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Karelia

2 Tours and Activities
You can enjoy this two-day tour in Sortavala with a visit to the main attractions of Karelia all year around!
Duration: 2 days
Type: Small group
0
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per person, based on 2-people group
This is a unique opportunity to spend an unforgettable winter weekend in Petrozavodsk and visit the island of Kizhi, enjoy the silence and harmony of the Karelian winter and visit the main attractions of the museum-reserve.
Duration: 2 days
Type: Small group
From
US$ 349.00
See details

Our flexible payment options allow you to pay [deposit_value]% of a deposit first and the remaining [remain_value]% in [deposit_days] prior to your tour date - payment can be done both online or over the phone. This gives you the peace of mind knowing your spaces are booked on the tours and that you do not miss out on making the most of your time in Russia.

Also you [discount_text] get the best, top-rated and most experienced and knowledgeable hand-picked tour guide appointed on a priority basis.
In our experience, exceptional travel experiences are almost always delivered by exceptional people. With that in mind, we utilize a comprehensive approach to select and employ the best tour guides only. Multilingual and well travelled, each possesses deep insight into the diverse attractions and cultural patterns throughout the region. With us guides undergo a rigorous selection process, achieving outstanding knowledge of local culture and language. Rest assured that the best tour guides only will be working on the tours to give you excellent opportunity to explore the best of the sights during both short and long-term stay in Russia.

Our flexible payment options allow you to pay [deposit_value]% of a deposit first and the remaining [remain_value]% in [deposit_days] prior to your tour date - payment can be done both online or over the phone. This gives you the peace of mind knowing your spaces are booked on the tours and that you do not miss out on making the most of your time in Russia.

Also you [discount_text] get the best, top-rated and most experienced and knowledgeable hand-picked tour guide appointed on a priority basis.
In our experience, exceptional travel experiences are almost always delivered by exceptional people. With that in mind, we utilize a comprehensive approach to select and employ the best tour guides only. Multilingual and well travelled, each possesses deep insight into the diverse attractions and cultural patterns throughout the region. With us guides undergo a rigorous selection process, achieving outstanding knowledge of local culture and language. Rest assured that the best tour guides only will be working on the tours to give you excellent opportunity to explore the best of the sights during both short and long-term stay in Russia.

    Tour Theme
  • City (general sightseeing)
  • Historical and Heritage
  • Active and Adventure
  • Nature & Eco
The Kizhi Museum is one of the largest open air museums in Russia. It is located on one of the many islands in Lake Onega, in Karelia. Two 18th-century wooden churches, and an octagonal clock tower, also in wood and built in 1862, can be seen there. These unusual constructions, in which carpenters created a bold visionary architecture, perpetuate an ancient model of parish space and are in harmony with the surrounding landscape. This unique historical, cultural and natural complex is a particula... Read more
The Kizhi Museum is one of the largest open air museums in Russia. It is located on one of the many islands in Lake Onega, in Karelia. Two 18th-century wooden churches, and an octagonal clock tower, also in wood and built in 1862, can be seen there. These unusual constructions, in which carpenters created a bold visionary architecture, perpetuate an ancient model of parish space and are in harmony with the surrounding landscape. This unique historical, cultural and natural complex is a particularly valuable object of cultural heritage of the peoples of Russia. The basis of the museum collection – the Kizhi Ensemble – is the UNESCO World cultural and natural heritage site.

People began to settle in Karelia in the 7th-6th millennium BC. The main occupations of the ancient inhabitants of this land were hunting and fishing. At the end of the 1st millennium AD, various tribes of Finno-Ugric groups lived in this region: Karels - on the Karelian Isthmus and the Northern Ladoga region, Veps - between Lakes Ladoga and Onega, Saami (Lop’) - further north.

In the 9th century, the territory of Karelia went into the sphere of influence of Kievan Rus. In the 12th century, after the collapse of Kievan Rus, Karelia became part of another ancient Russian state - Novgorod Republic. The town of Korela (present Priozersk in the Leningrad region) became its center. In 1227, Novgorod prince Yaroslav Vsevolodovich baptized Karels in the Orthodox faith. Veps also became Orthodox Christians.

At the end of the 13th century, Swedes seized part of the land in the western Karelia, where they founded the fortress of Vyborg (1293). However, their further advance was stopped by Russians and Karels. In 1478, Karelia together with other lands of Novgorod Republic was annexed to the Russian state (the Moscow State). In the late 16th - early 17th centuries, Swedes continued to expand eastward. According to Stolbovsky Treaty of 1617, Russia lost the Karelian Isthmus.

During the reign of Peter the Great, several mining plants were built on the territory of Karelia. During the Great Northern War of 1700-1721, these plants played an important role providing the Russian army and navy with guns, rifles and other equipment. Later, Petrovsky Plant (1703) became the town of Petrozavodsk, which literally means “Peter’s plant”. In accordance with Nystadt Peace Treaty of 1721, the Karelian Isthmus returned to Russia.

In 1809, after the Russian-Swedish “Finnish” War, the Russian Empire captured Finland that received the status of the Grand Duchy of Finland. In 1812, Alexander I, as a gesture of goodwill, gave the duchy the territory of “Old Finland” - the western part of Karelia captured by Russia as a result of wars against Sweden.

During the First World War, as the Black and Baltic seas were blocked by the enemy, it was decided to build a railroad from Petrozavodsk to a newly built sea port on the eastern shore of the Kola Bay (present Murmansk) to be able to deliver military supplies sent by the Entente Allies. July 25, 1923, Karelian Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic was established.

By the end of the 1930s, Karelia was producing about 5% of all timber products in the USSR, 5% of paper, 25% of skis, 80% of feldspar and quartz, 30% of granite. Prison labor was widely used. The first Soviet labor camps were opened here - SLON (Solovki prison camp), Belbaltlag, Soroklag. Prisoners built the White Sea-Baltic Canal, Segezha Pulp and Paper Mill, Pindushskaya shipyard and others objects.

After the Soviet-Finnish war of 1939-1940, Karelian ASSR was transformed into the Karelian-Finnish Soviet Socialist Republic. During the Second World War, a large part of the territory of Karelia was occupied by Finnish and German troops. In 1956, Karelia again became an autonomous republic within the RSFSR (the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic).

By 1950, the economy of the region reached the pre-war level. Lumber from Karelia played an important role in the reconstruction of destroyed towns and villages in the European part of the USSR. November 13, 1991, Karelian Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic received its current name - the Republic of Karelia.