The mountain park “Ruskeala” is a tourist complex located in the Sortavala district of the Republic of Karelia, near the border with Finland. The basis of the complex is an abandoned marble quarry filled with groundwater – a cultural heritage site and historic monument.

The park is located near the village of Ruskeala, about 30 kilometers north of the town of Sortavala. The length of the former marble quarry from north to south is 460 meters, the width – up to 100 meters. Ruskeala Park on Google Maps. Photos by: Maria Mitrofanova.

picturesque abandoned quarry

Tags: Abandoned · Karelia Republic · Petrozavodsk city

“Ruskeala Express” is a tourist retro train running along the route Sortavala – Mountain Park “Ruskeala” – Sortavala in the Republic of Karelia. Today, it is the only daily steam train in Russia.

The average train speed is 40-60 km/h, the travel time is 1 hour. The interior of the train and the uniform of the train employees are made in the style of the late 19th – early 20th centuries. Photos by: Slava Stepanov.

interesting tourist train

Tags: Karelia Republic

Kizhi is an island in the northern part of Lake Onega in the south of the Republic of Karelia. It is known primarily for the exposition of the historical, architectural and ethnographic museum-reserve “Kizhi” located here, including the architectural ensemble of the Kizhi Pogost – a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Most of the buildings are monuments of architecture, a lot of them were moved for exposition from other villages of this region. Kizhi Island on Google Maps. Photos by: Alexandr Lipilin.

snow-covered monuments of wooden architecture

Tags: churches · Karelia Republic · Petrozavodsk city

Petrozavodsk is a city with a population of about 280 thousand people located in the north-west of European Russia, about 430 km northeast of St. Petersburg, the capital of the Republic of Karelia.

In 1703, by decree of Peter the Great, an arms factory was laid on the shore of Lake Onega. Around this factory a settlement began to form, which eventually became a city. The name “Petrozavodsk” literally means “Peter’s factory.” Photos by: Slava Stepanov.

fly over Petrozavodsk

Tags: Karelia Republic · Petrozavodsk city

Petr Kosyh, an amateur photographer from St. Petersburg, traveled about 10,000 km on the Russian North and visited such places as Solovki, Kizhi, Valaam, Pushkinogorye, Vitoslavlitsy, Kenozersky National Park, Ruskeala, Ladoga Skerries, Veppsky forest, abandoned and forgotten villages.

As a result, you can enjoy the following picture collection of magnificent landscapes and monuments of wooden architecture united under a single name “the Soul of Russia.”

Parts 2 and 3

Tags: Arkhangelsk oblast · Karelia Republic · Leningrad oblast · Murmansk oblast

The mountain park “Ruskeala” is a unique man-caused and natural landscape and tourist attraction, tourist complex located in Sortavala district of the Republic of Karelia, near the village of Ruskeala, 30 km north of the city of Sortavala, on the banks of the Tohmajoki River.

The basis of the complex is a former marble quarry filled with groundwater – the object of cultural heritage, the monument of history. The length of the quarry from north to south is 460 meters, the width – up to 100 meters.

explore the flooded quarry

Tags: Karelia Republic

Kizhi churchyard or just Kizhi is a world famous architectural ensemble situated on the island of Kizhi in Lake Onega (Karelia Republic).

It consists of two churches and a bell tower of the 18th-19th centuries surrounded by a wall. In 1990, Kizhi churchyard was included in the UNESCO World Heritage List. It is one of the most valuable objects of cultural heritage of Russia. Kizhi churchyard on Google Maps. Photos by: Dmitry Gazin.

beautiful wooden architecture

Tags: Karelia Republic

Yesterday, “Leviathan”, a Russian drama film directed by Andrey Zvyagintsev, won the Golden Globe for best foreign language film. It happened for the first time in almost fifty years. Probably, it can even win an Oscar for best foreign language film.

In the film, you can see the wonderful landscapes of northern Russia. Let’s see how these places look through the camera lens. The following photos were taken in Karelia Republic and Murmansk region (the Kola Peninsula) by Andrey Grachev.

fantastic northern nature

Tags: Karelia Republic · landscapes · Murmansk oblast

Russian nature is known for its diversity. The nature of the Russian North occupies a special place in this variety.

Let’s look at the wonderful scenery of the severe nature of northern Karelia (Karelia Republic) and the Kola Peninsula (Murmansk region). Photos by Andrey Grachev

northern landscapes

Tags: Karelia Republic · landscapes · Murmansk oblast

The Republic of Karelia is located in the north-western part of Russia, bordering Finland. The region is of great interest in the first place from a tourist point of view. Active, cultural and green forms of tourism are the most popular.

Karelia attracts tourists for its environmentally friendly nature, low population density and relatively low prices. A large part of the region is above the Arctic Circle and at night in the sky you can see fascinating pictures of Aurora Borealis like the following ones taken near the village of Rabocheostrovsk (Google Maps location of the place). Photos by Denis Frantsouzov

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Tags: Karelia Republic