The Vologda Oblast was established on September 23, 1937.
It is situated in northwestern Russia 500 km off Moscow and borders on the Republic of Karelia, on the Arkhangelsk, Kirov, Kostroma, Yaroslavl, Tver, Novgorod, and Leningrad oblasts. The oblast occupies the territory of 144.5 thousand square kilometres, which is equal to the territories of Belgium, Denmark, the Netherlands and Switzerland taken together. The Vologda territory is crossed by important ways connecting central Russia with the Urals and Siberia. The rivers flowing through the region’s territory carry their waters to the Baltic, White and Caspian seas.
The Vologda Oblast is one of the biggest regions of the European part of Russia, located in between two of Russia's major consumption markets - Moscow and St.Petersburg. It is the land of monasteries and churches, magical white nights, rivers and blue lakes.
Many historic sites of the Vologda Oblast are associated with Ivan the Terrible, Peter the Great, the names of the monks - Kirill Belozersky, Ferapont, Paul Obnorsky and Ignaty Brenchaninov, and the renowned writers and poets - Konstantin Batyushkov, Vladimir Gilyarovsky, Igor Severyanin and Nikolai Rubtsov.
The nature is very picturesque. The lakes scattered throughout the region, the forests sprawling along the banks of slow-flowing rivers, the plains stretching away to the horizon have the charm of their own. Tourist will be captivated by the stern and romantic northern nature. There is National Park "Russian North" and the Darwin state reserve on the territory of the Vologda Oblast. The reserves contain an adundance of wilderness, wildlife and spectacular beauty. They abound with rare varieties of plant and bird life. The peculiarity of the Vologda Oblast consists in the vicinity of the wildlife which is unique in its beauty, with the ancient monuments of history and architecture.
The centre of the oblast is Vologda that was founded in 1147. The city of Vologda is one of the most important junctions of railways, automobile roads and airways in the North of Russia. It is a river port that stands on the river under the same name.
The main wealth of the Vologda Region is our people, courageous, hardworking, responsible, who defended our Fatherland in war time and make a tangible contribution into Russia’s development thanks to their achievements in economy, arts and sports.