Vologda Kremlin

Ivan IV began a stone kremlin at Vologda in 1565, apparently intending to make the town a northern capital, and he built the St Sophia cathedral inside it in 1568 to 1570 - a large austere five-domed church modelled on the Moscow Assumption. He then abandoned the project abruptly, and tradition says a piece of falling plaster or brick struck him during a visit, which he took as a sign. The fortress walls were never finished and have gone; what is called the kremlin now is the bishops' court built later around the cathedral, with chambers, a bell tower that can be climbed for the view over the town, and museum collections including icons and lace. Vologda's other subject is wood: whole streets of nineteenth-century carved timber houses survive, with the fretwork balconies and window surrounds the town is known for, though many are in poor repair and some have burned.

What you actually see

• St Sophia - Ivan IV's austere 1570 cathedral, modelled on Moscow's Assumption.
• The abandoned capital - a project stopped abruptly, with the walls never completed.
• The bell tower - a climb with the town and the river below.
• The wooden streets - nineteenth-century carved timber houses across the centre.

When to go

May to September. Half a day. Overnight train from Moscow is the usual approach.

Honest expectations

There is no fortress - the walls were never finished and the name misleads. St Sophia opens seasonally and in dry weather only. Many of the wooden houses are derelict and fires have taken several. The bell tower is a steep climb.

Nearby

Kirillo-Belozersky and Ferapontov are north-west; Totma is north-east.