The ancient city of Kostroma on the banks of Volga River harbours over two dozen museums. So when on the Golden Ring tour, you have the opportunity to see not only local tourist attractions but rare museum exhibits as well. Old Russian icons, traditional arts and crafts as well as historical curiosities are among them.
The History and Archaeology Church Museum
The museum includes the ancient Trinity Cathedral, where you can see ancient frescoes, icons and rarities of applied arts.
Another exposition introduces visitors to the ancient objects of religious worship, which were brought to the monastery from Kostroma churches closed in the 20^th century. In addition, in the monastery you can see some artifacts associated with the genesis of the royal Romanovs dynasty.
Open hours: from 9 am to 5 pm.
Address: 1, Prosveschenia Street, Kostroma.
 
The History and Architecture Museum-Reserve
This museum collection is the largest in Kostroma. Collected throughout many decades, it is presently exhibited in several museum branches. In the halls of the Noble Assembly (the main museum’s building at 7, Mira Avenue) you can see exhibits telling about the history of the provincial nobility. In the nearby Romanovs Museum (5, Mira Avenue), the items of boyar life are presented, including weapons, documents and books, as well as works of Russian art. The Guardhouse building (1/2, Lenin Street) is dedicated to the war history theme. Here are extensive collections of weapons from different countries and eras.
Open hours: from 11 am to 7 pm.
Address: 7, Prospect Mira, Kostroma.
 

The Wooden Architecture Museum "Kostroma Sloboda"
On the bank of the small Igumenka river, very close to the Ipatiev Monastery, there is an amazing collection of ancient wooden huts, bathhouses, chapels and churches. The unusual open-air museum of wooden architecture was founded in 1958. Surviving ancient monuments of wooden architecture were brought to this area from all over the Kostroma Region. The Virgin Mary Cathedral brought here from the village of Kholm located in the Galich District, was built in the middle of the 16th century. In one of the museum huts, there is an interesting Museum of the Russian Drink.
Open Hours: from 10 am to 8 pm in summer and from 9 am to 6 pm in winter.
Address: 1A, Prosveschenia Street, Kostroma.
 

The Wildlife Museum of the Kostroma Region
The collections illustrating the animal and plant world of the Kostroma Region are housed in a two-storey mansion built in the 19th century. Permanent museum expositions are arranged as dioramas, where you can see what Kostroma looks like during a typical spring, winter and mid winter. The museum exhibits stuffed animals and birds of the species that inhabit the Kostroma forests, as well as a rich collection of insects and fossilized remains of local fossil fauna.
Open hours: from 10 am to 6 pm daily; from 10 am to 7 pm on Saturdays.
Address: 3, Molochnaya Gora Street, Kostroma.
 

The Jewelry Museum
The Kostroma Region has long been famous for its jewelry production traditions. Today, local enterprises produce nearly half of all the Russian jewelry. The private collection of the Jewelry Museum is located in the historic building of the late 18^th century.
Here you can learn about the traditions of Kostroma jewelry art, which originates in the Middle Ages, see unique products of the 17^th – 19^th centuries, as well as works by modern jewelers.
Open Hours: from 10 am to 5 pm.
Address: 7, Sovetskaya Street, Kostroma.
 

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