History of Vologda

The first Vologda
Saint Gerasim, who came to the Vologda River from Kyiv, is considered the first Vologda dweller and founder of the city.

«Here, - thought the old man, - I will lay the city».
Founding of the city in 1147

Where did the name Vologda come from?
The name "Vologda" came from the fact that the fishermen had to drag their boats along the ground from other rivers to our river along the ground, that is, to drag them.

Vologda in the time of Ivan IV
The city becomes one of the most important transit centers in Russia's foreign trade with England, Holland and other Western countries along the White Sea route and in trade with Siberia along the Sukhona and Vychegda.

Vologda in the time of Ivan the Terrible
Initially, Vologda was wooden, but Tsar Ivan the Terrible ordered the construction of a stone Kremlin in Vologda, in the image and likeness of the Assumption Cathedral in Moscow.​

Sophia Cathedral is the first stone building built in Vologda by order of Tsar Ivan the Terrible

Vologda in the 17th-18th centuries
Under Peter I, Vologda becomes one of the main state military bases of the country. The first sea that Peter met was the northern White Sea, and the tsar's path lay through Vologda.

Vologda in the late 19th early 20th centuries
In the 19th century, Vologda received the historical appearance that is characteristic of the city today. Stone and wooden mansions, administrative buildings built in the last century adorn the city to this day

Map of Vologda
The names of the streets of the city were given in most cases by the names of churches, monastic courtyards. In the 19th century there were more than 70 of them in Vologda.​

The Vologda land has always been famous for its crafts
Vologda lace, Vologda oil, Vologda finift, Northern niello, wood painting, birch bark painting, pottery and felt boots rolling, weaving, linen production are carefully preserved and passed down from generation to generation

Books about Vologda