Umba offers several distinct themes for a cultural trip: its museums focus on the everyday lives of Tersky Pomor women, the livelihoods of the Tersky Pomors, the Kanozero petroglyphs and amethysts. The annual Pomor rowing regatta takes place in mid-June. This mix can help you choose the focus of your trip: you can combine collections about everyday life and history with an event on the calendar. If you are looking for a holiday apartment in Umba, you can first decide whether your trip will be shaped mainly by exhibitions or by the regatta date.
Museums of Everyday Life, History and Rock Art
The Dmitry Balashov Literary Museum displays a reconstructed type of traditional women’s costume worn by Tersky Pomor women, along with historical photographs of Pomor women. It also features objects from women’s everyday lives, including a spindle, washboard, spinning wheel and bucket. The collection brings together clothing and photographic sources with items for everyday use. This draws attention both to specific objects and to the people whose daily lives they illustrate.
The Museum of the History, Culture and Everyday Life of the Tersky Pomors takes a different focus. Its exhibition covers livelihoods from the 18th century to the beginning of the 20th century. These include fishing, hunting marine mammals, boatbuilding and pearl fishing. Compared with the Literary Museum, this museum focuses on historical occupations, while costume, photographs and household objects shape the approach at the Literary Museum. When choosing between these topics, you can consider whether you are more interested in material everyday culture or in the work and livelihoods of the time.
The exhibition hall of the “Kanozero Petroglyphs” Museum opened in Umba in September 2012. The exhibition covers the discovery and study of the rock art. A guided tour can be booked, and a film shot on the islands of Kanozero is also shown. Check with the museum before your visit to find out its current visitor arrangements. This focus differs from the displays about Pomor everyday life: here, the rock art and its study take center stage.
The Amethyst Museum adds minerals and objects made from them to the cultural and historical themes. The exhibits cover the deposit at Cape Korabl, natural and synthetic types of quartz, and amethysts from deposits across Russia and the world. They also include objects made from amethysts and other minerals and rocks from the Tersky Coast. The collection ranges from a specific deposit and different types of quartz to the processing of minerals. For visitors interested in rocks, this offers a distinct perspective from the exhibitions about everyday life and livelihoods.
Pomor Rowing Regatta in Mid-June
The Pomor rowing regatta takes place in Umba every year in mid-June. Traditional Pomor boats compete, including karbasy and podjesdki. The regatta offers a different reason to visit than the museums: instead of an exhibition, it centers on a recurring event featuring traditional boats. If you would like to include the event in your travel dates, check the specific dates for that year.
When looking for a holiday apartment in Umba, you can first choose your focus: Pomor everyday life and history, the study of the petroglyphs, minerals, or the rowing regatta in June. This way, planning begins with the kind of discovery that interests you, rather than with a generic list of sights.
Discover more destinations: Vostochnoye Munozero.
For the broader travel overview: Tersky District.
