At the Museum of the Art of the Peoples of the North in Kargasok, richly ornamented objects made of leather, fur, and goose-foot skin are presented alongside a playful introduction to traditions and everyday life. Together with the inter-district “Medvezhiy ugol” festival, they offer a clear cultural reason to get to know Kargasok better.
Museum and Festival in Kargasok
The museum is included as a visitor attraction on the regional tourism route “Zhemchuzhiny Severa”; the municipal program for 2025 lists it there. The collection includes objects made of leather, fur, and goose-foot skin, richly decorated with national ornaments. Both the materials and the designs are therefore in focus. A playful museum quest is designed for school pupils and students. It introduces the traditions and everyday life of the Khanty, Selkup, and Evenki peoples in Kargasok District.
The “Medvezhiy ugol” festival of small towns and villages offers another way to experience culture in Kargasok. It has been held in Kargasok since 2019. The museum and festival offer different perspectives: one focuses on a collection and its interpretation, while the other is an inter-district event. These two themes give you concrete points to consider when deciding which cultural experiences are most interesting for your trip.
More Perspectives in Tomsk Oblast
Those looking at the wider destination of Tomsk Oblast will find other nature and culture themes there. They add to your options without being equated with the attractions in Kargasok.
In Bakcharsky District, the 27-kilometer “Zov bolotnoy tishiny” route combines travel by swamp vehicle and hiking. It is intended for visitors aged 12 to 70. Excursions must be booked in advance and take place accompanied by staff. This route therefore differs from the museum and festival themes in Kargasok: the focus here is on the specified route length and the combination of swamp vehicle travel and hiking.
The “Chumel Chvech” Museum in Parabelsky District, Tomsk Oblast, introduces visitors to the culture and everyday life of the southern Selkup group; visits are by prior arrangement. The museum’s first buildings represent homes and everyday structures of the southern Selkup. These include a half-dugout hut with a pyramidal roof, used until the 17th century; the “chulmat” log house; a clay oven; raised granaries; and a Russian log house with a vegetable garden. These examples show a range of building types and aspects of everyday life, rather than focusing on just one type of dwelling.
The “Tropa okhotnika” opened at the same museum in 2017. It features traditional traps for animals and birds: a sable trap, a bear trap, a snare for partridges, and a trap for capercaillies. The tour also includes a hunter’s shelter, a shelter used by cone collectors, and the temporary half-dugout hut “karamo”. Visitors interested in traditional hunting and practical aspects of everyday life will find a different focus here than in the collection at the museum in Kargasok.
In Podgornoye, the exhibition at the Museum of Kulai Culture focuses on an ancient cultural and historical community. Its artifacts were first found near Mount Kulaika; the community existed from the 5th century BC to the 5th century AD. A tour of the permanent exhibition covers the archaeological Kulai culture and the world of the Kulai, who lived in the area of present-day Tomsk Oblast. Tours are intended for groups of 2 to 25 people and must be booked during opening hours. Characteristic bronze casting from the Kulai culture includes flat openwork, flat solid, and hollow forms.
Visitors can view the works of craftspeople at the “Okolitsa” Nature Park year-round. Special event areas showcase regional traditions shaped by Russian, Tatar, Chinese, Uzbek, Selkup, and other cultures. The rural park is also a traditional venue for the International Folk Arts and Crafts Festival “Prazdnik Topora”. Held in Tomsk Oblast since 2008, the festival includes four competitions for craftspeople, a large decorative and applied arts fair, and a concert program. It attracts hundreds of participants and thousands of spectators from across the country and nearby foreign countries; dates and program vary from year to year.
Another cultural highlight is the “Bratina” Park of Cossack Culture and Everyday Life in the village of Krivosheino. It invites visitors to discover the distinctive culture, customs, and everyday life of the Siberian Cossacks.
For the wider travel overview: Kargasoksky District.
