Kostroma is located 340 kilometers to the north-east of Moscow. In 1152 Yury Dolgoruky built a fortress on the confluence of the Volga and the Kostroma rivers to secure the north-eastern part of his Rostov-Kostroma principality. The town survived invasion of the Mongol-Tatars and later of the Poles, every time re-arising after hard years.
As one of the loveliest cities of the Golden Ring Kostroma is certainly one of the highlights of the cruise. The pride of Kostroma is the museum at the former Ipatyevsky Monastery founded in the 14th century by the Zernov family, the forefathers of the Godunovs., Mikhail Fjodorovich, a member of the Romanov dynasty, rose to the throne from this monastery, and his family ruled Russia for 300 years. Kostroma is the only Russian city where the classical layout of the 18th-19th centuries still re-mains. Streets and boulevards run from the central square – a true characteristic of that era.
In September 2002 Kostroma celebrated a big feast - 850 years of the city.