Cherepovets
General Information
Cherepovets is called in Russia a city with a rich past and great prospects for the future. It is situated in the Vologda oblast (130 Km or 81 MI off Vologda, 620 Km or 385 MI from Moscow and 475 Km or 295 MI from St. Petersburg). Its relative proximity to the biggest Russian cities, substantial economic potential and highly skilled labour made Cherepovets one of the most advanced industrial centres in Russia.
The history of the town dates back to the XVIIIth century. Empress Catherine II referred to it as the "town of Cherepovets" and ordered to "submit a plan of what she said town should be" in her decree in 1777.
Cherepovets always attracted travellers. A mentioning of Cherepovets is to be found in the travel notes of Prince Andrey Kurbsky in the year 1553.
Nikolay Nekrasov, the noted Russian poet, used some of the motifs that he saw here in his poem "Who Lives Well in Russia". Such famous Russian writers as Anton Chekhov and Gleb Uspensky wrote about the town, as did Anatoliy Subbotin, the essayist, who called Cherepovets "Northern Athens".
Historic Sites
In ancient times the Slavs settled at the places suitable for farming. They cultivated the land, hunted and went fishing. The Slavs were followed by Christian missionaries who became founding fathers of many northern monasteries and brought into being new cultural traditions. One of such monasteries sprouted up at the confluence of two rivers - the Sheksna and Yagorba. Later the city of Cherepovets grew on this spot.
As history annals say, the monastery emerged at the place where once a ship belonging to a Moscow merchant was nearly wrecked but miraculously survived. The merchant returned to the place a year after and raised a bellfry in the name of resurrection. Later the Resurrection monastery was built at the place where the action was said to have happened.
As years passed the monastery grew, acquired the lots, villages and settlements. The exact date of the monastery's appearance 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.
The monastery was ravaged and hit by flames several times. The entire structure was ruined in 1610 by Poles and Lithuanians. During this invasion the neighbouring villages were also destroyed. Only by the mid 17th century the Resurrection Monastery revived. Much effort was put into the restoration of it.
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.
Industry
Many years have passed. Today, just as before, 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 still remains the same - temperate continental. The life of the city, however, has undergone quite a few changes, particularly so after World War II. The leadership of the former USSR decided to build a number of giant metalmaking and chemical facilities in Cherepovets.
"Peter the Great's dream and dictator Stalin's favourite idea has at last come true," one of the Western magazines, Engineering and Mining, wrote at the time. Four immense complexes were built. People came to work here from various places all over the country, some of them very remote. The city was given substantial funds for carrying on industrial construction and its share in the country's economy grew markedly, for it now produced metal not only for making sewing needles, but also for manufacturing spaceships, and the chemical fertilizers produced here helped increase harvests not only in the USSR, but also in quite a few countries of Eastern Europe.
Today there are two metalmaking giants in Cherepovets (Severstal and AO ChSPZ), two major chemical production associations (Ammophos and Azot) producing mineral fertilizers, sulphuric acid, ammonia, and urea.
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 Volga-Balt 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. In exchange for its products Cherepovets receives from its Russian partners apatites, ore concentrates and iron-rich pellets, coming from the Kola Peninsula, cooking coal, sent from the Pechora and Kuznetsk coal basins, and natural gas, supplied from the Volga area, the Republic of Komi and the Tyumen Oblast. The suppliers of raw materials are 315 to 3,400 kilometres from Cherepovets. The city is an active user of high technology and high-tech services and imports various equipment manufactured not only in Russia, but also in Western Europe.
The city's potential is not confined to the four industrial leaders of Cherepovets. It has also a number of relatively small light, food, woodworking and building materials enterprises, as well as rather big construction and logging and lumbering complexes. Ever greater attention is given in the city to the development of the private sector of the economy, in particular, medium and small-sized businesses. Their influence on the economic situation is constantly growing.
News
VOICES (Vologda Independent Cinema from European Screens) Festival has become the unique place for meeting young filmmakers. Every year it presents the creations of both well-known directors and beginners.
VOICES Festival (Vologda Independent Cinema from European Screens) supported by the Vologda Region Governor, Vologda City administration and the RF Ministry of Culture started in Vologda in 2010.
The International competition for performers on wind and percussion instruments "Northern Rhapsody" opened in Cherepovets on April 26 and it will last until April 29.
VIII International competition for performers on wind and percussion "Northern Rhapsody" will be held in Cherepovets on April 26-29.
Jiangsu is an eastern coastal province of the People's Republic of China. It is one of the leading provinces in finance, education, technology and tourism.
VOICES Festival (Vologda Independent Cinema from European Screens) will be held in the Vologda Region on July 3-7. It will be held as part of the Summer of Russian North project initiated by Acting Governor Georgy Filimonov.
The International Martial Arts Festival was timed to coincide with the 30th anniversary of the Cherepovets Martial Arts Center and the 75th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Russia. China and Russia are two countries with a long history and culture, and the friendly relations between the two countries have a long history.
About 6,000 people are to visit the International Martial Arts Festival in Cherepovets.
From July 3 to 7, 2024 Vologda and Cherepovets will host the VOICES Festival.
The organizers of the Cinema Night campaign are the Ministry of Culture of the Russian Federation, the Cinema Fund and the portal of the cultural heritage and traditions of Russia “Culture.RF”.
The international exhibition “Oil and Gas of Uzbekistan” hosts the leading experts and top management of the world’s largest oil companies, investors, representatives of ministries and government agencies, international banks, chambers of commerce, international financial corporations and private companies.
The competition for performers on wind and percussion "Northern Rhapsody" that was held in Cherepovets from April 23 through April 26 gathered about 2000 musicians from Russia, China, Belarus, Kazakhstan, New Zealand and Japan.
VII International competition for performers on wind and percussion "Northern Rhapsody" opened in Cherepovets (Vologda Region) on April 23. It will last till April 26.
The competition for performers on wind and percussion instruments "Northern Rhapsody" will gather young musicians under 35 years of age. They will demonstrate their skills playing the flute, oboe, clarinet, bassoon, saxophone, French horn, trumpet, tenor trombone, tuba and percussion instruments.
The best schools, lyceums and gymnasiums were chosen in Russia.
Ded Moroz continues his journey on a fabulous train through the cities of Russia. Ded Moroz Express Train is to arrive in Cherepovets on January 9 and in Vologda - on January 10. Ded Moroz set off on his traditional New Year trip on October 22, 2022.
The analysts of the headhunting website hh.ru published the annual ranking of best Russia’s universities based on the employer and alumni databases.
It took 1000 days and nights to build the Arkhangelsk road bridge in Cherepovets over the Sheksna River. The largest infrastructure project of Cherepovets will open to traffic in August this year.
The 10 best single-industry cities (monocities) of Russia are Mendeleevsk, Naberezhnye Chelny (Republic of Tatarstan), Togliatti (Samara Region), Tulun (Irkutsk Region), Gubkin (Belgorod Region), Pavlovsk (Voronezh Region), Cherepovets (Vologda Region), Nevinnomyssk (Stavropol Territory). Blagoveshchensk (Republic of Bashkortostan) and Kirovsk (Murmansk Region).
The Victory Train, an immersive museum of the Great Patriotic War consisting of eight railcars, will arrive in Vologda and Cherepovets. This unique historical museum keeps the memory of those who defended our country during the Great Patriotic War.
Vologda Oblast Governor Oleg Kuvshinnikov paid a working visit to Cherepovets as part of a series of visits throughout the Vologda Oblast examining economic and social development of cities and regions.
The International competition for performers on wind and percussion instruments "Northern Rhapsody" opened in Cherepovets on November 25 and lasted until December 15.
Results of the main rating for all single-industry cities of the Russian Federation have been announced in Moscow. Vologda Region Governor Oleg Kuvshinnikov took part in the event.
The International competition for performers on wind and percussion instruments "Northern Rhapsody" opened in Cherepovets on November 25.
VI International competition for performers on wind and percussion "Northern Rhapsody" opened in Cherepovets (Vologda Region) on November 25. It will last till December 15. This year the music competition will be held online via video recordings.
Mr. Borisov held a visiting meeting in Cherepovets on the prospects for the development of the mineral fertilizers industry. Among the participants of the meeting there were heads of the Russian Association of Fertilizer Producers and key industry enterprises.
VI International competition for performers on wind and percussion "Northern Rhapsody" will be held in Cherepovets on November 25-28. The music competition will be arranged online via video recordings.
The demonstration of 33 short films shot by students of Russian and foreign film schools will be organized at Komsomolets cinema house for free.
Applications for participation in an international competition can be sent by November 1. The music competition will be held online via video recordings.
VI International competition for performers on wind and percussion "Northern Rhapsody" will be held in Cherepovets on November 25-28. Applications for participation in an international competition can be sent by November 1. The music competition will be held online via video recordings.
The participants of the international expedition will arrive in Cherepovets on August 25 and in Vologda - on August 26.
The Victory Train, an immersive museum of the Great Patriotic War consisting of nine railcars, arrived in Cherepovets on July 25. This unique historical museum keeps the memory of those who defended our country during the Great Patriotic War.
On May 29, 2021 the official ceremony of keel laying of a head barge was held at the Cherepovets Shipbuilding Plant. The ceremony was attended by Vologda Region Governor Oleg Kuvshinnikov.
Cherepovets machine-building company "Stroymatik" became a participant of Intl Foundations Congress and Equipment Expo (IFCEE-2021) that took place in Dallas , TX, United States on May, 10-14, 2021.
The first series-produced all-terrain vehicle rolled off the production line back in 2008 in Cherepovets, Vologda Region.
April 26 went into history as the date of the world's worst nuclear power plant accident occurred in Chernobyl.
The Vologda Region is among entities of the Russian Federation where child science parks will be opened in the nearest future within the framework of the national project “Education”.
The competition for performers on wind and percussion "Northern Rhapsody" will gather young musicians under 35 years of age. They will demonstrate their skills playing the flute, oboe, clarinet, bassoon, saxophone, French horn, trumpet, tenor trombone, tuba and percussion instruments.
The competition aims to identify the most talented and artistic young musicians and to open opportunities for further professional career. In addition, it will contribute to the strengthening and expansion of international contacts.
The Cherepovets Military Engineering College of Radio Electronics has received the status of a University and is starting out the new year with a new name – Military University of Radio Electronics of the Order of Zhukov.
The competition aims to identify the most talented and artistic young musicians and to open opportunities for further professional career. In addition, it will contribute to the strengthening and expansion of international contacts.
Cherepovets - PhosAgro, a leading global vertically integrated phosphate-based fertilizer producer, announces that Vologda Region Governor Oleg Kuvshinnikov, during his visit to Cherepovets, participated in a ceremony to mark the official launch of operations of PhosAgro's new ammonium sulphate production complex.
The competition aims to identify the most talented and artistic young musicians and to open opportunities for further professional career. In addition, it will contribute to the strengthening and expansion of international contacts.
A delegation of the Embassy of Japan in Russia headed by Plenipotentiary Minister of the Embassy of Japan in Russia arrived in Vologda Region on a three-day working visit. Representatives of the executive authorities of the Vologda Region met with the members of the Japanese delegation to discuss guidelines for Russian-Japanese cooperation and prospective benefits of conducting joint economic activities.
On October 30th, representatives of Norwegian and Finnish business circles will arrive in Cherepovets, an industrial capital of the Vologda Region.
September 1st is a special holiday. It brings us back to childhood, it is the beginning of a new journey to the Land of Knowledge. All of us keep bright memories of school friends, wise teachers and interesting subjects.
PAO Severstal, one of the world’s most powerful and modern ferrous metals manufacturing enterprises sponsored ChSU Racing Team of Cherepovets State University at Formula Student Italy 2019 that was held in Varano de’ Melegari circuit, Parma.
Timo Helosuo, CEO of Kolster, a Finland-based company, and Dmitry Zaitsev, head of Cherepovets branch of the Russian Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs signed an agreement at Cherepovets City Hall on May 23rd.
The International competition for performers on wind and percussion "Northern Rhapsody" was held in Cherepovets (Vologda Region) from 14 April to 17 April.
The International competition for performers on wind and percussion "Northern Rhapsody" gathered 260 soloists, 28 ensembles and 18 orchestras from Russia, China, Korea, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan and Ukraine.
IV International competition for performers on wind and percussion "Northern Rhapsody" is to be held in Cherepovets from April 14 through April 17, 2019.
Vologda Region Governor Oleg Kuvshinnikov and Deputy Governor Anton Koltsov met with the Korean entrepreneurs in the Cherepovets City Hall. The focus of the meeting was on cooperation development in the sphere of mechanical engineering, namely production of tractors.
The All-Russian conference with international participation “Healthy cities: public health at municipal level” held on March 26-27 opened in Cherepovets.
IV International competition for performers on wind and percussion "Northern Rhapsody" is to be held in Cherepovets from April 14 through April 17, 2019.
The visit is part of a series of visits throughout the Vologda Oblast examining economic and social development of regions.
An exhibition charting the life and work of French artist Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec has opened at the Art Museum in Cherepovets, Vologda Region.
The first series-produced all-terrain vehicle rolled off the production line back in 2008 in Cherepovets. TINGER all-terrain vehicles are manufactured with the use of high-tech and up-to-date equipment that provides the high quality of our vehicles and guarantees the high level of reliability during the service life. The company delivers its production to Colombia, Germany and Poland.
On the eve of the Day of People's Unity Vologda Oblast Governor Oleg Kuvshinnikov came on an official visit to Cherepovets.
PAO Severstal selected suppliers of the main machinery for the construction of the blast furnace No. 3 at Cherepovets Iron and Steel Works with the capacity of 2.9 million tons of pig iron per year.
The competition for performers on wind and percussion "Northern Rhapsody" that was held in Cherepovets from April 16 through April 18 gathered about 800 musicians from Russian regions and five foreign countries.
The international competition for performers on wind and percussion "Northern Rhapsody" is to be held in Cherepovets, Vologda Region from April 16 through April 18.
Severstal started supplying ArmaNorma (A600C) reinforcing bars for the construction of the Akkuyu nuclear power plant in Turkey.
The competition aims to identify the most talented and artistic young musicians and to open opportunities for further professional career. In addition, it will contribute to the strengthening and expansion of international contacts.
International Industrial Forum is a 2 day event being held from 13th December to 14th December in Cherepovets, Vologda Region. Among the participants are business representatives from Russia, Finland, Germany and Slovenia, federal and regional authorities, employees of the banking sector and local government representatives.
William Brumfield, professor of Slavic Studies at Tulane University in New Orleans, spent years traveling through the Russian North photographing the beauty of traditional Russian architecture.
The Slovenian delegation arrived in Cherepovets to define guidelines for future partnership ties on September 19.
This decision was taken following the resolution taken by Argentinian President Mauricio Macri to cancel the 6% import duty on high-quality diammonium phosphate (DAP) from Russia.
Severstal-metiz, an international metalware manufacturer with production sites in Russia, Ukraine and Italy will produce champagne wire muzzle (cage without cap) in cooperation with Tau Industries, Russian-Italian technological company, resident of the Skolkovo Innovation Centre.
The competition for performers on wind and percussion "Northern Rhapsody" that was held in Cherepovets from April 20 through April 22 gathered 450 musicians from Russia, Ukraine, Belarus, Kazakhstan and China.
The competition aims to identify the most talented and artistic young musicians and to open opportunities for further professional career. In addition, it will contribute to the strengthening and expansion of international contacts.
The competition aims to identify the most talented and artistic young musicians and to open opportunities for further professional career. In addition, it will contribute to the strengthening and expansion of international contacts.
An agreement aiming to expand Russian-Finnish cooperation in the field of certification was signed in Cherepovets on February 8th.
An agreement aiming to expand Russian-Finnish cooperation in the field of certification is to be signed in Cherepovets on February 8.
Representatives of Kouvola Innovation Oy (Finland) are to arrive in Cherepovets (Vologda Region) on January 23 aiming to find partners for a joint venture for production of industrial fans that will be sold on the territory of the Russian Federation.
In 2016 business circles of Cherepovets (Vologda Region) and Finland participated in international conferences concerning wood-processing and machine-building. In the framework of these meetings the Finnish and Cherepovets' companies managed to agree on cooperation.
RÜTGERS Holding Germany GmbH and PAO Severstal, a leading steel manufacturer with headquarters in Cherepovets has established the Severtar joint venture to set up a coal tar processing facility. The total investment in the project has reached 60 million dollars.
A delegation from the Czech Republic led by Consul General of the Czech Republic in St. Petersburg Mr. Karel Kyunl arrived in Cherepovets aiming to define guidelines for cooperation in such spheres as machine-building, woodworking, construction, metalworking and transport.
On a visit to Cherepovets, Mr. Karel Kyunl and representatives of eleven Czech companies are to meet the top leadership of Cherepovets City, the city hall employees, and to hold negotiations with local entrepreneurs.
On September 21st a delegation from the Czech Republic led by Consul General of the Czech Republic in St. Petersburg Mr. Karel Kyunl is to arrive in the Vologda Region to get acquainted with the investment potential of Cherepovets.
A delegation from Finland that includes representatives of ten leading companies is to arrive in the Vologda Region to participate in an international machine building conference on September 14th.
The international conference “Wooden house-building and wood-processing” is to be held in the Vologda Region for the fourth time. A lot of exhibitors and visitors are expected to come to Cherepovets to attend the exhibition to see the variety of houses made of timber and logs and frame-panel houses.
Cherepovets is to host the 4th International conference devoted to wooden house-building and wood-processing on April 13-14, 2016. A lot of exhibitors and visitors are expected to come to Cherepovets to attend the exhibition to see the variety of houses made of timber and logs and frame-panel houses.
A delegation from Cherepovets City led by Mayor Yuri Kuzin arrived in Finland on a working visit.
The main objective of the visit is to discuss Russian-Finnish partnership ties and present investment potential of Cherepovets City. Taking part in the visit events are high-ranking officials of Cherepovets City Hall, representatives of the Cherepovets Investment Agency and entrepreneurs.
The Finnish partners led by head of Eurofacts, Finland's first consulting agency came to get acquainted with the possibilities of industrial zones of Cherepovets and determine forms of cooperation with its leading enterprises.
Mayor of Cherepovets Yury Kuzin participated in an international conference related to forestry in Joensuu, Finland and presented a project of Cherepovets-based technology park.
The group participated in the 30th International Folklore Festival in Israel organised each summer by MAATAF, the Center for the Encouragement of Cultural Exchange and Folklore in Israel.