Kem' Travel Guide

As I have mentioned at many pages, wooden architecture is something unique that you will find only in the Russian North-West. You can also see a lot of wooden stuff in Finland and Sweden, but it will be completely different. You can find wooden churches in all parts of the north-west region of Russia, and Kem is not an exlusion. They have a beautiful church dedicated to Assumption of Virgin Mary, which was re-opened in 1989 after decades of neglection (bear in mind that church was almost prohibited in the Soviet years). This church is a rebuilding of an older construction that was destroyed in fire (rebuilt in 1714 - still quite old).

Sad to say, churches in the North are slowly disappearing. The state does not have money to take care of them, most of them are located in remote villages which are of no economic importance any more, and there are no even proper roads to them. Old wooden churches are getting burnt or destroyed by winds and rains, one after another.

Many Russian enthusiasts (scientists, historians, photographers) are trying to save at least description and images of those valualble pieces of Russian culture. Their efforts are invaluable: it will help to convey pieces of our history to the future generations, at least in pictures.

For more info in English on the Russian north architecture, you can visit a site by William Craft Brumfield, who dedicated his life and activity to studying Russian wooden architecture and documental photography of it. His site is http://www.cultinfo.ru/brumfield/index_e.htm.

Karelia is a well-known tourism route, where people canoeing down the northern rivers that flow northbound, and some routes lead to the White sea via the Kem river.

I never tryed it myself, but those who did say it is real fun. There are so many mushrooms and berries, and fish, you can live on just on that. But northern rivers are full of rapids and waterfalls, which make the trip adventurous and risky.

In the picture you see just a fisherman boat, it is the place where the river Kem falls into the White sea.

Rabocheostrovsky is a settlement near Kem (I would say a district in Kem) situated on an artificially made island. The island emerged on the wooden cuttings and filings that comes from timber production and that was trown in the sea water. The island appeared more than 100 years ago, and is constantly enhancing.

The name of the settlement means "Island of Workers". When travelling there by bus from Kem (takes 10-15 minutes), you can see the wooden base of the island in the sea. The pier where boats to Solovki stop is in Rabocheostrovsky, but there its wooden structure is not so evident: it is already hard rocks.

Just walk in the streets, and you will see varieties of buildings from modern panel 12-storeyed skyscrapers to old wooden private houses, beautifully decorated and well kept. What I always like is the crafty outside decoration of windows (window casing?).

Also, the view of the White sea with the fishing boats is very relaxing and romantic.