There is probably no such person in Russia who would not have heard of the island and the Kizhi Museum-Reserve. Without exaggeration, it can be called one of the most beautiful places in Russia.
Today I want to show the beauty of the island during foggy June white nights and beautiful summer days. I will also tell you about the farthest corners of the island, which 90% of all tourists simply do not have time to visit.
Kizhi Island is located in Karelia, on Lake Onega, where an architectural monument is ideally inscribed - an ensemble known to the whole world Kizhi churchyard.
Geographically about. Kizhi is located 66 kilometers from the city of Petrozavodsk and is lost among the Kizhi skerries - this is the name of the picturesque clusters of small islands. Kizhi is one of the most beautiful islands in our vast country.
Having bought entrance tickets, we headed to the northern part of the island to take a walk in the local villages. It was decided to inspect the main part of the museum of wooden architecture in the late afternoon, when the bulk of the visitors would return to Petrozavodsk.
Having reached the penultimate Pudozh sector and looking around, we returned to central part islands to the village of Yamka. The village of Yamka has one street and 10 residents. Despite such a universal scale, we managed to walk around it and its surroundings for more than three hours. Here we looked at the life, way of life and farms of local residents, saw real houses and bathhouses in which indigenous Karelian islanders have lived and rest for hundreds of years.
The Yamka has an indescribable atmosphere of silence, calmness and tranquility. It was hard to believe that thousands of tourists from different continents were wandering behind the neighboring hill, and we were in one of the most popular places in Russia. That is why we came here, this is how I wanted to see Kizhi.
It was getting dark. We, following the plan, went to inspect the main attractions of the museum. The number of tourists did not decrease. The sailing ships filled the museum with new, mainly foreign groups. To be honest, I was pleasantly surprised by such attention to Russia and its beauties from French, Italian and English-speaking tourists.
I wonder how fashion has changed over the past century. These mothers and daughters in clothes of different generations met on the way to the museum
On the island, you can rent a bike or use the services of such a horse-drawn carriage.
In the southern part of the Museum of Wooden Architecture there is such a picturesque bay, where the house of Sergeev from the village of Logmoruchey is located. It was built over a century ago.
The forge from the village of Suisar is nearby
The chapel of the Archangel Michael from the village of Lelikozero was built in the second half of the 18th century.
Chapel of the Resurrection of Lazarus in the Murom Monastery. The oldest chapel in Kizhi dates back to the XIV century.
The architecture of the wooden buildings and their scale are impressive. Foreigners there generally walk around with round eyes and open mouths. It was very interesting to watch them. It seems that they did not understand where they got to and how this could be built.
In this frame, there are three objects in one: Bathhouse from the village of Ust-Yandoma, Kurnaya izba Elizarova from the village of Seredka, Klimetsky Island, and N.Ya. Bikanina from the village of Volkostrov.
Wealthy house of Oshevnev from the village of Oshevnevo. It consists of three huts, a room, a light-house over a two-storey entrance hall, a two-storey courtyard with a felling supported by logs in the corners. This design made it possible to change the rotting logs of the stable without dismantling the roof.
After 8 hours, tourists on the island can no longer be found. You are practically alone in the midst of incredible beauty.
It was getting close to sunset and we, having rested a bit, hurried to the hill near the village of Yamka. I really liked the view from there. Climbing to its top, I saw a haze and thought it was dust from a car passing along the road, it turned out that closer to sunset the whole island began to plunge into fog. This is how a windmill from the village of Voroniy Ostrov looks like at sunset, it was also in the very first photo.
And so - the Chapel of the Savior Not Made by Hands from the village of Vigovo (17-18 centuries)
Climbing up to this chapel, a beautiful view of the Mozh Bay opened in front of us.
The sun had almost hidden behind the horizon and we hurried off for a short rest. After all, in a few hours I was to meet the dawn.
After sleeping for about two hours, I went to meet the dawn. It was still forty minutes before sunrise.
The gray-blue, almost cloudless sky gradually turned into a red-orange dawn color. All the lowlands were filled with thick fog.
Climbing the hill to the Chapel of the Savior Not Made by Hands, from which almost the entire island is visible, a very beautiful and not quite standard view to the Spaso-Kizhi churchyard.
The Assumption Chapel from the village of Vasilyevo looks like a ship sailing through endless foggy spaces.
The Chapel of the Three Saints from the village of Kavgora rises above the layered misty rivers.
The first rays of the morning sun I found near the Pudozh sector, the fog over the bays of Lake Onega began to gradually dissipate.
The Pudozh sector is dedicated to the Russian village of Pudozhia and consists of one street, on which there are 3 houses with annexes: Belyaev's house from the village of Kubovskaya, Potashev's house from the Pyalma village and Butin's house from the Pyalozero village.
On the opposite side are located: Belosheev's barn from the village of Pyalozero and Pakhomov's barn from the village of Ostrov-Zarechye.
Around the ringing silence. Sometimes from somewhere far away, from the side of the lake, one can hear the cry of seagulls, which at such an early hour had made themselves breakfast.
It feels like I'm not inhabited island... I am alone among the incredible beauty, surrounded by old centuries-old buildings. These are the real Kizhi. I am sure that more than 99% of tourists have never seen the island like that. I must say we lost a lot.
Walking around the main museum of the island in the morning is a pleasure. But yesterday we have already seen enough of everything here, we will look this afternoon, so I will show you a couple of morning photos and go to sleep for a couple more hours, because today there is still way back in Saint-Petersburg.
Everyone knows this place very well.
This concludes my photo story about one of the most beautiful islands in Russia. I hope you found it interesting.
Kizhi Island is unique in every way. It is a museum under open air - a monument to Russian wooden architecture in Karelia. He gave the name to the reserve, which in translation from Veps means “moss growing at the bottom of a reservoir, lake”.
In Zaonezhie it is called "Kizhi" with an emphasis on the first syllable
Therefore, going on a trip, and before getting to the island, it is worth learning the correct pronunciation of the name of this amazing place.
Kizhi Island on the map includes the territory of the Kizhi Pogost, from which the formation of the museum began: back in 1945 it was declared a state reserve. Since 1966, the State Historical and Architectural Building has been operating on its basis, conditionally divided into sectors:
- Russians of Zaonezhie.
- Fossa.
- Vasilyevo.
- Vepsians.
- Pryazha Karelians.
- Pudozhsky.
- Petrozavodsk.
- Kizhi necklace.
- Kondopozhsky.
- Northern Karelians.
In the place where the island of Kizhi is located, its own unwritten laws of harmony, peace and silence reign
Tourists in each of the sectors can see, in addition to the buildings that existed on the island, many residential houses, chapels, ancillary and outbuildings imported from various regions of Karelia and the Russian North corresponding to the name of the sector.
An interesting fact is that since 1990 UNESCO has included the Kizhi Pogost on the World Heritage List.
In 1993, the architectural collection of the museum was included in the collection of especially valuable objects of the state.
The history of which began in the last century is a unique reserve. The graceful church of the Transfiguration of Our Lord with openwork domes and crowns is especially loved by pilgrims.
It is about her that beautiful legend, which talks about the master who managed to build a building without a single nail, only with the help of an ax
At the end of the work, the carpenter threw the tool into the lake so that no one could repeat his unique creation
The legend is indeed beautiful, but on the island, in addition to the Church of the Transfiguration, you can see a huge number of other, no less beautiful, architectural monuments.
The island of Kizhi, the photo of which does not convey the real impression of the stunning architecture, has brought together many buildings that have survived in their original form. Their:
- Disassembled carefully.
- They were carefully transported.
- Installed in a new location in an open-air museum.
In different sectors of Kizhi you can admire buildings with different purposes. There are residential buildings, sheds, baths, beautiful churches and chapels.
For example, in the Vasilyevo sector, you should pay attention to the Assumption Chapel, and in the Pryazhinsky Karelians, be sure to see the Yakovlev house
Unique buildings are located in scenic spots, their reflections in water allow photographers to create rare beauty pictures
You can, and bring hundreds of amazing photos with you.
Kizhi Island is equally beautiful in winter and summer. True, it is more difficult to get there from the moment of freeze-up, but the weather from spring to autumn provides tourists with the opportunity to enjoy the contemplation of rare and unique monuments of wooden architecture.
Be sure to visit Kizhi: a trip with Sharm Travel guarantees you a lot of aesthetic pleasure. Take your children with you and invite your friends - joint trips to the most interesting places in Karelia will not be forgotten.
Information about Kizhi: how to get there, what to see
How to get to the Kizhi island? The map states that the distance between St. Petersburg and the reserve is almost 356 km. But, since we are talking about visiting an island in the North of Russia, the path can be conditionally divided into a trip by land and water.
It takes almost 7 hours to get to Petrozavodsk from St. Petersburg
In a comfortable Sharm Travel bus and in the company of experienced guides, you will not notice how you will find yourself on the banks of the beautiful Onega. And the distance of 55 km to the island on the Meteor you will cover in a little over an hour: use this time for filming from the water. The unique views that open before the eyes of tourists are worthy of the most refined epithets, but you need to see such beauty with your own eyes.
Whichever season you choose for a trip to the unique open-air museum, with Sharm Travel you will be guaranteed the success of your enterprise
The island of Kizhi, Karelia and its sights are waiting for you: Akhvenkos waterfalls, Marble canyon. If you are lucky, you will hear the sounds of the churches in Kizhi, incredible in their purity.
Tourists are accompanied by experienced guides, travels take place in comfortable buses, and the program is made taking into account the topic of the trip and the audience. Join us, all information about the tour to the Kizhi island can be obtained on the Sharm Travel website. The reserve is waiting for guests, and everyone is ready to reveal their age-old secret and give several hours of aesthetic pleasure.
Kizhi is beautiful islandlocated in Lake Onega, Karelia.
Open and inhabited since ancient times, the Kizhi Island is a huge museum of architecture.
From time immemorial, Kizhi was famous for its craft. Once upon a time, artists and poets lived here, passing on their skills through generations. It was here that the epics about Ilya Muromets and Vladimir Krasnoe Solnyshko were created ...
Having taken the first step on the island and inhaling the first breath of air, you begin to feel the spirit of light antiquity and boundless freedom.
Once there were 14 villages on the island, but only two survived - Yamka and Vasilyevo. One is on east coast Lake Onega, the other on its western shore.
The villages consist of several houses, but this does not prevent tourists from all over the country from coming here all year roundto admire the amazing landscapes and extraordinarily beautiful architectural monuments.
Excursions to Kizhi take place on Meteora from Petrozavodsk and within river cruises.
But there is little time on the island, much less than when visiting the island of Valaam.
Therefore, you need to independently prioritize: What is interesting, what to see, what sights to visit and see.
Perhaps the most important attraction is Transfiguration Church (1714). The church was built without a single nail and has twenty-two gilded domes, a bird's eye view of which separates the temple from other monuments of the island's architecture. The temple is designed in such a way that, together with the prirubas, it forms a cross from four cardinal directions.
The altar is facing the west, and east side there is a refectory with a huge porch, the view from which is more than beautiful. Villages, straits, settlements are open to the eye.
The interior decoration of the temple produces an indelible sense of peace. Inside there is an altar, made in four tiers and covered with 102 icons, and the whole space is flooded with calm and pure light.
Another beautiful temple - Church of the Intercession (1764). The temple is made of wood and has nine chapters, the unusual shape of which gives the temple some lightness and airiness. Outside, the temple is decorated with wooden pillars.
Of course, the Church of the Intercession is inferior to the Church of the Transfiguration and is rather a supplement to it.
The interior decoration is very modest.
The first iconostasis was lost in the course of history. The current iconostasis was made in 1950 during the restoration of the temple.
The third attraction that immediately attracts attention is Church of the Resurrection of Lazarus.
Tradition says that this temple was built by the Monk Lazarus himself, who died in 1391.
They also say that it was built thanks to the apparition of Lazar Basil the Monk, Bishop of Novgorod.
This temple later became the first construction of the Murom monastery.
The construction of the monastery is dedicated to the biblical event of the resurrection of Lazarus from Bethany, in order to thereby strengthen people's faith in Jesus Christ.
There are rumors among the local population that the temple has healing powers for ailments. The Monk Lazarus was declared a saint, and his temple became a place of pilgrimage for believers from all countries.
Once the Chapel was a landmark of the village of Lelikozero, but in 1961 it was transported to the island of Kizhi.
The Chapel looks very picturesque.
Consists of three parts and is presented in the form of a rectangle stretching from west to east.
On the north side, a canopy is attached to the chapel, and a window is turned to the west.
In some places, a double roof can be seen near the chapel, when one roof seems to emerge from the other, surprising the audience with the skill and virtuosity of the architect. Above the vestibule you can see a wonderful bell tower, which ends from above with a magnificent tent.
Outside, the chapel is adorned with towels carved with diamonds and circles. The roof is red and ends in a peak.
The "sky" is located inside the chapel.
In the center of it is the icon of Christ the Abstainer, and in the perimeter are the forefathers. In the four corners there are images of the evangelists.
Exploring the island, your gaze will certainly fall on Hipped bell tower, built in 1863 on the site of the old bell tower.
In 1874, the bell tower was rebuilt, since it was not possible to complete the octagon.
The bell tower looks like a four on an octagon. Above the octagon there is a belfry and nine columns, which support a tent, ending with a dome with a cross. The quadruple from north to south is cut through by a passage with large arches.
The inner space of the bell tower is illuminated by four arched windows and a large window in the wall with an octagon.
No matter how you describe it on paper, you only need to see it to understand.
Kizhi ... they are.
A copy of the fence was recreated in 1959, in the likeness of the preserved fortifications.
In addition to ancient temples, there are others on the island of Kizhi, no less interesting places.
These are all kinds of mills, old huts and barns.
They are collected from all over the region and taken to the island museum to be recreated anew.
Among such buildings, oshevnev's house.
It was brought from the village of Oshevnevo and looks like Karelian houses before the revolution. It is a large, two-story building, decorated with a variety of trims and carvings.
An example of an outbuilding - barn, brought from the village of Kokkoila.
The lamp, delivered to the island from the village of Oshevnevo, will tell us about the life of local peasants.
Do you think a simple life is not interesting? You are wrong ... :)
Here comes wooden windmill, brought from Volkostrov to the island of Kizhi. There are no more such mills in Karelia.
But Kizhi is famous not only for its monuments.
The nature of the island is so amazing that it is simply impossible to take your eyes off this splendor.
Already approaching the island, one can see the fabulous outlines of the island's relief, a strip of rare forest stretches along the coast, meadows are visible in the distance, the glare of the sun plays on the waves of the lake.
With the organization of dams on the Svir and the White Sea-Baltic Canal, many villages went under water. to preserve the unique heritage of Karelia, the Kizhi Museum-Reserve was created.
The museum has at its disposal about 50 thousand various objects that tell about the life of the indigenous peoples of the region.
On the island, tourists can see how in the old days pearl earrings were woven, women warriors embroidered, toys were made and much more.
For half a century, the Kizhi Island has been a unique museum striving to preserve all the historical and architectural monuments of Karelia.
Kizhi is constantly evolving.
Not only new expositions are opening, but the focus is shifting towards interactivity: craft shops, workshops, where you can hold a master class and make an interesting Karelian toy yourself.
Participate in performances (but if you're lucky - they are arranged "on the occasion", for some holidays.
Be that as it may, on Kizhi you need to cherish every minute. There are no hotels here and you can't go with accommodation for 2 or 3 days.
Of course, you can buy a simple tour to Karelia - live in a hotel on the mainland, and visit Kizhi every day.
But there is no special sense in this: there are other interesting places in Karelia that are worth seeing: the same Marcial waters, Ruskeala. Kivach waterfall and even a trip to Solovki (this is not so far from Kizhi as it seems).
The schedule of excursions should be built evenly to make the trip rich and interesting.
Why exactly Kizhi?
Why did Kizhi become the place where they began to bring monuments from all over Karelia?
Kizhi Pogost was a rich administrative center back in tsarist Russia. Life here was in full swing even before Peter the Great.
Wealthy copper factories could afford to give money for the construction of the most unique churches. They sent ore to the arms factories of Olonets and Petrozavodsk.
Industrialization bled Karelian villages, people moved to cities.
However, the train of History passed through the Kizhi churchyard so much that there was simply no other similar place on the way of river cruises.
Amazing and mysterious kizhi island Is a place that has become a real symbol of the skill and talent of the architects of the Russian North. Today it houses a museum-reserve, included in the UNESCO List of World Cultural Heritage Sites.
The island is located in the northern part, 68 kilometers from, and is the most popular attraction in Karelia after. Tourists come here from all over Russia, from the nearest Scandinavian states, from the Baltic states and countries Western Europe, from Asia and even from overseas.
The most interesting objects of the open-air museum are the fabulous Preobrazhenskaya and Pokrovskaya churches, a bell tower with a hipped roof, a windmill with eight wings, the Archangel Michael chapel and the Oshevnev house-museum, as well as old huts and outbuildings brought here from other places and organically complementing general historical picture.
About the Kizhi island and its attractions - our article.
- It is believed that the island of Kizhi got its name from the Karelian word "kizhat", which means "games". Archaeologists are of the opinion that pagan rituals and ceremonies took place here in pre-Christian times.
- Most of us are used to pronouncing the word "Kizhi" with an accent on the second syllable, but philologists and locals argue that the orthoepically correct variant is the pronunciation of the name of the island with an accent on the first syllable.
- In addition to the historical and architectural museum, there are three villages on the Kizhi island - Kizhi, Vasilyevo and Yamka. Each of them has only two or three courtyards, but this does not prevent them from attracting tourists every year - such landscapes and such a unique peasant color cannot be found anywhere else in the world.
- The ensemble of the Kizhi Pogost received the status of a historical and architectural monument in the 1920s, but it became an open-air museum only four centuries later, in 1966.
- During the occupation of Karelia by the Finnish troops, the ensemble miraculously did not suffer - it was saved only by the fact that the Finns treated it carefully in the hope of including the island in their country and making it an object of research for Finnish scientists. Of course, these plans were not destined to be realized, but they managed to save the unique monuments of Russian wooden architecture.
- There is a legend that the invaders still planned to destroy the island of Kizhi and all its attractions, however, seeing the incredible, almost unearthly beauty of the Intercession and Transfiguration churches, the pilots flying the bombers dropped bombs into the lake. However, no documentary evidence of this fact has yet been found.
- The Transfiguration Church on Kizhi Island is made of pine logs, and its domes and barrels are covered with the so-called " ploughshare"- small plates carved from aspen. The use of such materials gives rise to an amazing combination of gray-brown shades of log church walls with silvery domes covered with aspen plates reflecting all the colors of the surrounding nature. Against the background of the cold northern sky, this picture acquires even greater beauty and mystery.
- It is believed that the island's churches were built without a single nail. This statement is only partly true - in the construction of walls and towers, nails were really not used, but when covering the domes with aspen scales, they were still used.
- In the middle of the 20th century, the first large-scale restoration of the ensemble was carried out - it lasted 10 years. In the 80s, a metal frame was installed in the Transfiguration Church to prevent the building from collapsing. Unfortunately, he damaged some of the logs, so the iconostasis and the unique “sky” ceiling had to be dismantled.
- The last restoration of the ensemble began in 2010 and continues to this day. In order not to damage the general historical appearance of the buildings and prolong their life, the master restorers use, among other things, the techniques that were used 300 years ago during the construction of the Transfiguration Church.
Attractions of the island of Kizhi
The site of the Kizhi Museum-Reserve: kizhi.karelia.ru Entrance fee: RUB 600, pensioners, students - RUB 300, children under 16 - free.
The main attractions of the island are, of course, the "summer" Church of the Transfiguration of the Lord, the "winter" Pokrovskaya church, the tent-roofed bell tower and the surrounding fence. All together they form a single ensemble "Kizhi Pogost", which is not the same in the whole world. It is located in the southern part of the island, for the sake of it tourists mainly come, visiting the island for the first time. The word " churchyard"In this case means administrative District... It is the objects of the Kizhi Pogost that are included in the list World heritage UNESCO.
There are other buildings on the island that are very interesting for both adults and teenage children.
Transfiguration Church on Kizhi Island
Transfiguration Church under restoration
The 38-meter Transfiguration Church is the main monument of the Kizhi island, probably known to every schoolchild. It is her photo that is printed in history textbooks in topics about Russian architecture. The completely wooden building, crowned with 22 domes, giving it the appearance of a royal tower from a Russian fairy tale, dates back to 1714. It is believed that it was built on the site of a church that burned down at the end of the 16th century.
There are two main legends regarding the creation of this greatest architectural masterpiece. The first is that the designer and builder of the Transfiguration Church was none other than the Emperor Peter the Great himself. He sailed on Lake Onega, saw a dumped forest on the shore and ordered to build a miracle, which has no equal and never will be.
The second legend says that the Transfiguration Church on Kizhi Island was built by a talented craftsman named Nestor. Having finished the work, he threw the ax into the waters of Lake Onega - this was done so that no one would ever dare to build something as great again. Be that as it may, the covenant of both Peter and Nestor has been fulfilled - probably, a master has not yet been born whose talent could surpass the skill of the creators of the Church of the Transfiguration of the Lord.
Even the shape of the church is not typical for religious buildings of that time - it is round. The creator chose the octagon as the main figure. There are three in the temple, each of them consists of two tiers and lower than the previous one in height. The parishioners also took an active part in the construction of the temple. The temple is a "summer" building and does not work in winter.
Unfortunately, in the 80s of the last century, the iconostasis and the unique "heavenly" ceiling were damaged during the installation of the metal frame - they had to be disassembled and transferred to various museums for storage. Since 2010, the Transfiguration Church has been under reconstruction. I must say that the very frame, due to which part of the interior decoration of the church suffered, nevertheless played a positive role - only thanks to it the building has not yet collapsed under its own weight.
A refectory is attached to the Transfiguration Church - an equally unique structure, the logs of which tend to shimmer in clear and sunny weather. In the past, local people used it for public gatherings, courts, or various holidays.
Church of the Intercession
The Church of the Intercession of the Most Holy Theotokos, like the Transfiguration Church on Kizhi Island, is a unique monument that testifies to the incredible skill and talent of the architects of the Russian North. Its architecture has something in common with the architecture of the Transfiguration Church and the tent bell tower - all together they form an integral composition and organically complement each other.
The Church of the Intercession has a more modest size and austere appearance... It is crowned with only nine domes, and the only decorative element of its facade is a patterned wooden pediment, the geometric forms of which are directed towards the heavens. This is the so-called "winter" type of temple, intended for worship during the harsh winter.
It is known that the Church of the Intercession burned and was rebuilt several times, and the look that we admire today, it acquired only in 1764. The temple is equipped with a high porch and entryway - this is a characteristic feature of the churches that were being built at that time in the northern part of the Russian Empire. The interior decoration is represented by a high iconostasis, many elements of which were lost during the bloody events of the first half of the 20th century. In the 50s, it was restored and today both parishioners and tourists can see it.
Hipped bell tower
The tent-roofed bell tower is another building located between two churches, which is an integral part of the Kizhi churchyard ensemble and has retained the same style, despite the fact that it was built much later than the Pokrovsky and Transfiguration churches. The melodious ringing of her bells is still heard throughout the area. It is known that 300 years ago there was a belfry in its place, which was demolished due to dilapidation.
The bell tower, which has survived to this day, was built in 1863. It, like both churches, is clearly visible from the side of Lake Onega.
Chapel of Michael the Archangel
The Chapel of the Archangel Michael is another part of the magnificent Kizhi ensemble. It is a small wooden building with a vestibule and a bell tower, built at the beginning of the 19th century. The building was brought to the Kizhi island from the village of Lelikozero, in the northern part of Onega.
This building, like many others on the island, has an appearance typical of the architectural masterpieces of the Russian North. It is crowned with a double roof and a tall wooden dome with a cross. Her main distinctive feature - a hipped-roof belfry-belfry, towering over the passage. The interior decoration is also unique - a high iconostasis, merging with the "heavenly" ceiling. It dates back to the 18th century.
The house of the wealthy peasant Nestor Oshevnev is another historic building dating back to the second half of the 19th century. This large house, intended for a large family, today is a museum of the life, way of life and customs of the wealthy peasants of Zaonezhie of the late 19th - early 20th centuries.
The house has a typical form for Zaonezhie - the residential part and outbuildings are under the same roof. This allowed residents to carry out many works without going outside, which was a great advantage in winter. The facade is decorated with patterned balconies and a gallery.
Every thing in the house is real, which has come down from us from that distant and mysterious time. There is a stove, a cradle for children, dishes, a spindle, a large chest, and a samovar. All this creates a unique and inimitable atmosphere - entering here, as if moving in time and entering the past, which is left so far behind.
Sergeev's house has a square shape, so it seems that there are no outbuildings here, unlike Oshevnev's house. But if you go around it from the other side, you can see that they have not gone anywhere, but simply taken back, but they are still under the same roof with the residential part. The facade of the house is richly decorated; the carved frames on the windows are especially attractive.
The interior has not been reconstructed - there is a worn wooden floor, the same worn furniture is placed in the corners and in the center. Today there are two expositions: one is devoted to Karelian applied art, the second - to the oral folk art of the inhabitants of Zaonezhie.
Baths
There are four baths on the island, which are also brought from others settlements Karelia. It is not difficult to find them - they are located on the very shore of the lake by the water. These are simple wooden buildings with a few soapboxes and a stove inside.
The facade of the baths was not decorated in any way, because they were perceived simply as a way to maintain the purity of the body, and no sacred meaning was put into them. Nevertheless, the bathhouse had to be even in the most seedy village.
Eight-winged windmill
The eight-winged mill is a relatively young structure, created in the 20s of the last century. It was brought to the island of Kizhi from the village of Volkostrov.
There are two floors inside the mill - on the first there is a flour chest and a device for grinding flour, on the second there is a mill ladle, millstones and a shaft, at the end of which there are wings. Surprisingly, the eight-winged windmill is currently performing its original function of grinding grain and making flour.
What makes the monuments and sights of Russia unique and why do foreign tourists come to us with pleasure?
Because we are rich in Russia cultural heritage, a lot of unique things, a lot of things to see and "a yardstick cannot be measured." It is a sad fact that a huge number of historical and Orthodoxy monuments were destroyed and destroyed in the 20th century during wars and political turmoil. And what we managed to preserve and collect bit by bit - is doubly just admiration and respect, and is rightfully ranked among the UNESCO World Heritage Sites. And let's be patient and condescending to the fact that most of the historical sites have been hidden by restoration forests for many years.
One of these monuments is precisely museum-reserve "Kizhi". Kizhi Island is located in the center of many large and small islands-skerries of Lake Onega in the North of Russia. This is a lake, but it has the most northern temperament, sea. In a storm, waves can reach 5 meters, and in autumn they can smash coastal fortifications. And the wind is not weak from 10 meters per second or more.
Kizhi Island is located 68 km from Petrozavodsk. From May to September, during the navigation period, tickets for "comets" and "meteors" are sold at the pier of the city, which regularly make routes there. The road takes from 45 minutes to 1 hour 15 minutes. In the winter when Onega lake covered with a thick layer of ice, you can get there by boat air cushion". For lovers active rest and extreme ski trips during this period.
The pleasure, I must say, is not cheap. As, however, any trip to Russia. A round-trip boat ticket will cost 2,750 rubles + entrance ticket to the museum. So for a family of three you yourself can calculate how much everything will be, and you also have to pay for the excursion, and postpone it for a souvenir.
The Kizhi Museum-Reserve is a unique man-made monument of wooden architecture and ethnography. They come here to look at wooden structures made without a single nail! And we will not debunk these beliefs.
The Church of the Transfiguration of the Lord, the tallest and most monumental structure on the island, welcomes the guests.
The main attractions of the Kizhi Museum-Reserve- The Church of the Transfiguration of the Lord, the Church of the Intercession of the Virgin and the Bell Tower of the Kizhi Pogost.
And here you can also admire real houses and old buildings of northern Russian villages of the late 19th century, which were carefully collected and preserved in this beautiful place Russia, personally see and get to know everyday life, culture and traditional way of life, household items of our northern ancestors.
The main attractions of the Kizhi Museum, the center and business card islands - are Orthodox shrines - the Church of the Transfiguration of the Lord, the Church of the Intercession of the Virgin and the Bell Tower of the Kizhi Pogost.
Much has been written about the history of the creation of this church, the information is the same and you can find it on other sites.
But I would like to tell you about the uniqueness of the restoration work that has been going on since 1980 under the close attention of UNESCO. Initially, the question was, how could such a wooden building survived as early as 1714, regularly watered by rains and blown northern winds and how to restore it now ?! They rushed around the world to look for technologies for preserving and processing wood without using chemical compositions... And they do not exist, just as there are no specialists in this matter. I had to return to the experience of the ancestors, who created these structures and the great-grandchildren of local architects, hereditary carpenters and wood craftsmen work here. And the uniqueness is that the pines used in the creation of churches were cut down exclusively in winter, in a fierce cold, exclusively with axes. Scientists believe that in this version, a natural preservation with resin occurred, which allowed the tree to be preserved so well for many centuries in natural conditions. Such trunks withstood for 8 years and only then were used in construction. There is also an opinion that in the period from the 14th to the 19th century there was an "ice age" and 1714 was the peak of cold weather, so the trunks have a very high ring density. All this also makes the restoration process much more difficult in modern conditions.
You can visit and admire the interior decoration in the Church of the Intercession of the Virgin.
Church of the Most Holy Theotokos - one of the main buildings on the island
Here you can visit the service, listen to the ringing of bells and the chants of monks. Local icons are interesting, most of which were painted by local residents.
The domes of the churches amaze with their delicate work. Each dome consists of a small part - a ploughshare, naturally cut by hand from aspen. Therefore, the new domes will shine with a golden color after restoration.
We recommend booking an excursion, because the story about the life and life of northern residents is quite interesting. The houses that our ancestors built and are presented in the museum's exposition are large and usually they contained all possible amenities for life. Due to the cold climate, the ground floor housed a barn, a shed for hay and firewood, and a place to store tools and equipment. The convenience of construction was that in summer time it was easy to repair and replace logs and clean the premises.
There was also a living room on the ground floor. The families were large, about 20 people, they all lived in one room. Here they fired the stove "like a black", cooked food, slept, worked, raised children, weaved fishing nets, led a normal life.
The stove in the living room was heated "in black", so the ceilings in the house had a dark color.
The plot from the life of the northerners
Interestingly, well-to-do families had a second floor. But its functions were purely "representative". Here they received guests, contained luxury items and, sometimes, allowed newlyweds to spend the night.
Second floor - "executive" room
Separately, perhaps, only the bathhouse was located for obvious reasons. Bath is a secret place not only for northerners, but also for any Russian inhabitants. Here they washed, gave birth and buried their dead relatives in the fierce cold. The bathhouse is a holy place and many superstitions and rituals are associated with it. The bathhouse was heated exclusively "in black".
In the Kizhi Museum-Reserve you will find many interesting objects telling about the traditions and life of the northern peoples. Therefore, stock up on comfortable shoes and clothing. The weather in Karelia is very changeable, and within 3 hours you can get steamy in the sun, get caught in the rain and freeze in the wind. But nothing can spoil the impressions of the beauty of the landscapes, the tranquility of the Russian north and the spirit of antiquity that surrounds you. We have something to be proud of!
We wish you a pleasant trip!
