Russian Travel Guide

The nature of the Valaam archipelago — the spring

Once a year the bleak, severe landscape of the Valaam archipelago radically changes its character - wild plants and flowers cover the islands’ rocky slopes along with the monastery’s splendid fruit gardens which were planted by monks hundreds of years ago in the Karelian taiga. The Valaam islands are one of the most striking examples of how man-made beauty can enhance a natural environment. The contrast of island nature lost in Lake Ladoga along with venerated Orthodox shrines attract thousands of tourists and pilgrims every year.

Коллекция Russian Travel Guide. Рыбалка. Мурманская область

Kizhi. Wooden Church Architecture

The first churches appeared in Russia in the 10th century, built by Byzantines. These constructions served as models for Russian architects. They were models in stone, however. In the forested northern parts, everything was built in wood – a material that was cheap, light and easy to work with. The Russian architects, like translators, had to interpret the Byzantine canon in wood. Gradually, the Russian masters developed their own style of construction. Wooden architecture reached its peak in the Russian north in the 15th to 18th century. Learn how unique churches arose on the island of Kizhi, and hear the legends that surrounded them in a film by RTG TV.