VOLOGDA REGION
AND THE CITY OF VOLOGDA

Vologda region is situated in the European part of Russia 500 kilometers from Moscow in the area of moderately continental climate. It is one of the large area of Russian Federation which occupies almost 1% of its territory (145.7 thousand square kilometers).

In the North the Region borders with Archangelsk region, in the East with Kirovsk region, in the South - Kostroma and Yaroslavl regions, in the Southwest with Tver and Novgorod regions, in the West with Leningrad region , and in the Northwest with Republic of Karelia.

Dominating branches of industry are: iron industry (city of Tcherepovets), chemical industry, mechanic engineering, timber and forestry, cellulose and paper industry (Vologda, Sokol). Light industry branch represented by flax processing factories and lace and garment manufactories.

Dairy cattle husbandry production is nearly 70% of rural economy of the region. The rural economy allows covering needs of population of the region in milk, eggs, meat, potatoes.

The region includes 26 administrative areas, 4 cities (Vologda, Cherepovets, Velikii Ustyug ) and 11 towns. The most important industrial center of the region is the city of Cherepovets. The highest regional official is the governor of the region, who represents the Region in the federal political institutions and in relations with other regions of Russian Federation.

The governor and institutions which he forms constitute the executive power of the region. The legislative assembly of the region is permanently acting legislative body. Its activities are coordinated by chairman, which is elected by qualified majority of deputies voting secretly.

The city of Vologda - is administrative, cultural and industrial centre of Vologda region. Territory: 11,6 ha
Population: 300000
Situation: 460 km to the North from Moscow, from St. Petersburg 600 km Southeast, latitude 590 13" longitude 390 53"
Climate moderately continental. Overage temperature in May +11C°.
Transport: Railway terminal, Airport, Road junction.
Railway: One of the terminal stations in the lines Moscow - Arkhangelsk - Murmansk - Vorkuta; Saint - Petersburg - Yekaterinburg.
Highways: Moscow - Arkhangelsk, Vologda - Novaya Ladoga, Vologda - Medvezhiegorsk; Local highways network. Water highways: via Vologda river, and rivers Sukhon' and Severnaya Dvina to the White See, and via Severo-Dvinskii Canal and Volgo-Balt canal system to Caspian See, Black See and Mediterranean See.

Vologda one of the ancient Russian cities. It was found in 1147. Vologda is as old as Moscow. It is also one of the well preserved Russian cities. Historical buildings both of stone and of wood form its appearance. Vologda always took an active part in the life of the country.

In 16th century Vologda became an important trade and transport centre. It was often visited by Russian Tsars. Ivan the Terrible wanted to create in the city a centre of his oprichnina (a special political and administrative apparatus established by this tsar) and started construction of St. Sophia Cathedral. Peter I visited Vologda on his way to the Archangelsk shipyards, and stayed in a small stone house which belonged to a Dutch merchant.

Vologda is birthplace - of many outstanding people of Russia, including poets Konstantin Batiushkov and Nicolai Rubtsov, writer Vladimir Gilyarovskii, Alexander Mozhaiskii who invented the first airplane, aircraft designer Sergei Ilushin, the cosmonaut Pavel Belyaev, composer Valerii Gavrilin.

Nowadays Vologda is a capital of a region and one the most important cultural centers of the North of Russia. There are 224 historical objects within the city limits of which 128 are under state protection. Vologda is one of 116 Russian cities with historical heritage of special value.

The most important work of architecture is ensemble of the Vologda Kremlin. The centre of the Kremlin St. Sophia cathedral was erected in 1568-1571. Walls of the Kremlin were built in 17th century. This time Vologda was a fortress which protected Moscow from the invasion from North. The belfry was built in 1870. It combines in unique way gothic pointed windows and traditional gilded dom.

In the Kremlin two main museums of the city are accommodated - Vologda state historical architectural museum - its exhibitions are placed in the former house of bishop, and regional art gallery which is housed in the former Resurrection Cathedral. The collection of the historical museum consists of about 400 thousand items including unique works of ancient Russian applied and folk arts of 14th -16th centuries. Among them there are oil paintings, drawings, manuscripts, coins, and archeological findings. Six thousand items of 15th - 18th centuries are permanently exhibited in the museum rooms. These articles of applied art and folk art - laces, articles of birch bark, silver jewelry. Regional painting gallery is known for its collections of Russian and European paintings of 17th - 20th centuries.

Vologda State museum has several branches outside the Kremlin. They are Peter I memorial museum, museum of poet Konstantin Batiushkov, architectural ethnographical museum of the region. The later is an open air museum which includes more than 20 wooden buildings - living houses, store houses, ice-cellars, and chapels. Various events like northern ethnographical, folk art festivals take place there.

A Monastery of our Savior of Prilutsk founded in 1371 is situated near Vologda. Tourists are attracted by its architecture and picturesque landscape on the bank of river.

There are three theatres in Vologda - puppet theatre "Teremok", Regional drama theatre, and theatre for children and young people. Once in two years an international theatre festival "Voices of History" takes place. During the Festival plays from Russian history are staged in the open air in the Kremlin

LIBRARIES

Library service is provided to the population of the region by 674 libraries. They form 35 library administrative networks, including four state regional libraries: I.V. Babushkin Vologda State Regional Research Library, Vologda Regional Library for Children, B.F. Tendryakov Regional Library for Young Adults and Vologda Regional Library for the Blind. In the 25 administrative districts rural libraries are united in the centralized library systems. In four districts the libraries are parts of the so called cultural leisure time amalgamations.

At the moment 205 libraries (including 170 in the rural areas) are computerized, it makes 30% of libraries of the region. 47 libraries (7%) have access to Internet.

I.V. Babushkin Vologda State Regional Research Library
possesses a large collection of books one of the most significant cultural institutions of Vologda region. The library was opened February 9th 1919.

Today the Library gives serves about 50 thousand readers in a year. The seize of the collection more than 1,2 mln items. The number of the library website visits is about 50000 in a year.

Seize of the website is currently about 60000 Mb. Electronic catalogue comprises 900000 records, including the retrospective conversion data. Electronic catalogue of journal articles which is supported by several libraries reflects information on serials which had entered in the Library since 1999. The Library works on the creation of resource on the Vologda region. This is mainly the multimedia resource "Memory of Vologda" which contains full texts, bibliography, images, films, and sound records.

The Library also carries out an important research and publishing work. Since 2000 its publishing house "Book heritage" produced more than 80 tittles, including works of Batiushkov, Shalamov, Yashin, Belov, Kudryavtsev, Mishenev, Fokina, Gryasev, Tchulkov. Memorial publications devoted to A.Ganin, V.Astafiev, studies on poetry of N.Rubtsov also

The priorities in the work of Vologda Regional research library are as follows:

• Preservation and promotion of intellectual heritage of the region, creation of special informational service on local history of the region, introduction of scientific achievements of the Region in the world informational space
• Further improvement of the library services, broadening the list of them
• Improving of the informational technologies in the libraries of region, creation electronic resources and providing access to them
• Attraction of attention to the educational activities of the Library as an important cultural Center, promotion of the reading among the users of different age.

Address in the web www.booksite.ru

TRANSPORTATION

Railway

Main railway station Vologda-1 of Northern railways.

Automobile transportation

Federal highways
M8 - Arkhangelsk - Moscow
A114 - Saint Petersburg - Vologda

Airport Official address 160015 Vologda airport. Tel.: +7 (8172) 55-36-43, fax: +7 (8172) 55-36-86.
E-mail: avia@vologda.ru
Website: www.vologda.ru/~avia
20 minutes to the city of Vologda.
Communication with Moscow - two flights a week.