Chupa turns the spotlight on a wooden pier with a long history. More than 100 years old, it dates from before the Revolution; construction began in 1915, while the Murman Railway was being built. The pier gave its name to the settlement that grew up around it. This makes it possible to tell the story of the place through a tangible structure whose construction coincided with the railway’s construction.
Museum and Local History
The Valitov Stone Historical and Geological Museum also serves as an information and tourism center. Its exhibition covers the settlement and development of the coast of Kandalaksha Bay from the Eneolithic to the present day. Collections and exhibits were gathered during expeditions by the KRPO “Basin Council of the North Karelia Coast” and donated to the museum by project partners, private owners, and local historians. Topics range from the minerals and rocks of the bay coast to the history of Moscow glass. The extraction of ceramic raw materials in the area around Chupa is also covered. Together, these subjects bring out the region’s geological, settlement, and economic aspects. Visitors interested in any of these perspectives can explore the exhibition through its different themes.
Memorial Site in the Center
In the center of Chupa is a memorial site containing the graves of two pilots who died in the Second World War. It includes a stele erected in 1985, with memorial plaques made of gabbro-diabase. The plaques bear the names of 79 residents of Chupa who died on the fronts of the Second World War. An obelisk was also erected at the site where an aircraft crew, whose remains were brought to Chupa, was reburied. The memorial’s different features thus commemorate different people and events: the two pilots, the residents listed by name, and the crew whose remains were brought to Chupa.
Another Look at the Republic of Karelia
For a broader regional perspective, the Republic of Karelia also offers natural and cultural heritage experiences. At the Kivach Nature Reserve, a general excursion includes an outdoor walk to Kivach Waterfall, as well as visits to the dendrological collection and the Nature Museum. A 1,000-meter circular trail runs through a wooded area on the banks of the Suna near the excursion zone; the excursion lasts 1 to 1.5 hours. The waterfall is on the Suna in central Karelia and drops 10.7 meters. It is Europe’s second-largest lowland waterfall after the Rhine Falls. Check current conditions and make a booking with the operator in advance.
The Kizhi Museum Reserve offers another perspective on regional cultural history. Its open-air collection features 89 monuments of traditional wooden architecture, including chapels, houses, mills, granaries, threshing barns, and drying racks. Visitors can explore the interior of the Church of the Intercession of the Mother of God and peasant houses; traditional peasant crafts are demonstrated in the houses. The Onega and White Sea petroglyphs add a further perspective through rock art: this World Heritage site comprises 4,500 Neolithic drawings in the Republic of Karelia. The Onega petroglyphs include more than 1,200 figures in Pudozhsky District, most of them located on the capes of Pery Nos, Besov Nos, and Kladovets. The White Sea petroglyphs mainly depict hunting and sailing scenes with their equipment, as well as animal and human footprints.
For the broader travel overview: Loukhsky District.
