Kimra

Kimra lies on the Volga at the mouth of the Kimrka. Already a substantial trading village when mentioned in a charter of Ivan IV in 1546, it became known for the skill of its shoemakers. Craftsmen from the surrounding countryside brought their wares to its fairs, and merchants carried Kimra footwear to more distant markets. The village passed through the hands of nobles close to the court, while its inhabitants continued to combine trade with their craft.

By the late eighteenth century Kimra occupied two parts of the Volga's left bank, separated by the Kimrka. In 1807 its shoemakers began fulfilling large orders for the army, and by the war of 1812 their work supplied Russian soldiers with footwear. The village's churches, markets and workshops reflected a prosperity that reached well beyond its modest formal status.