Explore Petrozavodsk from various cultural perspectives: changing exhibitions on Zaonezhye, remnants of wooden residential buildings from the late 19th century, and sculptures along the Onega Embankment. This allows you to focus your stay on museums, the city’s history or public art.
Museums and Changing Exhibitions
The exhibition house of the Kizhi Museum Reserve in Petrozavodsk hosts year-round changing exhibitions on the history, culture and way of life of the people of Zaonezhye. Exhibits include objects from the collections of the Kizhi Museum, other museums and private collections, as well as curated exhibitions. The themes change, so the exhibition program is not based on a single, unchanging offer. Workshops, lectures, creative gatherings and concerts complement the program.
The Kizhi Museum’s collections can also be viewed at the exhibition house. Check with the museum in advance to confirm whether this is possible at your preferred time of visit. The exhibition house is accessible to visitors with reduced mobility; ask about current arrangements before travelling. This allows for two different visitor interests: changing exhibitions and viewing items from the collections.
The Museum of Fine Arts of the Republic of Karelia opened in its then-current building in 1960. This date is part of the history of the museum and its building at the time. It adds another art-historical point of interest in Petrozavodsk to the changing exhibitions at the exhibition house.
Old Town Remnants and Art on the Onega
Remnants of wooden residential buildings from the late 19th century can be found in central Petrozavodsk, around Neglinskaya Embankment and Fedosova Street. This area is known as the Old Town. Here, the term refers to the surviving remnants of these residential buildings and their location within the city.
Sculptures along the Onega Embankment symbolize friendship and mutual understanding between sister cities. Together with the historic residential remnants, they offer a different view of the city than the exhibition spaces: the focus here is on the designated Old Town and the sculptures. If you are looking for a holiday apartment, you can first consider whether museums and exhibitions or these historical and artistic themes are more important for your stay.
Other Perspectives on the Republic of Karelia
For a distinct regional perspective on the Republic of Karelia, consider the Kivach Nature Reserve, with its landscape and museum offerings. A general excursion includes an outdoor walk to Kivach Waterfall, as well as visits to the arboretum and the nature museum. The waterfall is on the Suna River in the central part of Karelia and has a drop of 10.7 metres. A 1,000-metre circular trail runs through a wooded area on the banks of the Suna, near the excursion zone. The excursion is listed as taking 1 to 1.5 hours. Check conditions and booking with the operator.
The Kizhi Museum Reserve in the Republic of Karelia displays 89 monuments of traditional wooden architecture in the open air, including chapels and houses, mills, granaries, threshing barns and drying racks. Visitors can view the interiors of the Church of the Intercession of the Mother of God and peasant houses, where traditional rural crafts are demonstrated. These visits offer a different focus from the changing exhibitions at the exhibition house in Petrozavodsk.
The Onega and White Sea petroglyphs are also part of the Republic of Karelia’s cultural heritage. The World Heritage site includes 4,500 Neolithic rock carvings. The Onega petroglyphs comprise more than 1,200 figures in Pudozhsky District; most are located on the three central headlands of Pery Nos, Besov Nos and Kladovets. The White Sea petroglyphs mainly depict hunting and sailing scenes, together with related equipment, as well as animal and human footprints. The region’s range of themes thus extends from wooden architecture and crafts to prehistoric depictions.
Discover more destinations: Lumivaara, Lakhdenpokhya, Otrakkala, Konchezero, Tungozero, Spasskaya Guba, Sofporog, Yashëzero.
For the regional travel overview: Republic of Karelia.
