The tours presented in this section aim to introduce customers to the unique beauty and culture of the country’s area stretching between the southern coast of the White Sea and the Ladoga Lake.

The environment of this part of Russia is stern, but not as scanty as it is beyond the Polar Circle.

The snowy winter, amazing white nights in summer, and the pale palette of the northern landscape are among the main distinctions of the land inhabited by courageous people of strong character: fishermen, hunters and woodcutters, carpenters and poets.

The local character was hardened during centuries by severe climate and permanent struggle for freedom. Unlike the most population of Rus (the name of the medieval Russia) the ancestors of the present inhabitants witnessed neither a three-hundredth Tatar yoke, nor serfdom. Among those who settled the area were plentiful Old Believers who sought here refuge after the schism of the Russian Orthodox Church (17th century). The obstinate dissenters struggled desperately against severe persecutions by both the Tsar and the Church for over two centuries but were never defeated for good and all.

All these factors could not but influence on forming the local freedom-loving character and the local culture, which is distinctly original as compared to that of central Russia, either it concerns architecture, language, or the way of life.

Among the main tourist attractions of the region are the unique monuments of the wooden architecture, be it the world renowned churches in Kizhi or the nameless chapels in the forests, with their modestly colored icon paintings.

In addition to visiting the highlights of the region, the customers will have a good opportunity to get acquainted with the way of life, traditions and historical background of the local people, which helps to understand the sources of the fascinating craftsmen’s mastership.