Soligalich is located in the north of the Kostroma region. It's a
wonderful, remote place with wooden market stalls, carved houses,
beautiful stone churches, and a local balneological resort. It's one
of the most colorful and difficult-to-reach small towns in Central
Russia.
The city of Soligalich, formerly Sol Galitskaya, grew
out of the salt industry in the upper reaches of the Kostroma River
in the far northwestern corner of the eponymous Kostroma region. The
industry originated in 1335 at the Resurrection Monastery founded
there and initially belonged to the Galician prince. In the mid-15th
century, Soligalich, by then a major center of salt production,
passed to Moscow and acquired a fortress that protected against
raids by the Volga Tatars, but it did not withstand the Time of
Troubles, which brought significant destruction to the city. Salt
was one of the most valuable commodities at that time, so there were
enough resources for restoration, and in the mid-17th century –
earlier than in many surrounding cities – stone construction began
in Soligalich, with several churches being built at once, which form
the recognizable appearance of the city to this day.
The
heyday of Soligalich ended at the turn of the 18th and 19th
centuries with a major fire in 1808. By that time, salt had become
cheaper, and the city could not compete with Solikamsk in terms of
its reserves, or rather, the concentration of salt in the local
waters, where a much larger production had been established. Hoping
to reach salt-rich layers, they began to dig deeper, but found only
a source of mineral waters, near which the local merchant Vasily
Kokorev decided to establish a hydrotherapy clinic in 1841. Kokorev
himself almost immediately left for Moscow, where he quickly rose to
prominence, becoming one of the largest Russian industrialists of
the mid-19th century and, for example, the founder of the Baku oil
fields. However, the hydrotherapy clinic in his historical homeland
was not the most successful of his ventures. There were few patients
due to the fact that Soligalich was very difficult to reach: even in
the 19th century, the city remained off the beaten track, far from
major and even minor roads. A year-round road from Kostroma was only
built in the 1980s, and until relatively recently it was easier to
fly here than to travel by land.
Soligalich was saved from
becoming a complete backwater like neighboring Chukhloma by
industry. There was just enough industry here for the city to
survive, albeit modestly, without losing its historical appearance
to new construction. Once, Soligalich produced iron: initially,
apparently, for the pans used to evaporate salt, and later for other
purposes – there is, for example, a legend that Vladimir Ilyich
Lenin, hiding from the authorities in Razliv, used a hatchet with
the "Soligalich" mark. After the war, this small-scale production
was replaced by a limestone plant, which successfully operates to
this day. The plant is connected to the rest of the world by a
railway, which, however, comes from the north from the Vologda
region, not from the south from Kostroma, and has never been
properly used for passenger transport.
The modern appearance
of Soligalich consists of two components. On the one hand, several
stone churches, which are somewhat unusual for the Kostroma region
and resemble those in the cities of the Golden Ring. On the other
hand, there are remarkable wooden buildings: from unique trading
rows to ordinary houses with beautiful carvings, which are
everywhere here and adorn buildings of all eras, including modern
ones. In spirit, Soligalich is a northern town, located far from
everything at the end of the road, which leaves its mark on the
urban environment and the overall pace of life. It is very quiet,
peaceful, cozy, and slightly archaic. You can get acquainted with
the main sights and soak up the atmosphere in 3-4 hours, but it
would be a mistake not to stay here overnight, and the local
logistics are very conducive to this.
1. Wooden trading rows, Red Square. In the center of
Soligalich is Red Square, and on it... no, not the Spasskaya Tower, but
the Church of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross (1809–1816), so
disfigured by the Soviet authorities that it more closely resembles a
community center, which is what it was for a long time. Of much greater
interest are the trading rows standing along the square. This is not
uncommon for cities in the Kostroma region, but only in Soligalich are
the rows built of wood, since they were financed by the city budget,
which did not have enough money for stone construction. The trading rows
consist of two buildings, built in the 1830s. The eastern building was
restored in 1990–97 with the replacement of the cladding and the
addition of previously missing carved decor, which, however, does not
look too flashy here. The western building is more authentic, but is not
used for its intended purpose, and stands behind a fence in a
semi-ruined state, awaiting proper scientific restoration, which still
cannot begin.
2. Nativity Cathedral, Vyluzgina Street. ☎ +7 (903)
899-52-28 (Father Alexander). A long-term construction project lasting a
century and a half. The large stone cathedral began to be built in 1660
with funds from Maria Miloslavskaya, the first wife of Tsar Alexei
Mikhailovich. In 1669, construction was interrupted by the death of the
Tsarina and was not resumed until 1792, so the temple was consecrated
only in 1805. As a result, the massive Old Russian temple with
monumental stone decor is crowned with Baroque domes, and the
tent-roofed bell tower generally exudes a modern feel - it acquired its
current appearance only in 1887. All these diverse elements surprisingly
blend well together, creating a sense of strong tradition and northern
solidity. Inside, the cathedral looks completely different: it was
painted in the very beginning of the 19th century with oil paints and in
a European style, so in places it more closely resembles a middle-class
nobleman's mansion somewhere in the capitals. Artistically, the most
interesting feature here is the beautifully preserved Baroque
iconostasis from the end of the 18th century. The city museum was housed
in the cathedral for a long time, but now the building has been
transferred to the church, which, however, cannot afford to maintain it,
let alone restore it. Visiting is only possible with a guided tour,
which should be arranged through the local priest who serves at the
Church of the Transfiguration and is also available by phone. The tour
involves a voluntary donation, the necessity of which you will easily
understand after seeing the deplorable state of the church from the
inside.
3. Resurrection Monastery, Kostroma River embankment (right
bank). The founding of Soligalich is associated with this monastery.
True, the stone buildings appeared here only in the 17th century – the
Resurrection Cathedral (1660-1669) and the Epiphany Church (1681) were
built one after another. Both churches have five domes and are very
similar to each other. They differ from the buildings of the following
18th century that flooded the Kostroma land by numerous zakomaras
(decorative arches) and strongly elongated domes, which, together with
the tent-roofed bell tower, create a recognizable silhouette visible
from afar. Currently, the churches are abandoned and in poor condition.
4. Temple complex on Navolok, Ostrovsky Street (before the bridge). The
churches of the Transfiguration of the Savior (1821) and St. Nicholas
the Wonderworker (1688), standing side by side, belong to two completely
different eras of Soligalich architecture. The first is a solid,
single-domed church in the Neoclassical style, built shortly after a
major fire. The second church was once an interesting example of ornate
architecture, which can now only be discerned from the frieze under the
roof and the carved window frames: all the upper parts were lost during
the Soviet era, and now the building more closely resembles an old
residential house. It houses a Sunday school and some offices, and the
Church of the Transfiguration of the Savior has become the main city
church due to the dilapidated state of the Nativity Cathedral.
5.
Salt-lifting tower, Valovaya Street (on the territory of the
sanatorium). The only reminder of the traditional Soligalich salt
industry is the octagonal wooden tower above the salt well, presumably
preserved from the late 19th century. It is clearly visible through the
fence directly from the street – there is no need to enter the
territory, and the warning signs on the gates discourage it, although
there are no guards, and the sanatorium staff do not pay much attention
to strangers. The sanatorium was established on the basis of the Kokorev
hydrotherapy clinic, which was closed in 1878 and revived in 1901. All
the sanatorium buildings are wooden (early 20th century) and not very
impressive due to Soviet-era renovations.
6. Makaryevsky Rampart
(beyond the bridge). The site of ancient Soligalich is located on the
opposite bank of the river from the city center and has long since
turned into overgrown remnants of the old rampart. It's difficult to
discern the ruins of the Assumption Church (1786) in the grass, but it's
worth coming here mainly for the views of the center of Soligalich. Even
better views await those who walk a little further along the river. From
Novo-Zarechnaya Street, a panorama of the Resurrection Monastery and the
Nativity Cathedral opens up: there is no hilly terrain or large river
here, the area is very flat and even, but it is still one of the most
picturesque spots in the Kostroma region.
7. Church of Saints Peter
and Paul, at the end of Komsomolskaya Street. This laconic cemetery
church in the style of classicism (1815) differs from others in that it
was not closed during the Soviet era, thanks to which it has preserved
its original interior, and it also looks excellent from the outside.
8. Michurin House, Kommunisticheskaya St. 21. This sturdy wooden house
once stood outside the city, on the estate of retired military men, and
after 1861 it was moved to the center of Soligalich. It impresses with
its size and restrained but stylish decor in the spirit of classicism,
which in itself is a rarity – much more often in the city you find light
and airy carvings.
Red Square is surrounded by solid stone buildings
from the beginning of the 20th century. The rest of the city's buildings
are mostly wooden and decorated with elegant carvings – sometimes
modern, but no less remarkable for that. Be sure to take a walk along
Komsomolskaya and Kommunisticheskaya streets, see also the list of
cultural heritage sites.
1. Nevelsky Local History Museum, Sovetskaya St. 2. ☎
+7 (49436) 5-15-49. 9:00–18:00, Thu 10:00–19:00. In addition to a
typical exhibition about the history and nature of the region, the
museum displays local icons and paintings by Grigory Ostrovsky, an
18th-century artist who worked in the genre of Russian provincial
portraiture. There is also a hall dedicated to Admiral Nevelskoy, a
researcher of the Far East and a native of the Soligalich district,
after whom the museum is named. All visitors note the unfriendly
attitude of the staff and the total ban on photography. The museum
occupies the building of the Kasatkin Hotel (mid-19th century) in the
complex of buildings on the central square of Soligalich.
2.
Soligalich Felt Boots, Vyluzgina Street, 54. ☎ +7 (49436) 5-14-35, +7
(960) 748-85-53. This small local production facility is completely
customer-oriented and conducts tours for everyone, even groups of 2-3
people. Those who have taken these tours speak of them with enthusiasm.
From Soligalich, there is only one easy and year-round
accessible route – back south to Chuhloma and Galich. Chuhloma is hardly
worth close attention unless you plan to visit the forest mansions in
its vicinity, but Galich claims the role of the second city in the
region after Kostroma: it has impressive shopping arcades, churches, a
wonderful view of the lake, and a railway with direct trains to both
capitals. Despite all this, Galich doesn't look like a backwater and
therefore lacks even a small fraction of Soligalich's charm, but it's
worth dedicating a few hours to the city.
If you have enough time
and energy, you should consider radial trips from Soligalich: in the
vicinity of the city there are 7 architectural monuments of federal
significance and countless regional ones, see the list. The points
listed below are accessible by any car, unless otherwise indicated, but
keep in mind that the roads are bad. There is no public transport.
1. Trinity Church in Zashugomye (24 km from Soligalich). The main monument of Totma Baroque in the Kostroma region reminds us that in the old days, Soligalich and Totma were very close, and the border between the regions did not serve as an insurmountable obstacle. Totma churches were built in a "ship" style, and this composition is easy to see even in the abandoned, overgrown church, and the domes here are just like those on the Nativity Cathedral, or rather, on the latter they are also of Totma origin. The church was built in 1800, the tall classical bell tower a little later, in the first half of the 19th century.
2. Resurrection Church in Verkhovye (Nikolskaya Church) (13 km from
Soligalich). A five-domed church (1776) in the style of deeply
provincial Baroque is unlikely to surprise anyone in the vastness of the
Kostroma region. The church's highlight is its tall bell tower, the
upper tier of which is octagonal, which immediately changes things. A
fence from the mid-19th century with two stone gates has been preserved
around the church.
3. Almshouse in Verkhovye (to the right of the
road, a little further than the church). One of the largest public
buildings in the Kostroma hinterland. The three-story almshouse was
built at the end of the 19th century with funds from the St. Petersburg
merchant V.M. Orlov, a native of these parts. The building is larger
than almost all the buildings in Soligalich, and it is now difficult to
believe that a structure of this size could once have been in demand in
these remote areas.
4. Vysoko churchyard (34 km from Soligalich). An
ensemble of a church and a bell tower that does not belong to it. Once
there were two churches in the churchyard, the older of which – the
Resurrection Church – was accompanied by a tall and slender tent-roofed
bell tower from the first half of the 18th century. The bell tower has
survived, the church has not, but next to it stands the Church of Elijah
the Prophet (1820), built a hundred years later, an outstanding example
of classicism for the province with a central dome and five small
cupolas. Together, the bell tower and the church, which is quite unlike
it, look expressive, and the place is beautiful, as it is located on a
hill in full accordance with its name.
The Vysoko churchyard is
located on the very border of the Soligalich and Chukhloma districts.
The road continues to Sudai, but they say that it is only passable in
dry weather.
5. Church complex in Kortsovo (25 km from Soligalich). The ensemble of two large stone churches serves as a reminder that the now-dead-end road was once a major thoroughfare leading north from Galich towards Totma. Both churches and the adjacent bell tower were built in the first half of the 19th century, but they are striking in their stylistic diversity: the summer Trinity Church (1801), with its octagonal volume and five-domed completion, is built in the style of the 18th century, while the neighboring winter church of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker (1836-1865) is a mature example of Classicism, and the tent-roofed bell tower seems to have come straight from the 17th century, although it was also built in the early 19th century and only imitates the Russian style. The churches look excellent together, and unlike many others, they have not yet been destroyed.
Arriving in Soligalich from the south, it's hard to believe that
there's a real railway in this remote area. It starts at the Vokhtoga
station on the Vologda-Buy line and stretches for more than 100 km,
passing through dense forests on the border of the Vologda and Kostroma
regions. The railway, named after the small Monza river, belongs to a
local timber processing plant and the Soligalich limestone factory, for
which it serves as the main transport artery. Soligalich is located on a
dead-end branch off the main line. For a long time, the Monzenskaya
railway was a haven for railway tourism: almost every day, its own
passenger train, not belonging to Russian Railways (RZD), ran along the
line, and transport enthusiasts regularly organized trips here. Now, due
to the poor condition of the tracks and the resulting accidents, the
railway is in a sorry state. Passenger traffic has been suspended;
sooner or later, the line will probably be transferred to RZD, after
which it will finally lose its uniqueness.
Railway enthusiasts
still manage to rent railcars and ride along the Monzenskaya railway,
although since 2018 even this has become practically impossible. For
everyone else, only the Soligalich station, located on the northern
outskirts of the city, is accessible.
6. Soligalich Station. The
single-story station building was built in the late Soviet era and is of
no interest whatsoever, but on the tracks you can see old carriages and
various impressive equipment, such as a huge snowplow. The station is 3
km from the city center, accessible via Kommunisticheskaya Street. A
little further on are the impressive waste heaps of the limestone plant
and the plant itself, visible from afar by the smoke it emits.
Shops are concentrated on and around Red
Square.
1. Soligalich Dairy and Cheese Factory Shop (in the
building of the shopping arcades). Mon–Fri 10:00–19:00, Sat–Sun
10:00–17:00. The factory, with its old-fashioned and somewhat
tongue-twisting name, produces traditional products such as Kostroma
cheese and peasant butter. Some of its products are supplied to the
regional center and even to neighboring regions, but the full range is
only available here.
2. Magnit supermarket, Karl Liebknecht Street, 4.
8:00 AM - 10:00 PM. For those interested in general chain store
products, not just local ones.
There is a bakery in Soligalich whose
products are praised by travelers.
1. Pizzeria "Victoria", Ostrovskogo St., 9. 10:00–20:00. Burgers:
around 100 rubles, pizza: 200-300 rubles. A tiny cafe with three tables,
where they serve pizza, burgers and nothing else, but they bake
delicious pies, and they're ready right at opening time.
2.
Restaurant "Soligalich", Lenina St., 2. 12:00–23:00, Fri and Sat: until
1:00. Main courses: 200-250 rubles. Like all of Soligalich, this is a
kind of time machine. Neither the sign nor the interior of the
restaurant have changed for at least 40 years, and the menu, most
likely, hasn't either: the prices are handwritten, but the cooking time
for the dishes is printed – 20 minutes for salads and 30-40 minutes for
main courses (in reality, they might cook it faster). The food is
decent, but not much different from a canteen.
In the evenings, all
these establishments may be closed for private events or closed
altogether. Guest houses have kitchens, and the sanatorium has its own
dining room for guests.
1. Bar "Terem", Kommunisticheskaya St., 7. The bar has the fancy name The TEREM, and the outside is decorated with a huge image of dancing and drinking people covering the entire facade. Inside, everything is apparently simpler, although the reviews are good.
There are no hotels in the city – only an old sanatorium and private
guest houses: quite cozy, but with shared bathrooms in the corridor.
There are relatively few places, but there are also few people wanting
to stay, so even in the summer you will most likely find accommodation
without problems, although it wouldn't hurt to call in advance. 1.
Rostetsky Guest House, Kostroma River Embankment, 26. ☎ +7 (960)
739-63-09. 700 rubles/person. A two-story wooden house with five rooms
for 2-3 people, a shower, a kitchen, and a very welcoming hostess. No
luxury, but everything you need is available, including Wi-Fi.
2.
Guest House, Srednyaya St., 10. ☎ +7 (960) 739-65-21. Another private
guest house of the same format: several rooms, two bathrooms, and a
shared kitchen. Wi-Fi.
3. A.P. Borodin Sanatorium, Valovaya St., 7. ☎
+7 (49436) 5-11-50. The sanatorium specializes in treatment; ordinary
tourists are accommodated only if there are vacancies. The conditions
are spartan: with the exception of the suites, all rooms have shared
facilities on the floor and are quite dilapidated.
By bus
Minibuses from Kostroma run 3 times a day,
the journey takes about 5 hours with intermediate stops in Sudislavl,
Galich, and Chuhloma. Private drivers offer rides to Galich for 2000
rubles per car (2020). You can get to Galich by direct train from
Moscow, St. Petersburg, and Kirov.
1. Bus station, Karl
Liebknecht Street, 2 (Red Square). ☎ +7 (906) 666-53-96, +7 (49436)
5-06-70. The ticket booth is in the post office building; there is no
waiting room. The bus station itself does not have fixed operating
hours, it usually opens an hour before departure. Minibuses depart from
Red Square.
By car
The only road to Soligalich leads from
Galich (100 km) through Chuhloma (50 km), 220 km from Kostroma. The road
is paved throughout, but, as is common in the Kostroma region, the
quality varies greatly, although there are no really bad sections as of
2020. Further north, towards Totma, there is no normal road – you can
only travel by all-terrain vehicle or on a winter road during the cold
season.
You can park your car anywhere. There are two gas
stations in the city, both are not part of a chain, although one of them
sometimes appears online as Rosneft or TNK. The nearest real TNK gas
station is in Chuhloma.
There is no public transport in the city. You can walk
everywhere, unless you are interested in the railway station and the
limestone plant, which are located on the outskirts.
There are
also no organized taxi services; the numbers of private drivers are
collected on VKontakte.
The dense southern taiga forests of the northwestern
part of the modern Kostroma region in the upper reaches of the Kostroma
River, where Soligalich is now located, were inhabited by the
Finno-Ugric tribe Merya before the arrival of the Slavs (originally
Novgorod ushkuiniki).
The city has been mentioned in chronicles
since 1335 as Galichskaya Salt. “Salt” indicates the existence of salt
mines at this place, and “Galician (Galician)” indicates belonging to
the Galich principality with its capital in Galich, Mersky, to the
south. Although the salt industry, as well as the settlement itself,
arose earlier, it was mentioned in the spiritual letter by Ivan Kalita.
The local legend, described in the Chronicler of the Resurrection
Monastery, connects its emergence with the foundation of the
Resurrection Monastery, a holy place for which was found by Galich
Prince Fyodor Semenovich next to salt springs in the wilds of the forest
on the banks of the Kostroma River in accordance with the beautiful
Easter vision of a pillar of heavenly light, however no other
information is known about the existence of Prince Fyodor Semenovich of
Galich, therefore this information, just like the date of 1335, was
called into question by N. M. Karamzin.
In the middle of the XIV
century, as part of the Galich principality, it entered the possession
of the Moscow princes, in 1450 it was finally annexed to Moscow and
ended up on the eastern border of the Moscow principality. On this
occasion, the city was fortified - at the beginning of the 16th century,
a wooden fortress was built on an earthen rampart on the left bank of
the Kostroma. Its circumference reaches 405 meters, its height is about
8 meters. It was surrounded on three sides by a moat, which was a
special branch of the Kostroma River, flowing along the western side of
the rampart. On the shaft in the past there was a wooden wall, six
towers and two gates: Spassky and Dmitrovsky. Under the first there was
a disgraced prison under the tower, under the cathedral (the Assumption
Church inside the fortress) the church treasury was kept. Detinets
quickly came in handy - in 1532 the fortress withstood the siege of the
Kazan Tatars. According to legend, they failed to capture the settlement
because of a miraculous phenomenon. Behind the wooden fortress wall
there was a phenomenon of a monk rider in “fiery clothes”, galloping on
a white horse. The rider galloped among the enemy ranks of the Tatars,
sometimes suddenly appearing and returning to the battle tower of the
city of Soligalich. Frightened Tatars fled in fear of what they saw,
crushing their warriors in confusion. The victory came on the third day.
The townspeople recognized on the icon their holy heavenly intercessor
Macarius of Unzhensky from the Assumption wooden church inside the
settlement on the rampart. A miraculous sculpture of the 18th century by
Macarius of Unzhensky from the Church of the Assumption, which was
located inside the earthen rampart of the fortress, where after these
events a special chapel was built in the name of Macarius, has
miraculously survived until now. During the siege, the Soligalichans
boiled water and tar in thick-walled twenty-bucket cauldrons, one of
which is still kept in the storerooms of the local museum of local lore.
It was made by local craftsmen who, in peacetime, riveted huge pans for
evaporating salt. Even iron was smelted from local swamp ore. It is said
that this boiler almost did not rust for almost five hundred years, and
all because it was made of very pure iron without impurities of sulfur,
phosphorus and carbon. Just like the famous iron column from Delhi,
which has not rusted for more than one and a half thousand years.
Soligalich was also repeatedly attacked by the Cheremis, and in the Time
of Troubles by the Polish-Lithuanian invaders. However, the city itself
continued to develop on the right bank of the river, connected to the
fortress by a bridge.
Like many other cities of the Russian state
that have survived to this day, Soligalich successfully ended up on an
important river trade route - from the Volga up the Kostroma and Sukhona
to Totma (also an ancient center of salt production), then through the
Northern Dvina to the only Russian seaport at that time Arkhangelsk. In
combination with the salt industry developed in the city, one of the
most famous and profitable, this meant enormous wealth.
The 17th
century was an era of prosperity for the city, whose prosperity was salt
and lime.
In 1609, a voivodeship was established in Soligalich,
since 1708 - as part of the Arkhangelsk province, since 1778 - a county
town of the Kostroma province. The city received a coat of arms
depicting the Kostroma coat of arms in the upper field, in the lower
field - three piles of salt on a golden field, which means that in these
places there have long been salt pans.