About the City Vologda is a city of churches, old wooden houses, famous lace and the Russia's best butter. It was founded in 1147 by a monk called Gerasim who came to this land and founded the Trinity Monastery. Later he was canonized as Gerasim of Vologda.

The Russian Tzar Ivan the Terrible almost made Vologda the capital of the country. Legend has it that in 1568 the tsar ordered the building of St. Sophia's Cathedral which was intended to become the main cathedral of Rus. The cathedral was almost finished when a mysterious incident turned the course of the city's history. A brick fell down right next to the tsar as he was inspecting the cathedral. The religious Ivan saw it as a bad omen and Moscow remained the capital until Peter the Great built a new "paradise" on the banks of the river Neva. St. Sophia's Cathedral is still one of the main symbols of Vologda and its Kremlin.

The Volodga Kremlin is situated on the picturesque banks of the river Vologda and comprises buildings dating back to the 16th century including churches, chambers and the stronghold walls. St. Sophia's Cathedral, the Bishop's Yard, the neo-gothic Bell Tower and the Kremlin's other features form a harmonic architectural ensemble. Exhibitions of the region's flora and fauna, crafts and arts are all well worth a visit.

The Museum of the Diplomatic Corps was opened in 1997 in the former building of the US embassy. In 1918 it was the place where the world's politics were decided. Archive documents, diplomats' personal belongings and early twentieth century items tell us about the people and events which once saw Vologda as the diplomatiá centre of Russia.

The Snowflake Lace Factory won its first prize at the Russian Manufactured Goods Exhibition in St. Petersburg in 1870 and continues the unique artistic craft of lace-making to this day. The lace is made by hand using bobbins. The earliest preserved Vologda lace dates back to the 17th century and is admired for its perfection. By the middle of the 19th century, lace making became a professional craft, first for hundreds and later for thousands of female lace makers in different areas of the Vologda region. Many of the factories' designers were awarded the title of the Honorary Artist of Russia and are winners of the Repin State Prize. Vologda lace is famous for its elaborate artistic design, decorative richness and perfect technique.

The Kirillo-Belozersky Monastery of the Assumption was founded in 1397 by a monk called Kirill who heard the voice of the Virgin Mary telling him to come to this place chosen for him by God. Kirill was buried in the monastery and later canonized. Not only did he found the monastery and start collecting, rewriting and moreover writing books, but he also had great political power. The Russian tsar Vassily the Third and his wife prayed here that they may be given an heir. When the son was born the monastery was presented with a rich gift. Later the son himself often came here and made generous donations - he was Ivan the Terrible. For many centuries the monastery served as a place of exile, Patriarch Nikon among the most famous prisoners, and also as a shrine for prominent families, the Sheremetyevs, for example. It was the fortress to which no other Russian monastery could compare. The monastery was closed in 1924 and turned into the State Museum Reserve of History, Architecture and Art, mainly 15th-19th century church art. In 1998 one part of the complex became a monastery once more.

The Gorizky Convent of the Resurrection is the only convent in this area and was founded in 1544 by the Princess Evfrosinya Starizkaya, a relative of Ivan the Terrible. She was later killed on his orders and the convent became notorious as a place of imprisonment for many famous Russian women. The convent flourished in the 19th century boasting its own hospital, water supply, icon and embroidery workshops, and was famous for its flower-growing. At many times throughout its history the convent was plundered and the nuns killed. Such misfortune gave rise to a new perception of the convent's name. The name "Gorizky" was associated with a Russian word "gore" meaning sorrow, i.e. "the Convent of Sorrow". In 1932 the convent was completely closed, and the main cathedral was turned into a village club. In 1995 some of the convent's buildings were returned to the Russian church. Not in vain did one of the nuns prophesize: "They will dance on our remains, but then there will come a time of revival".

The Ferapontov Monastery is a UNESCO World Heritage site. The monastery's history dates back to 1398 when a monk named Ferapont (who came to this area together with Kirill, the founder of Kirillo-Belozersky Monastery of the Assumption) laid the first cornerstone of this new monastery. Ferapont and his successor, Martinian (buried here), were both canonized and are considered to be the monastery's patron saints. The Ferapontov Monastery boasts a bell tower with a clock, the mechanism of which is the oldest surviving in Russia and six hundred square meters of original frescos, painted in 1502 in just 34 days by the famous icon painter Dionisy, and which have never been restored. The monastery was closed in 1924 and nowadays it is a branch of the State Museum Reserve of History, Architecture and Art.