Category Archives: Karelia

Finnish Culture Festival in Petrozavodsk Nov. 2-12

Posted on by
Reply

The program includes the restaurant day, folk dancing, an exhibition of Karel and Finnish fabric-making, and a movie festival.

Dates: Nov. 2 to 12

Address: ul. Pervomayskaya 2, . No entrance fee.

See the Agriculture Club VK and Facebook page. The Agriculture Club defines itself as a “hotbed of culture” and after a cursory examination of its VK and Facebook pages I was impressed with the scope and intensity of its activities. Definitely on my “to visit” list if I end up in Petrozavodsk for a few hours.

Exhibition train in Kandalaksha on Oct. 5

Posted on by
Reply

railroad-expo-trainThe history of the Karelia and Murmansk part of the October railroad, originally connecting Moscow and St. Petersburg, and latest technological advances are said to be featured.

Here is the schedule of the train:

October 1 – Murmansk
October 2 – Zapolarnaya Station
October 3 – Olenegorsk
October 4 – Apatity
October 5 – Kandalaksha
October 6 – Kovdor
October 7 – Kem

Open 10am to 6pm, closed 1 to 2pm, admission fee 70 roubles.

Norwegian news site calls the Sam Syit Saami village “a circus of nonsense”

Posted on by
2

sam-syitNo harsh words were spared in this article in the Norwegian nrk.no to describe the Sam Syit Saami village near Lovozero in the center of the Kola Peninsula. The main thrust of the angry author is that the village is as far from being authentic as one can be, and represents “a nonsensical mix of rabbits, fleece clothing, and Indian totem poles”. It is in Norwegian but auto-translates into English quite coherently.

The village of Black River on the White Sea

Posted on by
Reply

The village of Black River in North Karelia is as isolated place as I’ve ever seen, with absolutely no car access. To get there you need to arrange to be met with a boat at the Polyarny Krug camp in Nilma. The permanent (wintering) population is 7-10 persons, and it gets up to a hundred in the summer. Locals don’t generally like tourists but if you have a valid reason to visit this community populated mostly by Moscow biologists they may welcome you. Below are a few of many photos taken during our recent 4-day stay in Black River.

1

Just loaded onto a boat at the Polarny Krug camp at Nilma

more >>

The Chupa conference report

Posted on by
Reply

Translated from my mate Alexandra Goryashko’s blog. Myself I could not have written such a long and comprehensive article that captured the spirit of the event, thus…

The third scientific and practical conference “Natural and Cultural Inheritance of the White Sea: preservation and development” took place in Chupa from July 15 to July 17.

20150718_ijg_014 Pan копия
Photo by Igor Georgievsky

The conference was organized by the Basin Council of the North Karelian Coast and the Lighthouse Foundation. Conference organizers took a big chance holding the event so far not only from major science centers but away from major cities (300km to Murmansk, and 500km to Petrozavodsk).
4
General view of Chupa. Photo by Alexandra Goryashko.

more >>

14 children drowned in Karelia’s Syamozero lake

Posted on by
1

syamozeroA group of Moscow orphans on their holidays at the Park Hotel Syamozero camp in Southern Karelia, Prazha district, went out on June 18 and got caught in a storm that had their canoes overturned. Of about 50 of them that ended up in water, 14 drowned, and the rest made it to the shore. A big scandal is under way, with four or five of the camp staff arrested and the camp closed. Today was declared a day of mourning in Karelia and Moscow.

Chupa calls July 2016

Posted on by
1

rybakov-n-alexThe Third International Scientific and Practical Conference “Natural and Cultural Inheritance of the White Sea” is to be held in Chupa, Karelia on July 15, 16, and 17 2016.

The event is organized by the Basin Council of the North Karelian Coast, and Charitable Fund for the Preservation of Seas and Oceans “Lighthouse Foundation“.

Those wishing to attend or participate should contact Контакты: Julia Suprunenko at yulka-tm@yandex.ru or suprunenkoyuliya@mail.ru.

more >>

Radiation on Lake Ladoga island in Karelia

Posted on by
Reply
ladoga-radioactivity

Photo from kezling.ru

tvrain.ru reports that several island in the north of Lake Ladoga in Karelia are contaminated with radiation left from the times when these locations were used as testing ranges in the 50s and 60s. Three islands — Makarinsaari, Kugrisaari, and one without a name — are considered as particularly dirty, and offer a possibility of picking one year’s norm in three hours.