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Susanin Square, Kostroma

Wide Susanin Square in Kostroma with the yellow fire tower on the left, lawns, flags and Neoclassical houses
Photo: Alekzander Kirin, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons

The essentials in 10 seconds

Entry
Free — it is a public square
Hours
Open 24 hours, every day; free
Time on site
A typical visit without queueing. In high season add 15–30 minutes.
30 min
With kids
Fine with kids
Open
24 hours, every day
Time needed
≈ 30 min; 1.5–2 hours with the Trading Rows and the riverfront
Bus stop
Susaninskaya Ploshchad — city buses, trolleybuses and minibuses
verifyingFrom reliable travel sources; we are still checking it against an official one. Double-check before you go.
From the station
≈ 15 min by bus; 40–50 min on foot
verifyingFrom reliable travel sources; we are still checking it against an official one. Double-check before you go.
To the Volga
≈ 10 min on foot down Molochnaya Gora
verifyingFrom reliable travel sources; we are still checking it against an official one. Double-check before you go.
Address
Susaninskaya Ploshchad, Kostroma (Fire Tower: Simanovskogo St 1/2)
Coordinates
57.76796, 40.92713YesGo MapGoogleAppleYandex

Key facts

Fan-shapedplan — the square opens towards the Volga and the streets radiate from it like the ribs of a fan
2 sourcesRussian Wikipedia, “Susaninskaya Square”Lonely Planet
1781–1784the regular town plan the square was laid out under, after the great fire of 1773
2 sourcesRussian Wikipedia, “Susaninskaya Square”RBTH
“The Frying Pan”what locals call the square (Skovorodka)
2 sourcesRussian Wikipedia, “Susaninskaya Square”Lonely Planet
1835Nicholas I renamed Yekaterinoslavskaya Square in honour of Ivan Susanin
2 sourcesRussian Wikipedia, “Susaninskaya Square”RBTH
1918–1992the square was called Revolution Square
2 sourcesRussian Wikipedia, “Susaninskaya Square”Tonkosti
1824–1827the Fire Tower was built, architect Pyotr Fursov
SourceRussian Wikipedia, “Fire Tower (Kostroma)” (guidebooks also give 1825 or 1827)
1823–1826the Guardhouse was built, also by Fursov
2 sourcesRussian Wikipedia, “Guardhouse (Kostroma)”Kostroma Museum-Reserve
1851a monument to Tsar Michael Romanov and Ivan Susanin by Vasily Demut-Malinovsky went up in the centre
2 sourcesRussian Wikipedia, “Susaninskaya Square”Presidential Library
1967the current Susanin monument by Nikita Lavinsky was unveiled
2 sourcesRussian Wikipedia, “Susaninskaya Square”Tonkosti
1823the square was paved
SourceRussian Wikipedia, “Susaninskaya Square”

What is Susanin Square?

It is the main square of Kostroma, one of the old Golden Ring towns on the Volga. After a fire destroyed much of the town in 1773, Kostroma was rebuilt on a regular plan of 1781–1784, with this square at its centre. It was meant to be a semicircle but was built as a many-sided “fan” open to the river, with the main streets radiating from it.

The buildings around it went up between the late 18th century and the 1820s, all in the same Neoclassical style — pale yellow and white façades, columns and porticoes at a similar height. That is why it reads as one ensemble rather than a collection of separate sights, and why it is often called one of the best-preserved Neoclassical town centres in Russia.

Locals know it simply as Susaninskaya Ploshchad, and that is the name on bus stops and in map apps. The square itself is public space, free day and night; the Fire Tower and the Guardhouse are museums with their own hours and tickets.

How to get to Susanin Square

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on footdestinationStreet view

Where are you starting from?

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On foot

More tips

  1. From Moscow, take a Lastochka train from Yaroslavsky station (Yaroslavskiy vokzal) to Kostroma — around four hours. Long-distance buses take longer.
  2. From Kostroma railway station, take a city bus, trolleybus or minibus to the Susaninskaya Ploshchad stop — about 15 minutes. Yandex Maps (it has an English interface) shows live routes and numbers in Russian towns; walking is 40–50 minutes.
  3. From the bus station, ride to the same stop; it takes a little longer than from the train station.
  4. From the Volga riverfront, walk 10 minutes up Molochnaya Gora, between the arcades of the Trading Rows.
  5. By taxi, ask for “Susaninskaya Ploshchad” or the Fire Tower (pozharnaya kalancha); Yandex Go works in Kostroma.

Is Susanin Square worth visiting?

Yes, if this is your first time in Kostroma. Every walk through town passes here, and it is one of the most complete Neoclassical ensembles on the Volga. Half an hour covers the square; add an hour or more for the Trading Rows and the walk down to the river.

It is not a destination on its own. There is no single “must-see” on the square — the value is in the ensemble — and traffic runs straight across it. Use it as the starting point of your day, then head for the Trading Rows, the riverfront and the monasteries.

What to see on Susanin Square

  • The Fire Tower — a yellow lookout tower with a classical portico, the symbol of Kostroma.
  • The Guardhouse — the elegant columned building of the old military guard, now the museum’s military history department.
  • Borshchov House — General Sergei Borshchov’s colonnaded mansion, later a hotel and, from the 1870s, the district court.
  • The Provincial Government Offices and the small Botnikov garden in front, laid out in 1900.
  • The Ivan Susanin monument (1967) — a tall column with the peasant hero on top, at the edge of the square where Molochnaya Gora heads down to the Volga.
  • The bronze dog by the Fire Tower — local legend says it is Bobka, a dog who lived at the fire station and rescued children from fires. People stroke it for luck.
  • The Trading Rows — the long arcaded market halls on both sides of the slope to the river.

Who was Ivan Susanin?

Ivan Susanin was a peasant from the Kostroma region who, according to the story told since the 17th century, led a Polish detachment deep into the forest in 1613 instead of guiding them to the young Michael Romanov, the newly elected tsar. He was killed, and Michael became the first Romanov tsar. The story made Susanin a national hero and gave the square its name in 1835.

The first monument, to Tsar Michael and Susanin, was unveiled in the centre of the square in 1851 and pulled down after the revolution. The present monument by Nikita Lavinsky dates from 1967 and stands on the edge of the square by the slope to the river — not in the middle, where the old one was.

Practical tips for foreign visitors

The square costs nothing, but museums, cafés and tours do: foreign Visa and Mastercard cards have not worked in Russia since March 2022, so bring roubles in cash or a Russian card for anything you pay for.

Signs are almost all in Russian. Learn to recognise СУСАНИНСКАЯ ПЛОЩАДЬ (the stop) and КАЛАНЧА (the Fire Tower). The square is flat and paved and easy with a pushchair; the slope down to the Volga is steeper.

For photos, come in the morning or late afternoon, when the yellow façades glow; in the middle of a summer day the open square has hard light and little shade.

Before you go

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Susanin Square, the Trading Rows or Ipatiev Monastery

Susanin Squareyou are hereMain square, Neoclassical ensembleFree24 hours≈ 30 minYou’re here
Trading RowsArcaded market halls by the slope to the VolgaFree — shops and stallsShop hours30–60 min1–2 min on foot
Ipatiev MonasteryThe Romanovs’ monastery across the Kostroma RiverSee the monastery’s pageSet opening hours1.5–2 hBus or taxi

The square and the Trading Rows are one walk. With only a day in Kostroma and one place to go inside, choose the Ipatiev Monastery and take in the square on the way.

Kostroma history: compare and choose

All the historic places in Kostroma rated by YesGo. Tap a column header to sort.

Epiphany-Anastasia Convent4840 minFree9 min walk
Susanin Squareyou are here4730 minFree—
Kostroma Trading Rows4740 minFree4 min walk
Church of the Resurrection on the Debre4330 minFree33 min walk
Kostroma Guardhouse4245 min400 ₽, concessions 300 ₽3 min walk
Kostroma Fire Tower3940 minFree3 min walk
Ipatiev Monastery362 h≈ 350–400 ₽, services free38 min walk
Kostromskaya Sloboda Open-Air Museum351 h 30 min450 ₽, concessions 350 ₽41 min walk
Sumarokovo Moose Farm221 h 30 min300 ₽, children from 4: 200 ₽19.5 km

Central Kostroma in half a day

The Fire Tower, the square and the Guardhouse, then the Trading Rows and the Epiphany-Anastasia Convent. Add the whole route at once — YesGo sets the timings and walks.

  1. Kostroma Fire Tower40 min · Free to see outside; no climb
  2. 3 min walk from the previous stopSusanin Squareyou are here30 min · Free
  3. 3 min walk from the previous stopKostroma Guardhouse45 min · 400 ₽, concessions 300 ₽
  4. 5 min walk from the previous stopKostroma Trading Rows40 min · Free
  5. 12 min walk from the previous stopEpiphany-Anastasia Convent40 min · Free, cathedral only

5 places · about 3 h 38 min with walks · 23 min on foot in total

Go · my route

Nearby and on your route

Kostroma Guardhouse

Kostroma, Russia

45 min · 400 ₽, concessions 300 ₽ · 3 min walk

Kostroma Fire Tower

Kostroma, Russia

40 min · Free to see outside; no climb · 3 min walk

Kostroma Trading Rows

Kostroma, Russia

40 min · Free · 4 min walk

Epiphany-Anastasia Convent

Kostroma, Russia

40 min · Free, cathedral only · 9 min walk

How to do it right

  • 30 minutes: Susaninskaya Ploshchad stop → Fire Tower → garden view of the ensemble → Susanin monument.
  • Two hours: add the Trading Rows and walk down Molochnaya Gora to the Volga.
  • Start your day here — almost everything in the centre, including the Snow Maiden’s Terem, is within a 10-minute walk.
  • Want to go inside? Check the hours of the Fire Tower and the Guardhouse — both are ticketed museums.
  • For the Susanin story and the town’s rebuild, book a guided walk: most short tours of Kostroma start on this square.

Questions

Is Susanin Square free?

Yes. It is a public square, open 24 hours with no ticket. You only pay for the museums in the Fire Tower and the Guardhouse, or for a guided tour.

How long do I need?

About 30 minutes for the square and its buildings from outside. With the Trading Rows and the walk down to the Volga, allow 1.5–2 hours.

How do I get there from Kostroma railway station?

Take a city bus, trolleybus or minibus to the Susaninskaya Ploshchad stop — about 15 minutes. Check the route number in Yandex Maps; walking takes 40–50 minutes.

How do I get to Kostroma from Moscow?

Take a Lastochka train from Yaroslavsky station in Moscow — around four hours. Long-distance buses are slower.

Why is it called “the Frying Pan”?

Because of its shape: the wide, many-sided square looks like a pan, and the slope of Molochnaya Gora down to the Volga is the handle.

Where is the Ivan Susanin monument?

On the edge of the square, between the Trading Rows, where Molochnaya Gora heads down to the Volga. It dates from 1967; the original 1851 monument stood in the centre and was removed after the revolution.

What was the square called before?

Yekaterinoslavskaya Square at first, Susanin Square from 1835, and Revolution Square from 1918 to 1992.

Can I go inside the Fire Tower?

Yes, it is a museum with its own hours and ticket — see the Fire Tower’s page. The square around it is free.

Is Susanin Square good with kids?

Yes for a short stop: it is flat and open, and children like the bronze dog by the Fire Tower. Watch for traffic crossing the square.

Have you been? Was it worth your time?

1 — no, 5 — absolutely

Your vote counts towards the YesGo score.

Sources and fact-check

  • Russian Wikipedia: “Susaninskaya Square” (1781–1784 plan, former names, 1835, 1851, 1918, 1967, 1992, the “Frying Pan” nickname, paving in 1823)
  • Russian Wikipedia: “Fire Tower (Kostroma)” (1824–1827, architect Pyotr Fursov, Simanovskogo St 1/2)
  • Russian Wikipedia: “Guardhouse (Kostroma)” (1823–1826, architect Pyotr Fursov, military history department of the museum-reserve)
  • Russian Wikipedia: “Borshchov House” (General Sergei Borshchov’s mansion, district court from 1870)
  • Lonely Planet: Susaninskaya Ploshchad (fan-shaped plan, the “Frying Pan” nickname)
  • RBTH: “A visit to the heart of Kostroma” (1781–1784 plan, renaming in 1835)
  • Tonkosti: “Monument to Ivan Susanin in Kostroma”; Presidential Library — on the 1851 monument
  • Visa and Mastercard statements on suspending operations in Russia, March 2022
  • Wikidata Q4446682; Wikimedia Commons category “Susaninskaya Square”
YesGo editorial team · facts checked 30.10.2026 ·
How we checkedThe square is open public space, so free 24-hour access needs no official confirmation and carries no badge. Names and dates of the plan, renamings and monuments were checked against Russian Wikipedia and at least one independent source. The Fire Tower’s date varies: Wikipedia gives 1824–1827, guidebooks 1825 or 1827; we show Wikipedia’s dates. Sources place the current Susanin monument “on the square”, “by Molochnaya Gora” or “on the site of a former chapel” — we say “on the edge of the square by the slope”, which fits all of them. The dog sculpture’s date has only one source, so we leave it out and treat the Bobka story as a legend. Bus and trolleybus numbers to the stop vary between sources, so we point you to Yandex Maps. Train and walking times are estimates from timetables and the map. There is no English Wikipedia article on the square.

Top YesGo picks: Kostroma

Ipatiev Monastery

Kostroma, Russia

2 h · ≈ 350–400 ₽, services free

Snow Maiden's Terem

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1 h · from 490 RUB, full visit 890 RUB

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