One of the most beautiful rivers in Russia is the Kostroma. The local population affectionately calls it Kostroma.
The lowland along which it flows originated during the Ice Age. Water from there eventually flowed into the Volga, forming an ancient channel.
Origins
The river begins its journey through the European part of our country from the Galich Upland, which stretches almost along the meridian for two hundred and fifty kilometers and is covered with mixed forests. In the north of the Kostroma region, among the Soligalich lakes and swampy swamps, to the east of the city of Soligalich, near the village of Knyazhevo, there is the source of the Kostroma River.
If you look at the map - Kostroma keeps its way three hundred and fifty-four kilometers to the Volga itself. Historically, it was the left tributary of the great river. Now it flows into the Gorky reservoir.
The water resource of the river is replenished mainly when snow melts.
Character of the upper reaches
Just starting its long journey, winding and quite narrow in its upper reaches, the Kostroma River winds very strongly. Frequent rifts on a rocky bottom make her seethe and murmur. Steep and steep bankshide forest thickets.
About fifty kilometers the path of the river runs along the border of the Kostroma and Yaroslavl regions. In these places there is a republican state reserve "Kologrivsky forest". It was created in 2006.
Ornithologists conduct research here. In addition, scientists study the world of fish. Changes in the landscape depending on the floods of the Kostroma River are being studied. It collects water from an area of 16,000 km2.
The total length of the rivers of the Kostroma region is 1475 km, and most of them are located in hard-to-reach places or even in the wilderness, where you can only get by water or air.
The Kostroma River quickly collects water from its many tributaries. And now this is no longer a narrow winding rivulet. Now its width reaches thirty or forty meters. The largest rivers are tributaries of the Kostroma River:
- Left - Vocha, Veksa, Tebza, Shacha, Mezenda.
- On the right it is fed by Svetlitsa, Lamsa, Selma, Monza, Obnora and Shugoma.
Two rivers, Meza and Sot, already carry their waters not to Kostroma, but to the Gorky reservoir.
Downstream
After reaching the city of Buya, the river overflows for sixty meters. Here it flows calmly and majestically. Spills and numerous bends appear. From May to October, Kostroma becomes navigable here.
The river has been frozen over since November. Its thickness can reach forty-five centimeters.
The ice drift begins in April, and sometimes in early May. Spring water washes away the winter ice in three days. The river wakes up, and the flood begins, which lasts almost until June.
From the mouth of the Vocha tributary, Kostroma is deep and calm. It flows between high banks covered with forest. There are many flat deep sections in this part of the river. After the village of Kashino, the banks become open. There are small rocky rapids in the channel.
Further along the coast there are no villages up to the village of Pechenga (Buisky district). Near this village, Kostroma joins the Yezan and Korgopol rivers on the left and the Tutka on the right. Near the mouth of the Yezani River there is a large island, all overgrown with bushes.
Beyond Pechenga, the steep river banks become flatter, revealing the panorama of the village of Nikolo-Chudtsa. Here in 1808 the Church of the Icon of the Mother of God of Kazan was built. The church has survived, but is abandoned. And there are no more inhabitants in the village itself.
Near the village of Dyakonova there is a beautiful large sandbar formed by the overflow of the Kostroma River. There used to be a ferry here.
On the right bank behind the shallows you can see a luxurious pine forest. Scenic views delight the eye all the way along the river.
In the upper Kostroma is narrow and flows quickly. The bottom there is hard and rocky, rifts are not uncommon. In the lower reaches, where the river is calm and wide, the bottom is muddy and viscous. Where crossings are possible, they have been built for a long time.
Kostroma Sea
In September 1956, the Gorky reservoir was created on the Volga. Therefore, the lower reaches of Kostroma, on the mapconsisting of many lakes and rivers, were flooded. It now flows into the bay four kilometers higher than the former mouth. The man-made sea spilled over about 120 km2.
The villages of Spas and Vezha, located earlier near the mouth of the Kostroma River, also went under water. Only the top of the stone church from the Savior is visible, like a landmark for motor boats and rare ships.
The lower reaches of the river beyond the Kostroma Bay were blocked by a dam on the Idolomka River and a dam in the city of Kostroma. Vessels pass along the old channel to the repair dock. Kostroma Lower flows within the Kostroma region and around the city. Its length is twenty-seven kilometers. The largest river flowing here is the Uzoksa. She pours her waters fourteen kilometers from the mouth.
A trip to history
In the nineteenth century, the river was an important transportation route. Numerous inhabitants of its shores could feed near it. She was navigable all the way to Soligalich. And steamship traffic was carried out from Bui to the mouth of Kostroma. The banks of the river were rich in forests. It was actively harvested and fused.
If rafting was used earlier, then in the Soviet years it was done by molar method. Such an alloy was usually carried out during a flood. The logs were simply thrown into the water. They were not fastened or tied with anything. In order to guide the forest with the flow, devices were erected - booms. When it was necessary to stop the rafting, they built special traps - zapani. With mole alloy, part of the logs got wet and sank. The river was littered with rubble and driftwood. This made her dangerousshipping. Melela river. Dead fish. So ruined in our country many rivers. That is why mole alloy is banned in Russia nowadays.
The photograph shows mole rafting in the vicinity of the town of Bui. Photo taken in 1976 by Frenchman Jacques Dupaquier.
Recreation and fishing
The Kostroma River is famous for its natural beauty. Its picturesque overflows were noted by Nekrasov in his poems. It was here that he saw a peasant rescuing hares. Kostroma Bay has become a favorite vacation spot. Here they fish from motorboats and rowing boats. They go fishing and go diving. The tributaries of the river, not spoiled by blockages, are rich in living silver. Pike and perch, roach and bleak - a great catch awaits every fisherman.
The luxuriant forests along the Kostroma River are full of mushrooms and berries, although these places are difficult to access because of the high banks. Visitors from Yaroslavl or Moscow are not uncommon here. They come with baskets or fishing rods to relax in nature and gain strength. But for amateur hunters there is where to spend time. Duck hunting is allowed along the oxbow lakes.
Five-headed
In the place where the Kostroma River flows into the Volga, the Ipatiev Monastery is located. Now this place is called Ipatiev Cape. Place of the old mouth of Kostroma. The monastery was first mentioned in chronicles in 1435. The construction of the Ipatiev Monastery continued from the sixteenth to the nineteenth century.
It was here that the Romanovs were blessed to reign.
The main temple - Trinity Cathedral - is decorated with five gilded domes. Centenary oaks and larches grow in the monastery garden. The cathedral rises majestically above the water, reflected by its five heads. As an architectural monument, the Holy Trinity Ipatiev Monastery is included in the Golden Ring route, and about four hundred thousand tourists come here every year.
City of Kostroma
The ancient Russian city of Kostroma arose in the 12th century at the confluence of Kostroma with the great Russian river Volga. Located at the intersection of two important trade arteries, it becomes the center of a specific principality in a hundred years.
Today, Kostroma has preserved its historical center: the ensembles of the Holy Trinity Ipatiev and Epiphany Anastasia convents. They are built in accordance with the style of classicism. The city has many churches and chapels. Kostroma is officially listed as a historical settlement.
The width of the Volga near the city is six hundred meters. Therefore, there is also a large river port. Previously, "Rockets" came here - high-speed hydrofoils. But since the 1990s, only cruise ships have landed in the port.
Kostroma is an ancient center for the production of linen fabric. At one time, it was difficult for her to compete with the influx of cotton from Central Asia and synthetics into the market. But foreign experts highly appreciated the natural flax of Kostroma residents. Now almost all products are exported.
Legend
Chronicles of the Resurrection Soligalich Monastery keep a legend about how a certain prince arrived at the headwaters of the river. Heplanned to build a temple. The first thing he did was to send his people to find out the name of the river. His envoys sailed to the city of Kostroma. And only then did they learn that the river was called Kostroma.
