How to travel around Karelia in a fun way. How to travel around Karelia without a tour: public transport and on-site excursions Have fun traveling around Karelia or

The article talks about how to organize your independent travel in Karelia: when to go, what to see and how to get there.

In Russia, next to Finland, is the Republic of Karelia, rich in natural beauty and cultural heritage. The region attracts travelers with its pristine purity. It is ideal for both a quiet, relaxing holiday and active pastime with a constant change of environment. Hunting for birds and animals, along wild rivers, skiing and dog sledding, fishing, excursions - all this awaits curious tourists in Karelia.

Note: 2 useful feedback O independent trip to Karelia

about Karelia
: advantages and disadvantages
About the main attractions, and the

How to get to Karelia?

In North-west
There are 4 options for how to get to the republic:

By train.
Direct routes are provided between Petrozavodsk and Moscow or St. Petersburg. If there are no direct flights from other cities in Russia, you can always take a ticket with transfers.
By bus.
The option is most suitable for residents of St. Petersburg. Flights to Petrozavodsk.
By plane.
Near the village of Besovets, 12 km from Petrozavodsk there is main airport Karelia. It is recommended to purchase tickets in advance.
By car.
An excellent option for traveling around Karelia in terms of economy and freedom of movement. Suitable for large families and companies. It is worth considering that many roads in the republic are dirt roads.

Choose a tour to Karelia

When you don’t have time to plan a trip to Karelia on your own, you can contact the guys from Alem-Tur. This is a tour operator we have verified. They have been working since 2002 and know all the most Beautiful places republics. All tours are turnkey: accommodation + transfer + excursions. In general, we recommend it. Look at what tours to Karelia they offer now.

What to see in Karelia?

The republic is concentrated great amount cultural monuments. The most interesting attractions for tourists:

Planning a trip? That way!
We have prepared some useful gifts for you. They will help you save money while preparing for your trip.

Valaam, Solovki– popular islands that have preserved ancient monasteries and churches, many of which are UNESCO heritage sites. The islands are also attractive for their natural beauty: dense forests with slender spruce trees, rocky, steep banks, and clean river water. You can read more about it in a separate article.

Kizhi Architectural Museum. On the island right below open air collected samples of the life of the peoples who lived on these lands many centuries ago. During the excursion, travelers will learn many legends and customs of the local residents.

White Sea petroglyphs. On the islands of Karelia, archaeologists have discovered about three dozen ancient sites, as well as images and compositions carved on rocks dating back to the 3rd millennium BC. It is recommended to view the drawings accompanied by a guide.

Ruskeala marble canyon. It was here that marble was taken for the St. Petersburg palaces. The canyon is surrounded by ancient trees, which makes it more beautiful and majestic.

Waterfalls Girvas and Kivach. The first is unique for its location on the volcano, and the second for its size.

Kuzova Archipelago. At 16 uninhabited islands Rare birds and animals huddle together. Interesting place for visiting naturalists.

How to get around Karelia?

Least popular in the republic railway transport. Because the the main task Karelia - to preserve the pristine beauty of nature; new rails are not laid. Oktyabrskaya is relevant for travelers Railway. Along it you can get to the Onega and Kandalaksha Bays of the White Sea, Lake Onega. Branch lines have also been laid to Yushkozero, Belomorsk, and Sortavala.

To get acquainted with all the beauties of Karelia, it is recommended to travel by car or rent transport on the spot. Moving on federal highway M-18 "Kola", you can turn onto any secondary road, which will certainly lead to one of the lakes of the region.

Karelia has marine and river shipping company. The water communication system here is well developed, so travelers can easily move along the White Sea coast, along the Neva and Svir rivers, lakes Ladoga, Onega, and the White Sea-Baltic Canal.

Karelia is a charming land. You should definitely visit there. And what exactly is this collection of photographs telling us? For example, I had no idea about the highest flat waterfall in Europe. And it’s just great to admire the views of Karelia in different times of the year. What follows is almost copy-paste.

First, some general information. The republic is located in the northwestern part of Russia. In the northeast it is washed by the White Sea. The main relief of the republic is a hilly plain, turning in the west into the Western Karelian Upland. The glacier, retreating to the north, greatly changed the topography of Karelia - moraine ridges, *, lake basins appeared in large numbers.

A few words about the weather

The weather in Karelia is changeable. The climate itself is quite mild, with big amount precipitation varies on the territory of Karelia from marine to temperate continental. Winter is snowy, cool, but usually without severe frosts. Summer is short and warm, also with frequent rains.

Fauna

The fauna of Karelia is unique in many ways. Squirrel, mountain hare, fox, muskrat, and European beaver are found throughout the republic. The Canadian beaver feels great in Western Karelia. Less likely, but still possible, are brown bears, badgers, lynxes, and on the banks of reservoirs - otter, marten, and European mink. In the south there is a raccoon dog, a forest polecat, a brother of the now fashionable domestic ferret, and an American mink brought from afar.

Meetings with a wolf in Karelia will not surprise anyone - there are often cases here when gray predators come out into the cities in the cold winter. And the wild boars that last years appeared in the southern regions of the republic, and in the fall they come to feed directly in the gardens. Moose are common in the forests of Karelia. In the White Sea and Lake Ladoga there is a seal. Much less common are the sand lizard, flying squirrel, reindeer, brown long-eared bat, and water bat. There is a lot of work for ornithologists: 285 species of birds live here, 36 of which are listed in the Red Book of Karelia.

The most common birds are finches. Upland game can be found - hazel grouse, black grouse, ptarmigan, wood grouse. Every spring to Karelia from warm countries the geese are flying. Birds of prey are common: owls, hawks, golden eagles, marsh harriers. Among the waterfowl: ducks, loons, waders, many seagulls and the largest of the diving ducks of Karelia - the common eider, valuable for its warm down. The rare species of snipe found here, the Godwit, is called an ornithologist's dream.

And below in the photo is a brown long-eared bat and a water bat. The first, despite its small size, is capable of withstanding frost of up to 7 degrees for 40 days without harm to health, the second is cool because it flies very low above the water, sometimes 5 cm from the surface.

The most famous Karelian nature reserves are: “Kivach”, “Kostomuksha”, and the Kem-Ludsky section of the Kandalaksha nature reserve. Ecological routes are laid out on their territories, and nature museums operate.

20 more reasons to go to Karelia

And now - in more detail. Why do you need to go to Karelia and what to see there?

Visit the Solovetsky Monastery

Spaso-Preobrazhensky Solovetsky monastery located on the Solovetsky Islands. It arose in the 1420s–1430s, rebuilt in stone by the labors of St. Philip (Kolycheva). In 1669–1676 The monastery was besieged by tsarist troops as one of the centers of resistance to Nikonian transformations. Under Soviet rule, the country's first special purpose camp operated on the territory of the monastery. A significant part of the prisoners were so-called “political” - the clergy, officers of the white movement, Socialist Revolutionaries, and intelligentsia. Monastic life was resumed on October 25, 1990. In 1992, the complex of monuments of the Solovetsky Museum-Reserve was included in the list World Heritage UNESCO, in 1995 - to the State Code of Particularly Valuable Objects cultural heritage peoples Russian Federation.

Visit Valaam Monastery

Valaam Spaso-Preobrazhensky Monastery is located on the islands of the Valaam archipelago. After the October Revolution, Valaam became part of the newly formed Finland, thanks to which it was preserved, and the monastery turned out to be a church of a national minority (the main religion of Finland is Lutheranism). Beginning in 1925, services began to be held in Finnish, and the islands themselves were thoroughly fortified in military engineering terms.

The Finnish Orthodox Church, a new calendarist, adopted the Western Paschal, forcing the Valaam Monastery to switch from the Julian to the Gregorian calendar. The transition to a new style in the 1920s was the reason for the destruction of the unity of Valaam. During the Soviet-Finnish War of 1939–1940, the monastery fell into the combat zone, and the monks, who had accepted Finnish citizenship by that time, left the islands at the beginning of February 1940, taking with them all the most valuable things (including the original icon of the Mother of God of Valaam, other shrines and bells). They settled in the town of Heinävesi in Finland, in the Papinniemi estate and founded the New Valaam Monastery. At the end of the Great Patriotic War, the monastery was annexed for 12 years (1945–1957) to the Moscow Patriarchate, but territorially remained subordinate to the Finnish Orthodox Church. In 1977, services in Church Slavonic ceased, and in 1981 the last Russian monk died. Now the monastery continues to operate as a Finnish Orthodox monastery and receives more than 100 thousand visitors a year.

Visit the Kizhi Museum-Reserve

The Kizhi Museum-Reserve is one of the largest open-air museums in Russia, a unique historical, cultural and natural complex, world famous architectural ensemble, located on the island of Kizhi in Lake Onega. The ensemble consists of two churches and a bell tower of the 18th–19th centuries, surrounded by a single fence - a reconstruction of traditional churchyard fences.

According to one legend, the Church of the Transfiguration was built with one ax (initially without nails) by the carpenter Nestor. The carpenter threw the ax into the lake so that no one could repeat the same majestic building.

In 1990, the Kizhi Pogost was included in the UNESCO World Heritage List; in 1993, by decree of the President of the Russian Federation, the architectural collection of the open-air museum was included in the State Code of Especially Valuable Objects of Cultural Heritage of the Peoples of the Russian Federation.

See Lake Ladoga

Exactly this big lake Europe: its area is 18,400 square meters. km. The lake is an inexhaustible source of drinking water for St. Petersburg. The maximum length is about 200 km, width - 130 km. The greatest depth is 230 m.

Lake Ladoga is rich in islands (up to 500 islands with an area of about 300 sq. km), almost all of them are located in the north of the lake. Among them, the Valaam Islands stand out in size, with coastal slopes steeply descending into the water. Other large islands are Konevets, Vossinansaari, Heinäsensaari, Mantinsaari, Lunkulansaari. In the southern half of the lake there are very few islands and their sizes are small: Zelentsy (in Shlisselburg Bay), Ptinov (in Volkhov Bay).

Admire the Kivach waterfall

Kivach, the highest flat waterfall in Europe, is a geomorphological natural monument of federal rank. The waterfall is the second largest flat waterfall in Europe (after the Rhine). The water falls in four ledges from a height of 10.7 m.

The waterfall arose as a result of the waters of the Suna River sawing through the thickness of loose Quaternary sediments to the roof of the diabase ridge. Falling from the cliff, the stream deepened the river bed in the thickness of lake loams and sandy loams below the ridge. Kivach gained fame since the time of the first Karelian governor G.R. Derzhavin.

In 1931, a reserve of the same name was formed around the waterfall. A visit to the reserve and waterfall is included in almost all excursions in Karelia.

See a pagan Sami sanctuary

Pagan sanctuaries of the Sami are often mentioned in the folklore of Karelia. The largest sanctuaries, consisting of various stone cult complexes, are located on the islands of Russian Kuzov, German Kuzov in the Kuzov archipelago in the Kem Gulf, on Mount Vottovaara and Mount Kivakka in North Karelia. On about. Oleshin in the Kuzov archipelago in the Kem Bay and on Cape Krasny near the borders with Murmansk region cult stones form “stone labyrinths”. There are also stone sanctuaries in South Karelia: on the islands of Radkolye and Oroshostrov, near the village of Sennaya Guba. Here the stone cult masonry has the form of horseshoes, rings, and less often - spirals.

There is also a tour to " magical place ancient Sami" - grief Vottovaara.

See the oldest resort in Russia

"Martial Waters" - the first Russian resort, founded by Peter I in 1719 on the basis of ferruginous mineral springs. It is located 54 km north of Petrozavodsk. Peter I repeatedly came here for treatment with his family and court nobility. By the time of the king's first visit, three wooden palace for the royal family and a large building with 20 rooms with an earthen hall, connected by a corridor to the springs. Since then, ferruginous springs have been called “marcial waters” in honor of Mars, the god of war and iron.

Find the oldest marble scraps in Russia (XVIII century)

They are near the village White Mountain. Tivdian marble was discovered in the middle of the 18th century by the merchant Martyanov. From that time on, its industrial development began - marble breaking in the villages of Tivdiya and Belaya Gora. The deposits of Tivdi marble turned out to be necessary for the construction of St. Petersburg.

See the world's only crimson quartzite quarry

In the Prionezhsky region there are several deposits of quartzites, among which the most interesting are the outcrops of these rocks near the village of Shoksha. Outcrops of red and crimson quartzites and old quarries have been declared a natural monument.

Shokshin quartzites are a strong and durable decorative facing stone. The extraction of Shoksha quartzites began in the 18th century - they were then used to decorate the palaces of St. Petersburg. Particularly prized were the single-colored dark crimson Shoksha quartzites, which were called “Shoksha porphyry.” Red quartzites were also used to make paving stones and crushed stone.

Later, Shoksha quartzites were used in the design of Napoleon’s sarcophagus in the Invalides in Paris, the Lenin Mausoleum and the monument to the Unknown Soldier in Moscow, the memorial on Mamayev Kurgan in Volgograd, the Victory Monument in St. Petersburg, the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Petrozavodsk, and many other objects.

Take a walk through Europe's largest national park

This is exactly what Vodlozersky Park is considered to be. The park's territory is a unique area of untouched nature of such a large size in Europe. Within its borders is the vast drainage basin of one of the largest lakes in Northern Europe - Vodlozero. The park has preserved unique natural complexes Central European taiga: clean lakes and rivers, natural coniferous forests and swamps inhabited by indigenous inhabitants of the taiga, including rare and endangered species. This region is dominated by three elements - water, wild forest and swamp swamp.

The Vodlozersky National Park was created in 1991 by a decision of the Russian Government to preserve the natural, historical and cultural heritage of Vodlozero, and became the first protected site of this level in the European North of Russia. In 2001, by decision of UNESCO, it was awarded the status of a biosphere reserve, the first in the system national parks Russia. The park is a federal environmental, scientific and environmental educational institution with large staff various specialists and government inspectors for the protection of the territory.

Explore Europe's largest collection of rock art

More than 3,000 images dating back to the 4th millennium BC can be seen in the north, in the Belomorsky region, in the lower reaches of the Vyg River, 8 km above its confluence with the Soroka Bay of the White Sea, and in the southeast of the republic - in the Pudozhsky region , on east coast Lake Onega, 18 km south of the village of Shalsky.

Karelian petroglyphs - carved on the surface of coastal rocks composed of granites, images of animals, birds, fish, boats, people and strange signs - are world famous. “Stone Chronicle”, “Stone Age Bible” - this is how researchers characterize them. The designs were punched out with quartz hammers to a depth of 2 - 3 mm.

The archaeological complex “White Sea Petroglyphs” includes drawings on rocks and more than 30 discovered sites ancient man, dating from the period III - II millennium BC. Petroglyphs of the White Sea on the islands of Shoyrukshin, Erpin Pudas, Bolshoi Malinin - these are over 2 thousand individual figures, occupying Northern Europe 4th place in terms of number of images. They are located on an area of almost 2 sq. km. The closest cluster of petroglyphs to Belomorsk are Besovy Sledki and Erpin Pudas.

The largest and most interesting clusters of engravings are located 1.5 km northwest of Besovy Sledki - on Staraya and Novaya Zalavruga. They are among the world masterpieces of hunting monumental rock art of the primitive era. Many of the images are well preserved.

Conquer the most high mountain Karelia - Nuorunen

The height of Mount Nuorunen is 576 meters above sea level, which makes it the highest point of the Maanselkä ridge within the Republic of Karelia and the most high point Republic of Karelia. The mountain is located in the northwestern part of the Louhi region, on the territory of the Paanajärvi National Park, in its southernmost part.

Hunt for the Northern Lights

To see one of the most enchanting natural phenomena, it is not at all necessary to go to distant Norway. The Northern Lights can be seen in Karelia. Very often people go to the village of Nilmoguba, located on the shores of the White Sea in Loukhi district Karelia in the Arctic Circle. Green flashes in Karelia can be seen already at the end of August. For example, in the summer of 2013, northern lights seen in August due to a magnetic storm by residents of Petrozavodsk, the Solovetsky Islands and the village of Yushkozero.

See the longest river in the republic

Kem - largest river Karelia. Its length is 358 km. Starting at the border with Finland, the river crosses the whole of Karelia in a latitudinal direction and flows into the White Sea. The Kem originates from Lake Nizhneye Kuytto, but hydrologists consider it the actual beginning of the river. Kurzhma, which flows into the Upper Kuytto. Along their route, Kurzhma-Kem is connected by 19 lakes, constituting up to 40% of their total length.

The Kem River has a steep fall. Previously, there were up to 35 rapids and waterfalls. Among the latter, the Uzhma waterfall stood out, the height of which was 11.8 m with a very high water flow; the Vochazh and Pad-Yuma waterfalls were also famous. With the construction of the Kem hydroelectric power station cascade, the river was regulated, turning into a chain of reservoirs, the rapids and waterfalls disappeared.

At the mouth of the river lies historical city Kem.

Fish on the largest inland reservoir in Karelia - Vygozero

Vygozero is located in the middle part of Karelia. The lake covers an area of 1159 square meters. km. In terms of area, it ranks third among the lakes of Karelia (after Lakes Ladoga and Onega). The reservoir is elongated in a general direction from northwest to southeast, divided into separate parts and large bays. Number of islands 529 s with total area 126 sq. km. Vygozero is a shallow reservoir with a complex bottom topography. The average depth is 6.2 m, the greatest depth is about 18 m. The Vygozersky Reservoir is home to 11 species of fish: lake salmon, vendace, whitefish, pike, roach, ide, bream, pike perch, perch, ruffe and burbot. The main commercial fish: bream, vendace, pike, burbot, perch and roach.

Admire the deepest river in Karelia

The Vodla River, which flows into Lake Onega from the east, is considered the deepest in Karelia. Its width reaches 60 meters. The Vodla River is a working river. It delivers thousands of cubic meters of timber to Lake Onega.

It has more than 20 rapids, the most famous of which is the wide and beautiful waterfall Padun, 2 m high. Padun represented a significant obstacle to the navigation of boats on the ancient trade route from Veliky Novgorod through Lake Onega, the Vodla River, the Onega River to the White Sea. For this reason, it became known earlier than other Karelian waterfalls.

South of the mouth of Vodla there is the famous Cape Besov Nos, which gave its name large group the well-known Onega petroglyphs, and 30 km upstream is the historical city of Pudozh.

Visit the most sparsely populated region of the republic

This is considered the Loukhsky district. According to statistics, per sq.m. there is only 1 person.

Loukhsky municipal district is the northernmost, largest district of the Republic of Karelia. Its area is 22.5 thousand sq. km. In the North it borders with the Murmansk region, adjacent to the Arctic Circle, in the south - with the Kalevalsky and Kemsky regions. In the west and north-west, the border of the region coincides with the Russian-Finnish state border. In the east, the border of the region runs along White Sea, coastline is 200 km.

Meet the descendants of the Ves tribe

Touch the most valuable tree

The well-known Karelian birch is famous for the amazing beauty of its wood. In 1984, 4 Karelian birch reserves were established in Karelia: “Utuki” in the Kondopoga district (with an area of 5.7 hectares), “Kokkorevo” and “Tsarevichi” in the Prionezhsky district (with a total area of 28.9 hectares), “Anisimovshchina” in Medvezhyegorsk area (area 6.1 hectares). In Karelia, there are about three thousand trees in natural populations. The Republic has approved a regional target program for the conservation of the gene pool of Karelian birch and the reproduction of its resources.

Look for the rarest animal of Karelia - the garden dormouse

Sonya belongs to the rodents of the Dormouse family. Small (body length 115 - 150 mm, tail 95 - 120 mm), rather brightly colored arboreal animal. The top of the body is brownish-brown, the sides are somewhat lighter than the back, the throat, chest, belly, paws and ears are white, with a black stripe running from the eye to the ear. The tail is sharply tricolored on top. The long hair at the end of the tail is combed on the sides and forms a wide flat brush. The muzzle is sharp, “mouse-like”, with very long sensory hairs sticking out to the sides. The paws are “tree-type” - tenacious, with highly developed calluses on the soles and sharp, curved claws. Garden dormouse is a very rare animal in Karelia. It was found only in the Ladoga region: in the vicinity of Sortavala, Impilahti and Kiryavalahti. Contrary to its name, this rodent usually does not live in gardens, but settles in deciduous and mixed forests with dense and varied undergrowth. Active mainly at dusk and at night. The spherical nest is made in hollows, stumps or simply in dense branches of a tree.

See the largest swamp in Karelia - Yupyauzhshuo

The area of the swamp is approximately 200 sq km, which is much larger than the area of Petrozavodsk. It is located in the Kalevala region, in the lower reaches of the Kepa River, northeast of where it flows into the Kem River.

Take a walk around Petrozavodsk

Finally, don't forget to see the capital of Karelia - Petrozavodsk. The city is located on the shores of Petrozavodsk Bay of Lake Onega. Distance from Moscow - 924 km, from St. Petersburg - 412 km. Population - 271.1 thousand inhabitants (2009), area - 135 sq. km. The city of Petrozavodsk, like St. Petersburg, was founded by Peter the Great in 1703. During the Northern War with Sweden, a factory producing weapons was built. The settlement near the plant on the Lososinka River was called Petrovskaya Sloboda. In 1777, Catherine II, by her decree, awarded the settlement the status of a city. Petrozavodsk was a place of exile for many political figures. The city, destroyed during the Great Patriotic War, was rebuilt in the post-war years.

In the center of the historical part of the city of Petrozavodsk you can see a fragment of the building of 1774: the former Round Square, surrounded by 2 semicircular administrative buildings with wings in the style of classicism. In 1873, a bronze monument to Peter I was unveiled on Round Square, which was later moved to the embankment, which is one of the main attractions of Petrozavodsk. The embankment is decorated with red porphyry. It contains the compositions “Wave of Friendship”, “Mermaid” and “Starry Sky”. Very interesting are the monuments-gifts from the sister cities “Fishermen”, “Tübingen Panel” and “Wishing Tree”. On Lenin Square (formerly Round Square) there is the Karelian State local history museum. Its exhibitions tell about the history and culture of the region. In the museum fine arts The works of both modern and masters of the 18th-20th centuries are presented.

Among the temples of the city revered by residents are Cathedral in the name of Alexander Nevsky - an architectural monument of the 19th century, the Exaltation of the Cross and Catherine churches. In the area of the village of Solomennoe, ancient churches of the 18th century have been preserved - Sretenskaya and Petropavlovskaya. In the city of Petrozavodsk there is one of the oldest parks in Russia - Petrovsky Garden, now it is the Park of Culture and Recreation, in which a monument to the Petrovsky Plant is erected.

Tourists are attracted by a place near the village of Solomennoye, called the Devil's Chair tract. This is a stone platform on the edge of the Great Vaara mountain, shaped like a chair. The height of the seat of this “chair” is 80 meters, the backrest is 113 meters. From here it opens beautiful view to the lake and the city. The Kivach nature reserve is interesting, where you can look at the waterfalls. 44 km from Petrozavodsk there is the so-called “Svyatozero necklace”, where ancient chapels, churches, and houses have been preserved. The place is named after an island with a “holy” grove of fir trees. You can try the miraculous Marcial water, named after the god Mars, by visiting the Marcial Waters resort. The resort was founded by Peter I in 1719. It is a museum-reserve. For sports lovers there is a Ski Complex and an Equestrian Center.

When preparing the article, materials from vottovaara.ru, ticrk.ru, visitpetrozavodsk.ru, ru.wikipedia.org, trip-guide.ru, vezde.karelia.ru, zoogeo365.ru, kondopoga.ru, life-is-travel were used. ru, natur-kam.ru, nn-dom.ru, all.nw.ru, tourism.onego.ru, slazav.mccme.ru, znamus.ru, kalevala-welt.ru and strana.ru

_______________________
*) Ozy (from Swedish. ås- “ridge, ridge”) or eskers (from Irish eiscir - “ridge or hill”) - linearly elongated, narrow shafts up to several tens of meters high, from 100-200 m to 1-2 km wide and long (with short breaks ) up to several tens, rarely hundreds of kilometers. The eskers most closely resemble railway embankments.

Only 630 thousand people live on 180 thousand square kilometers of the Republic of Karelia. For comparison, more than 7 million people live in the Moscow region, which occupies 44 thousand square kilometers. Meanwhile, the inhabitants of the republic managed to create their own culture with their own language and gods.

According to Karelian mythology, the world was created by the goddess Iltamar. Before that, she sailed for 700 years on the vast ocean. One day a duck flew to her and built a nest on her lap, into which she laid seven eggs. From these eggs the earth, sun, moon and stars emerged. Then Iltamar, without the help of a man, gave birth to a son, Väinämöinen: “The wind blew the girl’s fetus, the sea gave her fullness,” says the Karelian folk song. Iltamar was pregnant for a long time and gave birth to a son at the age of 30. Väinämöinen became the first man, a hero and a prophetic rune singer and performed many miracles with the help of witchcraft.

All the mythical heroes of the Karelians lived in their own country - Kalevala. Despite the fact that the Karelians and Finns, who worshiped the same gods, stopped believing in Iltamar and Väinämöinen, they celebrate the Day of the folk epic Kalevala every year on February 28. On the day of the holiday, costumed processions and theatrical performances are held in cities.

Karelia began to be settled already in the 7th-6th millennium BC. The ancient inhabitants of Karelia left behind many traces, many of which have not yet been studied by scientists. Meanwhile, in 1936, scientists discovered a mass grave on the South Oleny Island of Lake Onega, which dates back to the eighth millennium BC. Along with human remains, scientists found tools and arrowheads made of stone and jewelry made from animal teeth.

On the islands of the Vyg River you can see the White Sea petroglyphs - rock paintings, dating back to the 4th-3rd millennia BC. On east coast Onega petroglyphs are scattered around Lake Onega, which were created, presumably, at the same time as the White Sea drawings.

On the same Lake Onega there is a much younger and very popular Karelian monument among tourists. On the island of Kizhi there is an ensemble of two wooden churches and a bell tower, built in XVIII-XIX centuries. According to legend, the Church of the Transfiguration of the Lord was built by the carpenter Nestor with one ax without nails. After finishing the work, he threw the ax into the lake so that no one could repeat his feat.

On the islands of the Valaam archipelago on Lake Ladoga there is the Valaam Transfiguration Monastery, which is visited by about 100 thousand pilgrims every year. According to legend, the monastery was built on the site of a stone cross, which was erected by the Apostle Andrew. According to another legend, in the 10th century they came to Valaam from certain eastern countries monks Sergius and German founded a monastic brotherhood here. Now about 200 people live in the monastery. For pilgrims, the monastery has hotels that can accommodate up to 200 tourists.

On the eastern shore of Lake Onega there is another famous monastery - the Murom Holy Assumption Monastery, founded, presumably, at the end of the 14th - beginning of the 15th century. The monastery was founded by Lazar of Murom, who in his spiritual testament called himself a native of Rome. On one of the Vodlozero islands in Vodlozersky national park stands Ilyinsky Pogost - a men's monastery created in the 16th century by monks marching to Solovki. There is another version of the origin of the graveyard: supposedly the monastery appeared on the site of an ancient pagan sanctuary, where ancient tribes performed sacrifices.

Another interesting Karelian attraction is located in the Olonets region. This is the village of Selga, the first mention of which dates back to the beginning of the 18th century. The village, famous for its old huts, has its own festival and its own museum. In the same area is the town of Olonets, which was first mentioned in the 13th century and where it is interesting to see old churches and chapels, including the Lutheran Church of Ingria, founded in the 17th century by the Finns. The Finns were settled here by the king of Sweden, who then still owned this land.

The capital of Karelia is Petrozavodsk. Settlements on the site of Petrozavodsk arose back in the seventh millennium BC, but the city was officially founded only in the 18th century, after the opening of the Alexander Cannon Foundry. There are three state and republican museums in Petrozavodsk: the Kizhi Museum-Reserve, the Museum of Fine Arts, located in the building of the former Olonets provincial male gymnasium, and the National Museum of Karelia. Besides them, in Petrozavodsk you can also look into a private art gallery“Doll’s House”, in the Museum of Precambrian Geology at the Institute of Geology of the Karelian Scientific Center of the Russian Academy of Sciences, in the Museum of Industrial History of Petrozavodsk, in “ Maritime Museum"and to the Postal Museum.

Karelia is popular among lovers active rest. You can kayak on the wild rivers Suojoki, Vama, Vodla, Okhta and Uksa. On boats and yachts you can ride around the Ladoga skerries, Lake Onega, lakes Sandal, Segozero, Kuytto and Keret. Travel companies They organize short rafting trips of several hours and long trips of 3-7 days. In the republic you can join jeep tours along dirt and forest roads. Tour participants stop in ancient Karelian villages, visiting old churches, waterfalls, rocks and lakes. The annual jeep competition “Karelia Trophy” is also organized here.

If you decide to have an active holiday in Karelia, then you need to register and receive safety instructions from the Karelian Republican Water Rescue Service. You can also register with district administrations and search and rescue teams of the rescue service, which are located in Kondopoga, Medvezhyegorsk, Kemi and Sortavala. It is advisable that while moving, the tour group contacts the rescuers once a day and reports their location.

Karelia - perfect place for hunting and fishing. In the republic you can hunt bear, elk, wild boar, beaver, marten, wood grouse and black grouse - but to hunt these animals you need a license. Hunting permits and licenses can be obtained from the regional divisions of the State Committee for Hunting of Karelia and from organizations with their own lands. Travel agencies also organize special tours with meals, accommodation in hunting houses and accompanied by a ranger. Fishermen go to Syamozero and Lake Onega for pike and perch, and on the rivers and rapids of the central and northern regions The edges catch salmon, grayling and whitefish.

The international a tourist route The Blue Road, which connects Norway, Sweden, Finland and Russia. The length of the route is more than two thousand kilometers, for the most part it runs along the banks of rivers and lakes. The path starts at Atlantic coast Norway in Mo-i-Rana and ends in Karelian Pudozh. If you decide to take the Blue Road, the most convenient way to travel is by car.

Petrozavodsk can be reached by car or by car along the Kola federal highway. An experienced driver can cross the whole of Karelia in 12-14 hours. Fans of active recreation often come to tourist camps, which are built here in large numbers, or put up tents. Prices for resorts and resorts range from 600 rubles per night at the Nigizhma motel on the shores of Lake Onega to 32,500 rubles at the Vitele villa with a private pool on Lake Ladoga. And regardless of the choice sleeping place you will not arrive from Karelia without boxes or watches made of Karelian birch, balls and beads made of shungite, tablecloths with Zaonezhsky embroidery and designer dolls and paintings by Karelian masters.

You can buy train tickets and book a hotel right now using our convenient.

It might be useful to read: