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Location:
Europe,
Russia, Kizhi
Category:
Famous Landmark
Description:
View of the Kizhi
architectural ensemble - an object
of cultural heritage of the peoples
of the Russian Federation and UNESCO
World Heritage Site.
Location Information:
Kizhi
is an island on Lake Onega in the
Republic of Karelia (Medvezhyegorsky
District), Russia with an ensemble
of wooden churches, chapels and
houses. It is one of the most
popular tourist destinations in
Russia and an UNESCO World Heritage
Site.
Kizhi island is about 7 km long and
0.5 km wide. It is surrounded by
about 5,000 other islands, most of
which are very small - some mere
rock outcroppings (called "skerries"),
though some are as big as 35 km
long. Access to Kizhi is provided by
hydrofoil (several trips a day from
Petrozavodsk during the summer
months), cruise ship, helicopter,
and snowcat (in the winter). There
is no lodging on Kizhi for overnight
guests, except some guest houses in
neighbouring villages.
The Kizhi Pogost, as it is known in
Russian, is the area inside the
perimeter wall or fence and includes
2 large wooden churches and a
bell-tower. The entire island of
Kizhi is a museum with many
historically significant and
beautiful wooden and log structures
including windmills, chapels, boat-
and fish-houses, saunas, barns and
granaries, and homes. There are two
small villages on the island that
are home to a few local farmers.
Museum staff also live in the old
log homes found in these villages.
The jewel of its architecture is the
22-domed Transfiguration Church (was
founded in 1714), with a large
iconostasis - a wooden screen
covered with religious portraits,
featuring much gold leaf. This
iconostasis is in Petrozavodsk until
restoration of the Transfiguration
Church is completed
Local
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