Gustomesovo on the Volga

Gustomesovo lies on a high bank of the Volga. The Church of the Dormition stands in the northwestern part of the village and is clearly visible from the river. The landscape and the building give the place two distinct focal points: the bank as a scenic backdrop and the church as an architectural centrepiece. When planning your trip, consider whether Gustomesovo itself should be your main destination or whether other places in the wider destination of Kostroma Oblast better match your interests.

Church and village on the Volga bank

The Church of the Dormition is built of brick and is an example of a Russian-style parish church. Its unusual composition of building forms also shows the influence of Art Nouveau. The building was probably constructed to a design by N. I. Gorlizyn, the city architect of Kostroma. Its style, materials and probable architectural attribution offer different ways to understand the building.

A carved stone altar cross is kept in the church. It probably dates from the 17th century and was brought here from a wooden chapel in the village of Orlez near Gustomesovo. The history of this church site therefore includes both its distinctive architecture and the origins of the cross in a chapel in Orlez. The cross’s date remains approximate.

When looking for a holiday apartment, this distinction can help you choose where to stay: Gustomesovo combines its location on the high bank of the Volga with a specific church history. If your trip is focused mainly on museums, historic country estates or taiga forest, also consider the places in the wider destination of Kostroma Oblast that best suit those interests.

More to explore in the wider destination of Kostroma Oblast

For nature, visit the Kologrivsky Les State Nature Reserve. It comprises two separate areas that preserve different landscapes of the southern taiga, with zonal and provincial physical-geographical features. The “Journey into the Protected Forest” tour includes a visit to the ecological trail of the same name, which leads through a section of old-growth southern taiga forest. Check the tour’s arrangements before travelling.

For a cultural focus, visit Shchelykovo, the country estate of the Russian playwright Alexander Nikolayevich Ostrovsky in Kostroma Oblast. Guided tours of the park and house take place at 10:00, 11:30, 13:00, 14:30 and 15:30. They are available for groups of five or more, or for a fee equivalent to five people. As arrangements may change, it is advisable to check the latest information before planning your visit.

At the Susanino Museum of Local History, exhibits in five halls tell the story of the Susanino region in sequence: nature, archaeology, history, culture and everyday life. The renewed exhibition “At the Crossroads of History and Legend” preserves Ivan Susanin and Savrasov’s “The Rooks Have Arrived” as themes of importance to the region. The museum also offers walking and bus excursions to places associated with Ivan Susanin, including the Isupovo bog and the villages of Derevenki and Domnino.

Another way to explore the cultural history of Kostroma Oblast is to visit Kostromskaya Sloboda in Kostroma. There you can see historic wooden houses and churches, as well as ethnographic exhibitions about the lives of peasants in the Kostroma region. Each destination offers a different focus: forest landscapes in the nature reserve, literary history in Shchelykovo, and regional history, culture and everyday life in Susanino and Kostroma.

Discover more destinations: Drenevo, Krasnoye-on-the-Volga, Khmelevka, Glebovo, Stepanovo, Kirovo, Sukhonogovo, Sudislavl.

Back to the wider travel guide: Kostroma Oblast.