Kostomuksha
(Karelian Koštamuš, Finnish Kostamus, Vepsian Kostamukš) is a city (since 1983) of republican significance in the Republic of Karelia of the Russian Federation. Forms Kostomuksha urban district.
The city was built to serve the Karelian mining and processing plant. By Order of the Government of the Russian Federation dated July 29, 2014 No. 1398-r “On approval of the list of single-industry towns” it is included in the category “Single-industry municipalities of the Russian Federation (single-industry towns) in which there are risks of deterioration of the socio-economic situation.”
Story
In 1967, a decision was made to design a mining and processing plant (GOK). The settlement began to be built in the 1970s in connection with the development of a new iron ore deposit, discovered in 1946. In 1973, an intergovernmental Soviet-Finnish agreement on the construction of a mining and processing plant was signed. In May 1977, an agreement was concluded with JSC Finn-Stroy. By the decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Council of the Karelian Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic of November 17, 1977, the settlement that grew up during the construction of the mining and processing plant received the status of an urban-type settlement.
In February 1981, a competition was announced to name the city. It was proposed to name the city Kontokki or Kostomuksha - after the names of the villages on the site of which the city was built. It was also supposed to name the city Sampo. The ancient Karelian village of Kostomuksha was located on the shore of Lake Kostomuksha, which is now located on the territory of the Karelsky Okatysh mining and processing plant. Translated from the Karelian language Kostamus
means "revenge, retribution, retribution." The legend about the origin of the name of these words was recorded in 1892 by the Finnish ethnographer and artist Louis Sparre.
In 1982, the first stage of the Kostomuksha mining and processing plant was put into operation, in 1983 - the second, and in 1984 - the third and last. By decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the RSFSR dated April 25, 1983, Kostomuksha received the status of a city of republican subordination.
A couple more interesting things
There are very arrogant pigeons in Kostomuksha. They look at a person not asking, but expecting. Or perplexed if they don’t get goodies:
In Kostomuksha there are such charming courtyards:
There are no trash cans in Kostomuksha. You may find trash cans along city streets, but there are no large bins where you can take your trash out. But every day a special garbage truck arrives at each yard at a strictly defined time. A respectable man gets out of it, opens the back, and people, coming out of the entrances, line up in a cultural line and carefully, in front of this guy, put their packages into the car. Those who didn’t make it in time will have to wait until the next day.
Thanks to this, there is no dirt or unpleasant odors on the streets, and stray dogs and birds do not steal garbage dumps. Then we learned that this method of garbage removal was widely practiced in the 80-90s, but apparently turned out to be unprofitable. On the day of our departure, we were walking along one of the streets and Oksana accidentally saw a woman taking out garbage from a roadside trash can, thinking: “Really! Have we really met the only homeless person in Kostomuksha!” But no, after looking closely, it became clear that it was just a cleaning lady, wearing gloves and special equipment. clothes 
If you are interested in Kostomuksha, I advise you to also read this article. In it you will learn about another very soulful place in this city. Unfortunately, we only saw it from behind the fence, but it’s definitely worth reading about it!
Physiographic characteristics
Geographical position
The city is located in the north of the West Karelian Upland, 35 kilometers from the Russian-Finnish border and 495 km from Petrozavodsk.
Climate
The city of Kostomuksha belongs to the regions of the Far North.
Kostomuksha is located on the border of the middle and northern taiga subzones. The climate is influenced by many factors, including frequent cyclones from the Atlantic Ocean and the Barents Sea, which bring thaws and snowfalls in winter, and rainy and cool weather in summer. Based on the combination of these factors, the climate of Kostomuksha is a cross between the climate of St. Petersburg and Murmansk. Winter is moderately cold, with frequent weather changes; when the cold Siberian anticyclone invades, severe frosts are possible. Summers are short and cold and usually rainy.
Timezone
Kostomuksha is located in the MSC time zone (Moscow time). The applied time offset relative to UTC is +3:00.
Drawing the line
I think, without further ado, it is clear that we are delighted with this city. This is a great place to live and work leisurely; it is calm, clean, welcoming, fresh and cozy. In this lost northern town you can see modern civilization at its best. Is everything really that good there? This doesn't happen! And that's true. Local residents are haunted by the feeling of temporary well-being, because iron ore reserves, like any reserves in this world, will one day run out, and this is predicted to happen in about 30-35 years. History will tell what will happen to the city then, but now we really wanted to live here!
01.09.2014
Economy
ASEZ "Kostomuksha"
Decree of the Government of the Russian Federation dated February 12, 2022 No. 122 approved the status of a territory of rapid socio-economic development. As of mid-2022, 5 enterprises that do not carry out significant activities were registered in the ASEZ.
Industry
The city-forming enterprise is JSC Karelsky Okatysh (until 1993, Kostomuksha Mining and Processing Plant, iron ore mining and concentrate production). The company supplies products both to Severstal (less than half of the output) and abroad (more than half). The company and its contractors employ about half of those employed at large and medium-sized enterprises in Kostomuksha.
There is also woodworking (Karelian Wood Company) ( PinArctik
)), bakery, trout farm. The food industry enterprise SPPSC “Berries of Karelia” operates on the territory of the urban district (collection and processing of berries, deliveries throughout Russia and abroad).
An example of successful entrepreneurship in the border zone was the Russian-Finnish joint venture AEK, which since the 1990s has been supplying electrical products to the global auto giant Volvo and other European companies, Sisu
", "
Timberjack
", "BRP").
Tourism
The territory of the Kostomuksha urban district includes the ancient Karelian village of Voknavolok, as well as the small settlements of Ladvozero, Pongagaba, Sudnozero, Tolloreka. Voknavolok is one of those settlements where the world famous epic “Kalevala” was created and belongs to the category of rune-singing villages of the White Sea Karelia. In the village of Ladvozero lie the ashes of the famous rune singer Arkhippa Perttunen, from whose words the collector of the Karelian-Finnish epic Elias Lönnrot wrote down a significant part of the Kalevala. In the north-west of the Kostomuksha urban district, by decision of the Russian government, it is planned to create the Kalevalsky National Park in order to preserve the virgin forests remaining in this area. The nature here is unique; there are corners where no human has gone before. In the area of Lake Kamennoe there is the Kostomuksha nature reserve, which, together with the Finnish Kuhmo nature reserve, is part of the first Russian-Finnish ecological park “Friendship”.
First impressions
My first impressions of the city actually began on the train. As already mentioned, the Finnish border is located 30 kilometers from Kostomuksha, so about an hour before the Kostomuksha Passazhirskaya , two border guards entered our carriage and, having introduced themselves, began to approach each passenger in turn, checking documents and asking where exactly and with what purpose does it serve? By the way, my wife and I aroused their special interest (apparently, it’s not often that people go to Kostomuksha for the purpose of “Living and seeing the city, we were very interested in it when we were passing through there”). However, after answering similar questions several times, we were left alone.
The owner of the apartment, Oleg, met us at the station. He turned out to be a friendly man, who, however, was also quite surprised by our decision to spend our vacation in Kostomuksha. But having learned that we like quiet, calm and not too hot places, Oleg concluded that we would like it here. He kindly offered to take a ride around the city in his car (you can get around the main streets there in about 10 minutes), and on the way he talked about the local way of life (about the mining enterprise, first of all), showed where the local swimming pool, the youth house and cinema, and the clinic are located . The local police building deserves special attention - for a city with a population of 30 thousand people it is simply a grandiose building.
“The new police building was built just a couple of years ago. They have an assembly hall there, several gyms, showers, and the number of personnel matches,” Oleg tells us as we drive past, “I don’t know why they need such a building, but with such police we can sleep peacefully! You don’t have to lock your car at night—we don’t have any crime here at all.” Having talked with the border service just an hour ago, we actively nod. A feeling of such calm arises that I cannot remember during my life, either in large cities or in small villages.
During the four years of our absence, the appearance of the city has not changed - the same clean streets, Finnish buildings, smooth roads. When asked about the roads, our guide answers, “Yes, the roads are good, we have our own asphalt production.” By the way, for my stay, I specifically chose an apartment in a “Finnish” house - just for fun. And so, when we arrived at our new haven, we got out of the car and took a closer look, I was shocked: the doors at the entrances were glass! That is, they were made of wood with glass inserts, not broken, not painted. After living in a hallway with a double-layered metal door, which someone still manages to break from time to time, I got the impression that we had arrived in some completely different world, or at least in a different state. Apparently, an intercom with a closer is needed there more for convenience than to stop homeless people and drug addicts. At that moment it became completely clear what Oleg meant when he mentioned the calm in this remote town.
Culture, media and sport
There is a municipal cultural institution “ Cultural and Museum Center of the City of Kostomuksha”
, opened in 1981.
Three music festivals are held annually in Kostomuksha: in the summer - the chamber art festival, in the autumn - the art song festival, and in the spring - the Kanteletar festival of national culture.
The first issue of the city newspaper “Miner of Karelia” (editor V.V. Naumov) was published in 1981. Since 1991 it has been published under the name “Kostomuksha News”.
Construction of a ski and biathlon complex has been underway in Kostomuksha since the early 2010s. The total cost of construction was initially planned at 400 million rubles, including federal funds under the Federal Target Program “Development of Physical Culture and Sports in the Russian Federation for 2006-2015.” However, as of March 2022, according to the Ministry of Youth Affairs, Physical Culture and Sports of the Republic of Karelia, financing for the construction of this facility is not included in regional and federal programs.
Waterpark "Siniranta" (Finnish: "Blue Beach")
And this place is worth mentioning separately. Here miners and their families recuperate after working days and keep themselves in great shape!
In fact, a water park is a strong word. Locals call it a swimming pool, but it’s still not a swimming pool, because in addition to four swimming lanes, there is a large bathtub with several types of hydromassage , a small pool with a children’s slide , and in addition there are Finnish and Turkish saunas. And that's not to mention the massage room!
The water park is completely new, very clean, cozy and beautiful. We liked it so much that during our short vacation we visited Siniranta 4 times. On weekdays, especially in summer, there are not too many visitors there; only avid pool lovers go there. But I met a couple of friendly Kostomukshans in the sauna
Education
Preschool education services are provided by 7 municipal institutions: kindergartens “Beryozka”, “Solnyshko”, “Golden Key”, “Aurinko”, “Gnome”, “Korablik”, “Skazka”. The last of them to open was Aurinko in December 2013.
There are 5 secondary schools in the city (another one in the village of Voknavolok)a (unspecified)
(unavailable link). Archived on January 27, 2022: MBOU "School No. 1 with in-depth study of a foreign language", School named after A. S. Pushkin, School No. 3 with in-depth study of mathematics, Gymnasium (awarded with the Prize of the President of the Russian Federation), Lyceum No. 1 (also noted bonus). Also in the city there is a state educational institution of secondary vocational education in the Republic of Karelia “Kostomuksha Polytechnic College”. Previously, the city had branches of St. Petersburg and Moscow higher educational institutions.
Today, progressively developing distance education is receiving special development on the basis of the Center for Educational Development. There is also a driving school in the city; Children's Art School named after L. Lankinen; Children's Music School named after G. A. Vavilov; Extracurricular Activities Center (ECC), offering a large selection of clubs and sections on interests (soft toys, playing the guitar, embroidery, theater and more)
Those interested can enroll in different age groups to attend judo, karate classes, dance clubs “Armageddon”, “Jet Set”, “ Viva Dance”
", "Thumbelina", "Partita". A career guidance center has been created in Kostomuksha based on Finnish projects. An equally important organization in the city is the patriotic circle “Russians”. Most of the “Russians” live in Kostomuksha, but there are followers in other cities of Karelia. The activities of the “Russians” include not only holding rallies and meetings with war veterans, but also holding actions in defense of peace in Kostomuksha and in other cities of Karelia and Russia.
Restaurant section
The question “where to eat in Kostomuksha?” It is unlikely that you will have one. There are various establishments here literally at every turn, and you can find a cafe to suit every taste, color and wallet size. I'll tell you a little about the ones we visited:
Restaurant O'Key
It is located next to the Slavyane department store at 2 Lazarev Boulevard. Entering the restaurant, I thought it was a restaurant, especially since the ambiance in O'Key is quite restaurant-like: soft sofas, tablecloths, an aquarium, dim lights. But when I asked the waitress if I could have lunch with them, she replied, “This is your first time with us, right? Here, the distribution is around the corner - come in, take the tray.” This is how I first tried canteen food in a restaurant setting:
And, by the way, the food was top class - everything was very tasty, fresh and beautiful! I was pleased to have a microwave in the hall, in which you can heat up food yourself if it is not hot enough - this way everyone has the opportunity to get lunch at the right temperature without holding up the queue. And later I found out that the restaurant menu is valid only on Friday and Saturday from 19:00 to 3:00 , and this distribution is called the menu of the day.
The cost of a full lunch for two was: 650 rubles.
Japanese restaurant Kaife
about Kaife even before our trip to Kostomuksha, that they have the most delicious sushi, if not in the world, then at least in Karelia. Intrigued, we really wanted to try them, but the cafe, which is located in the central square, turned out to be closed for renovation. It turned out that there is also “Kaife 2” at Antikainen Street, building 5a, on the second floor. That's where we went.
The rolls were really excellent (beautifully and neatly put together, a lot of filling, I was pleased with the abundance of types), like everything else that we ordered. I really liked the shrimp tempura. The dishes were served on interesting and unusual dishes. Perhaps, the only thing that was not up to the ideal cafe was the decor: cracked covers on the folder with the menu and bill, the furniture was not the first freshness - in general, various little things that do not allow Kaife to reach the status of the cool Japanese restaurant that we heard about, and to prices that you saw on the receipt. I hope to visit Kaife on the square again after the renovation!
The cost of a full lunch for two was: 1300 rubles.
Sushi City Kostomuksha
And here, at Antikainen Street, building 25a, the amount in the check exactly matches the situation! In general, the sign says “Sushi and noodles to go,” but inside this establishment there are tables where you can have a good rest:
But the most important thing here is the food. How tasty and tender the local rolls are, how perfectly prepared the Shanghai rice with vegetables and seafood is! If you are there, be sure to try this rice, and you can take any rolls and sushi. I say with confidence that it is there that the most delicious rolls are, if not in the world, then at least among those that I have ever tried!
The cost of a full lunch for two was: 750 rubles.
And in Sushi City, we tried for the first time an interesting product - Okasi green chocolate. This is Japanese-style chocolate with matcha green tea. Not a very popular delicacy, but definitely worth a try! They say that such chocolate will be useful for those who watch their figure or play sports, and it will certainly appeal to those who are crazy about chocolate and love green tea
In Russia, green chocolate and other matcha treats are produced by the GreenCake company, and you can order it on their website.
Cafe-bar Russo
Located in the building of the Siniranta water park at Oktyabrskaya street, building 10a. First of all, this establishment is intended for visitors to the water park, which I will talk about below, but not mentioning it in the restaurant section is a crime against pizza lovers! In general, I hope that the direction of thought is clear - if you want to try excellent pizza, go to Russo!
Average cost of pizza: 200-400 rubles, depending on the size.
Cafe "Vatrushka" ^^
Finally got to this wonderful place, which takes first place in my little restaurant hit parade in all respects!
Arriving here (Antikainen Street, building 12) on a hot sunny day, we felt pleasantly cool. The waitress greeted us with a smile and invited us to the table, and literally a couple of seconds later, while we were sitting down, without further ado, a decanter of clean water and a couple of tall glasses appeared on our table. At that moment I was ready to give first place to Vatrushka for water alone - I was very thirsty
The menu pleased me with its variety and information content; there are dishes for every taste, and there are unlikely to be questions about what is made from what. While our order was being prepared, we had time to admire the local cozy interior while sipping cool water:
The dishes turned out to be not only tasty, but also very beautiful! Despite the fact that the menu reflects the composition of the dishes, their appearance is a pleasant surprise. I would have shown photos, but they turned out to be too appetizing and temporarily eclipsed our desire to take photographs
I would like to say a special thank you to the staff of “Vatrushka” for your bread that came with lunch. It was an airy ciabatta, with a thin, slightly crispy crust, but most importantly, it was warm, because this bread is purchased in the form of semi-finished products and baked right here in Vatrushka. Overall, if you want to have a delicious lunch and have a good time, be sure to come here.
The cost of a full lunch for two was: 1000 rubles.
Historical monuments
- Monument to Alexey Kosygin and Urho Kekkonen. Chairman of the Council of Ministers of the USSR Alexei Kosygin and President of the Republic of Finland Urho Kekkonen played a key role in the fact that a new city appeared on the map of the republic - Kostomuksha. On September 14, 1978, they laid the first stone in the foundation of the Kostomuksha mining and processing plant. In 1983, Kostomuksha received the status of a city of republican subordination.
- Monument "Friendship". A gift to the construction city of Kostomuksha in memory of the fruitful Soviet-Finnish cooperation. It is made in granite and bronze. The author of the monument is Finnish sculptor Terho Sakki. The opening of the monument took place on June 18, 1985 at a rally in connection with the completion of the construction of the mining and processing plant.
- Monument to "Fallen Heroes".
- Monument "Ahvenjärvi stones". 20 km from the city, on the shore of Lake Kostomuksha near the bypass road, the monument “Akhvenyarvi Stones” is located at the site of the battle of the partisans of the “Battle Cry” detachment, who died in battle near the Ahvenyarvi farm on December 31, 1943. On June 11, 1988, a commemorative sculptural composition was unveiled. In 2012, the remains of four unknown warriors, discovered as a result of search work in the lake area, were buried next to the sculptural composition.
Walking around the city
What was I talking about there? About homeless people and drug addicts? Guys, I really got excited. What should they do here? Walking around the city on the very first day, you realize that they simply are not here, like the other rabble that you can stumble upon in tourist or other popular places. There aren’t too many people, everyone is minding their own business, it’s as if there isn’t a single extra person here at all.
Walking around Kostomuksha, we never tired of being amazed at how clean it was! I would like to know if they clean up well here or if they just don’t litter? And this is true not only on the central streets - it’s clean and cozy everywhere. There is a lot of greenery in the city - as if it was built right in the forest, leaving trees between the houses. There are many pedestrian areas, which are very wide asphalt paths that are not accessible to cars. On the very first day we met a nimble squirrel on one such path.
In general, they love and care about nature here! Just look at the famous flower shop, during the construction of which they were very tactful with the birch tree growing nearby.
We were advised to get a map before starting our walks, saying that there are many similar buildings in the city, but they stand very chaotically, sometimes not forming logical streets. This is true. But no matter how hard we tried, we couldn’t get lost. You can cross this city in about 30 minutes, I think that’s exactly the point, because no matter which direction we went, we ended up exactly where we needed to go. For those who still need a card, I’ll tell you the secret of where we got it - it was given to us by a friendly girl working at the reception desk at the Khozyushka hotel , which is located behind the Slavyane department store.
Since I mentioned the Slavs department store, I’ll say a few words about it. This is something like the central Kostomuksha Store, a store with a capital “S”, since here you can buy almost everything you need: food or medicine, clothes or an umbrella, a children’s bicycle or fishing goods. On the second floor there are two souvenir shops, so if you need souvenirs from Kostomuksha, your path lies to the central square. On the central square you can generally find a lot of useful and interesting things: the Druzhba cultural center, a mini-market, the O'Key restaurant and a couple more cafes and shops. In the same area you should look for bank offices and a jewelry store.
There are stops on the streets of Kostomuksha, but there are almost no buses in sight. Apparently, they run strictly according to a schedule and are designed to deliver miners from different parts of the city to different parts of the enterprise. It is very convenient to move around the city on foot; many people ride bicycles, and near shops and other establishments you can find special parking spaces for them. There are really a lot of bicycles on the streets, and they are in demand here. Having decided to buy a two-wheeled horse, you may hear from the seller something like: “Yesterday there was a delivery, but, unfortunately, almost everything has already been dismantled...” If you still decide to buy a bicycle, I advise you to visit sporting goods at st. Internatsionalnaya, 7 , and if not, then there will be a lot of taxi drivers at your service, waiting for their clients at the same department store “Slavs”. The cost of the trip is on average 80 rubles.
And upon returning home (we lived at 10 Mira Street), you can enjoy a wonderful view from an unusual window. When I saw this room in the photo, it seemed to me that there was either an aquarium hanging on the wall, or a plasma broadcasting forest landscapes was attached. But no - it's still a window
The view from this window did not change much over the course of the day, because June is the height of the white nights ! It's so unusual to wake up at night and squint in the sunlight.
How to get to Kostomuksha
You can get to the city:
- By train is the fastest and most popular option.
- St. Petersburg – Kostomuksha 16.15 – 9.00 (travel time 16 hours 45 minutes);
- Kostomuksha – St. Petersburg 20.15 – 13.09 (travel time 16 hours 54 minutes);
- Petrozavodsk – Kostomuksha 19.39 – 09.00 (travel time 13 hours 21 minutes);
- from Moscow (via St. Petersburg or Petrozavodsk - more than 10 trains per day);
- Sukkozero – Kostomuksha 03.05 – 07.39 (travel time 4 hours 34 minutes).
- By bus - not so convenient, but also quite comfortable. From Petrozavodsk buses run in the morning, afternoon and evening.
- 11.00 – 20.00;
- 15.45 – 22.45;
- 21.30 – 06.30. You can take the bus at two stops: the railway station (Gagarin Square, 3) and near the Voyage Intour travel agency (Gornyakov Ave., 3). Travel time is from 7 to 9 hours.
Minibuses also run regularly from the train station. You can also get there by your own car.
Content
- 1. History
- 2 Coat of arms
- 3 Physiographic characteristics 3.1 Geographical location
- 3.2 Climate
- 3.3 Time zone
- 6.1 Industry
