The Republic of Karelia: the capital. Petrozavodsk, Karelia: map, photo

In the northwest of the Russian Federation one of the most beautiful and beloved places of Russia is located - the Republic of Karelia, the capital of which is the city of Petrozavodsk, which is also the administrative center of the Prionezhsky district. April 6, 2015 Petrozavodsk was awarded the high title - City of Military Glory.

History of education of the city

The capital of Karelia owes its birth to Peter the Great, who in 1703 laid a beautiful city near the mouth of the Lososinka River, on the shore of Onega Lake . He supervised the construction of the new settlement by Prince Alexander Menshikov. The first town-forming enterprise is a state-owned plant, which belongs to a group of Russian metallurgical enterprises, the so-called Olonets Mining Plants. Such enterprises formed the basis of heavy industry of Karelia for that period.

So, August 29, 1703 appears Shuya Arms Factory, later renamed Petrovsky. Already in the end of 1703 the plant gives the first trial production. And since the beginning of 1704, its blast furnaces have been operating at full capacity. Thus, the local weapons factory becomes famous throughout Russia. By order of Empress Catherine II in 1772, a decree was signed on the construction of a cannon-foundry plant, later renamed into Alexandrovsky.

The enterprise produced not only weapons technology. The production of art castings and metal processing was established. Gradually, the Alexander plant is gaining weight in the entire Russian metallurgical sector. Over time, Petrozavodsk (Karelia) becomes the center of the Olonets region and receives the status of a city, and in 1784 passes into the category of a provincial city.

Modern Petrozavodsk

Today's capital of Karelia is a cozy and hospitable city, which always attracts great interest from tourists and simply curious travelers. Architectural and historical monuments are very carefully preserved by local residents, they represent the pride and age-old traditions of the city.

On local streets and squares, from an inquisitive sight of a tourist, memorial and commemorative plaques on historical buildings in which prominent personalities of different times lived and worked do not escape. And there are more than a hundred of them in the city.

Historical sights of Petrozavodsk

Why is the capital of Karelia so attractive? Attractions of the city, and there are many of them, are always of interest to tourists not only from Russia, but also from all corners of the globe. The round square, the Karelian Museum of Local History, the Governor's Park, the Museum of Fine Arts, the exhibition hall of the Kizhi Museum are just a small list of interesting tourist routes that Petrozavodsk, the capital of Karelia, is famous for.

Round area

Undoubtedly, the historical center of modern Petrozavodsk is Lenin's Square. It was in this place after the signing of the decree of Catherine II about the assignment of Petrozavodsk to the status of the city was the administrative center of the new city, formerly called the Round Square. Anikita Sergeevich Yartzov ... The beginning of the construction of a large city is connected with the name of this man .

Mining engineer by education, A. S. Yartzov supervised the construction of the future Alexander Plant. All further territorial development of the city under the name Petrozavodsk (Karelia) is associated with his name. AS Yartzov outlined the location of the Round Square, on the circumference of which the administrative buildings were located.

To the 100th anniversary of the Alexander Plant in the middle of the Round Square a monument to Peter the Great was erected, which stood until the Revolution of 1917. Now on the same square there is a granite monument of VI Lenin.

Kirov Square

In the 1930s, the Republic of Karelia did not stand aside from the historical events of Russia. The capital of the northern edge of the country on a par with everyone knew the "charms" of Stalin's repressions.

In 1936, after the death of SM Kirov, the sculptor Matvey Manizer erected a monument to him, and the square was renamed Kirov Square. Now this place can rightfully be called an art square. According to the project of SG Brodsky, in 1953-1955 dramatic and musical theaters in classical style were built. Eight columns and an arch over them make up the main part of the theater. On the arch are sculptures made by ST Konenkov. On these structures were used various types of natural stone: granite, marble and others.

The National Theater was built in 1965 also by the project of S. G. Brodsky. Not only in Petrozavodsk the master left his historical trail, but other cities of Karelia are decorated with its architectural constructions. From the side of Kirov Square you can see the hero of the Kaleval epic Ilmarinen, who created the magic mill of fate.

The third theater on this square is a puppet theater. A light building framing the square is a museum of fine arts, which the Republic of Karelia is proud of. The capital of the region has a museum in which one of the most ancient collections of icons of the 15th and 18th centuries is collected, which includes more than two thousand samples. The museum is proud of its collection of great Russian artists, such as Polenov, Ivanov, Levitan and Kramskoy. Also here you can see the work of the Karelian masters. In 1789 a male gymnasium was located in this building.

Onega quay

Favorite place for walks of citizens and guests of the city is Onega quay. June 25, 1994, the Day of the city of Petrozavodsk, its opening was held.

There is a good tradition: almost all cities of Karelia have their sister cities. This brings together friendly nations and is an example of peace and good-neighborliness. Constant friendly visits enrich people on a spiritual, cultural and historical level. This is the republic of Karelia. The capital of the northern region of Russia was no exception. Petrozavodsk in 1965-2011. Established twin-city relations with eighteen cities in the world.

Sculptural creations of these twin cities lined up along the Onega quay. American Duluth gave the steel construction "Fishermen", "Tubinskoye Panorama" the city took as a gift from German friends. In 1996, from the Swedish city of Umeå, Petrozavodsk received a "Tree of Desire" as a gift. This is a modern interpretation of the ancient legend of a black tree with golden bells that fulfill desires. In 1997, on the Onega quay, there was a composition "Wave of Friendship" from the Finnish town of Varkaus. In addition, the embankment is decorated with sculptural compositions "Starry Sky" and "Mermaid and the Woman".

Geographic map of Karelia

Leaving beyond Petrozavodsk, tourists meet with unusually beautiful landscapes of Karelia. Primordial rivers and lakes, framed by rocky shores and thick forests, from which breathtaking.

Some regions of Karelia are striking with their diversity of natural-landscape complexes. Many of them are of great tourist interest and attract more and more curious travelers.

Wooden miracle of Russia

Kizhi is one of the 1369 islands of the north-eastern part of the Onega Lake. He is considered the eighth wonder of the world and poetically called the silver necklace of the North, the northern pearl. Here, on a small island with an extent of 5.5 kilometers, there are two amazing churches, between which is the bell tower.

Their beauty is amazing. This tiny piece of land not only shows us examples of remarkable Russian northern architecture, but also gives us the opportunity to feel the closeness of our ancestors. The miracle of Kizhi Island, the Preobrazhensky Temple, is a contemporary of Petrodvorets and at the same time its complete opposite.

The whole ensemble of Kizhi was built over 170 years not by one generation of the most skilled craftsmen and craftsmen, whose names remained unknown. Instead of the gilded fountains of Petrodvorets, the mirror-like surface of Lake Onega reflects here, reflecting the skies in their infinite variety. Instead of a long facade decorated with intricate stucco molding, black boards of the northern shrine. The domes of the Preobrazhensky church, like the kokoshniki of Russian beauties, are covered with scales of a silver ploughshare. Anyone who has at least once visited these places in the northern region will never forget them.

Plain Falls Kivach

The tourist map of Karelia leads to another amazing place - Kivach waterfall. The reserve "Kivach" is called Karelia in miniature. This is one of the smallest reserves in Russia. Its territory is 11 thousand hectares. Here you can see everything that represents the flora, fauna and geology of this picturesque region.

The most striking detail of the local landscape is rightly considered the waterfall, which travelers came to admire three hundred years ago. Kivach is located in the territory of Kandapozhsky district. This is the northwest of Karelia, which is located 68 kilometers from the capital. The waterfall is called Kivach, and it gave its name to the entire reserve, founded at the beginning of the last century.

Scientists believe that the name of the waterfall came from the Finnish "kiwi", which means "stone", or Karelian "kivas" - "snow mountain". Indeed, white from the foam cascade is similar to a snow top. Kivach is considered one of the largest flat waterfalls in Russia. Water falls from a height of eleven meters, forming several picturesque steps on the river Suna. It originates at the border with Finland and flows into the Onega Lake, passing a winding road of almost 300 kilometers.

Suna flows along a rocky bed through large and small lakes. In its channel - more than fifty rapids and waterfalls, but it Kivach always attracted travelers from time immemorial. One of the first memories of the waterfall occurs in the middle of the 16th century.

Kivach, a place of inspiration

However, the history of Kivach as a tourist center began in the 18th century, when the famous Russian poet Gavriil Romanovich Derzhavin visited here, who was appointed governor here. The beauty of the waterfall inspired Derzhavin to write a poem that glorified this corner of Karelian nature throughout Russia. In those years, when Kivach had a pristine natural power, the most influential people of the state traveled to Karelia.

Admire the amazing waterfall came even Emperor Alexander II. They say that the doctors prescribed him the sound of falling water. For the convenience of the sovereign on the banks of the Suna were equipped with comfortable wooden pavilions and bridges, which have not survived until our days. About travelers of different times to modern tourists can tell even the stones.

Huge boulders keep a memory of those who were so impressed by the beauty of Karelia that they did not regret the strength or the time to carve out their name. Ancient inscriptions can be seen, passing along the right bank of the river, where a convenient hiking trail is laid. But the most spectacular view of the rocks and the waterfall itself opens directly from the water.

At the foot of the cascade you can approach the rubber rowing boat. A deep waterfall canyon forms ancient rocks of volcanic origin. This stone is a saturated slate color called diabase. It is very solid, almost twice as hard as granite. Therefore, it is often used for paving streets. In the reserve, diabase rocks frame the waterfall and divide it into two streams. Many years ago Kivach was much more than now, its noise was heard five kilometers away.

Welcome to Karelia!

Hospitable Karelia opens its doors to all who want to come in contact with an amazing in its beauty edge. The region that Russia is proud of is the Republic of Karelia.