Geographical location

Cherepovets is located in the west of the oblast on the banks of the Sheksna River (a tributary of the Volga River) and on the shores of the Rybinsk Reservoir.

Cherepovets stands on the bank of the Sheksna that flows out of Beloe Lake and, together with other rivers - the Suda, the Yagorba, and the Yuzhok runs through the Lesser Sheksna Lowland. In its environs, plains alternate with hills, lakes with marshes, and spruce and pine forests with mixed ones. The climate is temperate continental.

Distance from Vologda: 140 km

Distance from Moscow: 527 km

Distance from St. Petersburg: 532 km

Owing to its advantageous geographical situation the city found itself in the centre of the vast North-western oblast of the country. The city has convenient access to major Russian markets. Its extensive transport network includes a high-capacity railway junction, a well-ramified network of motor roads, and a big airport. Another factor ensuring to Cherepovets excellent business opportunities is its proximity to the Volgo-Baltic canal, one of the main routes in Russia, linking the Baltic Sea with the Volga basin. Thus, a thousand threads connect this generally recognized outpost of Russia's heavy industry with its various oblasts by air, land and water.

Transport

Cherepovets is a port of five seas.

The city is served by the Cherepovets Airport, which is home to Severstal Air Company.

Cherepovets has rail access to Vologda, the oblast's administrative centre, Moscow, and St. Petersburg.

Economy

Cherepovets is an industrial centre in northwestern Russia. The city's iron and steel plant Severstal is the biggest producer of rolled stock in Russia. The company produces a wide range of hot-rolled and cold-rolled sheet steel; zinc and aluminozinc plated sheets; steel wire and steel rope; pig iron; and other iron and steel products. Severstal exports over sixty percent of its production. PAO Severstal and OAO Severstal-metiz, one of the modern enterprises in Russia's hardware sector, are part of Severstal Russian Steel.

Cherepovets is an important center of chemical industry in the Vologda Oblast. It focuses on production of phosphate-based mineral fertilizers, phosphoric and sulphuric acids, aluminium fluoride, ammonia, urea, ammonium nitrate (AN) and other nitrogen-based fertilizers.

PhosAgro-Cherepovets is the largest producer of phosphate-based fertilizers and phosphoric and sulphuric acids in Europe, and also one of the leading producers of NPK fertilizers, ammona and AN in the Russian chemical industry.

Shipbuilding, light industry and timber working are also important. Strategically located at the intersection of major Volga-Baltic waterway, West-East railroads, gas pipelines and between two Russian federal cities - Moscow and St. Petersburg, Cherepovets is considered an ideal place for natural resource-consuming industries.

There are over 13 000 small and medium-sized businesses in Cherepovets.

Attractions and tourism

Cherepovets is noted for its architectural monuments and works of art.

The cathedrals, churches and mansions of the city which survived in its original form witness the thriving city.

The exact date of appearance of the Resurrection monastery is unknown. It was first mentioned in the charter of Belozersk Prince Mikhail Andreevich in 1449. The legend states that it was founded by the monks Feodosy and Afanasy the Iron Crozier. The experts studied some documents and had every reason to suppose that the temple was erected in 1362. So the Resurrection Monastery is one of the oldest monastic seats in the North of Russia.

In 1721 stone construction began: the foundation of the stone temple was laid. Soon it became clear that the base was too big - the monastery could not afford it owing to the high cost of stone. The construction work was suspended. And only the year 1752 saw the erection of the Resurrection Church made of stone. The skilled craftsman Ivan Semyonov made new icons for the iconostasis. In 1758-1761 the Trinity Church was built. In 1764 the monastery was abolished and the churches were turned into parish ones. As soon as the city of Cherepovets was founded the Resurrection Church became a city temple. Only the building of this church was preserved, though not to its original appearance. Over the following centuries the church has been extensively reconstructed.

The original interior of it was not preserved. The murals on the walls and vaults were painted in 1851. They depicted Holy Week, the theme which was very popular at that time.

In spite of the reconstruction and damage, the Resurrection Church still remains a monument of stone church architecture in Cherepovets. The structure raised in 1752 remains the foundation of it, the vaults and arches remain intact, since the successive architects were faithful to the original plans.

Another point of interest historically is the Museum of Local Lore that was established in 1895. The history of the museum began with the collection of relics - a gift of the renowned scientist E.Barsov. The first organizers of the museum were a teacher of the local seminary N.Podvysotsky and A.Korovkin. The exhibits help the visitors to the city get to know the history of it. Here one can see the monuments left by the tribes who had lived on the banks of the Sheksna river before the Slavs appeared. The museum tells the story of the development of the region, paying particular attention to people's way of life in the preceding centuries. The museum boasts an element of interest - a small ivory icon set in silver - "Resurrection".

Another point of interest is a rich collection of early Russian painting that was accumulated mostly in the 1920-1930s, though some of the monuments were collected long before the Revolution times. Of the earlier works of Russian art to be found in the museum is the icon that depicts St. Nicholas and an image of the Virgin Odigitria on the reverse side. The portrayal of St.Nicholas dates back to the 14th century and the picture of the Virgin - to the 16th century. The icons are executed with great skill and are unique works of art reflecting the talent of the masters who created them.

Over the recent years the museum of local lore has displayed a number of works of art belonging to the brush of local painters of the 15-17th centuries. The Cherepovets icon painting developed subsequently, in close stylistic interconnection with the Novgorod, Tver and Rostov schools.

The collection of wooden sculptures also merits great attention. Among the exhibits are figures of flying angels and crosses. They date back to the 18th century and give a good idea of the Russian ecclesiastical plastic art.

The museum has a valuable collection of manuscripts and books published before the 18th century. The bulk of the exhibits was provided by the Resurrection Monastery, the Kirillo-Novozersky Monastery, neighbouring churches and country estates. One of the books from the Kirillo-Novozersky Monastery dates from the 17th century. It describes the life and posthumous "miracles" of Kirill Novozersky. The book contains over 50 miniatures depicting some views of the Kornilievo-Komelsky Monastery (Gryazovets district), the Kirillo-Novozersky Monastery and Kirill Novozersky himself in the background of the monastery.

Ancient garments executed with great skill are preserved in the museum. On display are distaffs, carved works and embroidery.

All the exhibits in the collection of the museum are in fact monuments of the history of the Russian state. At the same time they are unique works wrought by talented masters.

Beyond the monuments, Cherepovets' history is also the story of many exceptional men and women. The great battle-painter Vasili Vereshchagin (1842 - 1904) who was born in Cherepovets made a tangible contribution to the Russian art. He was the first Russian artist to be widely recognized abroad. Princess Yekaterina Dashkova was sent into a brief exile in Cherepovets. The poet Igor Severyanin (1887-1941) and the pilot Valery Chkalov lived in the city.

History

The history begins with a monastery on the hills by the banks of the Sheksna River founded in 1360 by two monks - Afanasy and Feodosy. Some centuries later, it developed into a center of trade, manufacture and transportation. Cherepovets was given the official town status in 1777 by the order of Empress Catherine II.

The Mariinskaya water system connecting the Baltic Sea and the Volga was put into action in 1810. It gave boost to economic and cultural development of Cherepovets. In summer marine propulsion in the Mariinskaya system was large here. Cherepovets was enjoying great prosperity. Since that time facing brick was the most common building style in the city. The cathedrals, churches and mansions of the city which survived in its original form witness the thriving city.