In 1990 the city of Yoshkar-Ola became one of Russia's "historic cities" and deservedly so. The city first came into being as a military fortress in 1584, a result of the final annexation of the Mari region by the Russian State. The settlement's original appellalion in documents dating from that era was "Tsar's Town on the Kokshaga". The town was constructed "in an irregular quadrangular oblong figure 4 versts and 100 sagenes in circumference" with one perimeter bordering on the Malaya Kokshaga river, the remaining 3 protected with ditches, earthern banks, fortified wooden barricades and five towers, three of which served as points of entry (the Kazan, Cheboksary and Vyatka gates). As it lost its military significance, Tsarevokokshaisk gradually evolved into a town in its own right: alongside Tsarist strelets, or regular soldiers, and the military classes there thrived a community of merchants and artisans. Today nothing remains of the original Tsarevokokshaisk. The wooden town was subject to many a fire - its first stone building only dates from the middle of the 18th century. Prior to Peter I's administrative reforms which divided the Russian State into Provinces, Tsarevokokshaisk was the chief district town; at the beginning of the 18th century it came under the administration of Kazan Province where it continued to exist as a typical provincial small town. The emblem of Tsarevokokshaisk was approved at the end of the 18th century. As the town came under the administration of Kazan Province, in the upper half of the shield a black serpent with a golden crown and red wings was depicted against a white background. In the lower half was to be seen " a silver elk against a pale blue background - a sign that such beasts are plantiful hereabouts and that the locals are versed in hunting them" - a description that was incorporated in the code of laws of the Russian Empire.
According to a census conducted in the January of 1897, with a population of 1656 the town boasted 5 churches, 22 taverns and 1 hospital. As a result of this the old name of our town came to represent provincial remoteness, a fact reflecled in the works of the renowned Russian writers N.V.Gogol and M.E. Saltykov-Shedrin. Indeed the very provincial atmosphere of the town contained a certain quaint attractiveness: luxuriant in the verdure of its gardens it painted most scenic picture.
Since olden times guests have been greeted with bread and salt and so we too - bid you a warm welcome to our "Red City"! (Yoshkar-Ola literally means "red city" in the Mari language) Yoshkar- Ola is the capital of the Republic of Mari El and is a melting pot of science, culture and the arts. It is a town of young people with students attending the numerous institutes of further and higher education which the town boasts. It was here that the country's only literary school, "Blue Bird", was founded and alongside this Yoshkar- Ola is renowned for its theatres and palaces of culture where both professional and folk associations provide enjoyment for the city's inhabitants and guests. Celebrated within and without Russia is the State dance ensemble "Mari El" twinned with Sombatkhey(Szombathely) in Hungary and Bourges in France. The city's present coat of arms was approved by the Municipal Executive Board in 1968. The inage of an elk, visible in the lower part of the heraldic shield, is a remnant of the old coat of arms; the background, devided vertically into two halves is red (right-hand half) and blue (left-hand half). The centre-piece - edged in gold - depicts a cog and a snowflake. The upper section is ornamented with a traditional Mari pattern and the name ot the city in Cyrillic script. The design of the coat of arms symbolically expresses the quintessential triad upon which the city is based today; nature, economy and history.
Yoshkar-Ola takes cultural matters seriously, and thus the city is proud of its status as the centre of Finno-Ugrian culture. Besides its artistic and cultural merits, Yoshkar-Ola also figures as the focus of large-scale industry in the Volga region. Renowned far beyond the Republic's borders are multifarious local manufactures fanging from semi-conducting instruments to vitamin pills. Today the city continues to expand. Old and new building styles complement each other in striking juxtaposition: in the so-called "micro-regions" modern high-rise flats break the sky line and numerous historico-cultural monuments adorn parks. squares and peaceful shrubbed walkways. Indeed, it is these loci, with multitudes of decorative flowers and landscaped greenery coupled with memorable streets and boulevards that lend the city its distinctive, relaxed aura. Flowing tranquilly through the heart of the city, the magnificent Malaya Kokshaga river serves to consummate the picturesque aspect of the capital. For those wishing to "get-away from it all" completely, the beautiful, secluded Shap. Karas' and Tair lakes are but a short, yet unforgettable car trip away. All who visit our city carry away vivid memories of the warmth of our hospitality. Let us hope that you stay too will be a memorable and enjoyable one.