Kotelnich

Kotelnich (Russian: Котельнич) is a small town in the western part of Kirov Oblast. Most travelers will only see Kotelnich from the train when going along the Trans-Siberian route. Those who decide to stop by, though, may enjoy the sleepy town and the gorgeous paleontology museum that boasts skeletons of dinosaurs discovered in the nearby excavations.

Understand
First mentioned in chronicles in 1459, Kotelnich rapidly became a trade town renowned for its Alexeyevskaya Fair that was held for nearly 300 years until mid-19th century. In early 20th century, Kotelnich became a station of the Trans-Siberian railway and eventually became an important junction where two branches of this railway (from Nizhny Novgorod and from Yaroslavl) meet.

The town is also famous for its excavations of dinosaurs on the banks of the Vyatka River.

Kotelnich has a distinct outlook because of the apocalyptic blaze of 1926 which levelled nearly all wooden buildings in the city. It was rebuilt in early 20th century Soviet architecture, a brutalist style that is still easily recognisable.

By train
Kotelnich has two train stations. The main hub, Kotelnich-1, is 1 km north of the town center. The ugly station building is more rewarding from inside; its abundant signposts are even translated into English. All local trains and most long-distance trains stop here. Check the actual timetable online or call +7 (83342) 4-07-00, 9-23-00. Kotelnich-2 station is hardly used by anyone because it is in the suburbs and served by infrequent local trains in the direction of Nizhny Novgorod, only.

Kotelnich is served by numerous long-distance trains that run along the Trans-Siberian Railway toward Kirov, Perm, and Ekaterinburg as well as Siberian destinations. Some of the fast trains do not stop here. Travel time from Moscow is 13–15 hr, from Saint Petersburg 19–20 hr, from Nizhny Novgorod 5 hr, from Kirov 1–1.5 hr.

Local trains in the direction of Kirov depart every 2 hours and reach their destination in about 2 hours (compare to only 1–1.5 hours by long-distance trains). Other local trains are very infrequent and hardly useful for any travel.

By car
Take any of the three roads: P157 from Kirov (119 km), P159 from Yaransk (135 km), or an unnamed road from Sharya in Kostroma Oblast (167 km). The distance from Nizhny Novgorod is about 500 km along P159, either via Yaransk or via Sharya.

By bus
Bus station (open 5:30–21:00) abuts the train station Kotelnich-1. Information: +7 (83342) 4-19-73, 4-19-53 (booking office), 4-16-64 (bus company). The only feasible option is the bus to Yaransk 6-7 times a day. Other destinations include the small towns of Orlov and Sovetsk (2 times a day).

See
The main street is Sovetskaya which runs roughly parallel to the Vyatka river bank. Most of the tourist sights and points of interest are in the immediate vicinity of Sovetskaya.
 * Vernacular buildings belong to different periods and styles. The typical 19th-century buildings can be seen in the town center along Sovetskaya, Lenina, and Oktyabrskaya streets. More rewarding, though, are minuscule Constructivist houses from the 1920s. They were built after the big fire of 1926 that destroyed most wooden buildings in Kotelnich. Check the department store at 103 Sovetskaya St. and the post office at 90 Karla Marksa St.
 * Vernacular buildings belong to different periods and styles. The typical 19th-century buildings can be seen in the town center along Sovetskaya, Lenina, and Oktyabrskaya streets. More rewarding, though, are minuscule Constructivist houses from the 1920s. They were built after the big fire of 1926 that destroyed most wooden buildings in Kotelnich. Check the department store at 103 Sovetskaya St. and the post office at 90 Karla Marksa St.
 * Vernacular buildings belong to different periods and styles. The typical 19th-century buildings can be seen in the town center along Sovetskaya, Lenina, and Oktyabrskaya streets. More rewarding, though, are minuscule Constructivist houses from the 1920s. They were built after the big fire of 1926 that destroyed most wooden buildings in Kotelnich. Check the department store at 103 Sovetskaya St. and the post office at 90 Karla Marksa St.
 * Vernacular buildings belong to different periods and styles. The typical 19th-century buildings can be seen in the town center along Sovetskaya, Lenina, and Oktyabrskaya streets. More rewarding, though, are minuscule Constructivist houses from the 1920s. They were built after the big fire of 1926 that destroyed most wooden buildings in Kotelnich. Check the department store at 103 Sovetskaya St. and the post office at 90 Karla Marksa St.
 * Vernacular buildings belong to different periods and styles. The typical 19th-century buildings can be seen in the town center along Sovetskaya, Lenina, and Oktyabrskaya streets. More rewarding, though, are minuscule Constructivist houses from the 1920s. They were built after the big fire of 1926 that destroyed most wooden buildings in Kotelnich. Check the department store at 103 Sovetskaya St. and the post office at 90 Karla Marksa St.
 * Vernacular buildings belong to different periods and styles. The typical 19th-century buildings can be seen in the town center along Sovetskaya, Lenina, and Oktyabrskaya streets. More rewarding, though, are minuscule Constructivist houses from the 1920s. They were built after the big fire of 1926 that destroyed most wooden buildings in Kotelnich. Check the department store at 103 Sovetskaya St. and the post office at 90 Karla Marksa St.
 * Vernacular buildings belong to different periods and styles. The typical 19th-century buildings can be seen in the town center along Sovetskaya, Lenina, and Oktyabrskaya streets. More rewarding, though, are minuscule Constructivist houses from the 1920s. They were built after the big fire of 1926 that destroyed most wooden buildings in Kotelnich. Check the department store at 103 Sovetskaya St. and the post office at 90 Karla Marksa St.

Do

 * Alexeyevskaya Fair (Алексеевская ярмарка) is a traditional event taking place annually on the last week of March.

Buy

 * Town market is at the junction of Sovetskaya and Kirova streets.

Go next

 * Kirov — center of the region and a very interesting city with lots of old churches, gorgeous vernacular buildings, and fascinating museums
 * Yaransk — dreary town boasting several old churches