Museum of Flax and Bark

There is an unusual museum in Kostroma on Tereshkova street. Seemingly incompatible things, like flax and birch bark, are combined into a single, harmonious whole in this place – the Museum of Flax and Bark. The museum was built and created by a native resident of Kostroma, Natalia Pavlovna Zabilina, in 2005. Since then, it has taken its proper place among the most visited tourist attractions in Kostroma.

A fairy tale tower is surrounded by green lawns, bright flower beds, a stream, curiously curved bridges, and a well – everything that can please the eyes of visitors. A tour of the museum begins with the flax hall where visitors, while listening to the captivating speech of the guide, will have an opportunity to see with their own eyes the process of converting flax straw into peasant shirts. The spindle turns merrily, and the linen thread is pulled from the tow into the skilled hands of the craftswoman. The factory production of linen items is also captivating – the exposition presents samples from both the beginning of the last century and modern times. Characters from Russian fairy tales, made in the technique of weaving from birch bark, first attract the attention of visitors in the next hall of the museum. The guide’s story begins with a description of the traditions of making old birch-bark products – pistons, shovels, pestles, and baskets collected during ethnographic expeditions in the Kostroma region. What could be more interesting than making a birch-bark souvenir yourself? At masterclasses, anyone can learn the basics of working with birch bark and can take a sign with the symbols of Kostroma home with them. There is another masterclass that offers weaving and making amulet dolls.