Totma
Totma is a wonderfully cozy provincial city practically deprived of any modern buildings in its historical part. Its main attraction is a constellation of magnificent churches. Thin and slender, they rise high above the surrounding wooden houses resembling big sails of boats ploughing the ocean expanse.
The city is located on the left bank of the Sukhona River and was first mentioned in the chronicles in 1137. It received its name from the Old Totma River, where it was first established. . In the 13th century, after the discovery of saline springs at the Kovda River, the Totma people moved to the salt pits 2 km away from the modern city. Scientists consider this place as first salt pits dug in Russia to bring saline waters to the surface. Salt, a most important and very expensive product at that time, was vaporized from the brine extracted from saline groundwater.
The architectural dйcor of Totma churches depicts a little-known page of Russian history – the discovery of Russian America. Twenty expeditions to America, a fifth of the total known, were set by the Totma people, and one of the boats had the name “Totma”.