This town stands at the confluence of the Volga and the River Kostroma. It is a renowned cheese-making center. Its most outstanding building is the Ipatievski Monastery-Fortress. Built during the first half of the 14th century, it became the Romanovs’ residence three centuries later. The open-air museum features a collection of traditional Russian buildings, including wooden churches, log cabins and windmills brought from all over the Russian Federation.