Lake Onega: interesting facts. Lake Onega What category of basin does Lake Onega belong to?

I've been thinking about writing this post for a long time. As a child, together with my parents, I regularly went on vacation to Lake Onega. We walked first on an inflatable boat, and then on a sailing tourist catamaran "Albatross" a significant part of it. You can read about how and what we went on in the article.

In 2017 and early 2018, we visited Lake Onega again. In this article I want to talk about some interesting places on Lake Onega and its surroundings. Of course, this is only a small part of the natural and historical beauties of Obonezhye.

If you want to see mainly the natural beauty of Obonezhye, then you may be somewhat disappointed on a road trip. At least I had it. Karelian beauty is visible mainly from the water: sheep’s foreheads and curly rocks, miniature lakes in the rocks, along the banks of which miniature trees grow - natural “bonsai”, nature untouched by man. And, of course, the endless Lake Onega itself. However, from time to time there are very picturesque landscapes along the road.

The logging road goes deep into the forest

Those places on Lake Onega that can be reached by car (especially if you are not an off-road driving enthusiast) are often very uninteresting and dirty clearings, from where all the beauty can be seen only with serious optics. But, on the other hand, you have the opportunity to visit many ancient villages, where large northern houses of the 19th century and wooden churches have been preserved. After all, the peasants were primarily interested in the riches of the land and ease of communication, and not at all in rocks and other natural beauties.

In my opinion, to get the full impression of Obonezhye, you need to combine all travel options: by water and by land.

This place can only be reached by water: Lizhemskaya Bay. Digitized slide

A little about the geological history of Lake Onega

Lake Onega is the second largest in Europe after Lake Ladoga. It, like all of Fennoscandia, is distinguished by its special beauty. Here you can find some of the oldest rocks on earth , whose age exceeds 3-3.5 billion years, are the remains of ancient volcanoes and products of their eruptions.

Recent glaciation , the last of which (Valdai) ended approximately 10 thousand years ago, emphasized the ancient structure of the region. The map shows that many lakes, bays, hills - selgi and others are elongated in the direction from northwest to southeast. On "lamb's foreheads" You can often find long parallel streaks - traces of a glacier. Boulders brought by the glacier from Scandinavia are often found.

In Unitskaya Bay you can see picturesque rocks. They are a real textbook on geology. Digitized slide

After the glacier melted, people came to these places. On Lake Onega there are archaeological monuments of world significance: Onega petroglyphs , Oleneostrovsky burial ground of the Mesolithic era and etc.

Finds from the burial ground on the Southern Oleny Island of Lake Onega (VI millennium BC). National Museum of the Republic of Karelia

Interesting places on Lake Onega for traveling by water

The northern part of Lake Onega is dissected by narrow long bays - “lips”, which are convenient and safe for sailing on small tourist vessels - inflatable boats, kayaks, sailing tourist vessels, etc. Unlike skerries, it is much less crowded here.

The most picturesque places, in my opinion, are Unitskaya And Lizhemskaya (Chorga) lips , with numerous rocky outcrops. Unitskaya Bay is very winding, with a large number of islands, the most interesting of which are sandy Transverse Islands , Kolgostrov , where an ancient pagan sanctuary has been preserved. There is also an abandoned Pegrema village , in the vicinity of which there is a cultural and historical complex. Lizhemskaya Bay is straight. There are many beautiful places here, for example, Sonya Island , Goodbye (or rather, its southern part, facing the Deer Islands). To the south, Unitskaya and Lizhemskaya lips unite into Bolshoye Onego Bay , whose shores are mostly sandy.

It is convenient to get to Lizhemskaya Bay from Lizhma station , located a couple of kilometers away. Convenient access to the water. To Unitskaya Bay - from Kyappeselga station , then hitch a ride to the village of Unitsa, where there is a recreation center and you can leave your car. Further - only by water.

Pine tree on the shore. Unitskaya Bay. Digitized site

Unrest in Lizhemskaya Bay. Digitized slide

In Lizhemskaya Bay. Digitized slide

Happy childhood on the shores of Lake Onega. Digitized slide

Our catamaran "Albatross", on which we sailed on Lake Onega. Digitized slide

On Zaonezhye Peninsula There are a lot of beautiful small lakes, which can mainly be reached on foot along swampy forest roads. Fans of off-road driving can try to drive along them in cars. Particularly picturesque, in my opinion, Ladmozero . At its southern end there is an ancient Cherkasy village . Interesting and "hanging lakes" (for example, Tyutozero), which are located above the level of the Unitskaya Bay of Lake Onega.

A completely different beauty Velikaya Guba And Povenets Bay . Here you can find mixed-grass meadows with huge boulders scattered throughout. People have long settled in these places, building villages and churches. An ancient trade route to the White Sea passed through these regions.

There are many archaeological sites here, for example, the Mesolithic burial ground at South Deer Island , sanctuary on Radkolye Island etc. In ancient villages, huge houses of the 19th century, churches and chapels have been preserved to this day. Some of them, unfortunately, eke out a miserable existence, others are already abandoned and plundered. Therefore, it is worth taking the opportunity to see what will be irretrievably lost in a few decades. Worth a visit Kizhi skerries and themselves Kizhakh . There are many islands suitable for overnight stays. However, vipers are often found in the grass.

A few more years will pass, and such houses will disappear forever. Digitized slide

Ruins of the Paleostrovsky monastery in the 1980s. Now the monastery is being restored. Digitized slide

Timber rafting in Velikaya Guba. Digitized slide

Many places on Lake Onega are connected with our recent history - the repressions of the 1930s, the construction of the White Sea-Baltic Canal, the Great Patriotic War. All this can be seen in Povenets Bay .

If you are an experienced sailor, you can travel through the open part of Lake Onega to Demon Nose , where ancient petroglyphs are preserved, Murom Monastery and to Andoma-mountain , from where a magnificent panorama of the lake opens. But remember that the weather on Onego changes very quickly and in the eastern part of the lake the excitement is usually especially strong.

The shores in the southern part of Lake Onega are very swampy.

Condition of roads around Lake Onega

In general, the A-119 highway in the section from Vytegra to Medvezhyegorsk is of excellent quality, but there are some sections of repair (data for 2017). There are few cars. The R-21 “Kola” highway on the section from Medvezhyegorsk to Petrozavodsk is also of excellent quality, but there are much more cars.

The Kola highway on the section between Medvezhyegorsk and Petrozavodsk

More problematic, according to reviews, is the southern bypass around Lake Onega between Vytegra and Petrozavodsk (route K-224 Petrozavodsk - Oshta and 19K-038 (P37) Oshta-Vytegra and then Kargopol and Arkhangelsk). There are areas with unpaved surfaces here. In addition, you will have to cross the Svir River by ferry (Voznesenye) or make a long detour through.

The quality of smaller, local roads is much worse. Very often there are dirt roads leading to villages, which can only be driven by a car with high ground clearance. There are often those that only a very well-prepared SUV or tractor can pass through. So remember the golden rule, which works great in Karelia: “The cooler the jeep, the further the tractor.”

Hut for travelers on Pali-island (Paley-island). You can't get here by car even if you want to. Digitized slide

When is the best time to go to Lake Onega?

The best time to visit Lake Onega is traditionally considered to be July and early August, when the weather is warmest and the white nights continue. But this is also the mosquitoiest time. The berries are ripe - blueberries, then lingonberries. True, in the last few years the climate in these parts has changed somewhat: it is cold and it rains often. If you are traveling by car and are not afraid of the cold, then the road travel season can begin in May and end by the beginning of October.

You can often find similar miniature lakes with decorative miniature gardens in the rocks. Digitized slide

Sights of Lake Onega and Obonezhye

For convenience, I tried to group the attractions by location. These are both natural attractions and cultural and historical ones. If you travel by SUV, then, of course, the geography of your trips will expand significantly. And if you also have a boat, then you can get to almost any place.

Petrozavodsk

You should not ignore the capital of the Republic of Karelia - Petrozavodsk city. Petrozavodsk is the same age. Initially, it was a settlement around the Petrovsky plant, which produced various weapons for the needs of the Russian army. In the 1770s, the Aleksandrovsky plant arose here, where they created weapons and decorative products from cast iron. After the revolution, the plant was repurposed several times, producing civilian products, and then was reorganized into the Onega Tractor Plant.

The building of the former plant management of the Onega Tractor Plant, now the Yamka business center

Petrozavodsk has many attractions and museums that are worth visiting. These are the Onega embankment and port, the Museum of Fine Arts of the Republic of Karelia, the Museum of Precambrian Geology and others. There are also several theaters - the National Theater of Karelia, the Musical Theater of the Republic of Karelia, the Puppet Theater, the House of Actors, etc. Another interesting attraction of Petrozavodsk is the Botanical Garden, located on the northern coast of Onega Bay, on the slopes of a relict volcano. Here you can see typical Karelian landscapes and a rich collection of plants.

The gaff sloop "Messenger" in the maritime museum "Polar Odyssey"

It is interesting to stroll along the streets of the city, where beautiful buildings from the 18th – early 20th centuries have been preserved, some of which were built in the Finnish style. In general, Petrozavodsk makes a very favorable impression.

Lenin Square, former Round Square

From Petrozavodsk you can get to the famous open-air museum located on Kizhi Island in the Velikaya Guba of Lake Onega. The heart of the Kizhi churchyard is a wooden 22-domed Church of the Transfiguration of the Lord (1714), Church of the Intercession of the Virgin Mary (1764) and hipped bell tower (1863), surrounded by a fence (1959, built on the model of the fences of northern churchyards). Around there are residential buildings, chapels and churches, transported to the Kizhi Museum from different parts of Obonezhie. In addition, there are residential villages on the island.

“Rockets” and “Meteors” regularly go to Kizhi from Petrozavodsk, the journey time is about 1.5 hours. Cruise ships also stop in Kizhi. You can get to Kizhi from the village. Great Guba. In case of a storm warning, flights are cancelled. Therefore, if the weather forecast is unfavorable, it is better to refrain from traveling. There is a chance that even if you get to Kizhi, there is no way back to Petrozavodsk.

Kizhi. Digitized slide

On the island of Kizhi. Digitized slide

However, it is worth keeping in mind that on such a trip you will not feel all the beauty of this place, you will only see the picturesque Kizhi skerries from afar. Therefore, if you have the financial opportunity, it is better to get to Kizhi either by renting a ship or on your own. And be sure to stop for the night on one of the islands of the Kizhi Skerries. From my own experience I will say that this is a fantastic feeling.

Kizhi Island, digitized slide

Kivach is one of the highest lowland waterfalls in Europe. Before the construction of a cascade of dams on the Suna River, it was higher and fuller. But even now it amazes with its size. The best time to visit Kivach is May and early June, when the river is at its fullest. The waterfall is located on the territory of the Kivach nature reserve. There is also an arboretum, a nature museum and a mass grave of Soviet soldiers. There are ecological routes of varying lengths throughout the reserve.

Ancient volcano Girvas, Palyeozerskaya hydroelectric power station, Suna river

Another natural attraction of Karelia is paleovolcano Girvas, whose age is more than 2 billion years. In the past, the territory of Karelia was repeatedly a zone of intense volcanism. Not far from the ancient volcano Girvas, south of the village of Girvas, is located old bed of the Suna River— dammed reservoir, Girvas dam and spillway. A little downstream of the Suna - shallowed due to the construction of a hydroelectric power station, and once very formidable Poor-threshold. Here you can also find ancient lavas from the Girvas eruption.

Mount Sampo

Mount Sampo is a high selga - a narrow rocky ridge elongated from northwest to southeast, formed as a result of the activity of two forces: ancient tectonic processes and recent glaciation. It is located between lakes Konchezero and Ukshozero.

The mountain got its name from the magic mill Sampo from the Karelian-Finnish epic “Kalevala”. In the 60s of the 20th century, the joint Soviet-Finnish film “Sampo” was filmed in these parts. The name of the fantastic mill, which produces all earthly goods, stuck to the mountain, which soon became a tourist attraction. At the top of Mount Sampo there is an observation deck from where beautiful panoramas of Konchezero open up.

Marcial Waters Resort

On the road between the Girvas volcano and Mount Sampo there is another interesting place - balneological and mud resort “Marcial Waters”. The resort was founded at the beginning of the 18th century, Peter I also visited here. In 1964, the Martial Waters sanatorium was founded, where diseases of the blood (iron deficiency anemia), digestive organs, musculoskeletal, cardiovascular, genitourinary and respiratory organs. In 2003, another sanatorium was built - “Palaces”.

The Marcial Waters Museum-Reserve has preserved a wooden Church of St. Peter the Apostle , built in 1721 in the forms of a Lutheran temple. According to legend, the design of the temple was carried out personally by Peter I. In 2005, a church was erected in the name of the icon of the Most Holy Theotokos “Life-Giving Spring”.

Assumption Church in Kondopoga

In the city of Kondopoga there is a unique architectural object, the pinnacle of wooden architecture -. It was built in 1774 as a temple-monument to those killed during the Kizhi uprising (uprising of workers of the Olonets mining factories). The church stands impressively on the shore of the Kondopoga Bay of Lake Onega. In the past it was a reference point for sailors. Currently, a museum is opened in the Assumption Church, and services are held several times a year.

In Kondopoga itself you can find other interesting buildings. But in general, the city rather makes a bad impression due to the presence of a pulp and paper mill in it, which poisons the air and waters of Lake Onega.

Village Shoksha

Near the village of Shoksha there is the only deposit in the world of crimson quartzite (Shoksha porphyry), which was used as a finishing stone. They decorated the Winter Palace, St. Isaac's and Kazan Cathedrals in St. Petersburg, the Lenin Mausoleum and the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Moscow, the memorial complex on Mamayev Kurgan in Volgograd, Napoleon's sarcophagus in the Invalides in Paris, etc.

Sheltozero Vepsian Ethnographic Museum

South of Petrozavodsk, in Sheltozero village, There is the only museum in Russia dedicated to the culture and history of the Vepsians. This is the Sheltozero Vepsian Ethnographic Museum, a branch of the National Museum of the Republic of Karelia. The museum exhibition is housed in a 19th-century house that belonged to the wealthy peasant Melkin. The museum's exposition includes more than 7 thousand exhibits, collected mainly in the Veps villages of Karelia.

Kolgostrov Island

Kolgostrov is located in the Unitskaya Bay of Lake Onega, so it can only be reached by water. Once upon a time the Sami lived here, then the Vepsians and Karelians. In the western part of the island there is a rock with an unusual boulder that, when struck, produces a sound reminiscent of a bell. In ancient times, a pagan sanctuary was located here. Nearby you can see ancient stonework and rock paintings.

Pegrema Cultural and Historical Center

The village of Pegrema is located in the Unitskaya Bay of Lake Onega, and is now abandoned. The wooden chapel of Varlaam Khutynsky from the second half of the 18th century has been preserved. In the vicinity of the village, a large cult complex of the 3rd-2nd millennium BC was discovered, which is a cluster of boulders of unusual shapes, reminiscent of human and animal figures. In total, more than 100 objects were discovered here. Currently, there is a cultural and historical center in Pegrem. You can only get there by water.

Velikaya Guba village

The village of Velikaya Guba is located on the eastern shore of the Velikaya Guba of Lake Onega. It has the status of a historical settlement. The ancient wooden buildings have been preserved in fragments. Located in the village of Verkhovye Kostin's house , an architectural monument of local significance. In the 1860s, a stone Church of St. Alexis, man of God , which is currently being restored.

In Karelian village Kondoberezhskaya, located one and a half kilometers from Velikaya Guba, stands wooden chapel in the name of St. Samson the Stranger , built around 1850. Its bell tower offers a beautiful view of Lake Onega.

Not far from Velikaya Guba there is spring "Salt Pit" , whose water has a bitter-salty taste. According to legend, in the old days peasants boiled salt here.

You can get to Velikaya Guba by road, and during the navigation period, by boat from Petrozavodsk.

Shunga village

North of Petrozavodsk on the Zaonezhsky Peninsula, at the northern tip of Lake Putkozero is located Shunga village. It is interesting in several ways. Firstly, Shunga is one of the oldest settlements in the region; the first written mention of the Shunginsky churchyard dates back to 1375.

The route to the White Sea passed through Shunga. Became widely known since the 17th century Shungin Fair , which existed until the 1930s. Since the 19th century, the art of embroiderers has spread; in Shunga there is Factory "Karelian Patterns" “, which in the past was called “Zaonezhskaya embroidery”.

And finally, one of the few deposits is located in Shunga shungite - a Precambrian rock that is used in metallurgy, construction, for water filtration, and also in alternative medicine. Shunga is the only place where a section with shungite veins comes to the surface; it has been given the status of a regional geological monument.

Tolvuya

On the southwestern shore of the Povenets Bay is the ancient village of Tolvuya, the first written mention of which dates back to 1375. Zosima Solovetsky was born in Tolvue (died 1478), one of the founders of the Solovetsky Monastery, a saint of the Russian Orthodox Church. In 1601, Nun Martha, the mother of Mikhail Fedorovich, the first Russian Tsar from the Romanov dynasty, was exiled to Tolvuya. Not far from the village near the shungite deposit there is spring "Tsaritsyn Key" . The windmill from Tolvui, an architectural monument, was moved to the Kizhi nature reserve.

Zero kilometer. Filmed somewhere near Tolvui. Digitized slide

Pali Island

On Pali Island (Paley Island), located 7 kilometers from Tolvui, there is Cornilie-Paleostrovsky Nativity Monastery , founded by the Valaam monk Cornelius at the end of the 14th century. At one time Zosima Solovetsky lived here in the monastery. At the end of the 17th century, the Old Believers captured the monastery and staged a “baptism of fire” in which between 2 and 3 thousand people died, mostly Old Believers and residents of nearby villages. You can only get to the monastery by water.

Paleoostrovsky monastery in the 1980s. Digitized slide

Types

An interesting village, which has the status of a complex architectural monument. It is located near the picturesque Tipinitskaya Bay of the Povenets Bay of Lake Onega. The wooden one has been preserved Chapel of the Descent of the Holy Spirit , cage type, built around 1870. The 18th-century wooden chapel of Peter and Paul was moved to the Kizhi Museum-Reserve.

The wooden Ascension Church, built in 1781, with an attached bell tower, adorning Typinitsy, burned down from a lightning strike in 1975. There is a project to move the wooden Typinitsa Church of the Great Martyr Varvara from the village of Yandomozero . At the moment, judging by publications on the Internet, the disassembled church was transported to Tipinitsy, but not assembled.

Onega peasants have long collected stones from the fields and placed them in such piles or walls. Digitized slide

South Deer Island

Located in the Kizhi archipelago. The largest Mesolithic burial ground in Europe was discovered here, with more than 170 burials. Such ancient artifacts as tools, religious objects, household items, etc. have been preserved. Finds from the Oleneostrovsky burial ground can be seen in the National Museum of the Republic of Karelia in Petrozavodsk. In addition, South Deer Island is a geological natural monument, where Precambrian rocks with fossilized remains of ancient organisms come to the surface.

Radkolye Island

Radkolie Island is located in the Kizhi archipelago. A huge number of archaeological sites have been discovered, including a pagan sanctuary, finds of the comb-pit pottery culture, etc. In the vicinity there are other archaeological sites of more recent times.

Batova village

Located in the Medvezhyegorsk district, approximately 50 km southeast of Medvezhyegorsk, on the eastern bank Lake Putkozero . The following architectural monuments have been preserved: wooden chapel of Antipas, Bishop of Pergamon built in 1880 and Kolobov's residential building 1898.

Kuzaranda village

Kuzaranda is located near the coast of the Zaonezhsky (Povenets) Gulf. In the past it included almost three dozen small villages, but now it is gradually emptying out. Located in the village Museum of folk storyteller Irina Andreevna Fedosova , born, lived and buried here.

Similar worship crosses can still be seen in Obonezhye. Digitized slide

Medvezhyegorsk

Interesting places connected with recent history are located at the northern tip of Lake Onega. These are Medvezhyegorsk and Povenets. In Medvezhyegorsk, the building where the Office of the White Sea Canal of the NKVD of the USSR was located has been preserved. Now the offices of the Federal Budgetary Institution "Belomorkanal" and Medvezhyegorsk Regional Museum.

In the 1930s, there were many camps in and around Medvezhyegorsk, and former prisoners, often convicted under political charges, lived in the village itself. This left a certain imprint on the appearance of the city.

Povenets

In Povenets, located near Bear Mountain, you can see an interesting modern Church in the name of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker , built in memory of those killed during the construction of the White Sea Canal. Next to her - gateways of the White Sea-Baltic Canal , and a little further away it begins Povenchansky gateway staircase . A road is laid along them at some distance.

Gateway No. 3 of the White Sea Canal and the beginning of the Povenchanskaya Stairs

Sandarmokh

Between Povenets and Medvezhyegorsk there is a truly terrible place - the Sandarmokh tract, where almost 10 thousand people were shot and buried in 1937-1938. Now a memorial complex has been built here in memory of those repressed.

Lake Suavjarvi

56 km northwest of Medvezhyegorsk is Lake Suavyarvi (Suvari), which is meteorite crater , which fell to Earth approximately 2.6 billion years ago. Thus, this is one of the oldest craters on our planet. However, not all geologists share the theory of the meteorite origin of the lake.

Chelmuzhi village

The village of Chelmuzhi is located on the eastern shore of the Povenets Bay of Lake Onega, in Chelmuzhskaya Bay (Chelmoguba). In the village there is a unique architectural monument - a wooden Church of Peter and Paul or Epiphany built at the end of the 16th - beginning of the 17th century, one of the oldest in Zaonezhie. It is a transitional type from a cage church to a tent-roofed church.

Located nearby Chelmuzh braid , which has the status of a state regional geological natural monument. The Eastern Chelmuzhskaya Casa is a sandy shore covered with pine forest. Western Chelmuzhskaya Spit is an island.

The village of Pyalma, which has the status of a historical settlement, is very picturesque (not to be confused with the village of Pyalma, located a few kilometers to the north). In Pyalma ancient wooden houses XIX - early XX centuries, Elias Chapel 18th century, beautiful antique bridge across the Pyalma River. The river itself is picturesque. In the past, it was rich in fish, and there were pearl mussels. From Pyalma you can walk to the shore of Lake Onega.

Pudozh

Pudozh is a city, the center of the Pudozhsky district, located on the Vodla River approximately 25 km from its confluence with Lake Onega, on the A-119 highway. Known at least since the 14th century. In the central part there is preserved wooden and stone buildings of the 19th - early 20th centuries , including the stone house of the benefactor, merchant Alexander Petrovich Bazegsky. Restored Church of St. Alexander Nevsky , built in 1903 according to the design of the architect S.V. Nyukhalov. Works Pudozh Museum of History and Local Lore them. A.F. Korableva, located in the historical building of the former Zemstvo Government.

Lake Vodlozero

Lake Vodlozero is located 70 km east of Pudozh, which is part of Vodlozersky National Park . In the past, there were more than 40 villages on the banks of Vodlozero. Nowadays several have survived, the largest of which is Kuganavolok, one of the visitor centers of the Vodlozersky National Park. In Kuganavolok there is the Church of St. Diodorus the Wonderworker of Yuriegorsk, built in 2006, and the Peter and Paul Chapel.

There is a monastery on the island of Maly Kolgostrov on Vodlozero. St. Elias Vodlozersky churchyard , which can only be reached by water. According to legend, the graveyard arose on the site of an ancient pagan sanctuary. The main attraction is the wooden Church of Elijah the Prophet, built in 1798.

There are other attractions on Vodlozero that can only be reached by water.

Cape Besov Nos

On the eastern shore of Lake Onega, perhaps the most mysterious place is located - Cape Besov Nos, where petroglyphs , created by the inhabitants of these places approximately in the 4th-3rd millennium BC. In addition, petroglyphs were discovered on capes Kladovets, Gagazhiy, Peri Nos, on Guriy Island, on Karetsky Nos and on the Kochkovnavolok peninsula near the village of Shalsky.

An experienced driver can drive to Besov Nos in a specially prepared SUV (this is a matter of honor for jeepers). For the rest, the best option is to rent a motorboat from Shalsky or Karshevo, the local population of which is engaged in delivering tourists to the petroglyphs.

If you are traveling by water, then you can get to Besovo Nos only if you have some experience in navigation and flair. The fact is that the weather on Onego changes very quickly. Particularly strong waves occur on the eastern shore. Maybe that’s why ancient people carved the figure of the Demon here - a bisexual creature expressing the dual unity of our world.

Located relatively close to Besov Nos Murom Holy Dormition Monastery, founded in the 14th century. Getting to it is very problematic. The best way is by motor boat from the village of Gakugsa, located 15 km from the monastery. You can walk or use an SUV. According to the descriptions and photographs, the place is very picturesque. But at the same time it is secluded - tourists better not disturb the peace of the monastery.

Church of the Resurrection of Lazarus from the Murom Monastery , built at the end of the 14th century and being the oldest surviving wooden building, was transported to the Kizhi Museum-Reserve.

Andoma Mountain (Cape Andoma)

Andoma Mountain - a high cliff above the lake, from which a magnificent panorama of the endless expanses of Lake Onega opens. It is a cut Devonian deposits (360-420 million years ago). The absolute height of Andoma Mountain is about 85 meters, above the level of Lake Onega - about 45 meters. Here you can see multi-colored sandstones and sands: red, green, purple, the remains of petrified trees and armored fish.

It is located in the Vologda region, in the Vytegorsky district. You need to leave the Vytegra-Medvezhyegorsk highway (A-119) soon after Tudozera (which also deserves attention), a pointer to the Emergencies Ministry base and Olkovo. The road is first asphalt, then a dirt road, and is passable for ordinary cars. Near village of Gnevashevskaya There is an observation deck. Nearby there is a monument to those who fell during the Second World War and two wooden churches. Along the coast you can find places to spend the night.

View from the water to Cape Andoma. Digitized slide

Mount Andoma in winter (view south)

Panorama of Andoma Mountain (view to the north)

Finally, Vytegra itself. An interesting city located approximately 15 km from the coast of Lake Onega. Passes through Vytegra Volga-Baltic Canal . Vytegra is very picturesque, it houses museums: “Submarine B-440” on the Vytegra Reservoir, “Waterways of the North”, Vytegorsky Museum of Local Lore, and the museum of the poet Nikolai Klyuev. Ancient stone buildings of the 18th-19th centuries and the large Church of the Presentation of the Lord have been preserved.

During our visit to Vytegra we lived in. The highlight of the hotel is the observation deck in the form of a lighthouse, from where magnificent panoramas of Vytegra and the surrounding area open up.

The surroundings of Vytegra are also interesting. You can, for example, look at the system of locks and reservoirs of the Volga-Baltic Canal. Or go to Vytegorsky Pogost . Previously, there was a wooden 25-domed Church of the Intercession, built in 1708. Unfortunately, it burned down in 1963 and was recreated according to old drawings in the early 2000s in the Nevsky forest park of the Vsevolzhsky district of the Leningrad region, on the territory of the Bogoslovka Estate complex. The ruins of stone churches have been preserved: the Image of the Savior Not Made by Hands and All Saints.

The building of the former Mariinsky Canal hydroelectric power station, now the “Waterways of the North” museum

I repeat that in this section I have listed only the most important, in my opinion, attractions of Obonezhye.

Where to live: hotels and recreation centers in the vicinity of Lake Onega

Until recently, the only affordable housing in Obonezhye was a tent and a hotel in Petrozavodsk. But now the situation has changed dramatically: guest houses and tourist centers with all amenities have been built in many villages or near them. If you are not a fan of spending the night in a tent and cooking food on a fire or gas burner, then such camp sites are the ideal solution. At many tourist centers you can rent a boat. Then you will be able to see those sights of Lake Onega that can only be reached from the water.

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Excursions around Karelia

There are many interesting excursions around Karelia. You can book some of them through our partner.

Attractions on the map

I hope this small guide will help you plan your trip to Lake Onega and see the most interesting places. If you know other picturesque places in the Lake Onega area, please write in the comments to the article.

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“Onego-father” - this is what the Russian people who lived on the shores of Lake Onega since ancient times called their breadwinner, which they considered this quiet, transparent surface framed by picturesque shores under the sky, shining with pearly light through the veil of almost constant clouds here.
Russian scientist historian and archaeologist of the late 19th century, founder of the Russian school of ethnography N.N. Kharuzin (1865-1900) in his work “Materials collected among the peasants of the Pudozh district of the Olonets province” cites this, written down by him, appeal to the lake: “Berezhok-father, mother-vodushka, king of the water and queen of the water with small children, with the arriving guests, bless the water to take, not for the sake of cunning, not for the sake of wisdom, but for the sake of goodness and health. shores. And also, of course, for the beauty that pleases the eye and soul. And now the townspeople who come to Lake Onega with the aim of seeing the wooden architecture of the Kizhi nature reserve, the “demons” - the petroglyphs of Cape Besov Nos, fishing, just relaxing and unwinding, all as one say that they experience an unusually strong surge of spiritual strength here.
The name Onego is Sami in origin, as are many of the original names of settlements on its shores, which is a clear answer to the question of who developed these shores. Scandinavians and Russians also call the Finno-Ugric Sami Lop, Loplyane and Lapp (this is where the toponym Lapland comes from). The Vepsians (Chud) also lived here. The Slavs came here in the 5th century. In the Sami language the word ale, or elo, transformed in Russian into Onego or Onega, simply means “Big Lake”. It is large, the second largest water mirror in Europe after Lake Ladoga, with which it is connected by the only river flowing from Onego - the Svir, while about 50 rivers flow into it. As for the more ancient inhabitants of the shores of Lake Onega, archaeological excavations on the islands of southern Zaonezhye, Bolshoi Lelikovsky and Maloye Lelikovsky, indicate that people there lived sedentary since the Neolithic era (the turn of the V-IV - the beginning of the 3rd millennium BC).
Geologists attribute the rocks that make up the lake basin to the Proterozoic period. Hydrologists believe that this basin was filled mainly with water from melting glaciers, as well as underground springs. At the same time, river beds flowing into the lake were formed. The location of the fjords in the north and northwest of the lake, rocky ridges and scatterings of small islands covered with granite boulders between them in the lips (bays) on the map of the lake is a kind of schematic reproduction of the movement of the ice cover here on the ground. This movement occurred gradually and during different periods of the ancient glaciation of the European continent, with powerful jerks and shocks generated, as is quite obvious, by tectonic processes during the movement of the margins of lithospheric plates. Under the influence of these processes, larger islands of the lake were also formed, the total number of which, together with very tiny ones, is about 150. The largest of the islands is Bolshoi Klimetsky (Klimenetsky), whose area is 147 km 2; There are several settlements and a school here. Other large islands are (Kizh), Kerk, Olenyi, Sennogubsky, Suisari. Large islands are located in the northern segment of the lake.
Depths in the southern segment of the lake on coastal waters range from 9 to 14.5 m. Netak in the north. From the line Petrozavodsk - the mouth of the Vodla River, bottom depressions begin, some reach depths of 111, 115.5 and even 132.5 m, although the maximum depth is still considered to be 127 m. The point here is not the disagreement of hydrographers, but the fact that the level water in Onega can vary depending on the strong winds prevailing in a given year, moving layers of water, or the amount of precipitation.
Lake Onega on the territory of Karelia (mainly), Leningrad and Vologda regions extends from north-northwest to south-southeast. The maximum length of the lake - between the Black Sands shore in the south and the mouth of the Kumsa River in the north - reaches 220 km, and the width - from Lake Logmo, actually an extension of Onega, to the village of Pudozhsky Pogost - 86 km. The coastline in the south is relatively smooth, in the north it is indented by narrow fjords bordered by skerries.
Some were created by nature, others by man. There is no point in arguing about which ones are more important, they are all valuable because, in fact, they are inseparable.
The natural resources of Lake Onega are not fundamentally different from those of Lake Ladoga or, say, Lake Vänern in Sweden, because all these lakes of Northern Europe stand on the same geological Baltic granite shield, have a common history of origin, similar climate and hydrology. True, Onega belongs to the Baltic Shield only in its northern part, and in its southern part - to the Russian Platform. A layman will not notice this, but any person who understands the dim northern nature will be glad that he again sees deserted sand spits, rocky capes, and vanguard troops of virgin coniferous forests approaching the water. And also to the fact that you can be in silence and fish from your heart here in the clean water. The bottom of the lake with its muddy areas, elevation changes from deep holes to shallow water, underwater ridges contribute to the fact that different breeds of fish are found here, and they gain considerable body weight. The ichthyofauna of Lake Onega includes 47 species and varieties of fish. Among them are sterlet, salmon, trout, lake and brook trout, pike, whitefish, grayling, eel, etc. The lake begins to freeze around mid-December, but this is not the main obstacle for fishing enthusiasts, but the short daylight hours.
Onega is connected to Ladoga by the Svir River, and to the White Sea by the White Sea-Baltic Canal. And so on: with the Volga, Caspian and Black Seas - through the network of canals of the Volga-Baltic waterway.
In total, 552 man-made monuments are registered on the lake coast today. Among the petroglyphs of Onega, the most famous, whose age is 5-6 thousand years, are those located on Cape Besov Nos, especially three large “figures” - an anthropomorphic “Demon” 2.3 m long, with a crack running through its entire “body” , looking really ominous, “Otter” (or “Lizard”) and “Burbot” (or “Catfish”). There are other places on Onega with Neolithic monuments, no less interesting, on the rocky outcrops of the coast from the mouth of the Vodla River to the mouth of the Chernaya River: it is better to learn about them and the road to them on the spot; the tourist infrastructure here, alas, is not yet very developed. The technique for creating these images is common for the Neolithic: point cutting on stone. On the Kochkovnavolok Peninsula at the mouth of Vodpa there are deposits discovered in the 1980-1990s. the northernmost rock paintings of Lake Onega. Anthropomorphic figures are also found here, but images of animals predominate, and among them are swans (swans are also found in other clusters of petroglyphs). The largest local “swan” is 4.12 m from head to tail. These petroglyphs are preserved much worse than on Besovy Nos: erosion has affected, some images are overgrown with lichens, and yet the most valuable impression from what was seen here is that the ancient hunters and fishermen thought not only about food, they also admired the world around them and, judging by the size of some of the figures, deified it, because the swan is not a game bird at all, but the personification of beauty and purity.
The beauty of the wooden buildings collected on the island of Kizhi in the State Museum-Reserve of Russian Orthodox Wooden Architecture “Kizhi”, or “Kizhi Pogost”, is included in the UNESCO World Heritage List. In addition to the churches originally built on the island itself, chapels, houses and outbuildings from Zaonezhye and other regions of Karelia were also moved here with all possible care. There are many legends about the unique nature of the exhibits in this open-air museum. The most famous of them is that the carpenter Nestor, who built the Church of the Transfiguration of the Lord with one ax (initially - without a single nail), threw the ax into the lake so that no one could copy his work.

general information

A lake of glacial-tectonic origin on the territory of the Republic, Leningrad and Vologda regions in the north-west of the European part of the Russian Federation.
Education time: about 12 thousand years ago, with the end of the last Valdai glaciation.
According to hydrographic parameters, Lake Onega is included in the water basin of Lake Ladoga and the Neva River.
Type: fresh.
The most significant flowing rivers: Vytegra, Suna, Andoma, Vodla, Shuya.
The largest islands: Bolshoi Klimetsky, Bolshoy Lelikovsky (in southern Zaonezhye), Kerk, Olenyi, Sennogubsky, Suisari.
Cities: Petrozavodsk, Kondopoga, Medvezhyegorsk, urban-type settlement Povenets.
Flowing river: Svir.
Nearest airports: Pulkovo in St. Petersburg (international), Besovets in Petrozavodsk.

Numbers

Length: 220 km.
Maximum width: 86 km.
Note: different sources give different figures for the length and width of the lake.
Water surface area: 9720 km 2 (excluding islands, whose area is 224 km 2).
Total number of islands: more than 1500.
Volume of water mass: 295 km 3 .
Coastline length: 1280 km.
Maximum depth: 127 m.
Catchment area: 62,800 km 2 .
Water clarity: from 1.5 to 8 m.

Climate and weather

Transitional: from temperate continental to maritime.
Average January temperature: -9°C.
Average temperature in July: +16°C.
Maximum water temperature in July-August: +24°С.
Average annual precipitation: 610 mm.

Economy

Shipping.
Fishing.
Tourism.

Attractions

■ Petrozavodsk: Alexander Nevsky Cathedral (1826), Holy Cross Church (1852), Onega Embankment - an open-air museum, which houses a monument to the founder of the city Peter I, monuments-gifts from sister cities, the Tree of Wishes, other sculptures and buildings, Park of Culture and Leisure - the former Peter's Garden, founded in 1703, the oldest park in Russia.
■ Kondopoga: wooden church of the Assumption of the Mother of God (1774), local history museum, Ice Palace (2001).
■ Petroglyphs of Cape Besov Nos, the Kochkovnavolok Peninsula and other rocky ledges on the banks.
■ Kizhi Island- State Historical-Architectural and Ethnographic Museum-Reserve “Kizhi” (UNESCO World Heritage Site): ensemble “Kizhi Pogost”: Church of the Transfiguration of the Lord (1714), crowned with a complex system of 22 chapters located in 4 tiers; Church of the Intercession of the Virgin (1764), Tent Bell Tower (1863), the oldest wooden church in Russia - the Resurrection of Lazarus from the Murom Monastery (XIV century), as well as other churches, chapels, peasant houses, barns, mill, barns - a total of 76 buildings.
■ Monuments of Pegrema(discovered in 1985) - archaeological complex 1.5 km from the village of Pegrema on the Zaonezhsky Peninsula 100 monuments from different eras, including a unique cult complex (III-II millennium BC): boulders resembling figures people and animals.
■ Bolshoi Klimetsky Island.

Curious facts

■ Bolshoi Klimetsky Island has a reputation for being an anomalous place. Those who like to interpret mysticism explain the origin of such stories by saying that there is an “entrance to parallel worlds.” Ancient legends about ghosts wandering around the island and “witch fires” can immediately be attributed to the phantasmagoria of an inflamed consciousness, because it is known that there was an ancient temple on the island. But there are also facts of our time that have not yet been explained in any way. So, in 1973, the captain of the fishing vessel Pulkin disappeared here. It is impossible to imagine that he got lost; he is a local, experienced person. Pulkin appeared 34 days later, dirty, ragged and exhausted. But he didn’t really say anything, he only insisted that he didn’t remember where he was or what happened to him. In 2008, local fisherman Efimov said that “someone” took him in the same circle five times in a row. In the summer of 2009, a group of students landed on the shore. But as soon as they pitched their tents, they heard a rumble coming from somewhere underground. Everyone began to have severe headaches and nausea. The frightened youth quickly packed up and set off on their way back. As soon as the guys sailed away from the shore, all the unpleasant symptoms subsided.
■ From time to time, rumors arise about increased levels of radiation on Kizhi Island. Scientists from the Institute of Geology of the Karelian Scientific Center of the Russian Academy of Sciences, based on their research, refuted these idle speculations.
■ The word “trolling” in the language of modern people is associated primarily with some kind of practical joke, deliberate challenge, provocation, manipulation. Most often it appears on social networks - both as a course of action and as a term. However, the primary origin of this word is from the vocabulary of fishermen. This is a fishing method. On Lake Onega, trolling at medium depths, from 30 to 60 m, is widely used. Its essence is to place the bait in the water from a boat or motor boat. When trolling, up to 10 rods are used. They are installed on the sides using special devices.
■ Since 1972, the largest international multi-day sailing regatta in Russia has been held on Lake Onega at the end of July. Mostly cruising yachts of the "Eagle 800" class participate in the races; since 2003, yachts of the "Micro" class are also allowed to compete. The regatta starts and finishes in Petrozavodsk.

No wonder Karelia is called the land of blue lakes. After all, there are over 60 thousand of them here. It just so happens that of the two largest such reservoirs - Onega and Lake Ladoga, throughout history seem to compete with each other in their superiority. Yes, Lake Onega both in depth and in area it is twice as shallow, but its waters, into which more than 1,150 rivers flow (in comparison: only 35 rivers into Ladoga) wash 1,650 islands (which is 2.5 times more, unlike Ladoga). Even in terms of water quality, Onego puts Ladoga to shame, even Baikal itself!
The shores in the northern part of the lake are elevated, densely covered with forest and quite heavily indented by bays, capes, lips, cliffs, while in the southern half they are low, mostly swampy.
Mainly on Onego Storms are common when waves reach heights of over 2 meters, but there are exceptions with breezes and calms in the summer months.

History of Lake Onega

Lake Onega belongs to the Baltic Sea basin and is located in the southeastern part of Karelia, similar in shape to some kind of monster, extending either claws or tentacles in the form of bays to the north.
In connection with what the lake was given such a name has not been established to this day. However, there are several versions of its origin. According to the first, aniz means “significant” in Finnish, which corresponds to the impressive size of the reservoir, because it is not for nothing that it is listed as the second largest in Europe. According to another version, from the Sami “onego” is translated as sand, i.e. "lake with a sandy bottom." Another assumption is “low-lying plain” (a lake formed in a lowland) or a variant from Finnish - “sound”, explained by the echo reflected from the rocks that prevail in these places.
Previously, the Finns called Onego “smoking lake” because of the frequent and thick fogs over the reservoir.
The basin of Lake Onega was formed as a result of the activity of a glacier in a place where the earth’s crust collapsed, so large depths are characteristic here, reaching a maximum of 130 meters.

Islands

The main part of the islands is concentrated in the northern and northeastern parts of Onega.
Zaonezhye- the largest peninsula on the lake. This area is included in the UNESCO heritage list as a unique area, the only one in all of Europe. There are many interesting objects scattered here and there along the islands and shores of Zaonezhye: villages, famous and not so well known, with old huts, churches, chapels. Among travelers, Zaonezhie is nicknamed “Russian Rome”. The Kizhi chernozems grow diverse and unique vegetation that is unique to other islands. So every 100 meters, one type of forest is replaced by another.
On one of these islands is pearl of Lake Onega and Zaonezhye, the calling card of Karelia - a whole museum, containing masterpieces of wooden architecture in the open air, famous throughout the world - Kizhi.
In the 10th century, the history of the island began, when the local lands, inhabited by Finnish tribes - the Korela and Ves (from which the Vepsians and Karelians descended), gradually began to be developed by the Novgorodians. This mixture of two nationalities left its mark on the formation of the island’s culture (which affected the local dialect, examples of architecture, and epics).

The Kizhi Museum-Reserve includes another specially protected part - the Kizhi Skerries, which are a labyrinth of numerous islands of various shapes and sizes: from large to very tiny. Some are covered with tall grass meadows, some with dense forests, some have inland lakes, others have swamps.

The most valuable natural objects of the Kizhi skerries include:

Inland lakes and swamps on Klimetsky Island are a stopping and resting place for swans and geese, as well as a nesting place for cranes. Here you can see rare species of insectivorous plants.

Volkostrov Island a kilometer north of Kizhi Island. These are rocks famous for the extraction of Volkostrovsky amethysts and overgrown with meadows, and in the center of the object there is a grassy swamp with a number of rare plants of the republic. Inspected only on special routes.

Radkolye Island- a rocky island, therefore the soil cover is very rocky, and therefore it is impossible to find a forest here, except that birch and pine trees grow in small groups, and rare plant species for this region, as well as native plant species, are of particular interest.

Lelikovo Island has long been overgrown with waist-deep grass, a few houses with tiny windows. And at the very beginning of the 19th century there were over 280 residents and 90 households. The bulk of the population were Novgorodians who fled the oppression of their boyars. Their main occupation was arable farming. Therefore, there are no forests here, since the trees were completely cut down to create arable land.
The church in the name of the Holy Forerunner was built by the local merchant Kleerov. The entire facility fell into disrepair, the iconostasis was completely stolen. And although the church is not a masterpiece, it is a legacy from our ancestors. A hundred-year-old two-story stone house in which the founder of the shrine lived has been preserved here to this day.

Near the village of Podjelniki there is a sacred grove. Ancient fir trees, the maximum diameter of whose trunks reach a meter, were concentrated around the local chapel.
The wooden chapel of Praskeva Pyatnitsa and Varlaam Khutynsky (1750) is not operational, the iconostasis has not been preserved. It consists of two rectangular log houses placed end to end. The wider one is a vestibule with a porch, the narrower one is the chapel itself. A hexagonal bell tower rises above the entrance hall. The belfry tent is supported by pillars and ends with onion domes. Both log houses are covered with a gable roof. On the south side of the chapel there is a bench for rest, where you will have the opportunity to inhale the aroma of freshly cut hay and wild rosemary, and see cloudberries and cranberries ripening in the swamp nearby.

Thermokarst sinkholes in the central part of Kizhi Island (100 meters west of the village of Yamka) illustrate a complete picture of how the landscape was formed. When the glacier melted, rivers with melt water formed in its thickness. Sand and gravel absorbed blocks of ice, which subsequently melted and formed caves, the arches of which were so unstable that they collapsed, forming craters.

Deer Island

12 km east of Kizhi Island, with an area of ​​just over 1 sq. km, it is an archaeological monument of the republic, since limestone deposits formed by the remains of sponges, mosses, corals and blue-green algae dating back more than 2 billion years have been preserved here. In the 17th century, limestone mining was carried out on the island, during which a burial ground with the bones of an ancient man, presumably considered an ancestor who stood at the origins of the formation of the Sami people, was discovered, as well as numerous hunting and fishing tools, and jewelry.

The village of Suisar, Prionezhsky district (50 km from Petrozavodsk), founded in the 16th century, has preserved its original historical layout and the remains of a relict spruce grove. But the local ancient forge was transported to the island of Kizhi and is now presented as an exhibit. Nowadays Suisar is an integral stop for the yacht regatta, which is held annually in Lake Onega

"Osudareva Road"

The exact location of the path was not recorded in historical sources. It stretched through swampy forests, from the village of Nyukhcha in the White Sea to Povenets in Lake Onega, with the aim of secretly leaving the troops of Peter I to the Swedish fortress of Noteburg in order to recapture and return to Russia the banks of the Neva and access to the Baltic coast at the beginning of the 18th century. The road is 260 km long. was laid out in 14 days and overcome on foot by battalions in 8 days, which in history is a complete paradox.

A couple of kilometers from the Village of Pegrema, Medvezhyegorsky district, surrounded by a pine forest, there is a complex of the same name, which was so carefully hidden by nature in thick grass, was opened to public viewing thanks to a fire: boulders in the form of human figures, animal figures “Duck”, “Frog” ", which served as idols for worshiping the souls of the dead, amulets circles made of boulders lined with a snail. Burials of an ancient man were discovered on the territory of the monument

Klimetsky Island is the largest on the way to Kizhi Island (7 km from the reserve) with a length of 30 km. These places were made famous by local storytellers in various legends and epics. In addition, Klimetsky gained particular fame, perhaps, as the most mysterious, shrouded in many inexplicable stories: vibration of the ground underfoot, a oppressive buzzing that causes terrible headaches, people disappearing in one place and appearing in a completely different place, memory lapses and much more.

On the same island you can see the ruins and, in some places, preserved frescoes of the Klimets Monastery (16th century). According to legend, the Novgorod merchant Klim was caught in a storm during his next trade route, and after praying for salvation, he promised the Almighty to build a monastery in this place. Soon deserts appeared on the island. After this incident, Klim spent the rest of his life in solitude in the holy monastery. Despite the dilapidated state of the building, the atmosphere here is peaceful.

Sandarmokh International Memorial Cemetery, Medvezhyegorsky district, highway A119 to Povenets, 12 km. from Medvezhyegorsk.
In the 30s of the 20th century, the place was used as an execution and burial place for victims of Stalinist repressions (there are about 7 thousand people of 60 nationalities). These were mainly prisoners of the White Sea-Baltic Canal and Solovetsky camps.
In the chapel located nearby there is a book that lists the names of the people who were executed. There are no birds singing here, no traces of animals. Now there are steles and crosses installed here.

Places of petroglyphs - The eastern shores of Lake Onega are mainly represented by rocky capes preserving monuments of the stone chronicle - petroglyphs represented by signs, drawings of animals, birds and conveying the consciousness of those people who lived here in the era of millennia BC. Until now, the meaning of many has not been figured out by scientists.

Cape Besov Nose is the richest in petroglyphs. Of this abundance, the most famous is a drawing in the shape of a demon, more than 2 meters in length. On the cape there is a lighthouse that is no longer operational. 200 meters east of the cape lies the rocky island "Besikha", which is adjacent to the cape. It is worth noting that the Demon's Nose is listed as a landmark in the Onega Regatta.

Cape Peri Nos is located a kilometer north of Besov Cape. Of all the petroglyphs located in the Onega complex, half are located on this cape. Some of the petroglyphs are located at the bottom of the lake. The edges of the cape are strongly indented by seven capes of varying sizes with rock carvings near the water, between which bays and bays are concentrated.

West Bank

Shoksha- an ancient Vepsian village 60 km away. from Petrozavodsk. The history of the village began with the mining and processing of crimson quartzite. This is the only deposit of royal and time-tested stone. It was used in the decoration of the Kazan Cathedral, Mausoleum, Winter Palace, and was also supplied to France for Napoleon’s tombstone.
16 km from Shoksha you will see the ruins of one of the oldest in Karelia, the Annunciation Ion-Yashezersky Monastery (the village of Sheltozero, surrounded by forest lakes-lambushki), already mentioned in sources during the reign of Ivan the Terrible. The desert was founded by a student of Alexander Svirsky - Jonah. Now the monastery is being restored.

Kolgostrov is one of the large islands of Lake Onega, with an area of ​​about 7 sq. km. An interesting object on the “Bell” rock is located in the southwestern part of the island - a “ringing stone” in the form of a boulder, when hit on the top of which with a small cobblestone, the stone emits a melodic sound, reminiscent of the ringing of a church bell.

Where to stay

A vacation away from civilization on the shores of the picturesque Lake Onega can be not only serene, but also comfortable accommodation, each option equipped with all the amenities of modern life. From the variety offered, any guest will find accommodation to their liking and taste.
At the recreation center "Zaonego.Ru" there are cottages with a high level of comfort (7 km from the property), a house with amenities in the Kizhi skerries area. Services: hunting (1000 rubles/person/day), fishing (500 rubles/8 hours), boat trips (from 700 rubles/day), excursions (from 2000 rubles), sauna, barbecue.
Tourist base "Senoval" (village of Garnitsy, 7 km from Kizhi), guest houses with a bathhouse, kitchen, smokehouse and barbecue, shop 3 km away. Accommodation cost from 2800 rubles/day.
Tourist base "Big Bear" (M18, 27 km from Medvezhyegorsk), guest complex for 2 people. - from 1800, VIP cottage - from 3000, fisherman's cottage for 6 people - from 4200 rubles/day.

Fishing

IN Lake Onega There are about 50 species of fish, among them: pike, perch, bream, pike perch, catfish, burbot, sterlet and even salmon and trout. This diversity is determined by the complexity of the bottom topography due to alternating depressions and increases in depth, which creates favorable conditions for its expansion.
The most common method of fishing, which even a beginner can master, is trolling (using a boat with a motor), which can also use a downrigger for catching deep-sea fish. Spinning fishing is also used - throwing bait into the water, which then begins to slowly pull up, simulating movement towards the shore.

Fishing pier, Kvartsitny village (70 km from Petrozavodsk). Services: boats, echo sounders, barbecue, smokehouse. Renting a boat for 4-5 people for 8 hours will cost about 10 thousand rubles, including the cost of fuel and fishing gear.

Country Club "Silver Onega". Services: salmon fishing licenses - 500 rubles, instructor, gear, catch storage - 50 rubles/pcs/day. A boat for 3 people for 5 hours will cost 12,000, a catamaran for 6 people for the same time will cost 15,000 rubles.

White nights in Karelia are considered one of the attractions of this region, and compared to St. Petersburg, here they last longer, starting from the May holidays and ending in August. This phenomenon is of particular interest to lovers of picturesque landscapes, when all nature is filled with magical colors. At this time of day it is quite light, almost like daytime. It is during this period that fans of extreme sports gather annually for the White Nights rally.

Discover your corner in Lake Onega! Enjoy the silence of Karelian nature and the beauty of local landscapes, get an unforgettable experience of a wonderful vacation!

Attractions

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Onego is the name given to a vast body of water in northwestern Russia in ancient times. Lake Onega, mesmerizing in its beauty, is spread across the vast expanses of Karelia, Leningrad and Vologda regions. This is one of the largest freshwater lakes in Europe, second in size only to its neighbor - the majestic Ladoga. The area of ​​Lake Onega is slightly less than 10,000 square meters. km, and its length from south to north reaches about 250 km. The surroundings of Onego are striking in their diversity: the northern shores are rocky, indented by deep bays; the southern half, on the contrary, is solid, with low-lying and marshy areas; The eastern shore is formed by sandy deposits. The lake is famous for its numerous protected areas, unusually clean and transparent water, and excellent fishing. On the banks of Onego, inhabited since ancient times, many historical monuments have been preserved. All together - magnificent nature and rich historical and cultural heritage - make this amazing northern region incredibly attractive for tourists at any time of the year.

Museum, Landmark, Landmark

The lands adjacent to Lake Onega were in ancient times called Obonezhye. The names of its individual territories have long appeared. Thus, the area, including a huge peninsula in the north of the lake and the islands adjacent to it, became widely known as Zaonezhye. This is one of the most beautiful places in Karelia, a unique historical, cultural and natural landscape space.

The Kizhi skerries are rightfully considered a pearl, or rather the pearls of Zaonezhye. This is the name of the archipelago, which consists of about 500 islands with a total area of ​​560 square meters. km. Here the lake branches into many narrow and long bays surrounding islands of various shapes and sizes, and together forming a complex, unique labyrinth. The entire archipelago is a protected area. About 700 plant species grow on the islands, which is almost 2/3 of the entire flora of Karelia. The territory of the Kizhi skerries is home to various waterfowl, including rare species.

The largest island of the natural complex is Bolshoi Klimetsky, its area is 147 square meters. km. The Kizhi skerries system also includes tiny islands, which are flat rocks that barely rise above the water. But the island of Kizhi has become a world celebrity of the archipelago, on the territory of which there is a most valuable historical and architectural ensemble, including monuments of ancient Russian wooden architecture. A visit to this protected corner of the planet is comparable to traveling in a time machine.

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Sight

Another exceptional object of the Kizhi archipelago is the South Oleniy Island, located 12 km from the Kizhi pier. The area of ​​the island is only 75 hectares. However, it was here that the largest Mesolithic burial ground in Northern Europe was discovered - over 170 burials of reindeer islanders who lived approximately 7.5 thousand years BC. As a result of archaeological research of the ancient “necropolis”, the richest material was collected, revealing the culture of primitive tribes. Unique artifacts - ancient tools and household equipment, religious objects and amulets - are today presented in the National Museum of the Republic of Karelia in the city of Petrozavodsk.

South Oleniy Island is also a geological natural monument of Karelia. Here Precambrian rocks (limestones and dolomites) with fossilized remains of the most ancient organisms that existed on the globe come to the surface.

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Rep. Karelia, Medvezhyegorsky district

Sight

Near the Big Klimenets Island there is a rock about 500 m long and almost 160 m wide. This small piece of land, rising above the surface of the lake, is of great interest to lovers of ancient history. The cultic nature of the monuments located on its territory is reflected in the very name of the island. "Radkolie" translated from the Baltic-Finnish languages ​​means "rock of a dead animal." Thus, there is reason to believe that this place is associated with sacrifices. Witnesses of the ancient pagan cult are the temples that have survived to this day, scattered throughout the island: stonework, oval or spiral in shape.

The most popular object of the former sanctuary was the “Radkol God” - a 2 m high remnant on the edge of a steep cliff. The natural depressions on the side of the boulder facing the water are shaped like a human face. A number of local rituals are associated with the mysterious stone idol. So, until the beginning of the 20th century, “Radkol Sunday” was celebrated in the surrounding villages: on the last Sunday before Ivan Kupala Day, festivities were held here. The people still remember the sacred Radkol pine tree, which was preserved on the island after the Radkol forest was cut down for the construction of the Klimenets monastery at the beginning of the 16th century. Today the rock is covered with bushes and woodlands. The high island serves as a natural observation deck: from here a delightful panorama of the Kizhi skerries opens.

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Republic, Karelia, Big Klimenets Island

Sight

The Zaonezhsky Peninsula, lying between the Povenets Bay and the Unitskaya Bay of Lake Onega, is fraught with many mysteries. Here, on the shore of Unitskaya Bay, there is the abandoned village of Pegrema, which was once a typical example of wooden architecture in Zaonezhie. To date, of the ancient buildings in Pegrem, only the wooden chapel of Varlaam Khutynsky, erected in the second half of the 18th century, has survived.

In the 70s of the last century, the last inhabitants left the village. And in 1985 and the early 1990s, the surroundings of Pegrema became the object of serious scientific research, as a result of which a large cult complex was discovered, revealing the richness of the spiritual culture of the ancient inhabitants of Zaonezhye. The complex is a cluster of stones-boulders, whose structure is similar to human and animal figures. The oldest monuments date back to 3–2 thousand BC. Among the stone idols of various shapes, there are very complex specimens. Particular attention is drawn to such religious buildings as a circle-amulet made of boulders in the shape of a snail; the figure of a giant frog - one of the symbols of fertility; stone in the shape of a human skull. In total, there are more than 100 stone objects located on the territory of the former sanctuary.

Today in Pegrem there is a cultural and historical center that helps introduce a wide audience to the ancient cult complex - one of the most interesting sights of Karelia.

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Rep. Karelia, Pegrema village

Landmark, Lake/Pond

The surroundings of Lake Onega are full of natural wonders, including rock faults and “hanging lakes” on the shore of the Unitskaya Bay, not far from the legendary Pegrema. The lakes are located in rocky ground and are located in steps relative to each other. At the same time, the level of Onego is lower than the coastal lakes, which seem to “rise” and “hang” above it. The lakes are separated from the bay and from each other by narrow bridges; in many places the coast is almost vertical. Visitors to these protected areas admire the silence that reigns here and the indescribable beauty of nature, reflected in the water surface of the lake cascade. Fishermen often go to picturesque bodies of water, for whom not only the catch is important, but also the impressions of the surrounding atmosphere.

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Rep. Karelia, Tyutozero

Sight

In the waters of Unitskaya Bay there is the island of Kolgostrov, which until the 13th century was inhabited by Vepsians, Karelians, and even earlier by the Sami, the oldest people of Northern Europe. The Russian population, who arrived in this region from the Novgorod lands, gave the island its current name. “Kolgostrov” is translated from the Baltic-Finnish languages ​​as “Sounding Island”. A rock located in the western part of the island received a similar name - “Vocal Shchelga”. The origin of the epithet is connected with the unusual boulder stone resting here, which, according to legend, had an amazing property: when struck, it produced a melodic sound reminiscent of the ringing of a bell. Modern research explains this acoustic effect by the presence of a crack in the upper part of the boulder, forming a resonating cavity. The ancient inhabitants of Kolgostrov, not familiar with the laws of physics, used the “ringing” stone in their pagan rituals. The tradition of visiting this cult “musical instrument” also existed among the Christian population until the beginning of the 20th century. Today it is one of the most interesting sights for tourists.

On a steep cliff overgrown with forest, in addition to the famous stone, you can see the remains of ancient religious buildings (masonry) and rock paintings. A Christian building from the 18th century has also been preserved on the island - the wooden chapel of the Ascension of the Lord.

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Rep. Karelia, Pudozhsky district, Kolgostrov

Sight

Monuments of ancient world culture - the famous Onega petroglyphs - appeared 5-6 thousand years ago on the capes and islands of the eastern coast of Onego. A large number of works of rock art from the primitive era are concentrated on the coastal cliffs of Cape Besov Nos. A piece of land protruding into the lake for about 2 km, overgrown with pine forest, has preserved on its granite shores more than 400 original engravings depicting animals, birds, fish, people, and also containing symbolic signs of the sun and moon. The sizes of the figures range from a few centimeters to 3–4 meters. Among them, an image of a mystical nature stands out, called “demon” by Christian monks of the 16th century. It is an anthropomorphic figure about 2.3 m long with splayed fingers and disproportionately small legs.

At the western tip of the cape there is a lighthouse, now inactive. The untouched forests of Besov Nos are an ideal place for off-road driving enthusiasts.

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Rep. Karelia, Cape Besov Nos

Landmark, Religion, Historical Monument

In the 14th century, the first Orthodox monasteries appeared in Obonezhye. Among them is the Murom Dormition Monastery, founded by the Monk Lazar on the eastern shore of Onego, on the previously uninhabited Much peninsula, today known as Cape Muromsky. The monastery grew quickly, and already in the first decades of its existence several wooden churches were built here, including the first church in all of Pomerania in the name of the Dormition of the Most Pure Mother of God of Pechersk. To this day, it has been possible to preserve one of the oldest monastery buildings - the log church of the Resurrection of Lazarus, erected no later than the 16th century. This miniature building with a gable roof, crowned with a dome with a cross, was dismantled and transported to the island of Kizhi in the mid-20th century. Thus, the restored church of the Murom Monastery took pride of place among the relics of the legendary museum-reserve.

On the territory of the monastery itself you can see the ruins of religious buildings of the 19th century - the white stone walls of the Assumption Cathedral and the skeleton of the Church of All Saints, as well as restored ancient buildings - the fraternal building and the bell tower. Over its centuries-old history, the monastery was closed and revived more than once. Today the ancient monastery is active

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Rep. Karelia, Kizhi village

Museum, Landmark

One of the indigenous peoples of the North-West of Russia are the Vepsians, the earliest mentions of which date back to the 6th century AD. In ancient Russian chronicles, this Finno-Ugric tribe is called “Vesya” or “Chud”. Since the end of the 10th century, Chud inhabited the territory between Lakes Onega and Lake Ladoga, gradually migrating to the northeast and occupying Obonezhye. Later, ethnic settlements turned into small islands among numerous Russian villages. One of them is the village of Sheltozero, located on the southwestern shore of Lake Onega, about an hour and a half drive from Petrozavodsk. It is here that the only museum in Russia is located, dedicated to the history and culture of this ancient ethnic group, the representatives of which are becoming fewer and fewer every year. The institution occupies a monument of wooden architecture from the early 19th century - the former home of a local wealthy peasant Melkin.

Lake Onega is the second largest lake in all of Europe. This lake is 2 times smaller than Lake Ladoga and contains three times less Veda. However, at the same time, the water in Lake Onega is of the highest quality: it is much purer than Ladoga water, and even the water in Lake Baikal.

The length of Lake Onega from north to south is 248 kilometers, and from west to east – 96 kilometers. There are a large number of capes, islands, lips and bays. The total number of all islands is 1500.

The shores of the lake are mostly sandy and pebble, but at the same time there may be rock outcrops. The shores of the northern region of Lake Onega consist of crystalline rocks, they are rugged and elevated. The topography of the lake bottom is quite simple, especially in its northern part. Lake Onega is home to almost all species of fish that are known in the reservoirs of Karelia. More than 110 tributaries flow into this lake.

Lake Onega. general characteristics

Lake Onega is one of the largest freshwater bodies of water in Karelia, which is located in its southeastern part. The total area of ​​the water surface of Lake Onega is 10,050 km2, and the total area including the islands is 10,340 km2. The maximum width of the lake is 248 kilometers, and the maximum width is 83 kilometers. The total number of islands is 1650, with an area of ​​290 km2. The length of the entire coastline is 1542 kilometers, and together with the islands - 2699 kilometers. The total volume of water masses is 295 km3. The height of Lake Onega above sea level is 33 m2.

The lake has an elongated oblong shape from the northwestern part to the southeastern part. Lake Onega is divided into several large bays and reaches. It is divided into 3 main parts:

1. The main part is Central Onego.
2. Northwestern region - Bolshoye Onego.
3. The northeastern region, which consists of Maly Onego, Kuzarandsky Onego, Pyalemsky Onego, Tolvuisky Onego, Povenetsky Onego, Bolshaya Guba and a number of small bays.

Sandy and rocky shores predominate here. Rocky shores are common in the northern part of the lake and along the western coast. Sandy banks stretch from the mouth of the Vodla River to the source of the Svir River.

The area of ​​the Lake Onega river basin is 51,540 km2. From it, approximately 16 km3 of water flows into the lake every year.

The water level in the lake changes every year. This is mainly due to the amount of precipitation. The constant current is expressed only in some parts of Lake Onega and is weak.

Lake Onega is one of the deepest bodies of water in Karelia (after Lake Ladoga). Its average depth is 29.4 meters and its maximum depth is 120 meters. At a depth of up to 10 meters there is approximately 26 percent of the total area of ​​the lake, at a depth of up to 20 meters - 42 percent, at a depth of up to 40 meters - 69 percent, and at a depth of up to 60 meters - 92 percent.

The bottom topography of Lake Onega is quite complex. This especially applies to the northern part of the lake. This lake is characterized by depressions and rises in the bottom. Typical landforms for the lake are selgi, luds, underwater ridges and ridges, holes and depressions. In addition, the lake also has some areas with a flat bottom. The soils of Lake Onega are very diverse. Rocky, stony-sandy, sandy and sandy-gravel soils are found here. The colors of the water in Lake Onega range from light yellow to yellow or orange-brown.

Lake Onega. Flora and fauna

Higher aquatic vegetation is the least common in Lake Onega. Its thickets can be found only in the northern part, in small bays and other places that are protected from waves.

The total length of the thickets is approximately 1 percent of the length of the entire coastline. Basically, these thickets consist of reeds, and in some places you can find pondweed, reeds, water lilies, horsetails, villains, egg capsules, sedges and other types of vegetation.

The fauna of the lake is quite diverse, if we talk about its quality. Here you can see aquatic insects, mollusks, crustaceans, water mites, worms, bryozoans, sponges and others. In Lake Onega there are only 350 different forms and species of bottom fauna, however, only 30 percent of them have a significant distribution in the lake itself, but the rest are quite rare.

The richest and most diverse population is the thicket areas of the littoral zone, which make up approximately half of the forms and species known for this lake.

The average volume of biomass of the bottom mass of the lake in the summer and autumn periods is 11.5 kg/ha, with an average population of 5.72 million individuals/ha.

Of all the bottom fauna of Lake Onega, the most valuable food for fish are crustaceans, including pontoporea. Oligochaetes, in turn, are quite rarely used by fish as food. The most significant accumulation of food objects is in holes and depressions with a depth of up to 50 meters.

If we talk about the crustacean plankton of the lake, it is distinguished by significant species diversity in composition. In total, 37 species of lower crayfish live in the lake.

In the shallow coastal waters of Lake Onega you can find various forms of planktonic crayfish. Planktonic crustaceans reach their greatest quantitative development in the summer in the surface layer of water.

In terms of the abundance of crayfish, as well as their biomass in the horizon up to 2 meters, Lake Onega is an average productive reservoir in the entire republic. However, individual areas of this lake are unequal in terms of food resources in the shallow, most warmed areas.

In addition, if we talk about feeding, the composition of the crustacean plankton of Lake Onega has a number of positive features. The plankton of the lake is significantly dominated by cladocerans, most of whose mass consists of valuable food substances, which include holopedium and bosmina.

Lake Onega. Fish

In Lake Onega you can find almost all species of fish that are known for the reservoirs of Karelia. This lake is inhabited by sturgeons (sterlet), salmonids (salmon, trout, brook trout, pike fish, pit fish, vendace, whitefish), choriaceae (grayling), smelt fish (smelt), pike fish (pike), carp fish (roach, dace, silver bream, sabrefish, bream, golden crucian carp), loaches (mustached char, spined loach), catfish (catfish), eels (eels), perch (pike perch, perches, ruffs), gobies (Onega slingshots, lopars, sculpin), sticklebacks (nine-spined sticklebacks, three-spined sticklebacks), cod (lake burbot and lake-river burbot). Of the minigidae, the most common are the river lamprey and the brook lamprey.

In general, Lake Onega is home to 47 varieties and species of fish, which belong to 13 families and 34 species. It is possible to find chub in the lake.

The greatest fishing value in the lake is given to 17 species of fish, namely vendace, whitefish, ruffe, roach, pike, pike perch, pike perch, smelt, salmon, bream and perch, and the least important are crucian carp, ide, dace, bleak and grayling. Other species of fish in Lake Onega are quite rare.

The main commercial fish of this lake is vendace. It is common in almost all places. The vendace feeds only on crustacean plankton. In turn, kilets is a large form of vendace. It is mainly found in the southern part of the lake. Smelt is an object of mass fishing. But at the same time, it will also be used as food for fish such as pike perch, salmon, burbot and palia. If we talk about whitefish, there are 9 different forms of them in Lake Onega. In addition, all whitefish are divided into 2 large groups - lake-river whitefish and lake whitefish. Also in Lake Onega there is also burbot, or rather two of its forms - lake-river and lake burbot. Burbot, like vendace, is ubiquitous. Pike perch is one of the most valuable fisheries on the lake, but its catch is quite small. However, the most common and numerous fish in Lake Onega is the ruffe, which is found at a depth of up to 70 meters. Perch can be found mainly in coastal areas, as well as in the shallow waters of an open lake. Bream are found here in the area of ​​river mouths and sources. But pike is not of significant importance in the fishery of the lake. It lives in shallow, vegetated areas. If we talk about salmon, there are several stocks of this fish in Lake Onega. Now the most numerous is the herd of Shuya salmon.

But one of the most valuable fish of the salmon family is the palia, which is common in the area adjacent to the deepest parts of the lake. Ide in this lake is of insignificant commercial importance, but grayling can be found almost everywhere. Golden crucian carp are very rarely found in Lake Onega, unlike bleak and dace.