Hill by the participants of the festival “Voice of Crafts-2015”. In 2016, an accordion and a book with poems by Nikolai Rubtsov were added to the bench in honor of the poet's 80th birthday. The bench offers a picturesque view of the Candlemas Church on the other side of the Vologda River.

12  Art object “The door to…” (at the crossroads of Leningradskaya, Mayakovskaya and Burmaginykh streets). An open forged door depicting famous monuments of the city was installed in 2014 by the participants of the City of Crafts festival. Immediately after this, an urban legend appeared: if you make a wish, rub the copper sun in the center of the door, knock three times with a hammer and go through the doorway - the wish will come true.

13 "Dom Zasetsky", st. Leningradskaya, 12. A one-story mansion with a mezzanine and a portico is the oldest wooden building in Vologda, built in the 1790s (it was rebuilt at the end of the 19th century). It belonged to the noble family of the Zasetskys. At present, it is impossible to inspect the house from the inside, but restoration is planned with the subsequent opening of the museum.

14 Actor's house (Orlov's house), Leningradskaya st., 4. Residential two-story wooden mansion with a mezzanine, built in the second half of the 19th century in the classical style. Although the facade of the house is simple and austere, without lace decor, it is one of the best and well-preserved monuments of Vologda wooden architecture in the very center of the city. Now it houses the public organization "House of the Actor", the building is named after the actor of the Vologda Drama Theater Alexei Semyonov. Performances and literary and musical evenings are organized in the house, there is a cafe.

 

Spaso-Prilutsky Monastery

15 Spaso-Priluki Monastery, Monastyrskaya St., 2 (Priluki microdistrict). ☎ +7 (8172) 55-92-24. 6:00–20:00. One of the oldest monasteries in the Russian North, founded by Dmitry Prilutsky (a student of Sergius of Radonezh) in 1371, in the bend of the Vologda River. The monastery became an important outpost of the Moscow principality in the struggle with Novgorod for the northern lands and enjoyed the broad support of Moscow princes and tsars - from Dmitry Donskoy to Ivan the Terrible. Donated abodes of the earth, money and objects of art made it in the XV-XVI centuries. one of the largest and most famous in the Russian North. The abbots of the monastery had a great influence and even participated in electoral councils for the approval of Boris Godunov in 1598 and Mikhail Romanovich in 1613 on the throne of Moscow. Stone construction in the monastery began in the first half of the 16th century, before that all the buildings were wooden, including wall number. Because of this, during the Time of Troubles, the monastery was attacked and plundered more than once, but, despite the destruction and devastation, it was quickly rebuilt.
The modern architectural complex of the monastery is a combination of the creations of several generations of architects of the 16th-18th centuries. Here the main features of construction in the Russian North over these three centuries are intertwined - most of the buildings have survived to our time without major changes. During the invasion of Moscow by Napoleon's army in 1812, valuables transported from the largest metropolitan and Moscow region monasteries were kept in the monastery. In 1855, the poet K.N. Batyushkov. In Soviet times, the monastery was closed - it housed a prison, a nursing home, a museum, but already in 1992 the monastery was returned to the Russian Orthodox Church, and monastic life resumed here again.

The most important relics of the monastery are the icon “Demetrius of Prilutsky with Life”, painted by the ancient Russian artist Dionysius in 1503, and the Cilician Cross, according to legend, brought by the Monk Demetrius from Pereslavl and erected at the site of the foundation of the new monastery. The icon was taken by Ivan III in 1503 on a campaign to Kazan, after which it was richly decorated with gold and silver, and Ivan the Terrible took the Cilician Cross on a campaign to Kazan in 1552. The eight-pointed miraculous cross is trimmed with carved images of white bone and covered with silver gilded basma. Now both shrines are kept in the center of Vologda, in the museum-reserve.

16  Holy gates with the gate Ascension Church. They were built at the end of the 16th century and are the oldest stone building of the monastery fence, which was wooden until the middle of the 17th century. The large gates are decorated with a massive keeled portal, and the small ones are decorated with a smaller portal. Inside the holy gates you can see an old painting. The Church of the Ascension has a cubic shape with one narrow drum and a helmet-shaped dome. Next to it rises a light bell tower, built in 1730. From the southwest, under the bell tower, there is a church shop and toilets. To the northeast of the Holy Gates there are two-storey fraternal cells built in the 17th-19th centuries.

17  Savior Cathedral. The first stone temple of the monastery and Vologda, erected in 1537-1542. on the site of an earlier wooden church destroyed by fire. The majestic two-storey five-domed temple is made in the traditions of Moscow architecture of the first half of the 16th century, but with the modesty and conciseness of the facades inherent in the Russian North. On three sides, the cathedral is surrounded by a gallery, and on the east side, three massive apses adjoin it. The main decoration of the cathedral is a massive front porch of the 17th century with a staircase leading to the second floor. The porch contains jug-shaped pillars in its construction, supporting double arches with a hanging weight. From the north, the sacristy tent, built in the 18th century on the site of the cell of Dimitry Prilutsky, adjoins the cathedral, and from the east side, according to legend, a well dug by him. The relics of St. Demetrius are buried in the cathedral. In Soviet times, the cathedral was used as housing, the old iconostasis and murals were lost. Currently, the cathedral has been transferred to the Russian Orthodox Church, and the restoration of the lost iconostasis is underway.
The first bell tower of 1537-1542, adjoining the northwestern corner of the cathedral, has not been preserved, but you can see the remains of its lower tier. A new, higher bell tower with the Church of Alexis, erected in 1639-1654. But its tent completion was removed in the 1720s and replaced with a new figured roof with a spire.

18  Vvedenskaya Church with a refectory. The Vvedensky church with a refectory, Kelarsky and white chambers were built in the middle of the 16th century. The square temple, erected no later than 1623, on the basement, is covered with a pyramid of three tiers of keeled kokoshniks, and the upper tier and the drum are decorated with a wide patterned belt. A covered gallery leads from the Spassky Cathedral to the refectory chamber. A large vaulted hall for common monastic meals is located on the second floor, and utility rooms are located on the basement floor of the refectory.

19 Assumption Church from the Alexander-Kushtsky Monastery. The oldest surviving wooden tent church in Russia, built in 1519. It is distinguished by constructive completeness and accuracy of proportions, picturesque hipped and barrel-shaped roofs. It was transported here as a monument of wooden architecture in 1962 from the Alexander-Kushtsky Monastery, and the old icons from the iconostasis of the church were taken to the collection of the Vologda Museum-Reserve. The church was restored in 1966.

The stone walls of the monastery, 950 meters long, with 5 combat towers, were built according to all the rules of fortification construction in the second half of the 17th century. The height of the walls reaches seven meters, and the thickness is more than two. In the center of the southwestern wall overlooking the left bank of the Vologda River is the Water Tower. This is the only tower with a passage gate through which the monks brought water to the monastery. From the inside, you can climb the tower and take a walk along the walls of the monastery. To the left of Vodyana is the octagonal whitewashed Mill Tower, decorated with decorative niches and relief columns. The remaining three towers were painted with red-yellow-orange vertical stripes in the 19th century, which gives the monastery the appearance of a fairy-tale fortress from the outside. To the right of Vodyanaya is the tallest South Tower, which has 16 faces and reaches 20 meters in height - its upper tier is decorated with relief arches, and the loopholes are in the shape of keyholes. The Vologda tower is not similar to it, but it has only 12 faces. The Belozerskaya tower, located on the northern corner, does not stand out for its special architectural delights, but is also a powerful defensive element of the monastery walls.

 

Urban architecture

House of the Bryanchaninov-Dmitrievsky, st. Vorovskogo, 6.
Former men's gymnasium (Hospital home) , Galkinskaya st., 1.
House of Vorobyov, st. Zasodimsky, 14.
House of the Governor-General, Zosimovskaya st., 1.
The building of the former Hermitage Hotel, st. Stone bridge, 4.
A stone bridge.
Sveshnikov House, st. Lenina, 2.
Vologda State Technical University, st. Lenina, 15.
Governor's house, st. Lenina, 19.
Volkov House, Leningradskaya st., 28.
House of Ryndin, st. Maltsev, 31.
The building of the former hotel "Passage", st. Maria Ulyanova, 2.
Fair House, st. Mira, 6
Provincial Committee of the RCP (b), Oktyabrskaya st., 11.
The building of the former City Duma, Sovetsky pr., 2.
House of Yushin, Sovetsky pr., 14.
Sokovikov's house  Wikidata item, Sovetsky pr., 20/28

 

Church architecture

Church of Varlaam Khutynsky (inactive) , st. Zasodimsky, 14-a.
Church of Elijah the Prophet (inactive), st. Zasodimsky, 14-b.
Church of the Assumption of the Mother of God, st. Burmaginykh, 19a.
Church of John the Baptist in Roshchenye, st. Predtechenskaya, 26. 08:00-18:00.
Church of Dmitry Prilutsky on Navolok, embankment of the VI Army, 119.
Church of the Intercession on Kozlyon, Pervomayskaya st., 12.
Church of St. Andrew the First-Called in Fryazinov, embankment of the VI Army, 205.
Churches of the Vladimir Icon of the Mother of God (inactive) , warm (Oktyabrskaya st., 46-a) and cold (Oktyabrskaya st., 46-b).
Church of Constantine and Helena , Victory Ave., 35.
Church of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker in Vladychnaya Sloboda, st. Gogol, 108.
Church of the Presentation of the Lord (inactive) , embankment of the VI Army, 85.
Church of St. John Chrysostom (inactive), embankment VI Army, 105.
Chapel in honor of the Nativity of Christ (VRZ Park).
Church of the Intercession at the Market, Torgovaya Square, 8.
Church of the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God, Torgovaya Square, 6.
Church of Lazarus the Righteous, st. Burmaginykh, 50 (Gorbachev cemetery).
Cathedral in honor of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin, Govorovsky proezd, 2.
Chapel in the name of Blessed Nikolai Rynin, Govorovsky proezd, 2.
Church of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker on Glinka, st. Predtechenskaya, 74.
Church of St. Sergius of Radonezh, per. South Grove, 2

 

Monuments

Monument to the 800th anniversary of Vologda (Lazy Square).
Monument to the sewage truck, st. Sergey Orlov, 4 (next to the water tower).
Monument to the 100th anniversary of the electrification of Vologda ("Manneken Pis"), Prechistenskaya nab. (at the Red (pedestrian) bridge).
Monument to the heroes of the October Revolution and the Civil War ("Tooth"), Sovetsky Ave. (Revolution Square).
Worship Cross, st. Lermontov (Revolution Square).
Memorial "Eternal Flame", st. Lermontov (Revolution Square).
Obelisk of military glory, st. Lenin (Kirovsky Square).
Police belfry, Oktyabrskaya st. (Theatre Square).
Monument to cosmonaut P. Belyaev, st. Maltseva, Oktyabrskaya (October Square).
Monument to S. Ilyushin, st. Mira (October Square).
Bronze bust of A. Klubov, st. Dobrolyubova (Military Memorial Cemetery).
Memorial to the evacuated Leningraders who died in the Vologda Oblast, Poshekhonskoye Highway (Oktyabrsky Square).
Mill of Desires, st. Sergei Orlov (Kremlin Square). The wings of the windmill are decorated with inscriptions - love, friendship, dream and happiness. According to custom, you need to "spin" the wings and wait until they stop. Which inscription will indicate the corner of the roof, then it is waiting for you this year.

 

What to do

Museums

Vologda State Historical, Architectural and Art Museum-Reserve
1 Lace Museum, Kremlin Square, 12. ☎ +7 (8172) 72-16-56. Wed–Sun 10:00–17:00, Mon–Tue – days off. Self-examination - 150 rubles. On Sundays group tours are held for 170 rubles per person. The museum is located opposite the Kremlin in a stone two-story building built in the middle of the 19th century as a city estate, in the style of St. Petersburg classical architecture of that time. From 1892 to 1999, the building housed the Vologda branch of the State Bank, and in November 2010, the first and only Lace Museum in Russia was opened on the entire building area (1500 square meters).
The exposition of the museum is dedicated to the foundation and development of the traditional art craft of the Vologda region, which brought world fame to the region in the 19th century. Here you can see not only Vologda products, but also samples of lace from major lace centers in Europe, other museum expositions tell about world trends in lacemaking from the end of the 19th century to the beginning 21st century Museum halls are arranged in chronological order. In addition to the permanent exhibition, there are traveling exhibitions from other cities and countries. On the ground floor, you can try delicious and inexpensive eclairs in a cafe and buy lace napkins or collars as souvenirs.

2 Museum “Literature. Art. Century XX ", st. Herzen, 36. ☎ +7 (8172) 75-55-39. Tue-Sat: 10:00 – 17:30. Sun and Mon are days off. 100 rub. It is located in the two-storey wooden mansion of the Sitnikovs, built in 1868. The main exposition of the museum is devoted to the life and work of the Vologda poet Nikolai Rubtsov: here the poems are accompanied by landscape plans of the Vologda region. Part of the exposition tells about the Vologda musician V.A. Gavrilina, who wrote famous ballets and piano pieces. Of considerable interest is the museum building itself, richly decorated with carved architraves.

3 House-Museum of Peter I (Peter's House), Sovetsky pr., 47. ☎ +7 (8172) 75-27-59. Tue-Sat - 10:00-17:30, Sun and Mon - days off. 100 rub. The museum building is one of the oldest civil buildings in the city, an architectural monument of the 17th century with Dutch tiled stoves of that time. It was here, in a small one-story house on the embankment, that Peter I stayed during his trips to Vologda. There are few exhibits, but there are such unique things as the death mask of the emperor, his clothes, the cup of A.D. Menshikov and others. This is the first museum in Vologda, opened in 1885.

4 Museum complex "Vologda at the turn of the XIX-XX centuries" (Samarin's house), Sovetsky pr., 16a. ☎ +7 (8172) 72-43-11. Wed-Sun: 10:00 – 17:30. Mon-Tue - days off. 100 rub. The exhibitions are located in three nearby buildings of the former estate of the merchant A.P. Samarina: a merchant's mansion, an apartment building and a shop. All three buildings are a typical example of the Vologda building of the late 19th - early 20th centuries, the only local city estate that has survived to this day. This is largely due to the fact that the second floor of the apartment building was rented in exile in 1913-1914. Lenin's younger sister Maria Ulyanova. In the museum you can see the apartment of a pre-revolutionary apartment building, a school of that time, learn about the lifestyle of Vologda merchants and townspeople of the early 20th century, visit a retro photo studio and take pictures in pre-revolutionary outfits, study the traditions of the Russian feast. In addition to the expositions, the museum buildings themselves are of great interest.

5 Museum "The World of Forgotten Things", Leningradskaya st., 6. ☎ +7 (8172) 21-14-27. Wed-Sun: 10:00 – 17:30. Mon-Tue - days off. 80 rub. It is located in a wooden mansion with a groin mezzanine of the end of the 19th century, built in the traditions of late classicism, not far from the Kremlin. Before the revolution, the building belonged to the merchant Dmitry Panteleev, the museum was opened by his descendants in 1991. The expositions tell about the culture and life of the townspeople in the pre-revolutionary era. The interiors of the 19th - early 20th centuries are recreated here, complemented by antiques. For example, this is a gramophone, which has already become history, but here it is in working condition. The museum also hosts temporary exhibitions of local artists and literary and musical evenings. During the renovation in the museum-apartment of K.N. Batyushkov, there is an exposition dedicated to the life and work of the poet.

6 Museum "Vologda link" st. Maria Ulyanova, 33. ☎ +7 (8172) 56-21-07. Mon–Sat 10:00–17:00. 100 rub. It is located in a two-story wooden house, where from December 1911 to February 1912 Joseph Stalin served his exile. The museum tells about Vologda as “under-the-capital Siberia”, where high-ranking persons were exiled starting from the 15th century (the first exile was still Moscow Prince Vasily II), and in the 20th century - revolutionaries. The expositions of the museum are dedicated to the exiles of the first half of the 19th - early 20th centuries, there is a wax figure of young Stalin. In Soviet times, the house was a museum dedicated to the activities of the Bolsheviks, a modern museum was opened in 2007.

 

Regional art gallery

The main art museum of the region, founded in 1952. Until 2016, the central and largest exposition of the gallery was located in the Resurrection Cathedral of the Kremlin - modern Russian art was presented here. In December 2016, the cathedral was transferred to the Russian Orthodox Church, and most of the work was transferred to the Shalamov House. Now the collection of almost 30,000 exhibits is distributed among three buildings located in different parts of the city.

7 Shalamovsky house, st. Sergei Orlov, 15, building 1. ☎ +7 (8172) 72-12-56. Wed–Sun 10:00–18:00, Mon-Tue - days off. 150 rub. The two-story mansion of 1844 was used as a living quarters of the Vologda diocese - here the writer Varlam Shalamov was born in the family of a priest and lived until 1924. The main collections of the gallery are located in the house: Russian art of the 17th-early 20th centuries and Western European painting and graphics of the 17th-19th centuries. On the first floor there is a memorial museum of V.T. Shalamov, opened in 1991.
8 Korbakov's house, Oktyabrskaya st., 13. ☎ +7 (8172) 72-16-56. Wed–Sun 10:00–18:00 Mon-Tue - days off. 150 rub. Here, in the museum and creative center, opened in 2002, there is an exposition of paintings and graphic works by the People's Artist of Russia Vladimir Korbakov, who was born and worked almost all his life in Vologda. In addition to the artist's works, here is a collection of his portraits "Friends are painting me." The works exhibited in the house are important achievements of urban artistic life in the second half of the 20th - early 21st centuries.
9  Workshop of Alexander Panteleev, Kozlenskaya st., 4. ☎ +7 (8172) 21-16-39. Tue–Sat 10:00–18:00 Sun-Mon - days off. 90 rub. A one-story brick mansion of the late 19th century, where the honored artist Alexander Panteleev worked from 1981 to 1990. Now his paintings and drawings, as well as some personal items and tools are placed here. The memorial workshop opened as a branch of the regional art gallery in 1993. There are also exhibitions of other famous and not so famous artists.

 

Other

10  Art Gallery "Red Bridge"  , emb. 6th Army, 143. ☎ +7 (8172) 54-79-27. 10:00–18:00, Friday is a day off. Free admission. Gallery of contemporary art, opened in 2003 on the Zarechnaya side near the Red Pedestrian Bridge. The gallery's collection includes about 1,000 pieces of painting, graphics and photography from the 1960s to the beginning of the 21st century. There are exhibitions of contemporary artists. There is a cafe on the ground floor, even more popular than the gallery itself.

 

Theaters

11 Vologda Drama Theatre, Sovetsky pr., 1. ☎ +7 (8172) 72-61-66. Tue–Sun 12:00–18:00, Mon 14:00–18:00. The largest theater in the region, opened in 1849. The theater moved to a modern building in 1974. Here you can watch plays and operas ranging from classical to modern. The prices are very democratic.
12 Regional Philharmonic named after V.A. Gavrilina, st. Lermontova, 21. ☎ +7 (8172) 72-13-91. 10:00–20:00. It is located in the former House of the Noble Assembly, built in the 1780s as the main house of the city estate of the nobleman M.A. Kolychev. The building is three-storey with a rounded facade in the style of Russian classicism. In Soviet times, the building was transferred to the library, and since 1965 it has become a concert hall of the regional philharmonic society. Now here you can watch musical performances and concerts of various subjects.
13 Chamber Drama Theatre, st. Mira, 18 (near the Central Department Store). ☎ +7 (8172) 50-22-34. 12:00–18:00. A small private theater founded in 1999 by former actors from the state theatre. Here you can see both modern and classical performances. Prices are average. In 2019, the theater moved into a modern stone two-story building of the 19th century.
14  Theatre for Children and Youth (TYuZ) , Oktyabrskaya st., 2. ☎ +7 (8172) 76-26-72. Tue-Thurs: 12:00 - 15:00 16:00 - 18:00, Fri: 12:00 - 15:00 16:00 - 18:00, Sat-Sun: 10:00 - 14:00 16:00 - 18:00 00, Mon - day off. Former Vologda Youth Theater, opened in 1976. It is located in the former building of the Pushkin People's House, built in 1904. In 1906, there was a pogrom of the Black Hundreds and a fire, only the walls remained of the building. In Soviet times, the building was restored, from 1933 to 1974. there was a drama theatre. The modern concept of the youth theater was developed by the chief director of the Youth Theater since 1985, Boris Granatov. Theatrical performances are aimed at children and youth audiences, the prices are low. You can also attend dance and vocal lessons here.
15 Teremok Puppet Theatre, st. Lenina, 21. ☎ +7 (8172) 72-88-43. Wed-Sun: 10:00 - 14:00, 15:00 - 19:00. Mon-Tue - days off. It is located in the former building of the Church of Zosima and Savvaty of Solovetsky, erected in 1759-1773. In Soviet times, the church was closed and converted into a “teremok”, and in 1966 the regional puppet theater moved here (hence its name). The theater itself has been leading its history since 1937; now you can see many puppet shows here, as well as ordinary children's performances.

 

Etymology

The name of the city comes from the hydronym Vologda. The main version of the origin of the hydronym concerns the Finno-Ugric roots of this word. It was first put forward by the Finnish philologists I. Yu. Mikkola and Yalo Kalima at the beginning of the 20th century, and the domestic philologist Yu. I. Chaikina is inclined to the same theory. According to this version, the word "Vologda" is of Vepsian origin. The Old Vepsian valgeda (modern vauged "white"), with the usual transmission of -al- between consonants through the Russian "-olo-", led to the formation of the word "Vologda" - "a river with white (clear, clean) water." Nevertheless, an older origin is also possible: other Finno-Ugric names of the Dvina basin are also known for “-ever”, “-when” (Vychegda, Kerogda) and names with the stem “vol-” (Volonga, Voloma, Volyuga, Volokhtoma) , which does not allow us to consider the name finally understood.

Versions of the Slavic origin of the name are most often associated with the origin from the word "drag". This version, however, does not have serious support in science and is presented mainly in journalism and fiction - in particular, in the work of V. A. Gilyarovsky "My Wanderings".

 

History of Vologda

Foundation
The official year of foundation of Vologda is 1147. This version is based on Gerasim of Vologda's 1666 Tale of Miracles and Ivan Slobodsky's 1716 Chronicler. Both sources are secondary and borrow from earlier codes. They tell about the arrival of the monk Gerasim on the Vologda River and the foundation by him on the Kaisar Stream (flows into Vologda) of the Trinity Monastery “half a field away” (800 meters) from the Lazy Platform. Supporters of the official founding date believe that Vologda already existed in the 12th century as a settlement, but was not yet a fortified city and did not have a citadel.

However, many historians and archaeologists express doubts about the official date. They note not only the late and secondary origin of the Tale of the Miracles of Gerasim of Vologda and the Chronicler by Ivan Slobodsky, but also the data of archaeological excavations that do not record the Vologda settlement before the 13th century. The foundation of the monastery by Gerasim in 1147 also does not fit into the general picture of monastic construction in the surrounding territories, which began only in the 13th century.

Therefore, skeptics are more inclined to believe that Vologda was founded in the middle of the 13th century, namely, in 1264; it was then that it was first mentioned in written sources: in the agreement between Novgorod and the Grand Duke, the Vologda volost appears in the list of Novgorod outlying possessions. The next written mention of Vologda dates back to 1273, when Prince Svyatoslav Yaroslavich of Tver attacked the city.

The first birch bark found in Vologda dates from 1320-1340.

Vologda in antiquity
Until the end of the 14th century, Vologda was subordinate to the Novgorod Republic. However, since the end of the 13th century, due to its favorable geographical position at the crossroads of waterways, the city has repeatedly become the object of internecine wars between Novgorod, Tver and Moscow princes. Since then, the city's belonging to Novgorod was not stable and was constantly the subject of negotiations with the Grand Dukes, although Vologda appeared in the Novgorod charters until 1456. So in 1304-1305, Grand Duke Mikhail Yaroslavich even managed to appoint his governor in the city for a short time. In 1368, Vologda was captured by the Moscow prince Dmitry Donskoy, after which a duumvirate of Novgorod and Moscow governors was apparently established in the city. A notable outpost of Moscow's influence in Vologda soon became the Spaso-Prilutsky Monastery, founded in 1371 4 km from the city by Dimitry Prilutsky and becoming the first cenobitic monastery in the Russian North.

In 1397, the Moscow Prince Vasily I, by military means, actually annexed Vologda to his possessions. However, even after that, the city was repeatedly attacked by Novgorodians, and was one of the objects of struggle during the Internecine War of 1425-1453. A few months after the defeat by Dmitry Shemyaka, Vasily II the Dark with his wife and children was released "out of capture." On September 15, 1446, Shemyaka granted Vasily the inheritance of Vologda. Thus, Vasily II became the first prince of Vologda. From here he went to the Cyrillo-Belozersky Monastery, where hegumen Tryphon in 1447 was released from the kiss of the cross not to claim the Moscow throne, after which he again continued to fight with Dmitry Shemyaka. In 1450, Vologda was besieged by the troops of Dmitry Shemyaka, who, according to legend, could not take the city thanks to the miraculous intercession of Dmitry Prilutsky and two young men in white robes (“Belarusians”), who killed the besiegers.

After the death of Vasily II, Vologda in 1462 passes into the inheritance of his son Andrei the Lesser and again becomes the center of the Vologda specific principality.

Under Ivan III, Vologda became a place for gathering troops during military campaigns, storing the treasury and grain reserves, as well as exile. At the end of the 15th - beginning of the 16th century, the Kazan khan Alegam, the Crimean khan Ayder, the Lithuanian hetman Konstantin Ostrozhsky, the sons of Andrei the Great, princes of Uglich Ivan and Dmitry, visited Vologda as exiles.

Under Ivan III, a road was laid from Yaroslavl to Vologda.

In 1481, after the death of Prince Andrei, who left no heirs, Vologda, as an escheat, passes to Grand Duke Ivan III, is transformed into the Vologda district and is finally assigned to the Moscow principality.

 

Vologda under Ivan IV the Terrible

During the reign of Tsar Ivan IV, Vologda became one of the most important transit centers in Russia's foreign trade with England, Holland and other Western countries along the Severodvinsk route and in trade with Siberia along the Sukhona and Vychegda. In the city on the banks of the river, the sovereign's storeroom was built. In 1555, the British opened their trading office in Vologda, and the first Russian ambassador sent to England for negotiations was Osip Nepeya from Vologda.

In 1565, Ivan IV decides to turn Vologda into the capital of the Oprichnina and orders to dig ditches in the city and build a stone Vologda Kremlin. The new fortress, bounded on one side by the river, and on the other by the boundaries of the modern streets of Leningradskaya, Oktyabrskaya and Mir (the Zolotukha River), according to the tsar's plan, was supposed to be 2.1 times larger than the Moscow Kremlin. The laying of the fortress began with the personal presence of the king on April 28, 1566, on the day of the holy apostles Jason (Nason) and Sosipater, in connection with which the territory of the fortress, located in a new place from the historical part of Vologda, received the name "Nason-city".

In 1568, the construction of a new cathedral church and the first stone building in Vologda, the Sophia Cathedral, began on the territory of the fortress, the construction of which continued until 1570 and was carried out on the model of the Assumption Cathedral of the Moscow Kremlin in order to give the northern residence of the tsar a metropolitan appearance. All construction work was carried out under the personal supervision of the king, who repeatedly stayed in Vologda. In total, up to 10 thousand people were employed in the construction of the cathedral and the Vologda fortress.

In 1571, Vologda became the center of the Vologda-Perm diocese and the seat of the bishops of Vologda and Great Perm. The diocese was formed back in 1492 with a chair in the distant Permian village of Ust-Vym. Thus, along with the commercial and military-political rise, there was a strengthening of Vologda in church affairs.

In the same 1571, Ivan IV unexpectedly stopped construction work in Vologda and left it forever. As possible reasons, historians single out the abolition of Oprichnina (and, consequently, its center), the raid of the Crimean Khan Devlet Giray on Moscow, and the epidemic of the “pestilence”. There is also a legend that during the next visit to St. Sophia Cathedral, a stone (or a piece of plaster) fell from its roof on Ivan IV's head, which the tsar took as a bad sign. In confirmation of this legend, the fact is given that the St. Sophia Cathedral, which Ivan IV even wanted to dismantle, was never consecrated during his reign. The consecration of the cathedral itself took place only under his son Fyodor Ivanovich in 1587. And sections of the unfinished fortress, which were later briefly reinforced with wooden walls in the 17th century, stood until the beginning of the 19th century, when they were dismantled by the city authorities and local residents as material for stone construction.

 

Vologda in the Time of Troubles

During the Time of Troubles, Vologda became an important center of the struggle against the invaders. Despite the fact that initially in the summer of 1608 Vologda swore allegiance to False Dmitry II, already at the end of November of the same year, as a result of abuses and unlimited extortions by the new administration against his governor, a successful uprising took place in the city[48]. The new government in Vologda supported the government of Vasily Shuisky, established contact with government troops in other cities, and the Vologda militia began to liberate the cities of the northern and central parts of the country (Kostroma, Romanov, Yaroslavl, Galich) from the "Tushins". Vologda becomes a stronghold of the liberation movement in the North and the Volga region. Nevertheless, after the overthrow of Vasily Shuisky and the establishment of the Seven Boyars, Vologda residents swear allegiance to the Polish prince Vladislav.

Nevertheless, in the spring of 1611, Vologda actively participated in the formation of the First Militia, and in the spring-summer of 1612 it became one of the important centers for the formation and concentration of military forces of the Second Militia of K. Minin and D. Pozharsky. In the summer of 1612, the Vologda detachments under the command of P. I. Mansurov set off to liberate Moscow from the Polish-Lithuanian garrison, but there were not enough contingents left in Vologda itself to defend the city .. As a result, on September 22, 1612, one of the Polish-Lithuanian predatory detachments had no difficulty took possession of Vologda, after which the city was burned, and many inhabitants were killed or taken prisoner. As the Archbishop of Vologda Sylvester testified, “the destroyers of the Orthodox faith came to Vologda without a trace, they took the city, they flogged all kinds of people, they desecrated the churches of God, they burned the city and the settlements to the ground.”

In 1612, when Moscow was captured by the Poles, the head office of the Moscow Company was evacuated to Vologda. Four years earlier, due to the siege of Moscow, foreign merchants with goods accumulated in Vologda. Tsar Vasily ordered to organize the defense of the city, to which the same merchants were involved.

 

Vologda under the Romanovs

After the end of the Time of Troubles, Vologda is experiencing a new heyday: the city is being actively restored, refugees are returning, the population is growing, crafts, domestic and foreign trade, and stone construction are flourishing. At the end of the 17th century, Vologda was second only to Moscow and Yaroslavl in terms of the number of households.

During the reign of Peter I, Vologda, in addition to its trade and craft significance, became a major military base of the country and a shipbuilding center. The tsar also planned to turn Vologda into the center of training voyages of the Russian fleet that was being created, which he intended to conduct on Lake Kubenskoye (30 km from Vologda). However, Kubenskoye Lake seemed to the tsar unsuitable for this. Peter I himself stayed in the city 5 times (1692, 1693, 1694, 1702, 1724). His place of residence in Vologda was the house of the Dutch merchant I. Goatman, which in 1872 was acquired by the city authorities, and in 1885 turned into the House-Museum of Peter I.

However, with the founding of St. Petersburg, which opened the sea route to Europe through the Baltic Sea, the importance of Vologda as the center of Russia's foreign trade fell sharply. In addition, Vologda ceased to be an administrative center: in 1708 the city was assigned to the Arkhangelsk province. And by Peter's decree of 1722 on the restriction of trade through Arkhangelsk, Vologda was completely aloof from trade routes, deserted and turned into an ordinary provincial city.

Some revival came only under Catherine II, who on January 25, 1780 made Vologda the center of a special Vologda governorship. By decree of Paul I of December 12 (23), 1796, the Vologda viceroy was renamed the Vologda province. In turn, the territory of the present central part of Vologda has been built up since the end of the 18th century according to the plan of the provincial city, approved in 1781.

The new economic upsurge of the city is associated with the launch of the Mariinsky and Severo-Dvinskaya water systems, steamship traffic along the Sukhona and the construction of a railway line connecting Vologda with Yaroslavl and Moscow (1872), with Arkhangelsk (1898), with St. Petersburg and Vyatka (1905).

In 1871, the Holstein entrepreneur F.A. Buman opened the first Russian specialized butter factory in the village of Marfino, Vologda district, and in 1872, another butter factory in the nearby village of Fominskoye (13 km from Vologda). Since then, Vologda has become the center of the butter industry, and Vologda butter, the manufacturing technology of which was invented by N.V. Vereshchagin and acquired by F.A. Buman, has become a global brand. In 1911, the Fominskoye estate with the F.A. Buman butter factory was transferred to the treasury, and the Vologda Dairy Institute was founded on its basis: thus, Vologda turns into one of the largest dairy centers in the country.

In addition, Vologda has been a place of exile since the 15th century, and in the 19th century it received the nickname "undercapital Siberia". At the end of the 19th - beginning of the 20th century, I. V. Stalin, V. M. Molotov, N. A. Berdyaev, B. V. Savinkov, M. I. Ulyanova, A. V. Lunacharsky, A. A. Bogdanov. According to rough estimates, a total of about 10 thousand people passed through the Vologda exile. However, even a large number of exiles did not contribute to the active development of the revolutionary movement in Vologda. During the years of the First Russian Revolution, there was a slight rise in revolutionary activity, which ended after the riots on May 1, 1906. After the February Revolution, power passed to the Vologda Provincial Provisional Committee. The former administration freely surrendered its powers to the new government.

 

Vologda under Soviet rule

Soviet power in Vologda was established only in January 1918, and until the end of June 1918 the city duma and council continued to operate. In February 1918, Vologda became the “diplomatic capital of Russia” for several months: out of fear of the capture of Petrograd by German troops, about 11 embassies, consulates and missions headed by American Ambassador David R. Francis were evacuated here. Under pressure from the Bolsheviks, however, on July 24, 1918, the diplomats were forced to leave Vologda and go home via Arkhangelsk. During the Civil War, Vologda became the location of the headquarters of the VI Red Army, which opposed the Northern Army of Yevgeny Miller.

In 1929, Vologda for some time lost its significance as a regional center: the Vologda province was abolished and included in the new entity - the Northern Territory, which, in addition to Vologda, included the territories of the Arkhangelsk and North Dvina provinces, as well as the autonomous region of Komi (Zyryan). Arkhangelsk became the administrative center of the Northern Territory.

On June 20, 1932, the Presidium of the All-Russian Central Executive Committee decided to “abolish the Vologda region, the Northern Territory, distributing its territory as follows:

a) village councils: Bryukhovsky, Zabolotsky, Markovsky and Pukhtinsky completely, as well as parts of the territory of Belovsky, Gavriltsevsky and Likhtozhsky village councils, with a border in this area along the Likhtozhskaya river, are attributed to Gryazovetsky district, Goncharovsky village council is completely - to Kubino-Ozersky district, and village councils : Potobovsky, Pudengsky, Khrenovsky and Yangosorsky completely and parts of the territory of the Yemsky, Pogorelovsky and Toshninsky village councils, with the establishment of the border along the Ema River, are attributed to the Chebsarsky district;

b) the remaining territory of the liquidated Vologda region, the Northern Territory, be subordinated to the Vologda City Council in accordance with the decision of the Presidium of the All-Russian Central Executive Committee on October 30, 1930 (SU, No. 57, art. 683).”

In December 1936, the Northern Territory was abolished and divided into the Komi ASSR and the Northern Region, Arkhangelsk became the administrative center of the Northern Region.

On September 23, 1937, by a decree of the Central Executive Committee of the USSR, the Northern Region was divided into Arkhangelsk and Vologda Regions. By the same decree, the districts of the Cherepovets district of the Leningrad region, which now constituted the western part of the Vologda region and had never been part of the Vologda province, were annexed to the Vologda Oblast. Thus, the modern borders of the Vologda Oblast were formalized.

On September 1, 1938, the Vologda District was formed in the Vologda Oblast.

In the 1930s, industrialization took place in Vologda: a flax mill, a plant for the manufacture of sawmill equipment "Northern Kommunar", a garment factory named after. Clara Zetkin, ship repair, wood chemical and car repair plants.

During the Great Patriotic War, martial law was introduced in Vologda, and industrial enterprises switched to military production. In addition, the city has become one of the largest evacuation points (mainly for residents of besieged Leningrad) and a hospital center.

Having become a front-line city, Vologda was divided into hundreds of self-defense sites: bomb shelters, simple shelters were built, air defense systems were deployed that guarded the railway junction and military-industrial enterprises. As a result, not a single bomb fell on the city, although there were repeated bombing attempts[67]. In addition, Vologda regularly supplied the Leningrad Front through its railway junction. Residents of the city made donations in the form of donated blood, money and jewelry. With the money of the Vologda residents, a tank column "Vologda Collective Farmer" was formed

 

Post-Soviet period

In November 1991, the city administration was established and the reform of local self-government bodies began. In October 1993, the Soviets of People's Deputies of all levels, including the city of Vologda, were liquidated. After the dissolution of the City Council in Vologda, the Council of Self-Government of the City of Vologda (of 6 deputies) was established, the first elections to which were held on March 20, 1994. In December 1995, new elections were held for the Self-Government Council, whose composition was expanded to 30 deputies. On July 25, 1996, the main law of the city was adopted - the Charter of the city of Vologda.

On October 6, 1996, Vologda hosted the first ever nationwide election of the head of the city, which was won by A.S. Yakunichev, who led the city until 2008. In 1999, the Council of Self-Government of the city of Vologda was renamed the Vologda City Duma.

In 2003, construction of a ring road began in Vologda, which connects the A114, A119 and M8 highways (Arkhangelsk and Moscow exits).

On August 25, 2005, in connection with the signing of Federal Law No. 131 “On the General Principles of Organizing Local Self-Government in the Russian Federation”, the City Duma approved a new charter for Vologda. However, despite the introduction by the deputies of more than 400 amendments and an increase in the volume of the document by 2.5 times, the Charter of 2005 did not contain significant changes compared to the city Charter of 1996. On July 14, 2006, the Fourteenth Arbitration Court of Appeal was opened in Vologda.

On October 12, 2008, Yevgeny Shulepov was elected the new mayor.

In 2010, Vologda was admitted to the new Hanseatic Society (Hanseatic League).

On November 15, 2022, for the dedication and labor heroism of the city residents in achieving Victory in the Great Patriotic War of 1941–1945, the city was awarded the honorary title of the Russian Federation “City of Labor Valor.

 


Transportation

Get in

By plane
Airport "Vologda". ☎ +7 (8172) 55-36-98. 🕑 Mon–Fri 8:00–17:00. A small airport (IATA code: VGD), located 10 km north of the city along the M8 highway. Capable of receiving only small aircraft such as the Yak-40. It does not work on weekends, on weekdays it sends and receives only one flight each: on Monday, Wednesday and Friday to Moscow and back, on Tuesday and Thursday to St. Petersburg.

By train
Vologda stands at the intersection of the railway lines Moscow-Arkhangelsk and St. Petersburg-Kirov.

From Moscow in the afternoon from the Yaroslavsky railway station on the fast branded train No. 108YA "Daytime Express" - on the way a little less than 7 hours, it arrives in Vologda by midnight. Or on transit trains to Cherepovets, Arkhangelsk, Kotlas, Syktyvkar, Vorkuta, Labytnangi - travel time 8-9 hours.
In St. Petersburg, trains to Vologda depart from the Ladozhsky railway station. The most convenient is the branded train No. 618YA "White Nights", which departs in the evening and arrives in Vologda by 9 am. You can take a transit train to Izhevsk, Novokuznetsk, Tyumen, Chelyabinsk or Yekaterinburg, but many of them arrive in Vologda late at night - travel time is 12 hours.

Vologda-I station, pl. Babushkina, 5. ☎ +7 (800) 775-00-00. around the clock. The main railway station of the city. The station was opened in 1872, and already at the beginning of the 20th century, Vologda became a major railway junction in the north of the country. The station building was built in 1907 according to the design of the St. Petersburg architect V. Shchuko, the future creator of many projects of Stalinist architecture. Free Wi-Fi is available at the station.

By car
From Moscow: along the M8 E115 Kholmogory highway via Yaroslavl and Danilov. The distance from the Moscow Ring Road is about 450 km.

From St. Petersburg: along the Kola highway P21 up to 122 km (to Novaya Ladoga), then on A114 through Tikhvin, Cherepovets, Sheksna about 700 km.

By bus
Bus station  , pl. Babushkina, 10. ☎ +7 (8172) 75-04-52. 5:30 - 21:00. The building of the bus station was built next to the Vologda-I railway station in 1970. Now, on average, 300 flights per day depart from the bus station. Tickets can be purchased without a queue on the website of the bus station.

 

Transport

As of 2020, the fare in public transport is 28 rubles. Public transport in Vologda is represented by buses and minibuses, there is one trolleybus route. Almost all public transport passes through the city center.

 

Hotels, motels and where to sleep

Mid-range
1 Atrium Hotel, ul. Gertsena, 27, ☎ +7 8172 78-78-25, fax: +7 (8172) 75-33-13, e-mail: hotel@atrium-vologda.ru. This business-class hotel is centrally located, easily found while driving, and newly built. Rooms are comfortable, 4 stars are claimed, at least 3 stars are really delivered. Free wi-fi in rooms and lobby. single 3,400 - 4,600 RUR, double 3,800 - 5,000 RUR dependig on room class.

Splurge
2 Angliter, ul. Lermontova, 23, ☎ +7 8172 76-24-36. The most expensive and probably the only deluxe hotel in the city of Vologda 3,100 - 8,900 RUR depending on room.

 

Shopping

1 Trade house "Vologda souvenirs", st. Chekhov, 12, 2nd floor. ☎ +7 (8172) 21-14-81. 9:00–19:00. The largest handicraft store in the city. Here you can buy Vologda lace, products made of enamel, silver, linen, wood painting, traditional Vologda products and much more. But the prices are quite high.
2  Salon-shop of the lace company Snezhinka  , Torgovaya Square, 1 (next to the Museum of Lace). ☎ 9:00–20:00. +7 (8172) 76-99-11. Company store of one of the largest Vologda enterprises engaged in the production of lace products since 1930. Here is the widest selection of clothes, jewelry, interior items, souvenirs from the famous Vologda lace in the city. You can make custom-made clothes. The prices and quality of products are high.
3  House of Gifts and Souvenirs, Kremlin Square, 8 (opposite the Kremlin). ☎ +7 (8172) 72-20-20. 10:00–19:00. Souvenir shop with a wide range of Vologda souvenirs (including lace) and good prices. Located in a two-story wooden house. Nearby on the Kremlin Square there are many souvenir stalls.
4 City market, st. Batyushkova, 3A. ☎ +7 (8172) 72-80-57. 7:00–19:00. The main food market of the city, where you can buy Vologda delicacies, wild berries, clothes, shoes and souvenirs. There is an oriental cafe. Located next to the Kremlin - a convenient place for shopping early in the morning when most shops are closed.
5  TC "TsUM"  , Blagoveshchenskaya st., 4. ☎ +7 (8172) 79-51-93. Mon–Fri 9:00–20:00, Sat 10:00–19:00, Sun 10:00–18:00. Relatively small 4-storey shopping center 500 m from the Kremlin. There are no clothing and footwear stores, perfumery, jewelry stores, communication stores, Burger King, a cafe, a grocery supermarket and no private parking. Lots of branded items at high prices. There are souvenirs and a toilet.
6  Shopping center "Oasis", st. Mira, 82. ☎ +7 (800) 100-27-27. 10:00–21:00. 6-storey shopping center in the center of Vologda. Grocery supermarket "Maxi", electronics, cosmetics, clothing and footwear stores of famous Russian and European brands. There is parking for 450 cars.
7  SEC "Marmelad"  , Poshekhonskoye highway, 22. ☎ +7 (8172) 71-93-30. 10:00–21:00. The largest shopping center in the Vologda region, where about 130 stores of clothing, footwear, electronics, sporting goods, cosmetics and other goods are concentrated in one place, the brands of most of which are familiar to Moscow visitors. There is a food hypermarket "Maxi", a multiplex cinema and a food court. Located 4 km from the Kremlin on the road from Moscow (there is a large parking lot), you can also get there by public transport.
8  SEC RIO  , Okruzhnoe Highway, 12. ☎ +7 (8172) 78-71-01. 10:00–21:00. A large shopping center on the outskirts of Vologda, not far from the M8 highway. There is a large parking lot. There are many chain stores of clothes and shoes, electronics, cosmetics, an Auchan supermarket, a cinema and a food court. One of the most popular shopping centers in the city.

 

Restaurant, taverns and where to eat

Cheap
1   Cafe "Oliva", 33 Kozlenskaya st. ☎ +7 (8172) 76-24-01. Mon–Fri 8:00–18:00. Inexpensive cafe in the city center with a self-service line. You can dine for 150-500 rubles. Good range of dishes, tasty pastries, but there are a lot of people at lunchtime. Specializes in business lunches and banquets. Not open on weekends
2   Cafe "Momo", Kozlenskaya st., 33. ☎ +7 (8172) 50-58-11. 8:00–20:00. Cafeteria in the center. Lunch costs 150-300 rubles. When ordering from 500 rubles, you can bring your own alcohol. Lots of other promotions. There is a play area for children. Daytime parking can be a problem.
3   Cafe "Prosto Pelmen"  , st. Mira, 40. ☎ +7 (953) 521-00-23. Mon–Fri 10:00–17:00. A cafe 700 meters from the Kremlin specializes in dumplings and dumplings, but also offers business lunches. Pelmeni 150-200 rubles per serving. Lunch (salad + hot dish with garnish) — 130 rubles You can buy frozen dumplings to go. Doesn't work on weekends.
4  Dining room No. 22  , pl. Babushkina, 4. ☎ +7 (911) 501-63-22. Mon–Fri 9:00–17:00. Inexpensive dining room on the square in front of the railway and bus station. Lunches from 120 rubles. Coffee to go. Baking from 20 rubles. In the city center there are 4 more establishments under the Dining Room No. 22 brand - all belong to the same chain.
5  Dining room in the shopping center "Akson", Okruzhnoye Highway, 18. ☎ +7 (817) 228-28-28. 9:00–21:00. Complex lunch - 200 rubles. It is located on the first floor of the building hypermarket center. You can drop by car on the way to Kirillov or Cherepovets. It is not very convenient to get there without a personal vehicle.
6  Dining room in the Teplichny trade house, Yaroslavskaya st., 9A. ☎ +7 (817) 271-68-36. Mon-Fri: 9:00–16:00. An excellent dining room in the trading house of an agricultural plant. Complex lunch - 200 rubles. Can be taken away. Lots of fresh vegetable salads. It is convenient to drive by car on the way from Moscow - a good alternative to McDonald's located 300 m away, but it is closed on weekends.
7  Tasty - and the point (ex-McDonald's)  , Poshekhonskoye highway, 20. ☎ +7 (817) 279-52-01. The hall is open from 7:00 to 23:30, MakAuto - around the clock, technical break from 4:00 to 5:00. "Delicious - and that's it" 5 km southwest of the Kremlin.

Average cost
8  Chikibamboni Family Restaurant  , Kozlenskaya St., 33A. ☎ +7 (817) 223-97-98. Mon-Thu, Sun: 11:00–22:00, Fri–Sat 11:00–23:00. A local chain of cafes offering soups, salads, pizza, rolls, desserts, author's lemonades, business lunches. It tastes better than fast food restaurants, but also a little more expensive. Two floors, pleasant interior, there is a children's playroom. There are several other establishments of this network in the city, but they are further from the center.
9  Monblanc Restaurant  , 17 Torgovaya Square. ☎ +7 (817) 272-14-14. Mon-Thu, Sun: 11:00–23:00, Fri–Sat 11:00–2:00. Spacious restaurant 150 m from the Vologda Kremlin. There is a bar and dance area. Hot dishes from 350 rubles. Friday and Saturday are often busy with celebrations.
10 Restaurant-bar "Prometheus", st. Mira, 6. ☎ +7 (8172) 55-10-10. Mon–Fri 8:00–22:00, Sat–Sun 12:00–22:00. A two-story restaurant in the very center of Vologda with a bright interior, a large bar and reasonable prices. Bar and cafe on the ground floor, restaurant on the second floor. There are inexpensive breakfasts and business lunches.
11  Restaurant "Old cauldron"  , st. Chernyshevsky, 52. ☎ +7 (8172) 33-13-33. Mon-Thu, Sun 12:00–00:00, Fri–Sat 12:00–2:00. Family restaurant with interiors decorated in the style of old England, inspired by the Harry Potter books. Play area for children with a nanny. Hot from 350 rub. There is a large bar, a special children's menu and business lunches. It is located on the Zarechnaya side, 1.5 km from the Kremlin.

Expensive
12 "Vereshchagin" restaurant, st. Herzen, 2a. ☎ +7 (817) 275-87-78. 12:00–00:00. Restaurant of Russian cuisine, named after the creator of the Vologda butter Nikolai Vereshchagin. The menu has a wide range of dishes from ordinary salads to dumplings from pike, elk or bear meat, but not everything is available. Nice atmosphere, live music in the evenings, beautiful dishes. There is a summer terrace. Prices are above average - hot from 500 rubles. Conveniently located: about a kilometer from the Kremlin and at the same distance from the railway station.
12 "Vereshchagin" restaurant, st. Herzen, 2a. ☎ +7 (817) 275-87-78. 12:00–00:00. Restaurant of Russian cuisine, named after the creator of the Vologda butter Nikolai Vereshchagin. The menu has a wide range of dishes from ordinary salads to dumplings from pike, elk or bear meat, but not everything is available. Nice atmosphere, live music in the evenings, beautiful dishes. There is a summer terrace. Prices are above average - hot from 500 rubles. Conveniently located: about a kilometer from the Kremlin and at the same distance from the railway station.
15 Wonderbeat restaurant, st. Lenina, 7. ☎ +7 (921) 139-54-84. Mon-Thu, Sun 12:00–23:00, Fri–Sat 12:00–00:00. Gastronomic cafe with a wide range of meat and vegetarian dishes, desserts and soft drinks. Hot from 400 rub. Positioned as a wow-cafe with bright youth interiors. It is located in the very center, 500 meters from the Kremlin.
16  Chateau de Grand Restaurant (formerly Miskolc)  , Galkinskaya st., 37. ☎ +7 (8172) 50-41-85. Mon–Sat 12:00–23:00. A beautiful and cozy restaurant located in the building of the former Catholic Church of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross. The Roman Catholic church was built in 1913, and already in 1929 it was closed by the Soviet authorities - it housed the dormitory of the veterinary technical school. In 1989, a restaurant was opened in the renovated building. Large chic hall with Catholic interiors, live music and dance floor. Hot from 450 rub. There are business lunches from 160 rubles. Located in the center, parking can be difficult.

 

Night life

1  Night club "X.O." , st. Kirova, 78. ☎ +7 (921) 140-12-00. Fri–Sat 22:00–6:00. One of the best nightclubs in Vologda in the very center. Professional DJs and quality alcohol, but the dance floor is small. Dress code and face control. Prices are above average, there can be a lot of people.
2  Night club "Tipsy" (formerly Paradise)  , Zalineinaya st., 22. ☎ +7 (8172) 25-02-50. Fri–Sat 22:00–6:00. A popular nightclub in the northwest of the city. Spacious dance floor, big bar with average prices. Often there are concerts of various performers and corporate parties. Face control.
3  Resto-bar «Berry Bar»  , st. Lenina, 14. ☎ +7 (8172) 72-20-00. Mon–Thu 9:00–00:00, Fri 9:00–3:00, Sat 11:00–3:00, Sun closed. Popular place in the city center. It offers a wide range of dishes and alcohol at average prices, there are business lunches, hookahs and a small dance area. On Friday and Saturday evenings, live vocals leading with competitions. It is no longer aimed at young people, but at the family and business audience.

 

Hotels

Cheap
1  Avantage Hostel  , Prechistenskaya Embankment, 34a. ☎ +7 (8172) 33-46-36. Comfortable hostel in the city center with modern clean rooms, friendly staff and Wi-Fi. Prices from 350 rubles. for a bed in a 10-bed room up to 1300 rubles. for double standard with own bathroom. The hostel has a sauna with a swimming pool and free parking.
2  Pilgrim Hostel  , Prechistenskaya nab, 74. ☎ +7 (921) 126-89-83. Cozy, clean hostel in the center, next to the Vologda River Station. Prices from 600 rubles. for a bed in an 8-bed room up to 2300 for a standard double room with a bathroom, but a shared bathroom. Modern design rooms, spacious common area, attentive staff.
3  Hotel Sputnik  , Puteyskaya st., 14. ☎ +7 (8172) 75-79-75. Inexpensive hotel near the railway station. Economy double rooms from 1100 rubles with Wi-Fi, but without breakfast. Furniture and appliances are not the newest, but the staff is good and there is a dining room - you can dine for 200 rubles.
4 Mini-hotel "Voyage", st. Karl Marx, 32. ☎ +7 (8172) 70-06-70. A small hotel on the Zarechnaya side, 2.5 km from the Kremlin. Standard double room with continental breakfast - 1700 rubles. But the bathroom and toilet are on the floor, shared by 4 rooms. On the ground floor there is a shared kitchen and refrigerator. On the ground floor there is an inexpensive sauna (1000 rubles / two hours). You can order lunch and dinner. The staff is attentive
5  Guest house "Neighbors"  , st. Solodunova, 20. ☎ +7 (911) 510-34-84. Apartments from 1800 to 2500 per apartment with a kitchen and all necessary equipment. There are also economy rooms for 1-2 people for 1400 rubles. Located 3.5 km from the Kremlin, but away from noisy streets. Good staff.

Average cost
modern furniture. For 850 rubles. You can rent a place in a quadruple room. A double economy room without meals will cost 2,500 rubles, and a three-room suite with three meals a day will cost 6,900 rubles. In addition to the hotel, the building houses a restaurant, several bars, bowling, billiards and a sauna. The hotel and entertainment complex is conveniently located 1.2 km from the Kremlin, there is a guarded parking lot.
7  Vologda Hotel, st. Mira, 92. ☎ +7 (817) 223-99-91. From 2200 rub. for a small standard room with breakfast (buffet) up to 3900 for a two-room junior suite. A large three-star hotel near the railway and bus station, built in the Soviet era, but with a modern renovation and polite staff. Good value for money. There is a restaurant on the ground floor where you can order room service.
8 Hotel Svetlitsa, emb. VI Army, 123A. ☎ +7 (8172) 54-44-04. Double standard with breakfast 3200 rub. A new hotel built in 2015 on the Zarechnaya side, next to the Church of Dimitry Prilutsky - 1.3 km from the Kremlin. 14 comfortable rooms with modern appliances and furniture, fresh interiors, air conditioning and Wi-Fi. Polite staff and good breakfast, but poor soundproofing.
9  Hotel Nikolaevsky  , Kostromskaya st., 14. ☎ +7 (8172) 26-65-55. It is located on a large well-groomed territory on the outskirts of the city, 5 km from the Kremlin, but it is convenient for those arriving by car from Moscow - there is a large parking lot. It offers 57 rooms of various categories with prices ranging from 3,000 for a standard with breakfast to 11,000 for a three-room presidential suite with a jacuzzi. The rooms are large enough with comfortable furniture, a good buffet breakfast. Focuses on business clients and corporate events.
10  Hotel "History"  , st. Vorovskogo, 28. ☎ +7 (8172) 72-32-00. Double standard with breakfast - 3100 rubles. Three-star hotel with interior design elements in the historical center, less than 1 km from the Kremlin. It consists of several buildings, the rooms are no frills, but with modern furniture and appliances. You can rent a studio with a small kitchen. There is an own restaurant with a bar, a hammam and a small park courtyard with a fountain. Rooms on the attic and basement floors are slightly worse, but cheaper.
11 Hotel "Aura", Blagoveshchenskaya st., 54. ☎ +7 (8172) 34-00-35. Double standard - 2950 rubles. A small hotel in the city center, not far from the Kremlin. 23 rooms with modern furniture, appliances, Wi-Fi, dishes and air conditioning. Across the road there is a second building - Blagoveshchenskaya st., 51B, with the same rooms and prices, but for breakfast you have to go to the first building. In the second building there is a spa center with a swimming pool, hotel guests have a discount.
12  Gubernia Hotel, st. Kirova, 8. ☎ +7 (8172) 23-99-77. Double standard with breakfast - 3000 rubles. Mini-hotel in the center of Vologda with spacious comfortable rooms, delicious breakfast and caring staff. The hotel building is a two-story mansion, stylized as a pre-revolutionary Vologda building.

Expensive
13  Palisade Hotel, Torgovaya Ploshchad, 17 (Sergey Orlov St., 7). ☎ +7 (8172) 72-27-61. Standard double room with breakfast - 3500 rubles. Hotel for 43 rooms with the best location in the center - 150 m from the Kremlin. On the territory of the hotel there is a restaurant "Mont Blanc" (with a separate entrance), there is a sauna and billiards. Good staff, Wi-Fi and breakfast, but poor soundproofing.
14 Boutique Hotel "Biblioteka" st. Chernyshevsky, 24. ☎ +7 (8172) 26-42-74. Design hotel with 10 rooms, each of which is dedicated to a certain literary work of various writers, from Bradbury to Bulgakov, with appropriate quotes and illustrations. A standard room with air conditioning will cost 3800 rubles for two. Under the roof of the hotel there is a bookstore, a bath club and a fairly expensive gastrobar with a good selection of alcoholic cocktails. It is located on the Zarechnaya side, 1 km from the Kremlin, on the main street with busy traffic, so it can be a little noisy.
15  Hotel "Angliter"  , st. Lermontova, 23. ☎ +7 (8172) 76-24-36. Luxury hotel with a convenient location in the city center. Rooms from 3500 rubles. for the cheapest attic suite with breakfast up to 8000 for a suite with half board. All rooms are equipped with air conditioning, pompous furniture in the spirit of English classicism, a complete set of hygiene items, slippers and bathrobes. There is a restaurant of Russian-European cuisine, a sauna and a beauty salon.
16  Atrium Hotel, st. Herzen, 27. ☎ +7 (800) 100-81-43. Double standard with breakfast - 3800 rubles. Quite an expensive hotel in a modern glass building. The rooms are spacious and comfortable, but practically do not differ from the average price category. Conveniently located between the Kremlin and the train station, breakfast and service are good. The hotel has a large restaurant with 150 seats.
17  Aria Hotel  , Predtechenskaya st., 68. ☎ +7 (8172) 33-33-44. Double standard with breakfast - 6500 rubles. A new modern SPA-hotel with a restaurant and a bar, located next to the railway and bus station. The rooms are spacious with designer interiors, upholstered furniture and air conditioning, but expensive. Access to the SPA-zone with a sauna for a fee.

 

Annual festivals

The following annual theater festivals are held in Vologda:

"Voices of History" (the beginning of July, every year)
Valery Gavrilin international music festival (every year, from October till December)
«Summer in the Kremlin» (every even year, from June till July)
The annual open international festival of multimedia art "Multimatograf

 

Connection

All federal mobile operators work in Vologda, the speed of mobile Internet is 4G. Most hotels and restaurants in the city have free Wi-Fi.

Main post office, Sovetsky pr., 4. ☎ +7 (800) 100-00-00. Mon–Fri 8:00–22:00, Sat–Sun 9:00–18:00. The main post office in the city center. The index is 160000. It is located in the House of Communications, built in 1962. The sign "Kilometer Zero of the Vologda Oblast Motorways" is installed on the facade of the building.

 

Neighborhood

Vologda is a convenient base point for visiting the Kirillo-Belozersky and Ferapontov monasteries. Also through Vologda you can go to Belozersk and Totma.

1 Semyonkovo Architectural and Ethnographic Museum, 12th km of the A119 Vologda-Medvezhyegorsk highway (on the road to Kirillov, between the village of Maiskoye and the village of Molochnoye, marked with a sign on the right). ☎ +7 (8172) 21-01-90. May-September: 10:00-18:00, October-April: 10:00-17:00. On Mon and Tue, the expositions in the museum houses are closed, but you can visit the territory of the museum. 150 rub. Museum of wooden architecture in the open air, operating since 1979. On the territory of the museum with an area of 12.7 hectares there are monuments of wooden architecture of the mid-19th - early 20th centuries, brought here from the eastern regions of the region: churches, mills, houses, baths. From the bus station in Vologda, you can take bus number 37 "Vologda - Molochnoye" to the stop "Semyonkovo" (30 rubles).
2  Museum of Alexander Mozhaisky (estate Kotelnikovo)  , p. Mozhayskoye (12 km from Vologda). ☎ +7 (8172) 55-53-80. Tue–Sat 10:00–17:00. 100 rub. The museum tells about the Vologda period of the life of the Russian inventor in the field of aeronautics A.F. Mozhaisky. The expositions of the museum are housed in a two-story wooden mansion of the middle of the 19th century - here in 1861-1868. Mozhaisky made calculations and experiments to create a monoplane. A manor park with a pond adjoins the house - the estate belonged to the wife of the inventor, L.D. Kuzmina. The museum also has an exposition dedicated to other Vologda residents related to aviation and astronautics, including designer Sergei Ilyushin and cosmonaut Pavel Belyaev. From the Vologda bus station, you can take buses to Peryevo or Minkino to the Mozhayskoye stop.

 

Geography

Vologda is located in the north of the European part of Russia in the southwestern corner of the Sukhona depression. To the south-west of the city is the Vologda Upland.

The height of the city center above sea level is 120 meters. The length of the city from west to east is 16.2 km, from north to south - 10.4 km.

The city is located on both banks of the Vologda River. In addition to this river, several dozen other rivers flow into the city, flowing into the Vologda River, in particular, Zolotukha and Shogrash. Some small rivers in the city are taken into pipes - for example, Chernavka and Kopanka.

Approximately 10,000 years ago, there was a glacier on the territory of the Vologda region, during the descent of which a hilly landscape was formed. The result of the melting of the glacier was Lake Kubenskoye. There are also a large number of ponds and lakes in Vologda.

 

Timezone

Vologda is located in the MSK time zone (Moscow time). The offset of the applicable time from UTC is +3:00. In accordance with the applied time and geographic longitude, the average solar noon in Vologda occurs at 12:20.

 

Climate

Vologda is located in the temperate continental climate zone, which is formed under conditions of low solar radiation in winter, under the influence of the northern seas and intense western transport, with relatively warm short summers and long cold winters. The weather is unstable: thaws are observed in winter, severe frosts are possible in spring. The removal of warm sea air associated with the passage of cyclones from the Atlantic and the frequent intrusions of arctic air from the Arctic Ocean make the weather very unstable throughout the year.

Winter in the city is long and moderately cold, lasting five and a half months. Spring and autumn are cool, summer is moderately warm, the coldest month is January, the warmest month is July. Precipitation falls more in summer and autumn, in the form of rain.

The average annual temperature is +2.7 C°
The average annual wind speed is 3.0 m/s
Average annual air humidity - 80%

 

Ecology

The level of air pollution is high. The main source of air pollution in Vologda is motor transport, which accounts for more than 80% of emissions in the city. The largest stationary sources include heat power enterprises - MUP "Vologdagorteploset", the Main Directorate of JSC "TGC-2" in the Vologda Region (Vologda CHPP), the construction industry - JSC "Agrostroykonstruktsiya", the machine-building complex - JSC "Vologda Optical and Mechanical Plant", CJSC Vologda Bearing Plant.
Surface waters are distinguished by a high content of organic substances of humus origin. The main ingredients that affect the level of river pollution are substances, the increased content of which is determined by natural factors: copper, zinc, iron, COD. The anthropogenic component is most clearly seen in watercourses, the flow of sewage into which significantly exceeds their natural flow. Characteristics of surface water quality shows that in none of the sites within the city and its environs the degree of water pollution can be assessed as acceptable.

The average annual concentration of the total beta-activity of aerosols in the surface atmosphere in Vologda in 2010 was 6.1 × 10-5 Bq/m3, which is 2.6 times lower than the average volumetric total beta-activity of radionuclides in the air of the surface layer of the atmosphere over the territory of Russia for 2010 year.

According to the Main Geophysical Observatory. A. I. Voeikova as of 01/01/2020, the average annual concentrations of pollutants are as follows:
suspended solids - 0.5 MPC;
nitrogen dioxide - 0.6 MPC;
benzo(a)pyrene - 0.5 MPC;
formaldehyde - 0.4 MPC

Atmospheric air quality in the city (according to RD 52.04.667-2005) 2017-2019 — a low level of pollution remains.

The territory of the city is located on soils of sod-medium podzolic, sod-podzolic cultivated, marsh and floodplain sod. Such soils are characterized by a low content of humus and, consequently, low fertility.

The total mass of city waste is 207 thousand tons, and a little more than 1/4 of this waste is hazardous.

Hydrography
Vologda is located on both banks of the river of the same name. In the city, the rivers Toshnya (serves as the western border of the city), Pudezka, Zolotukha, Shogrash flow into it. Also in the city and its environs there are many small rivers, such as Sholda and Losta, Yevkovka. Three automobile bridges (Bridge of the 800th Anniversary, Zheleznodorozhny ("Humpbacked") and Oktyabrsky Bridge) and one pedestrian bridge (Red Bridge) were built across the Vologda River within the city.

 

City planning and development

The historical center of Vologda, where the main city sights and architectural monuments are located, is located on the territory bounded by the Moscow-Arkhangelsk railway line in the south and west, Mira Park and Nekrasova Street in the north, and Gorky and Levicheva Streets in the east. It contains the administrative, commercial and tourist centers of the city. The historical center is conditionally divided into districts: City, Upper Posad, Nizhny Posad, District. The administrative center with regional and city administrations is located in the area of Drygin and Revolution squares. The largest number of shops, catering establishments and the city market are located in the area of ​​Mira, Batyushkov, Lenin, Maria Ulyanova, Blagoveshchenskaya, Pobedy Avenue. The tourist center of the city, where the main branches of the Vologda Museum-Reserve, St. Sophia Cathedral and the architectural ensemble of the Bishop's Court are located, is concentrated around the Kremlin Square. In some quarters of the historical center (around Zasodimsky Street, Mayakovsky Street, Revolution Square, VI Army Embankment, etc.), buildings of the 19th and early 20th centuries have been preserved, but they are gradually being replaced by "compensatory" buildings - new buildings imitating traditional Vologda wooden houses. A significant part of the historical center was built up in the 1960-80s with typical multi-storey buildings.

The main urban development occupies a fairly compact area. In its southern and northeastern parts there are large residential areas of the Bearing Plant (PZ), Byvalovo, Zavokzalny, microdistricts 5 and 6, Fryazinovo, Vodniki. Areas of individual residential development are located in the Oktyabrsky village-garden, the village of Lnokombinat. These areas have been built up mainly with typical five-, nine-, twelve-story houses since the 1960s. Large industrial zones are concentrated in the eastern and western parts of the city, as well as along the railways. The main highways that connect the historical center of the city with large areas are: Chernyshevsky, Gorky, Prokatova, Severnaya, Herzen, Marshal Konev, Mozhayskoye, Leningradskaya, Poshekhonskoye Highway and Pobedy Avenue. The planning and development, which determines the modern look of the city, was implemented on the basis of the Master Plan of the Lengiprogor Institute in 1976. In 2000, a new master plan was adopted. In 2012, the draft plan for the Southern residential area was approved.

 

Power and politics

The key subjects of power in the city are:
The Vologda City Duma is a representative body. It consists of 30 deputies elected on the basis of universal, equal and direct suffrage, respectively, in 30 single-mandate constituencies. The term of office of the City Council is 5 years. The Vologda City Duma is controlled and accountable to all elected officials (including the head of the city of Vologda), the city administration and the Chamber of Control and Accounts. The activities of the city duma are managed by its chairman and presidium (consisting of the chairman, deputy chairmen, heads of factions and standing committees, and a representative of the head of the city of Vologda). The only faction in the Vologda City Duma is the United Russia faction (26 people).
The Mayor of Vologda is the highest official of the city, authorized to manage the city economy, budget, distribution of funds and management of the city administration. On November 24, 2017, Sergei Voropanov (United Russia) was appointed acting mayor of Vologda, being the first deputy head of the city, and on November 26, 2019 he was appointed to the post of mayor itself.
The head of the city of Vologda is a city official authorized for external municipal relations, accountable to the federal authorities. Appointed by deputies of the city duma and the governor for 5 years. Reports to the Vologda City Duma at least once a year. Since September 26, 2016, Yuri Sapozhnikov has been appointed mayor of the city of Vologda.
The Vologda city administration is an executive and administrative body. It consists of 7 departments (directly carry out management), 5 departments and 2 departments (provide the work of the administration). The head of the administration is the head of the city of Vologda. Deputy heads of the city are heads of departments.
The Chamber of Control and Accounts of the city of Vologda is a control body. It is formed by the Vologda City Duma and reports to it. Controls the execution of the budget and the disposal of property owned by the city, conducts budgetary examinations of municipal legal acts, audits the effectiveness of the use of budgetary funds.
Since Vologda is a regional center, the state authorities of the Vologda Oblast are also located on its territory: the Government of the Vologda Oblast, the Legislative Assembly of the Vologda Oblast, the Vologda Oblast Court, the Electoral Commission of the Vologda Oblast, etc. arbitration courts of the Arkhangelsk, Vologda, Novgorod, Pskov and Tver regions.

City and regional branches of the political parties United Russia, the Communist Party of the Russian Federation, Just Russia, the Liberal Democratic Party, Patriots of Russia, the Republican Party of Russia - the Party of People's Freedom and Yabloko are also represented in Vologda.

As a result of the reforms, the city of Vologda has the position of "city manager" (mayor), who monitors the situation in the city. Appointed as a result of the competition, which includes deputies of the City Duma. On November 7, 2016, according to the results of the competition, Andrei Travnikov was appointed mayor, who was transferred on October 6, 2017 to the post of head of the Novosibirsk Region. Since October 2017, Sergey Voropanov has been appointed mayor of Vologda.