Kizhi - the Gem of Karelia

The wooden 18th-century churches on Kizhi in Lake Onega in the Republic of Karelia are listed on the UNESCO World Heritage list for good reasons. These unusual churches perpetuate an ancient model of parish space and are in lovely harmony with the surrounding Russian countryside landscape.

The Kizhi Island churches are some of Russia's most famous architecture structures and are today part of the museum open to public. A reconstructed village on Kizhi demonstrates traditional crafts and tasks of peasant life in the Karelia. Villages original to the island also exist, and some houses are still inhabited by locals.

You can travel to Kizhi from Petrozavodsk with boats several times per day, and many Russian river cruise tour operators include a visit to Kizhi on their waterways cruises.

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