Karelia is a land of thousands lakes and rivers. Austere northern landscapes alternate here with lush green peaceful meadows, boundless forests full of mushrooms and berries, small and large rivers rich in rapids, picturesque lakes excellent for angling.
But the main treasures of Karelia - beautiful churches with wooden domes, chapels with interiors touchingly arranged by the locals, old wooden houses that keep the remembrance of the Past - are well hidden. The land carefully keeps its legends and traditions, and reveals them only to those who travel off the beaten path.
We invite you for a discovery trip by bike, ATV, raft, or snowmobile and skis to difficult-to-access-otherwise places of the northern land where Epic Russia is alive.
Time zone
Geography and description
Climate
People
How to get there
Things to buy
Time zone
Moscow time (GMT+3)
Geography and description
Karelia is a republic within Russia, located on the very border of the West and the East, it has a long border with Finland. Karelia is situated in northwest Russia, north of St. Petersburg (434 km) and Moscow (1080 km). Washed by the waters of the White Sea, this region borders with Arkhangelsk in the east, is surrounded by Vologda and Leningrad regions in the south, and Murmansk region in the north.
Karelia stretches over a large area: 672 km from south to north and 324 km from west to east (its total area is 180,5 thousand square km).
Karelia is a remarkably beautiful land of white nights, boundless forests, and blue lakes. There are more than 27 thousand rivers and 60 thousand lakes. Karelia is called a "national park" in Russia thanks to its clean forests and diverse flora and fauna. Karelian villages kept alive the runes of the Karelian and Finnish epic "Kalevala", as well as numerous ancient Russian epics (“bylinas”). Karelia is the land that preserved amazing monuments of wooden architecture staying in harmony with landscapes for centuries.
Two of the largest lakes in Europe, Lake Ladoga and Lake Onega, are located in Karelia, as well as some additional thousands smaller lakes accounting for about 20% of the territory. The northern part of the area, with harsh winters and few people, belongs to the Arctic; and its waters flow into the White Sea. The waters of southern Karelia flow into the Baltic Sea through the water system of Lake Onega, the rivers Svir and Neva, Lake Ladoga, and the Gulf of Finland.
Karelia is rich in wild life. A part of its nature territory is protected (Tolvojarvi nature reserve, Vodlozero national park, Paanajarvi national park, etc).
Karelia also welcomes you to see its cultural heritage: Kizhi island in Onego Lake – an open air museum of wooden architecture, a UNESCO heritage site bringing together unique samples of the XII-XIII c. master’s works; holy Valaam archipelago in Ladoga Lake with its Monastery and chapels; petroglyphs - more than 4000 old rock carvings; Solovetsky Islands in the White Sea with the monastery built in the Middle Age, and used as a prison in Stalin’s times, the infamous “Gulag Archipelago”.
Climate
The climate in Karelia is formed under the influence of the Arctic region and western ocean. The significant stretch from north to south brings changes in weather conditions within the territory of Karelia.
January and February are the coldest winter months in Karelia. Though the average winter temperature is about -8°C in the south and -14°C in the north, the temperature can fall as low as to – 30°C – 36°C because of the “breath” of the Arctic. In February the weather is very changeable, the winds might be strong.
End February - March is best for cross-country skiing and ice fishing. In the south of Karelia, the lakes and rivers begin to open up in the middle of the March, in the north only in the end of the month. The snow melts away completely in the middle of May.
The snowpack lies on the earth about 160 days in the south, and about 190 days in the north. The snow cover is about 50 – 70 cm, but happens to reach 110 cm.
As Karelia lies in the Russian North, the day length change over a year is characteristic for it. In December daylight stays for 4 - 6 hours only. But people living in Karelia compensate this lack of sun in June, during the period of white nights, when the sun shines almost 24 hours a day.
July is the warmest summer month. The average temperature is +13°C +14°C; maximum temperature can reach +30°C +36°C. The best season for picking mushrooms and barriers (blueberry, cranberry and others) is mid August – September.
In general, temperatures swings, strong wind, long winter and nights of midnight sun are specific features for Karelia.
People
The population of the republic is about 767 thousand people
Statistically, Russians and Ukrainians make up a major part of the population, the other part is constituted by Karels, Finns, and Lapps, who are closely related and have identical written language.
The Karel population lives in their original territory - in the Republic of Karelia of the Russian Federation, and are dispersed in many other places in Russia (e.g., small communities in the provinces of Tver, Novgorod, Petrograd, and Murmansk), as well as in Finland and Sweden.
Languages: Russian, Karelian
The number of people speaking Karelian began to decrease at the beginning of the 20th century, and became critical during the Soviet period due to massive immigration of Russians, Ukrainians and Byelorussians to Karelia. In the Republic of Karelia the ratio of Karels who can speak their native language is 51.5%.
Severe beauty of its nature, the climate, not too favourable in these latitudes, the coexistence and intermingling of various peoples inhabiting this land for centuries influenced the character of the people living here: very laconic, self-assured, contemplative, and tolerant people. It also accounts for the fact that there is no national strives or terrorism in this land.
The European borderline location of Karelia has often brought it to the foreground of major events in European history. But while in old days the land of Karelia often became a subject of international claims and a matter of concern even in Rome, at present Karelia as a subject of the Russian Federation with the longest border with EEC is destined to become the economic and cultural bridge between the East and the West.
The largest city of Karelia, Petrozavodsk (Ïåòðîçàâîäñê) or Petroskoi (in Karelian/Finnish), founded in 1703, is the capital of the Republic of Karelia within the Russian Federation. The city has a population of 390,000 and is located in the central part of Karelia, on the shore of Lake Onego.
How to get there
The most common way of travelling to Karelia is by train. Oktyabrskaya railway provides Karelia with reliable connection to the main cities (Moscow, St Petersburg, cities of Central Russia).
It takes only one 1 night in a comfortable train to reach Petrozavodsk from St Petersburg (8-9 hrs) or from Moscow (13-14 hrs). Trains 017/018, 381/382, 016/015 or 212/211 will bring you to any place in kalreia from Moscow and train 657/658 to any location you need from Saint-Petersburg.
There are also regular flights from Moscow (UtAir, Severstal airlines) several times a week from Vnukovo airport (flight duration is 2 h 5 min).
It is possible to get to the most remote destinations in Karelia by an off-road car.
Things to buy
Diverse wooden carvings and caskets, jewelry and traditional items of Karels.
