Rybinsk as a fishing sloboda on the Volga is known from the XII century and later fishers lived there. Some centuries ago tzarist edid obliged the Tzar’s fishing sloboda to supply year “30 sturgeons and one trird, 20 white salmon, and sterlet - 10 large, 25 average, and 50 small ... And if trey will not fish the sturgeons, than take the white fish and sterlet ...”, is known.
To XVI century the Fishing sloboda became one of the largest Russian trade and transport centers on the Volga. Especially his role increases when the Marensky and Tikhvinskaya water systems appear, and in a connections with its location on the Volga against the mouth of Sheksna, when it becomes the important staging post for loads, coming from the lower reaches of the Volga to St.Petersburg. In 1777 sloboda receives the status of a town. The arms was the shield on the upper half of which was located a bear as a symbol of the Yaroslavl province, and on the lower - the fish on the blue background and two stairs. They were drawn by the request of “fathers of the town”, which with faithful ardour strived to mark the visit of the Rybinsk by empress Ekaterina.
Long years Rybinsk remained only a large port on the Volga, especially animated at the beginning of navigation.
Today it is the town of engineers and power engineering specialists. On 22 km. extended its territory along the Volga. The town still develops as large Volga port. Its role increased with the creation of the Volga-Baltic water system.
The stream of tourists to the town increases every year. The first object of the view is the Historical-Art museum, where tourist motor ships arrive. The historical department of the museum tells us about ancient settlers of this place. The archeological finds, which were found by Tretyacov Ruring the excavations in 1935 - 1936 in the mouth of the river Sanokhta, give us the opportunity to imagine how these places looked in III – V centuries after Christ. The exhibits of other halls tell us about Rybinsk sloboda, about Rybinsk as a barge haulers’ capital on the Volga, about an engender of an industrial town, about its revolution past and social reforms, about its famous countryman.
In the picture gallery the works of the famous Russian painters of XVII-XIX centuries: canvases and drawings of J. J.Shishkin, the portrets of J.N.Kramskoy and I.E.Repin, the author repetition of the famous picture of N.N.Ge “Peter I interrogates the tzar Aleksei”, picture of I.K.Ivazovsky “The nigh on the sea”, “The storm, and, chumatsk train”, are represented. On the last picture we see the chain of ox’s sloivly passing through the steppe, - it’s a seldom subject in the works of the marine painter.
After the inspection of the Historical-Art museum it’s adirced to take a view of the town itself. Of special the building of the River-boat station the former exchange building, which way built in 1811 in the forms of the Russian classics. The cathedral belfry, which is built in the baroque style dates back to the XVIII century. On the streets of the old part of the town the merchant the end of the XIX - beginning of the XX centuries are still preserved..