The 26th postcard we've received comes from Karelia!
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| View of Karelia. Multitours.com |
WHERE IS KARELIA?
Karelia is a
region in Northwestern Russia, which borders Finland to the west, Murmansk
Oblast to the north, the White Sea to the northeast, Arkhangelsk Oblast to the
east, Vologda Oblast to the southeast, and Leningrad Oblast to the south.
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| Location of Karelia within Russia. Wikitravel.com |
KARELIA IS FAMOUS FOR…
... being
politically divided into 2 parts, the Russian Republic of Karelia, and Finland (the regions of South Karelia and
North Karelia).
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| Las regiones de Carelia en Rusia y Finlandia. Wikipedia |
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| Flag of Russian Republic of Karelia. Wikipedia |
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| Nationalist flag of Karelia. Wikipedia |
Karelia is also famous for its unique
architectural, cultural and historical objects on Kizhi and Valaam and
Solovetskie Islands, situated not far from the administrative borders of
Karelia and included in the UNESCO World Heritage List.
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| Kizhi Pogost. WhcUnesco.org |
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| Male Monastery of Saviour and Transfiguration. Ticrk.ru |
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| Solovetskie Islands. Wikimedia Commons |
Karelia is also known as "the country of lakes." One quarter of Karelia's surface
is covered by water including about sixty thousand lakes. The second-largest
lake of Europe, Lake Onega, is located in Karelia. The largest lake of Europe,
Lake Ladoga is partly located in Karelia together with Leningrad Oblast.
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| Lake Onega. Wikimedia Commons |
PLACES TO VISIT
Kivach Waterfall (featured in Kate's card)
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| Kivach Waterfall. Wikimedia Commons |
The most famous of
Karelia’s waterfalls is the magnificent Kivach Waterfall, situated
approximately 40 miles north of the capital, Petrozavodsk. Set within the
Kivach Nature Reserve, it reaches a height of around 35 feet and cascades
through vast tracts of pine, fir and rare Karelian birch trees. The reserve is
home to more than 40 species of mammals and around 185 species of birds, making
it an ideal destination for a wildlife adventure, and a good diversion en route
to the island of Kizhi, home to many of the region’s notable wooden churches.
The Cathedral of St. Alexandr Nevsky
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| Karelia Cathedral. Ticrk.ru |
We have to travel
to the capital city of the Republic of Karelia, Petrozavodsk, to see this
breathtaking cathedral.
National Museum of the Republic of Karelia
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| Karelia National Museum. Ticrk.ru |
Karelian state
museum of regional history was founded in 1871 when G.G.Grigoriev was the
governor of the Olonets province. It is one of the oldest Russian museums.
Since 1993 it has been located in the buildings of historical architectural
group on the former Petrovskaya (Round) square (now - Lenin square). This
architectural group is a very intersting place of federal importance,
representing architectural style of XVIII century, created by Bazhenov school's
architects.
If you want to
discover the inspiring landscape of this region, please watch the
video below:
Sources:
How interesting to know that Karelia is nowadays divided into two states, thanks for the info.
ReplyDeleteAmazing landscape!
ReplyDelete