Kizhi - amazing facts about the fabulous island. Kizhi: a reserved corner of real Russia

The amazing Kizhi Museum-Reserve is rightfully considered a symbol of Russian architecture and a hallmark of the Russian North. This mysterious open-air museum attracts more and more visitors every day from all over the world.

Kizhi Island is located in the north of Lake Onega, not far from Petrozavodsk. The most comfortable and fastest way to get to the island from the capital of Karelia is a meteor on Kizhi, which will drive tourists to the reserve in less than an hour and a half.
The most memorable objects of the island are the Church of the Transfiguration and the Intercession, a bell tower with a hipped dome, a windmill. Tourists will also be interested in the chapel and the Oshevnev House, and, of course, the old huts and buildings brought here from different parts of Karelia.
Church of the Transfiguration
The most recognizable monument on the island of Kizhi is, without a doubt, the Church of the Transfiguration of the Lord, or the Church of the Transfiguration. The unique wooden building 38 meters high is crowned with 22 domes. The temple was erected in 1714. Services are held here only in the summer.

Church of the Intercession of the Virgin

Mill

Chapel of Michael the Archangel

Historical and architectural museum-reserve of Kizhi- a place that should be visited by people interested in history, lovers of Russian architecture and just those who want to take a break from the hustle and bustle of the big city. On the island of Kizhi, you can see the architecture of the 18th-19th centuries, as well as get acquainted with the life of the inhabitants of Karelia of those times. And you will also enjoy a boat trip on Lake Onega and its picturesque shores.

Location: contact information

What is the best way to get to Petrozavodsk

• by plane– 1 hour 40 minutes by direct flight;
• by train– 12 hours (minimum travel time);
• car- 1050 km through or about 1000 km through.

• by plane– 4 hours 15 minutes;
• by train– 7-8 hours;
• car- 435-526 km.

Before can be reached by bus. Travel time will be the longest among all possible modes of transport, but you will be able to admire the picturesque surroundings.
From Petrozavodsk hydrofoil boats run to Kizhi Island in summer, and hovercraft in winter. You will also be offered options such as an all-terrain vehicle, a snowmobile, and even skis and dog sleds.

Visiting the Kizhi Nature Reserve: opening hours, ticket price, promotions and discounts

Working mode:

• May-August: 08.00-20.00;
• September-October: 09.00-16.00;

• November-February: 10.00-16.00;
• March-April: 09.00-17.00.

No weekends or lunch breaks.

Prices for excursions (per person):

• group up to 5 people- 1000 rubles (in a foreign language - 2500 rubles);
• group of 5 people- 100 rubles (in a foreign language - 500 rubles).

The reserve also has a lot additional excursions and programs, theatrical performances are held, audio guides are provided. You can choose an additional service you like on the website of the reserve , by phone or at the tour center.

On which lake is the Kizhi Museum-Reserve located?

Kizhi Island, on which the reserve is located, is located in the northern part Lake Onega. At the end of the 18th century, the island was a separate Kizhi volost, which included 9 villages. In addition to traditional crafts, the inhabitants of the island were engaged in fishing and farming, which was facilitated by the waters of Lake Onega rich in fish and the fertile soil of the island.

Sights of the Kizhi Nature Reserve

historical reserve, founded in 1966 in order to preserve the architecture of Karelia in the 18th - early 20th centuries, it includes more than 70 objects, such as churches, bell towers, huts, barns, baths, mills and forges. Among the most interesting architectural objects are the following:

• Church of the Transfiguration of the Lord. This is undoubtedly the main attraction of the reserve. The 37-meter temple was erected in 1714. This is one of the brightest representatives of the octagonal churches. The architectural composition is based on an octagonal log house, four two-stage cuts of which are located on the cardinal points. The roofs of octagonal and prirub are crowned with domes. 22 domes are arranged in such a way that the overall composition has a pyramidal shape. The basis of the interior of the temple is a majestic iconostasis of 102 icons arranged in four tiers. In 1949-1959, a large-scale restoration of the church was carried out, mainly affecting the interior and iconostasis. At the moment, the temple building itself is being reconstructed with the replacement of dilapidated logs with new ones.
• Church of the Intercession of the Virgin. This is one of the few multi-domed churches that have survived to this day. It was erected in 1694 and rebuilt 70 years later. Tourists are attracted here not only by the facade, but also by the interior with a rich iconostasis, part of which, unfortunately, has been irretrievably lost.
• The bell tower of the Kizhi Pogost. The 30-meter bell tower was erected in 1862. The bell tower offers a picturesque view of the island and Lake Onega.
• Windmill in Volkostrov village. A 10-meter pole windmill built in 1928.

Interesting facts about the Kizhi Museum-Reserve

• During the restoration of the Church of the Transfiguration in 2014 year, when it was necessary to replace about 30% of the logs, the building was raised with the help of vag– levers used 400 years ago.
• 4 architectural objects of the Kizhi reserve included in the list UNESCO World Heritage Sites.

Photo of the Kizhi Museum-Reserve

Church of the Transfiguration- the main attraction of the historical reserve.

Most of original icons in the iconostasis of the Church of the Intercession of the Virgin has survived to this day.


winter scenery in the Kizhi reserve are no less picturesque.


Mill in the village of Volkostrov has a height of about 10 meters.


In the Kizhi Reserve is displayed traditional life of the inhabitants of Karelia.

Kizhi Museum Reserve – video

In this video, there are even more interesting facts about the Kizhi Museum Reserve. Enjoy watching!

Visiting Kizhi Historical Reserve often included in the visit. Tens of thousands of tourists from all over the world visited this unique cultural and historical object in the open air and discovered the traditional architecture and lifestyle of peoples. The popularity of the reserve among tourists is evidenced by at least the fact that tourist services are carried out here on eight foreign languages.

Therefore, we should also pay more attention to our history and cultural heritage. Moreover, really interesting excursions and tastings of Karelian dishes prepared according to ancient folk recipes are held here. Yes, and a water trip on Lake Onega will not leave anyone indifferent.

The Kizhi open-air museum is located on an island in Lake Onega. Tourists from Petrozavodsk are transported there by high-speed hydrofoil boats. The journey takes 1 hour and 15 minutes. This pleasure is worth (there and back) - 1950 rubles. And I also thought that trains in New Zealand were expensive ...

Bearing in mind that there were always some problems with these ships, expressed in the chronic lack of tickets, I specifically timed the trip to the Estonian public holiday on August 20, which this year fell on Thursday, and the next day I took a day off with such a calculation, to be in Petrozavodsk on Friday, i.e. on a weekday.

The large river station in Petrozavodsk does not work, tickets for motor ships are sold in a small booth at the pier. I came almost to the very opening, around 8 am, but the nearest time for which I was offered tickets was only at 2:15 pm. Tellingly, there was no such time in the Meteors' schedule. Well, then it will be time to walk around the city.

At the appointed time I was at the pier. At the same time, there were not very many people, many seats in the "Meteor" remained free, and this despite the fact that all day in the booth they were offering tickets for this particular time. I wonder where all the tickets for 11:30 and 12:15 went?

A few words about the Meteor itself. Its interior, apparently, has not changed since Soviet times. The foam chairs were so crushed that they had to sit on almost bare metal tubes. However, the toilet was quite decent :)

"Meteor" on the background of the embankment of Petrozavodsk

There are no open decks on the Meteors, but in the middle of the cabin there was a smoking area from which you could lean out with a camera and take pictures of some of the landscapes passing by. It was from here that I managed to photograph the Kizhi churchyard before we moored to the island.

Yes, and with the help of iGo on a smartphone, I managed to measure the average speed of the Meteor - somewhere around 57 km / h.

River pier in Kizhi

So, for starters, let's read what the Russian North guidebook from the Polyglot publishing house, which I bought the day before in the House of the Military Book on Nevsky, writes about Kizhi:

Kizhi Island (length 7 km, width - from 1.5 to 0.5 km) is located in the south of the Zaonezhsky Peninsula among a picturesque cluster of islands called the Kizhi skerries. Since ancient times, the island was covered not by forests, but by arable land and hayfields. The Kizhi skerries and the south of Zaonezhye have been inhabited for centuries, this is evidenced by numerous archaeological sites dating back to the era of the middle and late stone. About 9-6.5 thousand years ago, tribes belonging to the eastern branch of the Caucasians lived here, and those who came here in the 10th century. Novgorodians met with the Sami population and the whole. The name of the island comes from the language of the Karelian people - the word kiza meant "play, fun, dance", so "Kizhi" can be translated as "island of games" or "fun".

By the time these lands were transferred to the Muscovite state in 1478, the population was already Russian, although the culture of Zaonezhye was distinguished by its unique originality, representing a fusion of Slavic and Finnish cultures, while the local residents clearly recognized themselves as descendants of the Novgorodians right up to the beginning. 20th century In Zaonezhye, for centuries, ancient Russian legends and epics were preserved and orally passed down from generation to generation, and at the same time, wooden architecture and folk crafts were actively developed.

Kizhi. Postcard

Kizhi Island has traditionally been the center of the villages of Southern Zaonezhie and the Unitskaya Bay - the Spaso-Kizhi Pogost, a district that included about 180 villages, their description is first found in Andrei Pleshcheev's Scribe for 1582-1583, and 20 years later "115 villages of living and 88 abandoned ones. The Kizhi churchyard united the surrounding peasants until the 1930s. 20th century

During the Time of Troubles, the churchyard was ravaged by the Swedes and the Polish-Lithuanian detachments, therefore, after the signing of peace with Sweden, a fortress was cut down around the Kizhi churchyard to protect against attacks. The threat of foreign intervention weakened only with the onset of the Petrine era and victory in the Northern War.

In the beginning. 18th century the peasants of the Kizhi Pogost are attributed to the new ironworks, where they had to work off taxes, which ruined even strong farms. On the second floor. 18th century a wave of riots swept across Zaonezhie after the royal decree on raising taxes. The famous Kizhi uprising of 1769-1771. was shot by government troops. It is believed that the most beautiful Assumption Church in Kondopoga was a kind of monument to the victims of the massacre of the rebels.

During the Second World War, Zaonezhye was under Finnish occupation for about three years, but already in 1945, the Kizhi churchyard was declared a state reserve, in 1951 the first architectural monument was transported to the island - the house of the peasant Oshevnev. In 1990, the architectural ensemble of the Kizhi Pogost was included in the UNESCO World Cultural Heritage List.

Now in the Kizhi Historical, Architectural and Ethnographic Museum-Reserve, covering an area of ​​about 10 thousand hectares, there are 87 monuments of traditional folk architecture of the 14th-20th centuries, including the ensemble of the Kizhi churchyard, 26 unique archaeological sites, more than ten historical settlements territory of the Kizhi volost. The museum is annually visited by about 170 thousand tourists from Russia and abroad.

Schematic representation of the location of the exhibits on about. Kizhi
(in fact, the distances between buildings are much greater)
kizhi.karelia.ru

The basis of the collection of architectural monuments of the museum-reserve, its semantic center is the temple ensemble of the Kizhi churchyard (XVIII-XIX centuries), consisting of the 22-domed Church of the Transfiguration, the nine-domed Intercession Church, a hipped bell tower and a chopped log fence.

Kizhi churchyard

The Church of the Transfiguration of the Lord (1714) is the most famous building in Kizhi. The names of the creators are unknown, and the beautiful legend about master Nestor, who, having finished his work, threw an ax into the lake with the words “there was no such church and never will be”, is very widespread in the North in relation to many monuments of wooden architecture. Not very reliable is another popular belief that it was cut down without a single nail - an aspen plowshare (scales covering the domes) is attached to the domes with small nails.

The height of the church is 37 m; On the eight are two more, smaller ones. Chapters vary in size from tier to tier in order to avoid monotony and create a kind of rhythmic pattern. The system for protecting the building from decay is no less thought out, even decorative elements often serve to drain water and properly ventilate the air. Inside the temple, the vertical volume was covered with a sixteen-sided ceiling - the “sky”, lost during the war, a carved iconostasis (1770) has been preserved. It is composed of 104 icons, the oldest of which, typical of the northern school of icon painting, date back to the end of the 17th century.

Church of the Transfiguration

The Church of the Transfiguration, a perfect work of Zaonezhsky masters, is a kind of "swan song" of Russian wooden architecture, which at that time reached the pinnacle of its development. It was built as a "cold" summer temple, and next to it, half a century later, the "warm" Kletskaya Church of the Intercession of the Virgin (1764) was erected. The builders managed to create a work that was a harmonious part of the ensemble, and not just a separate building. In the Church of the Intercession, the original “subordination” to the dominant Transfiguration Church is visible - a powerful octagon on a quadrangle, which could carry a huge tent, is crowned with a modest nine-domed with small, elegant domes; the silhouette expanding upward emphasizes the pyramid of the main building of the ensemble directed upwards. However, some researchers believe that the Intercession Church was originally built as a hipped roof. At present, the four-tiered tablo iconostasis with 44 icons of the 17th-19th centuries has been restored. In the entrance hall there is an exhibition "History of the Kizhi Orthodox parish".

The belfry of the Kizhi Pogost (1863) was erected already at a time when Russian wooden architecture was in decline, and yet, despite the seeming rusticity and details alien to tradition, the building blended surprisingly harmoniously into the ensemble. The scheme is traditional - an octagon on a quadrangle. Heavy, two-thirds of a log house high, the quadrangle surprises connoisseurs of cult wooden buildings with its disproportion, but you can see that it is raised exactly to the height of the piers of the Transfiguration Church and the height of the quadrangle of the Intercession Church, which once again emphasizes the unity of the three buildings. Currently, a remote control for the bell ringer is installed on the bell tower of the Kizhi churchyard. There are 12 bells in the pendant on the console (9 ancient and 3 modern).

Church of the Transfiguration of the Lord, bell tower and Church of the Intercession of the Virgin

By the middle of the XX century. only a stone ridge remained from the fence of the churchyard. The appearance of the original fence was restored by restorers according to engravings of the 18th century. in the book of N. Ozeretskovsky "Journey through the lakes of Ladoga and Onega". The reconstruction project was based on the preserved fence of the Vodlozersky-Ilyinsky churchyard, as well as the Pochezersky churchyard of the Arkhangelsk region. The modern fence is a high stone embankment, on which a wall of powerful logs, tied in rows, is laid. On top of the wall is a gable roof. On the western corner of the fence there is a small turret covered with a hipped roof - epancha. Gates with openwork door panels lead to the churchyard from the north and east. The central entrance in the western wall is limited on both sides by two log cabins under a common roof. The log fence was reconstructed according to the project of the architect A. Opolovnikov in 1959.

Church of the Resurrection of Lazarus

Another of the main attractions of the museum-reserve is the Church of the Resurrection of Lazarus, brought from the Murom Monastery, from the eastern shore of Lake Onega. This small Cletian church gave rise to many legends among believers and hypotheses among scientists. The dating of the construction of the temple has been a subject of controversy for almost a century. The church was first mentioned in the will of the Byzantine monk, the founder of the Murom monastery, Lazar of Murom, who died in 1391, but in the document of the Olonets spiritual consistory it is rather contradictory: “... in the name of St. Lazar, the cemetery was built in 7086. from the Universe (1578), wooden, built by the founder of this monastery, St. Lazar. Analysis of architectural details does not clarify this issue. The iconostasis, consisting of 17 icons of the 16th-18th centuries, has been preserved in the church. It represents the oldest type of a two-tiered iconostasis, consisting of local and deesis rows, including the royal doors and the northern ponomarsky doors.

Peasant's house Oshevnev

Not far from the Kizhi churchyard there is an architectural and ethnographic complex "Russian Zaonezhie". The exposition "village" began in 1951-1959. from the House of the Peasant N. Oshevnev (1876) brought from the Bolshoi Klimenets Island. The building is built in the form of a "purse" - a yard-shed adjoins the side wall of the housing and is covered with a gable asymmetrical roof. The outbuilding included a barnyard, a hayloft and two storerooms. The residential part faces the lake and is richly decorated, it includes 2 huts, a hall, a room, a light room in the attic, a pantry and a canopy. The hut was called a room with a stove, it is believed that the owners spent the winter in the hut on the first floor, and settled throughout the house in the summer. Now the interiors of the huts, the upper room, the shed, the stables have been restored in the house, ethnographic exhibitions are held in the hall. Along the second floor there is an open gallery, the windows of the side gables are decorated with balconies. Previously, the window frames were painted orange-yellow, and the roof overhangs were painted red, which greatly enlivened the appearance of the house.

In addition to the main house, the peasant estate also includes separate outbuildings. Fires have always been the main disaster for the peasants, and the barns taken away from the main house could save the most valuable thing - grain and flour, and not let them die of hunger. There are several outbuildings near Oshevnev’s house: a two-story barn from the village of Yuzhny Dvor (XVIII century), a barn from the village of Lipovitsy (early XX century) and a bathhouse from
the village of Mizhostrov (beginning of the 20th century).

House of the peasant Elizarov

The house of the peasant Elizarov (end of the 19th century) from the village of Potanevshchina is somewhat smaller. The interiors of both buildings are similar, but unlike Oshevnev's house, Elizarov's house was heated in black. This method of heating the premises was in many ways more convenient for peasant families - less firewood was consumed, the wood-boring beetle did not start, it was warmer in the hut. The smoke collected above the voronets, and the walls below this level and the ceilings were carefully washed and scraped every week. Elizarov's house is one-storey, it is made of heavy logs and modestly decorated, although the side balconies and the “ambulance” are also present here. In the utility room there is an exhibition that tells about the secrets of creating the Kizhanka boat. On the shore near the house there is a bathhouse (beginning of the 20th century) from the village of Ust-Yandoma.

A little further south of the Kizhi churchyard is the most modest Shchepin's House (1907). The type of building here is a "beam", when residential and utility rooms are stretched in a line under one roof. In the interior you can see items related to cooperage craft (making barrels, buckets, jugs and other wooden utensils).

Windmill

The exposition sector "Russian Zaonezhie" also includes a water mill (1875) from Berezovaya Selga, a windmill (1928-1929) from Nasonovshchina and the chapel of the Archangel Michael (early 18th century) from the village of Lelikozero.

Chapel of the Archangel Michael

The Klet Chapel of the Archangel Michael belongs to the common type of northern chapels. This is a three-part log cabin, consisting of a vestibule, a refectory and a chapel proper. The building is richly decorated with carved elements, it has preserved a two-tiered iconostasis with icons of local writing and a “sky” - a painted ceiling of 12 segments. From the western shore of Lake Onega, the House of Sergeev (1908-1910) and a forge (beginning of the 20th century) from the village of Suisar were brought to Kizhi.

House of the peasant Sergeyev

In the central part of the island there are two historical villages: Yamka, mentioned for the first time in 1563, on the east coast and Vasilyevo, mentioned in 1582, on the west. In these villages, buildings have been preserved, which are now included in the museum fund, many architectural monuments were brought from other places in Zaonezhie: peasant houses, stables, barns and barns. Near the village of Yamka, the chapel of the Savior Not Made by Hands (XVII-XVIII centuries) from the village of Vigovo has been preserved, and the architectural dominant of Vasilyevo is the local chapel of the Assumption of the Mother of God (XVII-XVIII centuries), which is the oldest building on Kizhi Island.

House of the peasant Yakovlev

Three large peasant houses and several outbuildings make up the Russian Pudozhya exposition sector, where the architecture of the inhabitants of the eastern shore of Lake Onega is presented, and even further north you can see houses typical of Karelians and Vepsians. The Karelian estate here is represented by the house of the peasant Yakovlev (1980-1990s) from the village of Klescheyla, a bow cross and barns, and among the monuments of northern Karelians and Karelians-Lyudiki, the chapel of the Three Hierarchs from the village of Kavgora (second half of the 18th century) is interesting. . Two granaries and a bathhouse make up the outbuildings of the Vepsians.

Visitors are introduced to the monuments of the island by the routes offered by the museum's excursion service. The “Ecological Path” has recently been laid, giving an idea of ​​the nature of the island, an interactive family route has been developed to Yakovlev’s house, where you can take part in traditional peasant household processes. During museum holidays, a folklore ensemble often performs.

On the territory of the museum there are several cafes and shopping kiosks, guest houses. You can also ask for accommodation in the villages to the locals.

Postcard. Kizhi from a bird's eye view

A few words about how the exhibits of the museum are located. Most of them are located in a small area, in that part of the island that is south of the pier. Those three hours that are allotted for the tour are enough for a leisurely inspection. But here the villages of Yamka, Vasilyevo and all other buildings that are from the pier to the north are not included in the usual excursion. How to get to them is not entirely clear. I noticed a bus on the road, but while I was thinking, he left. Perhaps it was just designed to move around the island. Walking here is quite tiring. But I still had almost an hour before the ship's departure, and I still went to that part of the island that is not included in the official route. He reached the windmill that stands there on a hillock, at the same time looked at the village of Yamka and at the chapel of the Savior Not Made by Hands, which towered in the distance. But he didn’t go to the village of Vasilyevo, he was afraid to be late. I wonder if there are no bike rentals here?

Another windmill. On the left is the Chapel of the Savior Not Made by Hands.

Also, the question remained unclear whether it is possible to come here on one ship and leave on the next one. The fact is that when boarding, everyone is given badges around their necks, and when selling a ticket, they also ask for a phone number. All this is done, apparently, so that people do not get lost on the island, do not fall behind their ship and do not violate the well-established conveyor for serving tourists.

View of the nose of the "Meteor" and the Kizhi churchyard

Now let's sum up. Well, what can I say about Kizhi. I liked the museum as a whole, although my expectations were certainly higher. The cost of an entrance ticket of 130 rubles for citizens of the Russian Federation (and equated to them, gygy :)) is quite sane. But 625 rubles for foreigners, or almost 15 euros, is already too much. For that kind of money, even Western European museums already have to spin in front of customers. And here everything rests, one might say, on one exhibit - the 22-head of the Church of the Transfiguration of the Lord. Meanwhile, it is clearly not eternal, and the metal plates on its rickety walls speak of this. Well, it is difficult in our climate for wooden buildings to stand for 300 years! She collapses, what then? And then Kizhi will simply turn into a "wabaihumuuseum", of which there are plenty in the world.

I wonder if there are really no craftsmen who could build something like that now? Is it really that difficult with modern technology? Take something old as a basis, make a project on a computer, cut logs to size and assemble. Of course, at first it will be a "remake", but all the old times were once a remake! Yes, and most of the local exhibits were collected at the current location, in fact, anew. I think that in such a place, new buildings could fit into the overall ensemble. In a word, it is necessary to somehow develop the museum further, the world does not stand still!

Often in the literature, in the colloquial speech of individual rural areas, the word "graveyard" is used as a synonym for the word "cemetery". But before the provincial reform of 1775, it was a small settlement with a church, a cemetery, one or more houses. So in Kizhi such a churchyard has been preserved.

Architectural ensemble "Kizhi Pogost"

To a large extent, this happened due to the indifference of such people as Academician of Architecture L.V. Dal, artist I.Ya. Bilibin, painter, restorer and art critic I.E. Grabar, architectural historian L.V. Krasovsky, who, having been here, contributed to the transformation of the churchyard into a historical monument. Already after the revolution, in the conditions of the struggle with the church, closed for service, it was accepted under the protection of the state by the decision of the government.

If you hold a competition for the most photographed views and scenes in Russia, Kizhi Pogost will certainly enter the top ten. He is so photogenic and blends in so well with the environment. The graveyard consists of two churches, a bell tower, a cemetery and a fence. For me personally, it was a discovery that the churchyard on the island of Kizhi is not just a complex of buildings. The triple wooden ensemble is a whole trend of temple architecture, common in the Russian North. Today there are only 6 of them left. One more, besides Kizhi, in Karelia, in Yand Lake and four in the Arkhangelsk region. But Kizhi is still the best option.

First of all, this is the Church of the Transfiguration of the Lord - a beautiful building 37 meters high, crowned with 23 domes, built in 1714 exclusively from wood on the site of the former one, burned down by a lightning strike. The temple is summer, i.e. unheated and no service was held in it in winter. The iconostasis of the temple is made up of 102 icons, the writing of which dates back to different years, dating back to the 17th-19th centuries.

Several stories and legends are associated with the construction of the temple, which contribute to raising its status. This is the well-known story about the carpenter Nestor, who built the temple without a single nail and, upon completion of construction, threw his ax into the lake so that no one could build such a masterpiece. This is the version that the drawing of the future church was made by Peter the Great himself. Of course, it’s beautiful, but without nails it’s only a log house (that’s how they always built it), and Nestor got excited about the ax ... But, as for Peter, why not. The tsar-builder could also participate here.

The second is the Church of the Intercession of the Most Holy Theotokos, built in 1694. During the fire it was almost destroyed. It was rebuilt in 1764. She looks like the younger sister of Preobrazhenskaya, because, while working on the restoration of the lost shrine, the builders specifically sought similarity. The height of this church is 26 meters, it is crowned with nine domes. This church was in winter.

The third component of the ensemble is the hipped bell tower, built in 1863 (the previous one was demolished due to dilapidation) was repeatedly rebuilt and restored, even more often than churches. The last (or rather extreme) reconstruction was completed in 1990. Fences are usually not included in the concept of “Triple Wooden Ensemble”, but in Kizhi it is worthy to say at least a couple of words about it separately. 300 meters along the perimeter of the churchyard from a log cabin, with a gable roof, on a foundation of boulders (see photo) - this is not a fence, this is a fortress wall.

For your information. "Kizhi Pogost" is worthy of the most enthusiastic reviews and high marks from both historical, architectural and aesthetic points of view. At the same time, I can hardly imagine that since the beginning of the 70s. tourists came here in droves. It is said that the first visitors to the museum were mostly foreigners. Later, Russian tourism enthusiasts began to show interest in such a reserved place. In any case, if we turn to the history of the organization of the museum, then there is nothing to say except respect and words of gratitude to its creators.

Kizhi Museum-Reserve

This unique museum has existed for more than fifty years. Having overcome a lot of obstacles and bureaucratic obstacles, lack of funding, difficult climatic conditions, caring people who love their history, they were able to organize everything so that the exhibits combined into a single exposition complement each other and at the same time continue to live their own lives.

The museum-reserve consists of ten sectors. The most visited of them:

Sector "Russian Zaonezhie", which includes the Kizhi churchyard, the Chapel of the Archangel Michael, the Church of the Resurrection of Lazarus, the Oshevnin House (the first exhibit brought to the island, built in 1876), the Bikanin windmill and several dozen houses, barns, baths, forges, courtyard buildings from a dozen Karelian villages and graveyards;

Sector "Vasilyevo"- restored and supplemented with monuments of wooden architecture from neighboring regions, Zaonezhskaya village of the late XIX - early XX centuries. with the Chapel of the Assumption of the Mother of God;

Sector "Yamka"- Reconstruction of another village, almost entirely consisting of imported houses. Until recently, 14 people lived in the village. It is located somewhat away from the main exposition. Therefore, it is less visited.

In other sectors, there are exhibits illustrating the culture and life of the Livvik Karelians, the peculiarities of the Vepp villages, and the architecture of the northern regions of Karelia.

Excursions around the museum-reserve are interesting and informative. Especially if, like us, we are lucky with the weather. But one moment is sad. Talking about the features of architecture, even rural, is not easy. Therefore, I will try to show the most interesting objects.

Important! The territory of the Museum-Reserve has a status that provides for its serious protection. Any activities not related to the maintenance and maintenance of museum exhibits are prohibited here. Therefore, picking mushrooms and berries is the prerogative of local residents. Campfires, fishing, unauthorized overnight stays are prohibited. Hunting, collection of fluff and eggs, geological surveys are not allowed throughout the reserve. The movement of yachts and other modes of transport is limited.

The current state of the Kizhi Museum-Reserve pleases tourists and contributes to the development of this industry in the region. But its employees are constantly in a state of uncertainty about the future. However, this does not only apply to the museum.

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18.01.2018

The Kizhi Museum-Reserve on the islands of the same name in Lake Onega is the most famous landmark of the Russian North, where wooden architectural monuments are collected (brought from different places). The pearl of the Kizhi churchyard is the Church of the Transfiguration of the Savior with 22 domes. What interesting facts and details can you tell about Kizhi?

1. Kizhi churchyard is often called the central architectural ensemble of the island. The word "graveyard" in the 10th century denoted an administrative-territorial unit - part of the province, then moved to settlements with central functions, where there was a church and a cemetery, and from the 17th century it began to denote only a rural cemetery, although it was preserved in the names of some settlements .
2. The unique architecture of the island became known in the middle of the 19th century, when the study of the northern provinces of Russia began.
3. The beginning of the 20th century was a period of pilgrimage to Kizhi for creative people - architects and artists who aspired to learn and capture the local beauty.
4. The Kizhi churchyard acquired the status of a monument in 1920, and became a museum in 1966, after a long period of post-war restoration work and collection of exhibits on other islands.
5. Restoration and reconstruction of many objects was required due to dilapidation, disrepair and lost artistic elements - interior paintings.
6. During the war, the monuments on the island were not damaged, because they were in the zone of Finnish occupation, and Finland treated them very carefully, planning to include Kizhi in its territory and explore in detail.
7. One of the Finnish veterans of that war told a legend that they were still going to bomb the churchyard, but when they saw its beauty, the pilots dropped bombs into the lake. However, no written confirmation, for example, of orders to bomb the island, was found.
8. Two churches and an 18th century bell tower, the most famous buildings on the island, have been included in the UNESCO World Heritage List since 1990.
9. The walls and towers of the Transfiguration Cathedral (1714) were built without the use of nails, but when covering the domes with wooden "flakes" (ploughshares), they were still used.
10. The plowshares of the temple are made of aspen - it is the wood of this breed that shimmers in the sun and changes color.
11. The main body of the temple was cut down from pine only with the help of axes.
12. In the 80s of the XX century, in order to preserve the monument, a metal frame was installed inside the Transfiguration Cathedral. At the same time, he damaged part of the structures, roughly crashing into logs, and the floor, the painted "sky" and the iconostasis of 102 icons were completely dismantled.
13. The last restoration began in 2010, and in 2018 it is planned to complete it and allow visitors to enter the temple.
14. To restore the structural elements, the temple was lifted on jacks by the method of lifting and divided into belts, which are removed and restored one by one so that the monument does not lose its integral appearance.
15. The Kizhi churchyard headed by the Transfiguration Cathedral is the hallmark of the island and the reserve. However, in total, the museum-reserve includes 10 sectors, some of which are located on other islands, on the "mainland" and even in Petrozavodsk.
16. In addition to churches and chapels, the museum's exposition includes residential buildings, outbuildings, workshops, bathhouses, mills, barns, rigs, a smithy and even a wooden building of a zemstvo hospital in Petrozavodsk.
17. Despite the fact that in colloquial speech there are two variants of stress in the name - Kizh And and K And zhi, linguists and philologists (however, as well as local residents) argue that the second option is correct with the stress on the first syllable, i.e. TO And live.

At present, when the Kizhi churchyard finally fell into the hands of professional restorers. There is hope that in the near future it will be possible to see the monument in its historical form with restored interior decoration. It is planned to study it and improve the surrounding area, although even without this, the unique monument attracts tourists from all over the world.