Monuments of history and culture of Karelia. Monuments of Petrozavodsk

The Russian north still keeps in its buildings prints of ancient customs and traditions. In this article we will review with you some monuments of history and culture of Karelia. This is not only interesting, but also informative.

Briefly about Karelia

The Republic of Karelia, whose historical and cultural monuments attract hundreds of thousands of tourists annually, is one of the most popular places for study and recreation.

This territory is located in the north-west of Russia and is popular not only with its nature, but also with architectural complexes, monasteries and other curiosities of original northern culture.

Next, you and I have to get acquainted with three interesting island museums. In addition, we will visit some notable places in the capital of the Republic - the city of Petrozavodsk.

Balaam

The Russian north has always struck with its uniqueness. Monuments of history and culture of Karelia are mainly represented by architectural complexes. One of them is on the islands of the Valaam archipelago.

The first thing that attracts and fascinates this land is nature. Not for nothing that local landscapes are immortalized in the works of the graduates of the St. Petersburg Academy of Arts. Among them are such famous authors as Shishkin, Guine, Vasiliev and others.

On these islands in the tenth century began to settle Orthodox monks. Gradually a whole complex of stunning architecture was created. This ensemble amazes with its severe grace and is thoroughly imbued with the true "Russian spirit".

The buildings were destroyed several times. They were first burned by the Swedes in the early 17th century. Then, in the middle of the 18th, they were also destroyed by a fire. But this did not affect the local life. Hard-working monks have all restored, and today monasteries do not cease to amaze tourists and pilgrims.

Suffice it to say that in the Valaam Archipelago in the middle of the 19th century watermelons were grown without greenhouses. This is provided that the landscape of the islands consists mainly of rocks and rocks. Monks managed to create here a layer of fertile soil, just carrying a little earth from the mainland.

The basis of the architectural ensemble is: the Transfiguration Cathedral with annexes, the church of Peter and Paul, the churches of the Assumption and the Life-Giving Trinity.
In addition, in the 19 th century the economic court was created, in which there are hotels, fish and dairy farms, water supply.

Kizhi

Mentioning the monuments of history and culture of Karelia, we can not miss this State Historical, Architectural and Ethnographic Museum-Reserve. Today on Kizhi islands there is a world historical heritage - ensemble of wooden architecture.

In addition to the sacral buildings, there are still residential villages. And from the middle of the 20th century wooden houses began to be brought to these islands, which are of historical value. Now Kizhi is one of the largest open-air museums in Russia.

His exhibits illustrate the culture, history, traditions and crafts throughout Karelia. In particular, here you can find objects of everyday life of Russian, Karelian and Vepsian industries, which are more than three hundred years old.

At the beginning of the 18th century, the Transfiguration Church was built here , on which twenty-two domes were erected. And donations to its construction were collected with the help of local residents. She had no rich patrons.
Later, to complete the ensemble, a cathedral and a bell tower were built. It is believed that this complex displays the universe in its composition.

On the territory of the reserve there are more than seventy structures, half a thousand icons, more than 30 thousand ethnographic exhibits. It is noteworthy that the island is guarded from above. In the two and a half of the last century, when revolutions and wars rattled over the country, he was not attacked. Even the Finnish pilot, who received the mission to bomb this area, did not comply with the order, because he was struck by the beauty of the buildings.

The Solovetsky Islands

It should be noted that our next landmark belongs to the Arkhangelsk region. And in the monuments of the history and culture of Karelia, it came only because of its location. The islands of Valaam, Kizhi, Solovki are all together a complete composition.

These islands are famous not only for their church buildings. There was a special purpose camp here, as well as a prison, a jung school. The fortress, built in the 16th century, withstood several sieges of foreign armadas, in particular the Swedish fleet.

On the territory of the reserve there is a miracle-birch. A tree on which grew two branches from different sides of the trunk at right angles. In fact, it turned out a cross, which was formed in a natural way. The monks say that it is the Lord who raised him in memory of all the martyrs. It is noteworthy that this happened when the state banned the manifestation of religious zeal.

The archipelago consists of several islands, such as Bolshaya Zayatsky and Maly Zayatsky, Anzersky, Muksalma and others. In addition to the monastery, on them there are deserts, and sketes. Since 1992 the whole architectural complex has been under the protection of UNESCO.

Church of Karelia

Discussing the monuments of the Republic of Karelia, it is especially worthwhile to dwell on its churches, monasteries and temples. When you visit any of these monasteries, it seems that you are in contact with the very essence of Russian Orthodoxy.

Earlier we with you already briefly got acquainted with the tremendous complexes on the Solovetsky Islands, Valaam and Kizhi. Despite the fact that these monuments can not be surpassed in terms of historical and cultural value, many places that are worthy of attention have remained unilluminated.

First of all, these are churches and chapels in the villages and on the islands of this blessed land. For example, buildings in Olonets, Kemi, Povenets, Vygozero and other places.

Discussing monuments of Karelia (photo of some are given in the article), it is impossible to avoid the capital of the republic - Petrozavodsk. This will be the next stop of our little excursion.

Museum of Fine Arts in Petrozavodsk

It was founded in 1960 in the building of the former men's gymnasium. To date, its exposition has about 12 thousand objects, and in the library - more than 17 thousand documents.

Here are exhibited samples of Karelian iconography and art, as well as exhibits of Russian art from the XVIII century to the present day.

In the cool halls of this museum you can see the icons of the masters of Segozero, Zaonezhie and Olonets region, which make up special style groups. The exposition of arts and crafts includes a national costume, utensils, carvings and engraving on copper and birch bark.

National Museum

This institution was founded in 1871 and is located in the former governor's house. In fact, the museum is local history.

Here are exhibits of representatives of the flora and fauna of Karelia, archaeological finds, as well as specimens that reflect the history of the Republic.

You will see mysterious petroglyphs and utensils from the Olenostrovsky burial ground. In the historical departments you will be able to learn about the process that Petrovskaya Sloboda went through to become Petrozavodsk. Also there is a large hall dedicated to the past of the capital of the Republic, which is famous not only for its industry and museums.

Further we will consider some monuments of Petrozavodsk. All of them can not be described, we will touch on the most popular ones.

Monuments and memorable signs of Petrozavodsk

One of the most famous is the monument to Peter the Great in Petrozavodsk. It was built in 1872-1873 to mark the 200th anniversary of the birth of the emperor. The monument perpetuates the merits of the autocrat before this land. If it were not for Peter's decision to start shipbuilding here, who knows what Karelia would be today?

Next, we should mention the monument to Lenin in Petrozavodsk. He has an interesting story. In 1930, the architects Manizer and Ilyin created it on the orders of the Karprofsovet. 14 granite blocks, obtained by the prisoners of the Gulag, from the island of Goltsy were delivered to the building. During the occupation (1941-1944), Finnish soldiers dismantled the monument and folded its parts in the side. In his place was put howitzer.

But after the victory in 1945, the monument was restored, and the restoration work was conducted by the same Manizer.

In addition to these two significant monuments, there are still a lot of historical values in Petrozavodsk.

Sculpture Park

Onega embankment, thanks to the stunning view opening from it, in the XIX century became a favorite place of sculptors. The monument to Peter the Great laid the foundation for this spontaneous museum under the sky.

Afterwards, many sculptures were built, such as "The Birth of Petrozavodsk", "Purse of Fortune", "Unity", "Meeting Point", "Seal of Time", "Fishermen" and so on.

It is noteworthy that most of these monuments were donated by artists from sister cities of Petrozavodsk. Among them are settlements such as Duluth in the United States, Muehran in Norway, La Rochelle in France and many others.