Kirov

Also known as Vyatka, Kirov was formerly a fur-trading centre and used by Moscow as a place of exile. Not much in the way of sights, apart from the pretty river banks.

The fort of Khlynov, situated just west of the Ural Mountains, was founded by Novgorodian entrepreneurs in 1181. It is first mentioned as a town in documents from 1374. Khlynov was incorporated into Muscovy in 1489 and became known throughout Russia for its clay statuettes and whistles. It was also managed by Khanate of Kazan and was known as "Hılın". The town's oldest surviving monument is the Assumption Cathedral (1689), an imposing structure surmounted by five globular domes.

In 1781 Catherine the Great renamed Khlynov to Vyatka and made it the centre of a separate guberniya. The town also served as a place of exile, notably for Alexander Herzen, Alexander Vitberg, and Mikhail Saltykov-Shchedrin. By the end of the 19th century, it was an important station on the Trans-Siberian railway. In December 1934, it was renamed for the Soviet leader Sergey Kirov, who had been assassinated on December 1.

City Centre	Surrounding Countryside	Nearby village