The City of Kirov

Kirov, former Vyatka, is a city in north-eastern European Russia, and an administrative center of Volga Federal District. It is one of the prominent industrial, cultural and educational centers of Russia with well functioning telecommunicational and bank spheres. The population of Kirov is nearly half a million.

The climate in Kirov region is moderately continental, the winter is long and cold, and summer is short, but rather warm. The mean temperature in January is from minus 14 o C to minus 16 o C, and in July from plus 17 o C to plus 19 o C. Kirov is a part of Moscow time zone.

The city was founded in 1374 on the banks of the river Vyatka. Throughout its history the city had several names: first it was called Chlynov, then Vyatka and in 1934 the city was named after S. M. Kirov, a famous statesman of the past.

Kirov has a vast educational net, an important part of which is formed by institutes of higher education. The biggest higher educational establishments are Vyatka state university, Vyatka state university of humanities, Vyatka state agricultural academy and Kirov state medical academy. Besides, there are nearly 60 secondary schools, technical schools, colleges, schools of sports, music and art.

The city is considered to be an industrial centre as there is a great number of modern industrial enterprises in it such as: Tyre plant, Nonferrous metal processing plant, Artificial leather plant, Biochemical plant, ski-factory and so on. Various measuring instruments, tyres, hunting skis, timber and Dymkovo toys are well-known in our country and abroad.

 

Dymkovo toys are the most well-known folk arts in Kirov. Dymkovo is a suburb of Kirov and a birth place of bright colour sculptures. Dymkovo toys date back to the 15 th century. The village of Dymkovo was founded by people from Veliki Ustyug. They were the first to model beautiful clay figures. According to the ⌠Calendar of the Vyatka province of 1856, 59 families of the village of Dymkovo made Dymkovo toys. Making Dymkovo toys was practised by the ordinary people, and the style of work was greatly influenced by the popular tradition √ the ordinary people's ideals of beauty and harmony.

There are also several cinemas and three theatres in Kirov : the Drama theatre, the theatre in Spasskaya Street and the Puppet theatre. Besides, there is a circus. The Vasnetsovs' museum of fine arts has a rich collection of masterpieces of old and modern Russian painters. Among them are pictures of Shishkin, Vasnetsov, Ivanov, Repin, Yaroshenko, Aivasovsky, Petrov-Vodkin and many other famous painters. The library named after Hertzen was founded in 1877. Now it possesses one of the best collections of books in Russia.

Like every town Kirov has a charm of its own. The nature of Kirov region is rich and beautiful. The city is surrounded by thick woods stretching for many kilometers. One of the sights of Kirov is a beautiful memorial to those Kirovites who perished during the Great Patriotic War. It is in Grin's embankment. In front of the monument there is an eternal fire. Besides nearby there is a beautiful rotunda, a favourite place of young Kirovites. From that place you can enjoy the view of the Vyatka river with a bridge across it and a vast green park on the other side of the river. We call it Zarechny Park.

If you walk from here along Moskovskaya Street, you will find yourself in Theatre Square. Theatre Square, which is a nice place for rest and walk, is situated in the very centre of the city. In the middle of the square there is a small garden with a fountain. In front of the garden there is a fine building of the Drama Theatre. Here in the square we can also see Vyatka State University, the Arts Museum and the building of our regional administration.