The Kostroma (russian: Кострома́) is a

river A river is a natural flowing watercourse, usually freshwater, flowing towards an ocean, sea, lake or another river. In some cases, a river flows into the ground and becomes dry at the end of its course without reaching another body of ...

in the European part of Russia. It flows through the

Kostroma Kostroma ( rus, Кострома́, p=kəstrɐˈma) is a historic types of inhabited localities in Russia, city and the administrative center of Kostroma Oblast, Russia. A part of the Golden Ring of Russia, Golden Ring of Russian cities, it is lo ...

and

Yaroslavl Oblast Yaroslavl Oblast (russian: Яросла́вская о́бласть, ''Yaroslavskaya oblast'') is a federal subject of Russia (an oblast), which is located in the Central Federal District, surrounded by Tver, Moscow, Ivanovo, Vladimir, Kostr ...

s, and becomes a left

tributary A tributary, or affluent, is a stream or river that flows into a larger stream or main stem (or parent) river or a lake. A tributary does not flow directly into a sea or ocean. Tributaries and the main stem river drain the surrounding drai ...

of the

Volga The Volga (; russian: Во́лга, a=Ru-Волга.ogg, p=ˈvoɫɡə) is the longest river in Europe. Situated in Russia, it flows through Central Russia to Southern Russia and into the Caspian Sea. The Volga has a length of , and a catch ...

, which it enters at the

Gorky Reservoir Gorky Reservoir (russian: Го́рьковское водохрани́лище), known colloquially as Gorky Sea (russian: Го́рьковское мо́ре), is an artificial lake in the central part of the Volga River in Russia, formed by a ...

, at the city of

. Prior to the flooding of the Gorky Reservoir in 1955-1957 the Kostroma River flowed into the Volga within the city limits of Kostroma. The Ipatiev Monastery stands at the old confluence of the Kostroma and the Volga. The river is long, and its

drainage basin A drainage basin is an area of land where all flowing surface water converges to a single point, such as a river mouth, or flows into another body of water, such as a lake or ocean. A basin is separated from adjacent basins by a perimeter, ...

covers .«Река Кострома»
Russian State Water Registry The average water flow is at the town of

Buy Buy may refer to a trade, i.e., an exchange of goods and services via bartering or a monetary purchase. The term may also refer to: Places *Buy (inhabited locality), any of several inhabited localities in Russia * Burlington-Alamance Regional Ai ...

, from the mouth,''Kostroma (river in Kostroma reg.)'' article from the Great Soviet Encyclopedia
and at the mouth Major tributaries include the

Vocha Vocha ( el, Βόχα) is a former municipality in Corinthia, Peloponnese, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Velo-Vocha, of which it is a municipal unit. The municipal unit has an area of 87.895 km2. ...

, Mezenda, Vyoksa, Tyobza, and Shacha on the left, and the Shugoma, Svetitsa, Selma,

Monza Monza (, ; lmo, label= Lombard, Monça, locally ; lat, Modoetia) is a city and ''comune'' on the River Lambro, a tributary of the Po in the Lombardy region of Italy, about north-northeast of Milan. It is the capital of the Province of Mo ...

, and Obnora on the right. Before the establishment of the Gorky Reservoir, the Sot and

Mesa A mesa is an isolated, flat-topped elevation, ridge or hill, which is bounded from all sides by steep escarpments and stands distinctly above a surrounding plain. Mesas characteristically consist of flat-lying soft sedimentary rocks capped by a ...

were also tributaries; they now flow directly into the reservoir. The towns of

Soligalich Soligalich (russian: Солига́лич) is a town and the administrative center of Soligalichsky District in Kostroma Oblast, Russia, located on the right bank of the Kostroma River. Population: History It originated as an important center ...

and Buy stand on the river. The Kostroma freezes up in November and thaws in April or in early May. The Kostroma begins near the village of Knyazhevo Chuhlomskogo in the

Kostroma Oblast Kostroma Oblast (russian: Костромска́я о́бласть, ''Kostromskaya oblast'') is a federal subject of Russia (an oblast). Its administrative center is the city of Kostroma and its population as of the 2021 Census is 580,97 ...

. The upper river is relatively narrow and winding, but it soon gathers the water of many tributaries, increasing its width to about or . In the upper and middle reaches of the river bed there are rapids, and the banks are often wooded and sometimes steep. Here it is suitable for swimming due to the large amount of snags and debris. By the time it flows past the town of Buy, the width of the river exceeds ; from this point on the river is navigable. From here down to the reservoir it begins to form large bends and

oxbow lake An oxbow lake is a U-shaped lake or pool that forms when a wide meander of a river is cut off, creating a free-standing body of water. In South Texas, oxbows left by the Rio Grande are called '' resacas''. In Australia, oxbow lakes are call ...

s, and it sometimes floods. The last of the Kostroma's course forms the border between the Yaroslavl and Kostroma oblasts.

Etymology

The river bears the name of the Slavic goddess

References

{{Volga River Rivers of Kostroma Oblast Rivers of Yaroslavl Oblast