Kudymkar is a town (from 1938) in the Perm Territory, the administrative centre Kudymkar municipal area. Unil December, 1st, 2005 Kudymkar was the administrative centre of Komi-Permyak Autonomous Okrug.

The town takes the area of 25.3 square km and has the population of 30.7 thousand people (as of 2010). It is located on both banks of River Inva, an inflow of the Kama River, and partially on the left bank of its inflow Kuva, in the most developed southern part of the Okrug on the highway Gainy-Mendeleyevo, at the distance of 201 km from Perm.

The centre of the future town was occupied by Kudymkar site of ancient settlement from the 7th century.

In written sources Kudymkar was first mentioned in 1579. In 1472 Kudymkar together with Perm the Great became a part of the Russian State. In the 17th century Kudymkar turned to be the centre of the area.

1192 dwellers inhabited Kudymkar in 1908; it was the residence of the chief of 3rd camp of Solikamsk District of the Perm Province, which included the territory of modern Kudymkar District and the adjoining parts of Yusva and Karagai Districts. There was a 4-year town school, a girls’ school, a library, a hospital, a post office and a veterinary point; a mill with a dam on Kuva River, a forestry, a children's shelter, and an almshouse there. 3 annual fairs and weekly markets were held in the town.

In 1909 a telegraph and post office was opened in Kudymkar. In 1931 Kudymkar Village was transformed into an urban settlement and into a town in 1938.

Teachers’ Training College was opened there in 1927, a Forestry School in 1929 and Agricultural and Medical Schools in 1930.

In post-war time (after World War I) a number of technical training colleges were opened in Kudymkar. In the late 1920s— first 1930s small enterprises for manufacture of products and goods for local dwellers sprang up. In 1931-1994 highway Mendeleyevo — Kudymkar was laid, facilitating access to the trunk-railway.

Kudymkar is the only town of the komi-permyaks and is the centre of culture of this ancient ethnos with its rich history and culture.

In Kudymkar there is the Komi-Permyak District Museum of P.I.Subbotin-Permyak, an original artist, a bright representative of avant-garde of the early 20th century.

The museum collection totals almost 70 000 exhibits. Among them are artifacts of the mysterious Perm Animal Style, sasanid silver, cult wooden sculptures of the late 19th century and lots of other unique objects. The museum’s archeological collection includes more than 24 000 exhibits from the Paleolithic Age to the late Middle Ages.

Nearby the museum, on the left coast of Kuva, there is Kudymkar site of ancient settlement “Izyur” (meaning “Stone Head”) or “Krasnaya Gorka” (i.e. “Red Hill”). It is the historical part of the town.

In Kudymkar District there are also a few attractions, such as a beautiful pine-tree forest “Sofia”, rocks “the Boat of Love” near Mosheva Village, and “Magic Rock” in Oshib Settlement.