Visitors who choose Pitkjaranta for its cultural points of interest will find a monument to glory at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in the city centre. South of the city, the Uksinskaya Ozovaya Gryada natural monument offers a different geographical point of interest.
Memorial Sites in Pitkjaranta
The Monument to Glory in the centre commemorates thousands of Soviet soldiers who died in the wartime events of 1939–1940, 1941 and 1944 in the Pitkjaranta area. The remains of the Unknown Soldier were reburied in 1977 from a mass grave of Soviet soldiers who had fallen in fighting near Pusunasaari Island within the city. The Soviet soldiers fell in fighting near Pusunasaari Island within the city. The year 1977 refers to the reburial, not the construction of the monument.
A second memorial site is the Monument to the Soviet Liberators: a 45 mm artillery gun on a trapezoidal concrete pedestal, erected in 1979. The two monuments offer different, specific points of connection for exploring the town’s wartime history. At the grave monument, remembrance of the fallen and the reburial are central; the gun monument connects its commemoration with a described military object.
A guided tour of Pitkyaranta also leads to another cultural point of interest: the Church of the Ascension of the Lord at 1 Voznesensky Lane. The named route therefore includes a religious building as well as the memorial sites. The location details help distinguish these stops within the city from a landscape feature outside it.
A Natural Monument South of the City
The Uksinskaya Ozovaya Gryada natural monument is located in the vicinity of Pitkjaranta, south of the city and near Lake Louhijärvi. It is a distinct geographical point of interest alongside the urban memorial sites.
More Places to Explore in the Republic of Karelia
For a broader look at the Republic of Karelia, there are also separate regional destinations that are not stops in Pitkjaranta. At the Kivach Nature Reserve, an overview excursion includes an outdoor walk to Kivach Waterfall, as well as visits to the dendrological collection and the natural history museum. The waterfall is on the Suna River in the central part of Karelia; its drop is 10.7 metres. After the Rhine Falls, it is Europe’s second-largest lowland waterfall.
A 1,000-metre circular trail also runs near the excursion area through a stretch of woodland on the banks of the Suna. The excursion lasts 1 to 1.5 hours: the trail length and excursion duration are two separate details to consider when planning your time. Check conditions and booking details with the operator.
On Kizhi Island, the open-air museum-reserve features 89 monuments of traditional wooden architecture, including chapels and houses, mills, granaries, threshing barns and drying racks. Visitors can see the interior of the Church of the Intercession of the Mother of God and peasant houses, where traditional peasant crafts are demonstrated. The Kizhi Pogost is an architectural ensemble featuring the world’s only multi-domed wooden Church of the Transfiguration.
Another regional attraction is the World Heritage site of the Onega and White Sea petroglyphs: it comprises 4,500 Neolithic rock carvings in the Republic of Karelia. The Onega petroglyphs comprise more than 1,200 figures in Pudozhsky District; most are located on the central capes of Pery Nos, Besov Nos and Kladovets. The White Sea petroglyphs predominantly depict hunting and sailing scenes, along with related equipment, as well as animal and human footprints. The Belomorsk petroglyphs are located on the lower reaches of the Vyg River near its mouth at the White Sea, 6–8 kilometres from Belomorsk, and comprise more than 2,000 different carvings.
This makes the distinction in scale clear: the memorial sites are in Pitkjaranta, while Kivach, Kizhi and the petroglyphs are separate destinations in the Republic of Karelia.
Discover more destinations: Yushkozero, Shuyskaya Chupa, Matrosy, Pudosch, Pryazha, Mikli, Kindasovo, Yanishpole.
For the broader travel overview: Republic of Karelia.
