Administrative division

902 settlements

Geographical location

The District of Vologda is situated in the centre of the region. It borders on Kirillov, Sokol, Sheksna, Mezhdurech’ye and Gryazovets district within the Vologda Region.

Transport

Transportation routes: highways Arkhangelsk-Moscow, Vologda-Novaya Ladoga, Vologda-Vytegra-Medvezh'yegorsk

Railway stations: Molochnoye, Dikaya, Lumba, Kipelovo, Kushchuba (railway connecting St.Petersburg, Vologda and Kirov), Rybkino, Losta, Chakhlovo, Paprikha (railway connecting Moscow and Arkhangelsk)

Vologda airport currently offers flights to Moscow and St. Petersburg.

Economy

Main branches of industry: dairy cattle raising, meat cattle raising, vegetable-growing, flax-growing

Every region has its claim to fame, but there's none sweeter than Vologda's position as Russia's butter capital. Butter-making is one of the clearly expressed specializations of the Vologda District. It boasts the Vologda Dairy Academy (founded in 1911), a local creamery and a research institute and a livestock breeding farm.

Agriculture is a clear dominant in the district's economy. By virtue of natural conditions and economic factors, cattle-breeding and dairy-farming are clearly expressed specializations of the district. The enterprises producing a great selection of meat and milk products meet the district's demands for meat, milk, potato, eggs and vegetables.

Timber and wood-working industries, heat-and-power engineering take a dominating position.

Attractions and tourism

Tourism depends on a very wide range of factors, and that it greatly affects the direction of the overall development of the area, and society in general.

Tourism infrastructure is the basis of tourism development and utilization of existing destination resources.

The District of Vologda is located at the intersection of the main Russian transportation lines. The geographical situation of the district is very advantageous due to the proximity of the navy route connecting the Volga River and the Dvina.

Rich cultural and historical heritage, numerous natural monuments, architectural structures and unique nature potential are the pride of the residents and the basis for the development of most types of tourism in the district.

The District of Vologda boasts a number of historical monuments - Memorial estate of A.Mozhaisky, Museum of Architecture and Ethnography in Semenkovo and many others.

The Memorial estate of A.Mozhaisky, an affiliate to the Vologda State Museum-Preserve was founded on November 4, 1986. An exposition devoted to the pioneer of the Russian aircraft construction Alexander Mozhaisky (1825-1890) is located 12 km off Vologda in a mansion that once belonged to L.Kuzmina, Mozhaisky's spouse. The memorial estate is a two-storeyed timbered building dating back to the 19th century.

The place was chosen not by chance. In this house Alexander Mozhaisky carried out calculations and experiments aiming to create a heavier-than-air flying vehicle. The exposition tells about the contribution of the Vologda-born scientists, researchers and pilots into the development of Russian aviation. It presents the development of the Russian aeronautics from the invention of the first plane to the flight of the historic Voskhod-2 mission in 1965 with Pavel Belyaev, a Vologda-born cosmonaut, on board. A special section is devoted to Sergei Ilyushin, the leading Soviet aircraft designer, who also cultivated an interest in aeronautics.

Another place of interest - an amazing relic of bygone generations can be found in the village of Semenkovo located not far from the Vologda City (12 km off Vologda) on the right bank of the Vologda River. Vologda' s wooden architecture represents an entire epoch in the cultural history of the region. Here, with so many stretching forests, wood served as a natural means to put up dwellings, make furniture, household utensils and children's toys, and heat houses.

The museum takes an area of 12.7 hectares. Currently more than 20 exhibit constructions can be found there: a mansion, 12 houses, 6 barns, an ice storage room, a bath-house and chapel (modern replica). All of them were built in the second half of the 19th-early 20th century on the territory of the Vologda Oblast.

The District of Vologda is known for its rich orthodox culture and history and offers many places of religious and historic significance – churches, monasteries, museums and holy springs.

The District of Vologda also boasts charming mansions and historic houses, very wonderful and unique estates that belonged to noble families and have recently been restored to their original appearance.

Rivers, lakes, forests and wetlands are the main attractions of most ecotourism spots in the district. Holiday-makers have an opportunity to get to know better the nature, culture and history of the district. Green tourism also is a great way to rest from the bustle of big cities, forget about every day cares and enjoy pure nature of rural areas.

The district has the opportunity for the development of sports tourism. 170 sports facilities - gyms, swimming pools,  fitness centres function for all those wishing to keep shape, health and good spirit.

History

The archaeological digs carried out near Kubenskoye Lake by the Archaeological Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences and the Antiquities of the North, a scientific organization, testify to the fact that the history of the District of Vologda began with the mesolithic period approximately 9500 years ago. The scholars believe that the settlement of Minino-I was inhabited over many historic epochs. The first residents of it were engaged mostly in hunting, fishing and gathering. Later the people began to grow flax, wheat, barley and breed cattle. The finds of grain were discovered on the area that comprises modern day Vologda Oblast for the first time ever. The archaeologists also exposed cultural links of the settlement of Minino with south-west and north-east of Russia.

Another point of interest historically is the building style of Minino. Street planning was that typical of an Old Russian town. Moreover, the inhabitants of Minono were able to process non-ferrous metals. Among the archaeological finds were jewels and household goods, intricate adornments for men's and women's clothes.

Vologda Uyezd (District) was first mentioned in 1481. At that time a third of modern day area of the Vologda Oblast belonged to the District of Vologda (Districts of Gryazovets, Mezhdurech'ye, Sokol, Ust'-Kubinsky, Kharovsk, Syamzha, Verkhovazh'ye and Tarnoga).

No account of the District of Vologda would be complete without mentioning Saint Gerasim, the first saint of the North of the country, the Spas-Kamenny Monastery on Kubenskoye Lake (1260) and Spaso-Prilutsky Monastery (1371), the first temples erected in the North, and Dionisy, a genius of Russian medieval art.

The history of the district is also the story of exceptional nobleman families. The Zubovs, the Andreevs, the Ryazanovs and the Sablins were held in great respect all over the district. During the Patriotic War of 1812 A.Endagurov, a nobleman and landlord, distinguished himself in action in Prussia. S.Kolchinsky was engaged in the battle at Borodino. P.Kvashnin-Samarin took part in the military actions at Leipzig. The pioneer of the Russian aircraft construction A.Mozhaisky (1825-1890) spent seven years in the village of Kotelnikovo. There he watched the birds flying and carried out his experiments. The great aircraft designer S.Ilyushin was born in the village of Dilyalevo. The District of Vologda is a native town to the poet and interpreter A.Olyoshev, the playwright V.Gilyarovsky, the geologist D.Belyankin and the lieutenant-general N.Vedenichev. The renowned Russian poet S.Esenin got married in one of the churches of the District of Vologda.

By virtue of the location the district was a major intellectual centre of the Vologda gubernia. In 1892 the first agricultural school was opened in the village of Ostakhovo. The Dairy Institute founded in the District of Vologda in 1911 became the first specialized educational institution in the world. Having established a school for serfs, the land-owning lady Zaletskaya initiated production of laces.

Prior to the World War I the District of Vologda was the most industrially-developed gubernia's region with a population of 184619 people. The number of plants and factories on the territory of the District of Vologda amounted to 29, and was bigger than the combined factories of other gubernia's districts.

After the October Revolution the agriculture of the district was in decline, the area under crop became three times less. By the year 1925 the agroindustrial complex was on the rise again. Butter factories, credit and land-reclamation companies sprouted up in many settlements.

On June 15, 1929 the Vologda rural district was formed within the area of the district of Vologda. At that time the population of 74689 people squeezed into 1115 settlements.

It is only since 1962 that the District of Vologda has had its present area.