Kizhi Things to Do

Kishi is a island with openairmuseum of wood-houses and churches. I went there by ship from Petrosavodsk in a daytrip.We had more than 2 hours in a storm on the ship and only 60 minutes in the island and museum that was not enough .

The small Church of the Resurrection of Lazarus, which dates back to the 14th century, comes from Murom Monastery. It is sometimes said to be the oldest wooden building up Russia, but this claim is being disputed.

However, it is certainly the oldest building of the entire Kizhi Museum-Reserve, and that is saying something.

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The Elizarov House was built in 1880 and was brought to Kizhi from the village of Seredka. It is similar to the Oshevnev House nearby, since both are traditional Zaonezhye houses.

This one has one less level. The house's occupants dwelt on the upper floor, with the ground floor being used as a barn, as a vegetable larder and other more practical uses.

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There are not only churches, but also old wooden houses to be seen in Kizhi!

In fact, the first building moved here was the large, asymetric Oshevnev house (1876), which belonged to a rich family living in Oshevnevo, in the Zaonezhye region. Its well-preserved interior gives visitors a glimpse into the daily life of the region's inhabitants in the 19th century.

Its size and shape are linked to the harsh Northern Russian climate. Everything is under the same roof so the family would never have to go outside in the winter. The only exception is the sauna.

Make sure to take a look at the wooden decorations outside! They are truly outstanding.

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The UNESCO World Heritage-listed Kizhi Enclosure (Kizhsky Pogost) is the highlight of any visit to Kizhi Island. It comprises three buildings surrounded by a fortification wall: the breathtaking Transfiguration Church, also known as the "summer church", built in 1714, with its profusion of domes (22, to be exact); the smaller Church of the Intercession, also known as the "winter church", built in 1764; and between the two churches, a bell tower dating back to 1862.

The Church of the Intercession has a collection of 16th- to 18th-century icons that is open to the public. When you go inside, take a look out the window to see an old cemetery.

Unlike the other wooden buildings that form the Kizhi Museum-Reserve, these are in their original location. They are among well worth the trip all the way from Saint-Petersburg or Moscow! Truly one of the most beautiful sites we have ever seen on our travels.

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The Chapel of the Archangel Michael, built in the early 18th century, was brought from the village of Lelikozero. You can enter to see its worn, but still vivid, iconostases.

According to my Lonely Planet guide, in the summertime, music students play the chapel's bells, leaving a hat outside to collect donations. However, all was silent the day we were there, perhaps because it was still early in the summer.

The Yakovlev farmhouse is a 1880 house from the village of Kleshcheila that belonged to a family called Yakovlev . It's a typical self-contained farmhouse of northern Carelia. Inside there's everything the family would need: the living room and bedroom, the cattle-shed, the hayloft and some store rooms. All thefamily lived together in one single large room, and in the cold winter days some of the naimals lived there, too. I guess it was for extra-warmth. The house is built in pine wood and decorated with pagan symbols aimed at protecting the home and the family.

The windmill is a typical wooden windmill that in the past used to be found in the farmlands throughout Russia. This one was built in the 1920's and it rests on a base that can be rotated as you like it, so that the blades are always facing the wind. It comes from the village of Tolvuya and apparently it's the only tent-like windmill remaining in the Carelia region.