Kizhi - wooden jewels in a russian island

This is another end-of-the-world thulean shore - a flat island in a lake in Karelia, a russian region close to Finland, where the most wonderous set of old wooden churches and houses is displayed - it has been classified as World Heritage site by UNESCO since 1990 .


Kizhi Island on Lake Onega - Karelia, Russia

Kizhi island is one of over 1650 islands in Lake Onega, the second largest lake in Europe. Flat and mostly treeless, Kizhi island houses 83 wooden structures, most of which date back to the 18th or 19th century.


The Kizhi Pogost (rural community and trading center)includes 2 large wooden churches and a bell-tower.

These unusual constructions, in which carpenters created a visionary architecture, perpetuate an ancient model of parish space and are in harmony with the surrounding landscape.

The entire island of Kizhi is a museum with many historically significant and beautiful wooden structures including windmills, chapels, boat- and fish-houses, saunas, barns and granaries, and homes.

The main work of this architecture is the 22-domed Transfiguration Church , founded in 1714.

Access to Kizhi is by hydrofoil or ship across Lake Onega, or by helicopter in winter.

http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/544

http://kizhi.karelia.ru/main_menu_e.htm