Sights of Galich

Galich is a relatively small city and so all sights are within walking distance from each other, including the Paisievo-Galichsky Uspensky Convent which is located in a neighbouring village. The railway station is located in the south of the city and the main north-south road is Ulitsa Svobody which turns into Ulitsa Lunacharskogo at the city's main square - Ploschad Revolyutsi (Revolution Square).

Around the City

Annunciation Cathedral and Transfiguration Church

  • 14 Ulitsa Svobody

Before the Revolution, Galich's main cathedral was the Annunciation Cathedral which was built between 1808 and 1815 in the centre of the earthen mound of the city's central fortress. However after the Revolution the cathedral was closed and the classical style building has since fallen into disrepair. A plaque on the former cathedral is dedicated to Emperor Alexander I's visit to the cathedral in 1824. Next to the cathedral is the equally dilapidated Transfiguration Cathedral… Read more »

Balchug Hill and Gorodische

  • Ulitsa Sverdlova Rybnaya Sloboda

Perhaps the most scenic part of Galich is Balchug Hill which is located in the north of the city. It was here that the origins of the city are found as it is the site of an ancient settlement ("gorodische"). By taking the steps up the hill you can see the remnants of earthen mounds on which a wooden fortress once stood. More modern additions to the hill are a large cross commemorating the destruction of the city by the Polish during the Time of Troubles and a gazebo from where you… Read more »

Earthen Mounds

  • Ulitsa Svobody

Around halfway up Ulitsa Svobody you will see earthen mounds which are now the only trace of the third wooden fortress to be built in Galich. The fortress was built on the mounds in the 15th century after the city had become a defensive outpost of the Moscow Principality. It survived up until the early 18th century when it was demolished during the reign of Peter the Great. By this time the boundaries of Russia had expanded considerably and Galich was no longer strategic for the… Read more »

Presentation of Virgin Mary Cathedral and St Basil the Great's Church

  • 20 Ulitsa Sverdlova Rybnaya Sloboda

In the far north of the city close to the shore of Lake Galichskoe is a church complex consisting of two churches: the blue Presentation of Virgin Mary Cathedral which served as the complex's heated winter church and the pink St Basil the Great's Church which served as the unheated summer church. The churches were built on the site of a former monastery which existed up until 1632. The older of the two churches is St Basil the Great's Church  which dates from 1768 and was built in… Read more »

Regional Museum

  • 11 Ulitsa Lunachevskogo
  • 09:00-17:00. Closed on Fridays

Galich's Regional Museum consists of two floors and several halls dedicated to various eras in Galich's history. It starts by detailing the pre-historic period and displaying examples of what was found as part of the Galich treasure hoard with is now in the Hermitage in St Petersburg. The next halls detail the medieval period and includes a model of the city's wooden fortress which no longer survives and original 17th century grants of fishing rights in Galich. In addition there is… Read more »

St Nicholas' Church (Epiphany Church)

  • 1 Ulitsa Podbelskogo

Just behind the city's Trading Rows is St Nicholas' Church which is also known as the Epiphany Church. It dates from the end of the 17th century and its most striking feature is the domes which look too small for the building. In the 1930s the church was closed and its bell tower and neighbouring church were demolished. The church has since been partially restored and reopened for worship. Read more »

Trinity Cathedral (Nikolaevsky Starotorzhsky Monastery)

  • 57-63 Ulitsa Lunacharskogo

At the end Ulitsa Lunacharskogo and Ulitsa Gagarina are the remnants of the Trinity Cathedral which is the most visible surviving part of what was once the Nikolaevsky Starotorzhsky Monastery. The monastery is said to have been founded in 1668 by St Jacob (Iakov) of Galich. Its Trinity Cathedral was built between 1839 and 1859 and became the largest cathedral in the Kostroma Governorate. In 1936 the monastery was abolished and its buildings were given over for use by a power… Read more »

Vladimir Lenin Monument and Trading Rows

  • Ploschad Revolyutsi

Although Galich's statue of Vladimir Lenin is now looking rather worse for wear it still takes pride of place on the city's central square which is Ploschad Revolyutsi (Revolution Square). Lenin stands among the traditional style trading rows which are now a symbol of Galich. In total there are four sets of trading rows and here you will also find the city's main war memorial and an obelisk featuring the city's coat of arms and a ship. Read more »

In Uspenskaya Sloboda

Paisievo-Galichsky Uspensky Convent

  • 11 Ulitsa Uspenskaya (selo Uspenskaya Sloboda)

The Svyato-Uspensky Paisievo-Galichsky Convent is one of the best sights in Galich although it is actually located just outside of the city albeit on the top of a hill, meaning that it is nevertheless visible from the city centre. The monastery is said to have been founded in the mid-14th century and was originally known as the Nikolsky Monastery. In 1425 a boyar decided to build a new cathedral here and was considering what the new building should be dedicated to when suddenly,… Read more »