The Godunovs, the Romanovs and Susanin

10 points6 km3.5 hours

Kostroma is a place with a rich history. The town is linked to the Godunovs, the Romanov royal dynasty and Ivan Susanin. Be sure to see the historic center and the ancient churches and monasteries. Kostroma is a town of Russia's Golden Ring with its own local flavor.

Route author

Susanin Team

Things to do

📜 Learn the city's history
🏰🕵️‍♂️ Discover a legend
🏛️🕰️ Compare the eras

Route points (10)

Fire Watchtower in Kostroma

Point on route “The Godunovs, the Romanovs and Susanin”

Point 8

Fire Watchtower

🏟️ Architectural landmark • 📜 Historic site • ⚙️ Industrial site

Historical Background

Kostroma's center was wooden for a long time, so fires broke out regularly. By various counts there were more than ten devastating fires by the early 19th century. So a decision was made to build a stone fire watchtower. By order of the governor, the tower was not only to keep watch for fires in town but also to fit into the architectural ensemble of the main square, then called Yekaterinoslavskaya Square. The tower was built in 1824–1825, and finishing work took several more years.

Architecture

Because of the governor's requirements for its appearance, the fire tower got an unusual design: the lower part looks like an ancient temple, above which rises a 35-meter (115-foot) bell-tower-like watchtower. The lower part stands out for its porticoes and columns, and the fire station premises were on either side. The building has long since stopped serving its original purpose; today it houses a museum about the town's history and the work of firefighters.

A Curious Fact

Emperor Nicholas I, visiting Kostroma in 1834, admired the building. After that, the tower earned a reputation as “the finest fire watchtower in provincial Russia.”