The Republic of Karelia is located in the north-west of the Russian Federation, it borders with Finland. In 1703, when the Northern War of Russia with Sweden was fought, in the lower reaches of the Lososinka River, which flows into Lake Onega, an iron-smelting cannon-making plant was laid down by decree of Peter the Great. Over time, a settlement grew around him, in which artisans lived with their families, called Petrovskaya. In 1777, it was transformed into the city of Petrozavodsk.
Today Petrozavodsk is the capital of Karelia. It is located on the shores of Lake Onega - the second largest in Europe. Its length is more than 200 km., The maximum depth is 127 m., The area is almost 10 thousand sq. Km.
In the northern part of Lake Onega is the small island of Kizhi, about 6 km long. Now there is the State Historical, Architectural and Ethnographic Museum-Reserve "Kizhi". The main attraction of the reserve is considered to be the Kizhi architectural ensemble, which is a real masterpiece of Russian wooden architecture. It includes the magnificent twenty-two-headed Church of the Transfiguration, the ten-headed Church of the Intercession, a tented bell tower and a church fence.
Despite the fact that these buildings differ from each other both in style and time of construction, they make up a single artistic whole. Another advantage of the wooden ensemble is its organic fusion with nature. Architecture enhances the beauty of the landscape and vice versa. In addition to these buildings, the open-air museum includes various religious buildings and dwellings dating back to the XIV-XIX centuries. All of them were transported to Kizhi from various regions of Karelia.
Lake Ladoga is the largest inland water body in Europe. Its length from south to north is 220 km., Its width reaches 80 km., In some places the depth exceeds 200 m., The area is 17.7 thousand sq. Km. Navigable rivers Volkhov and Svir flow into Ladoga, and the beautiful Neva flows from it. The shores of the lake are very diverse - the northwestern coast is rocky, indented by deep narrow bays, resembling miniature Norwegian fjords.
The north-eastern shore of Ladoga is lower, the rocks alternate with sandy areas, in some places covered with pine forests. The southwestern and southern shores of the lake are low, covered with pebbles and boulders, there are thickets of reeds and reeds.
The steep banks of the Valaam archipelago, which includes more than fifty islands, have risen over steep cliffs over Ladoga. The largest island of this archipelago - Valaam is famous for its ancient male monastery. Some church historians consider the founding time of the Valaam monastery X century. In the XIV - XVI centuries, it was the largest monastery in the north of Russia. Balaam is also interesting for the unique beauty of nature and the creations of human hands - cathedrals, hermitages, chapels, built by monks on the islands.
On the White Sea, at the entrance to the Onega Bay, a group of Solovetsky Islands rises, on which the famous Solovetsky Monastery and its monasteries, chapels, residential and household buildings are located. This monastery fortress was also a defensive outpost of Russia and a place of exile. Now here is the Solovetsky Historical, Architectural and Natural Museum-Reserve.
Karelia has many more sights - this amazingly beautiful and fertile land, which is interesting to see and where you can relax and distract from work, everyday worries, the bustle and noise of the city, find peace of mind. Nature is rich in forests and lakes with rocky shores (both large - Ladoga and Onega lakes, and small, small lakes are called lambushki). Settlements are located quite rarely, which is unusual for people coming from large cities or densely populated areas.
It seems that you find yourself in a remote corner of Russia, with "dense" forests and impenetrable swamps. But this pristine and unspoiled nature by man is the main component of the delights of relaxation in Karelia. Few places in Russia near St. Petersburg and not very far from Moscow you can find such beautiful places, clean air and various leisure opportunities - hiking in the forest for mushrooms and berries, fishing and hunting, as well as visiting the sights of the region.
Holidays in Karelia are of interest both for tourists who prefer a vacation of "savages", and for people who do not want to part with the benefits of civilization - they have various recreation centers, hotels, park hotels with the corresponding range of services.
