Solovki and Kizhi

Kivach is the second biggest waterfall in Europe after the Rhine. The Suna River falls from a height of 10.7 metres. During the XIX century, the poet and governor of Karelia, Gavrila Derzhavin, wrote an ode to the waterfall that made it famous across the country.

The area around the waterfall is home to typical flora and fauna of Karelia: rocks, prairies, lakes, swamps, rocky peaks, moraine, taiga and deciduous forests. The average age of trees here is 120 years old. There are even some pine trees that are about 300–350 years old. Kivach has nearly every flower and plant that exists in Karelia.

After this, you will visit the museum of the natural reserve where you can learn more about the uses of birch wood in traditional furniture craft. If you would like to discover more about Karelia, you can go for a nature walk in the park (2.5 km).

Medvezhyegorsk became a town in 1930 because the administration of the White Sea Canal was located here. The canal exceeds 227 km and joins Lake Onega to the White Sea. The construction was supervised the Gulag (government agency responsible for labour camps), and more than 100,000 political prisoners were used as forced labour. They dug the canal in one year and nine months in inhumane conditions with nothing more than axes and shovels. The main construction materials were also basic: wood, stone and sand. The project was deadly, sometimes killing up to 700 people per day. Stalin inspected the canal in 1933.

The regional museum is located in the biggest building of Medvezhyegorsk. Its spacious rooms were designed to host high-level servants of the Soviet regime who were tasked with inspecting the canal. The exhibition retraces the culture of the region, town history during World War II and the deadly infrastructure project.

They are home to the biggest monastery in Russia. This universe is composed of six islands, lakes, artificial canals, botanical gardens, Mount Sekirnaya and its lighthouse church as well as Zayatsky Island and its archaeological sites from the Neolithic period. These little islands of the Arctic circle are endowed with incredible flora: pine forests, miniature birch trees and tundra. The magical light of long summer days contrasts sharply with its dark history. Up until 1939, the Solovky Islands were the biggest concentration camp under Stalin. Nowadays, the monastery belongs to the Church and about 40 monks live there all year round.

How long should I spend on the Solovky Islands?
You should plan at least three days to visit the Solovky Islands because of travel time. It takes 24 hours by night train from Moscow or Saint Petersburg. They can also be reached by plane with a transfer in Arkhangelsk.

The visit revolves around the history of this famous monastery. You will visit the grounds, active cathedrals and UNESCO World Heritage monuments.

The monastic fortress is the first thing you will see as you approach the islands. The thick granite walls are stunning and wider than those of the Moscow Kremlin. The monastery was founded in the XV century by monks German and Savvatiy who arrived there by boat. Later on, this religious enclave became an important spiritual and economic centre of Northern Russia. In the hostile conditions of the Great North, the monks created an incredibly efficient system. The monastery was the main producer of sea salt for the mainland. The strict rules that governed religious life did not stop monks from mastering some of the most advanced technologies around at that time. The canal system allowed them to supply the monastery with fresh water and the lakes were turned into ponds for raising fish. The monastery even had a prison for exiled political dissidents and heretics. They were locked up in the towers inside tiny cells.

During the 1920s, the monastery was transferred to the state and a special prison was created that would later become the biggest concentration camp in the country. It was chosen because the White Sea does not completely freeze over during winter, making it impossible to escape. The management system developed here was later implemented in other gulag camps. In addition to criminals, thousands of political prisoners were exiled to these islands including officers of the White Army, members of the clergy and intellectuals.

When the camp was closed, a marine cadet academy replaced it. In 1967, the Solovky Islands were turned into a museum and natural reserve. Tourists started to visit the archipelago, but the guides were forbidden from mentioning the dark history of Stalin’s concentration camps.

In 1992, relics of the founding fathers were returned to the monastery and the enclave was added to the list of UNESCO World Heritage sites. The domes have been restored, and crosses once again adorn the buildings. Monastic life has returned.

Botanical gardens and Makarievsky Hermitage
A candle factory is now located 2 km from the monastery. There is also a botanical garden. The hot water that is used to melt the candle wax also heats the soil beneath the greenhouses. This has allowed the monks to grow watermelons in the inhospitable climate of the Great North. They chose this specific location because it is surrounded by hills and protected from the sea winds. The temperature is also warmer than at the monastery. The gardens have never been abandoned, even under Stalin. Vladimir Degtyarev, an eminent botanist, worked here when he was exiled to the Solovky Islands.

The camp commander lived in the archbishop’s wooden house that was built in 1860. Nowadays, it is used by scientists who work in the botanical gardens. From the Alexandrovskaya Hills, an observation platform has a panoramic view over the monastery and its onion domes that dominate the horizon on the taiga.

Trip along the canals
3 or 4 people fit in each boat and take turns to row. The trail (5–6 km) starts at the nautical base and finishes on the shores of Lake Karzino (or vice versa). The return trip is made on foot (2.8 km).

Lake Svyatoe (sacred) is located just behind the monastery and provides fresh water for the locals. The 400-year old canals linking 78 lakes still transport water to the monastery by an underground canal that also powers a watermill.

The boat trip across many canals will help you understand the sheer size of this network. Each waterway was built with stone blocks weighing several tonnes. You will also discover the beautiful landscapes of the Bolshoy Solovetsky Island and its lakes.

Mount Sekirnaya and the Hermitage of the Ascension.
Mount Sekirnaya is 11 km away from the monastery. At a height of 73 m above the forest, it has superb views as far as the blue waters of the White Sea. The history of the archipelago starts here, where the founding fathers first landed.

In the XIX century, the Church of the Ascension was built on this hill. It also had a beacon that was lit by the monks at night. It was so strong that it could be seen from 100 km around.

Under the administration of the Gulag, it became a solitary confinement cell where prisoners were tortured. The viewing point beside the church has panoramic views of the Northern part of the island and the sea. During his visit, Maxime Gorky greatly admired the setting of the island. Not so long before his arrival, a handful of prisoners escaped from the camp to Finland, where they shared their experience of the horrors they had survived. One famous writer at the time was sent here to narrate the incredible success and efficiency of the “moral re-education” achieved by the Gulag.

Sea excursion to Bolshoy Zayatsky Island (45 min from Bolshoy Solovetsky).

Bolshoy Zayatsky has a very different landscape to that of Bolshoy Solovetsky. The island is covered by the tundra with its small juniper bushes and miniature birch trees. None of the plants here measure over 1 metre, and the sea is visible from everywhere on the island.

In the middle of the XVI century, Hegumen Philip built the first stone port of Russia to receive large commercial boats and pilgrims. It had a guest house nearby and even “customs”.

You can also visit the pagan temple from 2,000 BC and its stone labyrinth. Archaeologists are still not sure whether this site had a funerary or religious function.