Kovrov District

The Kovrov district is located in the north-east of the Vladimir region. The population of the district is 30, 937 people (2018). The administrative center is the city of Kovrov (not included in the district) with a population of 137,594 (2018), the second largest and economically significant city in the Vladimir region. Kovrov is located on the federal highway M-7 "Volga", and it is a major transport hub on the Gorky Railway. Kovrov district was formed on April 10, 1929 as part of the Vladimir district of the Ivanovo Industrial Region. On November 1, 1936, Kovrov was assigned to the category of cities of regional subordination, removed from the district, remaining its center. On August 14, 1944, the Kovrov district was transferred to the newly formed Vladimir Region. In May 2005, the district as a municipality was given the status of a municipal district.

The history of the administrative center of the district – Kovrov – from the end of the 19th century is connected with the development of it as a city of gunsmiths. Famous weapons designers lived and worked here: V.A. Degtyarev (1879 / 1880-1949), V.G. Fedorov (1874-1966), G.S. Shpagin (1897-1952). Already from the beginning of the20th century, the city industry specialized in the production of weapons. A large machine-gun plant operated here. There worked inventor of the world's first machine gun V.G. Fedorov and the outstanding designer of automatic weapons V.A. Degtyarev, who headed the plant’s design bureau until his death in 1949. A memorial house-museum of V.A. Degtyarev is working in Kovrov. In 1949, the plant received the name of V.A. Degtyarev. During the Great Patriotic War, the plant became the country's main enterprise for the production of anti-tank and other weapons for the front.

It is difficult to overestimate the contribution of Kovrov to the Great Victory. 13 Heroes of the Soviet Union brought glory to the city. All large enterprises of Kovrov were reoriented to military production. There were many hospitals in the city, since it was in the rear not far from the front line. In November 2011, by decree of the President of the Russian Federation, Kovrov was awarded the honorary title "City of Military Glory".

Modern Kovrov is a large industrial and scientific center of Russia, primarily in the defense industry, mechanical engineering and metalworking. Enterprises of these industries create over 70% of the total industrial output of the city, they employ about 40% of the able-bodied urban population.

Among the enterprises of light industry in Kovrov there are such well-known factories in Russia as "Sudar", which produces men's suits, "Ascona", the largest producer of orthopedic mattresses, and others. In the 1990s, old pottery was revived, and the "Kovrov clay toy" factory was founded in 1993.

Today, the Kovrov district is interesting by one of the first private cities in Russia – Dobrograd,   and the sports resort Dobrograd, which is a unique object of public-private partnership.

The areas of decorative and applied art and crafts, developing in the Kovrov district, are wood carving, making Kovrov clay toys, embroidery, patchwork, folk costumes, etc. The main organizations developing folk art are the Palace of Culture and Technology "Rodina", the Palace of Culture "Sovremennik" in Kovrov, Kovrov District House of Culture, House of Children's Creativity, etc. Creative groups work in the district’s cultural institutions – People’s Collective song and dance ensemble "At the outskirts" ("U okolitsy") with children's folklore Studio "Krupenichka" (Palace of Culture and Technology "Rodina"), People’s Collective folklore ensemble "Gorenka" (Palace of Culture "Sovremennik"), Exemplary collective ensemble of folk song "Fair" (Children's Art School named after M.V. Iordansky) and others.

Crafts and trades
Clay toy
Based on the study of materials about the ancient craft, factory masters were able to create a unique style of modern clay toys.
Wood carving
Argunovo carving. Morden masters of wood carving.
Wood painting
Vladimir patterns is an original painting, when the paint is applied not with a brush, but with a foam rubber swab or just an artist’s finger, forming a light cloud.
Embroidery
Embroidery in the technique of " white satin-stitch ", "Vladimir seam".
Scrappy sewing
Today, craftswomen collect from rags and fashionable clothes, and rag dolls, and even paintings.
Russian folk costume
Women's folk costume of the Vladimir province was modest, practical chintz fabrics dominated.
Ceremonial dolls
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