Coniferous plants of Karelia. Forest of Karelia: general characteristics and photos. Island of Good Spirits

There is reason to believe that the rare and low-growing so-called “bleached” pine forests, especially widespread in the northern part of the republic, owe their origin to repeated persistent ground fires. In habitats with fresh and moist soils, ground fires prevent the replacement of pine by spruce: thin-barked spruce with a shallow root system is easily damaged by fire, while thick-barked pine with deeper roots successfully resists it. Over the past 25-30 years, as a result of successful fight against forest fires, the scale of replacement of pine by spruce has increased sharply.

Derivative pine forests resulting from economic activity are usually of the same age. The participation of deciduous trees and spruce in them can be quite high, up to the replacement of pine by deciduous trees on rich soils. If, when cutting down the stands, the undergrowth and undergrowth of spruce are preserved, a spruce plantation may form in place of the pine forest. However, from both an economic and environmental point of view, this change is undesirable. Pine forests produce more wood, they contain more berries and mushrooms, and they are more attractive to vacationers. Unlike spruce, pine produces resin. Pine forests have better water and soil protection properties.

Replacing pine with spruce can only be allowed on the most fertile soils, where spruce plantings are both productive and resistant to unfavorable conditions. natural factors(winds, harmful insects, fungal diseases) are not much inferior to pine forests. The productivity of pine forests in Karelia is much lower than in the southern and middle regions of the country, which is largely explained by unfavorable soil and climatic conditions. However this is not the only reason. As mentioned earlier, persistent ground fires not only damage trees, but also reduce soil fertility. In trees of different ages, pine is subject to oppression during the first 20-60 years, which negatively affects its growth until the end of its life.

In native spruce forests, the tree stand is of different ages. As an admixture, they can contain pine, birch, aspen, and, less commonly, gray alder. The share of these species in the forest stand usually does not exceed 20-30% (by stock). The processes of mortality and restoration in spruce forests of absolutely different ages occur simultaneously and relatively evenly, as a result of which the main biometric indicators (composition, wood supply, density, average diameter and height and etc.) of such forest stands fluctuate slightly over time. The state of mobile equilibrium can be disrupted by felling, fire, windfall and other factors.

In spruce forests of different ages, the number of trunks is dominated by the youngest and smallest trees; in terms of stock, trees older than 160 years with a diameter above average predominate. The canopy of the crowns is discontinuous and jagged, allowing a significant amount of light to penetrate to the soil surface, and herbs and shrubs are quite numerous here.

Thanks to its shade tolerance, spruce firmly holds the territory it occupies. Fires in spruce forests were rare and did not have a significant impact on their lives. Windblows were also not observed in stands of different ages. Derivative spruce forests arose in clearings, or in so-called “cuttings,” as a rule, through a change of species - open spaces were first populated by birch, less often by aspen, and spruce appeared under their canopy. By 100-120 years, less durable deciduous species died off, and spruce again occupied the previously lost territory. Only about 15% of fellings are restored by spruce without changing species and mainly in cases where viable undergrowth and thin spruce are preserved during felling.

The replacement of spruce with deciduous species during logging is associated with its biological and environmental characteristics. Spruce is afraid of late spring frosts, so in the first years of its life it needs protection in the form of a canopy of deciduous trees; spruce does not get along well with cereals, which disappear after the appearance of birch and aspen; spruce bears fruit relatively rarely (abundant seed harvests occur once every 5-6 years) and grows slowly in the first years of life, so birch and aspen overtake it; finally, spruce occupies mainly rich soils, where deciduous species grow most successfully.

Derivative spruce forests are relatively uniform in age. Under their closed canopy, twilight reigns, the soil is covered with fallen pine needles, there are few grasses and shrubs, and there is practically no viable undergrowth. Compared to pine, the range of habitats for spruce is much narrower. Compared to pine forests, the productivity of spruce forests in similar growing conditions is noticeably lower and only on rich fresh soils is it approximately the same (at the age of ripeness). About 60% spruce forests Karelia grows within the middle taiga subzone.

Deciduous forests (birch, aspen and alder forests) in the conditions of Karelia arose mainly in connection with human activity, and, thus, they are derivative. About 80% of the republic's deciduous forests are located in the middle taiga subzone. Birch forests make up over 90% of the area of ​​deciduous tree stands. Most birch forests were formed after cutting down spruce plantations. The replacement of pine by birch occurs much less frequently, usually in the most productive forest types of the middle taiga subzone.

Under the influence of economic development, mainly logging, indigenous forests in Karelia are disappearing. They are being replaced by derivative plantings of natural and artificial origin, the peculiarity of which is their uniform age. What economic and environmental consequences might this entail?

Judging by the volume of wood, even-aged pine and spruce forests are preferable. The wood reserve of even-aged blueberry spruce forests aged 125-140 years in the conditions of southern Karelia reaches 450-480 m3 per hectare, while in the most productive uneven-aged spruce forests under the same conditions this reserve does not exceed 360 m3. Typically, the wood supply in spruce stands of different ages is 20-30% less than in spruce stands of the same age. If we compare the wood products of even-aged and uneven-aged forest stands not by volume, but by weight, the picture changes noticeably. Since the density of wood in forests of different ages is 15-20% higher, the difference in wood mass is reduced to 5-10% in favor of even-aged stands.

However, in terms of resources of most types of non-timber forest products (berries, medicinal plants, etc.), the advantage is on the side of forests of different ages. They have a more diverse and numerous population of birds and mammals, including commercial species. It should also be noted that even-aged forests, compared to uneven-aged forests, have less wind resistance, worse soil and water protection properties, and are more susceptible to pests and diseases.

But in the specific natural-geographical conditions of Karelia (short and cool summers, weak autumn and spring floods, dissected topography causing a small catchment area, moderate wind conditions, etc.), the replacement of forests of different ages with same-aged ones, as a rule, does not entail serious consequences. environmental consequences.

A negative phenomenon from an economic point of view is the replacement of coniferous trees with deciduous trees - birch, aspen, alder. Currently, species change can be prevented by rational forest restoration and thinning. According to available data, pine is successfully renewed in 72-83% of felled areas, spruce - only in 15%, and solely due to the remaining undergrowth and undergrowth. The remaining fellings are regenerated with deciduous trees. However, after 10-15 years, on more than half the area of ​​deciduous young stands, a second tier is formed - from spruce, due to which highly productive spruce stands can be formed through thinning or reconstruction felling. The change in species does not cause any noticeable environmental consequences.

When shaping the forests of the future, we should proceed from their intended purpose. For forests of the second and third groups, where the main goal is to obtain the largest amount of wood, even-aged stands are preferable. Forests of the first group, designed to perform soil protection, water conservation, recreational and sanitary-hygienic functions, are more suitable for plantings of different ages.

The dominant importance of the forest as a source of renewable natural resources (wood, medicinal raw materials, mushrooms, berries, etc.), as a habitat for valuable commercial species of life. animals and as a factor stabilizing biosphere processes, in particular, restraining the development of negative manifestations of anthropogenic impact on environment, in the conditions of Karelia will continue in the future.

The Republic of Karelia is located in Northern Europe, on the border of Russia and Finland. It is called the center of wooden architecture, a pantry of mushrooms and the most mysterious region in Russia. Many beautiful photos were taken here, but they are not able to convey the full range of feelings that these places evoke in a traveler. Fabulous taiga forests, clear lakes, pristine nature, an abundance of historical and architectural monuments - all this must be seen with your own eyes.

Mount Vottovaara

In the central part of the republic, 20 kilometers southeast of the village of Sukkozero, there is a curious place - Mount Vottovaara, the most high peak West Karelian Upland (417 meters).

Local residents call this place of power Death Mountain and consider it a portal to the other world - an anomalous effect on electrical equipment, nature, and the human body has been noted here. The dead silence, as well as the depressing sight of trees bent, broken by the wind and blackened after a fire, add to the ominous feeling.

In 1978, a complex of ancient cult seids - rolled stones-boulders, located in groups - was discovered on the mountain. In this case, huge blocks lie on smaller ones, creating the impression of stones on legs.

Also on Vottovaara there is a mysterious stairway to heaven - 13 steps carved into the rock, ending in an abyss.

Mount Kivakkatunturi

Located in national park Paanajärvi, in the Louhi region. The height of the mountain is 499 meters, and the name is translated from Finnish as “stone woman” - at the top there are many seids, one of which resembles the head of an old woman.

The climb to Kivakka is quite easy and takes 1-2 hours - in addition to the trodden path, there are wooden beams laid down for the convenience of tourists. When climbing, you can see around the landscape features characteristic of these places - hanging swamps and high-altitude lakes lying on the slopes of the mountain and indicating the water-bearing nature of the rock.

From the open top you can clearly see the beauty of Paanajärvi Park. This place becomes especially picturesque with the arrival of autumn, when the plants color the mountain in yellow-purple colors.

Mountain Park "Ruskeala" (Marble Canyon)

The basis of this tourist complex in the Sortavala region of Karelia is a former marble quarry. The blocks mined here were used for cladding palaces and cathedrals in St. Petersburg and other Russian cities. Now these quarries have turned into man-made marble bowls, filled with the purest water and cut through by a system of shafts and adits, reminiscent of mysterious caves and grottoes.

The mountain park is 450 meters long and about 100 meters wide. It is equipped for tourists - pedestrian paths have been cleared, observation platforms have been created, there is parking for cars, and boat rentals. It is from the water that the most impressive views of the surrounding rock formations, up to 20 meters high, open up. You can also take a boat into the marble grotto and admire the bizarre reflection of the water in the translucent arches.

Marble Canyon Caves

No less interesting are the mines and adits of the quarry, which can be visited on a guided tour. Most of these caves were flooded, but there are also dry ones - the higher the air temperature on the surface, the more deadly cold it feels here.

For its unique acoustics, one of these grottoes is called Musical. However, the greatest interest is caused by the Proval cave, in the roof of which a hole measuring 20 by 30 meters has formed. Another name for the Gap is the Hall of the Mountain King or the Ice Cave; it is best to go down into it in the cold season, when the 30-meter thickness of water in the grotto is hidden under ice. Drops flowing from the vaults formed numerous ice stalactites and stalagmites, the beauty of which is emphasized by lighting.

Ruskeala waterfalls (Akhvenkoski waterfalls)

Not far from the village of Ruskeala, where the Tokhmajoki River divides into several branches, there are 4 small waterfalls. Falling from rocky ledges 3-4 meters high, the kvass-colored water foams and rumbles.

The area around is landscaped, there are wooden gazebos, a cafe, and a souvenir shop. Once upon a time, the films “The Dawns Here Are Quiet” and “The Dark World” were filmed in these places; now kayaking (kayak) is carried out along the Tokhmajoki River, overcoming waterfalls.

Paanajärvi National Park

This corner wildlife is located in the north-west of Karelia, in its most elevated part and occupies about 103 thousand hectares. The park owes its name to unique lake Paanajärvi, which arose in rock faults, the boundaries of the park run along the line of this lake and the Olanga River.

The landscapes here are picturesque and varied - mountain peaks alternate with gorges, turbulent rivers and noisy waterfalls coexist with the calm surface of lakes.

The park contains the most high point Republic - Mount Nourunen. Here you can also see the Kivakkakoski waterfall - one of the largest and most powerful in Karelia.

Daylight hours in winter are very short - the northern lights can be seen from the end of August. But in summer the sun sets only for 2-3 hours - the time of white nights comes.

National Park "Kalevalsky"

This park was created in the far west of Karelia in 2006 to preserve one of the last tracts of old-growth pine forests in Europe. On an area of ​​74 thousand hectares, pine trees occupy about 70%; the age of many trees reaches 400-450 years.

For thousands of years, these places have been the constant habitat of various species of animals and plants; the pristine beauty of the forests still fascinates today. In the park you can see many large rivers with picturesque waterfalls and deep, clean lakes.

There are also several villages located here - Voknavolok is considered the cradle of Karelian and Finnish cultures, where the songs of the Kalevala epic were born, many historical and cultural monuments have been preserved in Sudnozero, and Panozero is considered one of the oldest settlements in the area.

Archipelago Kuzova

It is a group of 16 small islands in the White Sea, near the city of Kem. In order to preserve the unique landscape and diversity of flora and fauna, the Kuzova state landscape reserve was created here. Now there are special places for visiting tourists on 3 islands - Russian Kuzov, German Kuzov and Chernetsky.

Besides beauties surrounding nature The archipelago attracts with its abundance of seids, labyrinths, ancient sites of people from the Mesolithic and Bronze Ages, and religious buildings. The islands are shrouded in many legends and are still a mystery to historians and archaeologists.

Girvas volcano crater

In the small village of Girvas, Kondopoga region of Karelia, there is the world's oldest preserved volcanic crater, its age is about 2.5 billion years.

It used to flow here deep river Suna, but after the construction of the dam for the hydroelectric power station, its bed was drained and the water was sent along a different path, and now petrified lava flows are clearly visible in the half-empty canyon. The crater of the volcano itself does not protrude above the ground, but is a depression filled with water.

Kivach waterfall

Translated from Finnish, the name of the waterfall means “powerful”, “swift”. It is located on the Suna River and is the fourth largest flat waterfall in Europe. Kivach consists of four rapids with a total height of 10.7 meters, of which the vertical drop of water is 8 meters.

Due to the construction of a hydroelectric power station in this area, there was a large outflow of water, which somewhat reduced the attractiveness of the waterfall. The best time The best time to visit this attraction is spring, when Suna gains strength, feeding on melt waters. In 1931, a State Government was created around the waterfall. nature reserve"Kivach".

White Bridges Waterfall (Yukankoski)

This waterfall, located on the Kulismayoki River in the Pitkäranta region of the republic, is one of the highest and most beautiful in Karelia and reaches about 18 meters in height. In summer, the water in the river warms up well, which allows you to swim in it and stand under the falling streams of water.

In 1999, the hydrological natural monument “White Bridges” was established on the territory adjacent to the waterfall, the area of ​​which is 87.9 hectares. Due to its location in the forest, far from the highway, Yukankoski is not very popular among travelers.

Marcial waters

This name is given to a balneological and mud resort, as well as a village in the Kondopoga region. The resort was founded by Peter I in 1719 and is the first in Russia.

There are 4 wells here, from which flow mineral water, their main feature is the amount of iron, greater than in other sources in Russia and abroad. Each source has a different concentration of iron, and the waters also contain calcium, magnesium, manganese, and sodium.

Sapropelic silt sulfide mud extracted from the bottom of Lake Gabozero also has healing properties.

The resort is visited for the treatment of diseases of the blood, cardiovascular, digestive, genitourinary and musculoskeletal systems, and respiratory organs. Here, according to the design of Peter I, the Church of St. Apostle Peter was built, and opposite the temple is the building of the local history museum “Marcial Waters”.

Valaam Island

The name of the island translates as “high land” - it is the largest of the islands of the Valaam archipelago, located in the north of Lake Ladoga.

Every year, Valaam attracts thousands of tourists - its rocky territory, 9.6 kilometers long and 7.8 kilometers wide, is covered with coniferous forests, large and small inland lakes, and cut by numerous channels, bays and bays.

Here is the village of Valaam and a monument of Russian architecture - Valaam Stavropegial monastery with many hermitages (buildings located in hard-to-reach places).

Island of Good Spirits

This island, located on Voronye Lake, is not marked on any geographical map, for which it is often called Karelian Shambhala. You can get to it while rafting on the Okhta River and only with the help of tips from the guides.

The place is a traveler's paradise and is famous for its convenient parking areas, excellent fishing and picturesque surroundings. However, what attracts people most is the abundance of wooden crafts on the island - a real open-air museum created by the hands of tourists. Some products date back to the 70s of the last century. According to legend, this place is inhabited by spirits who guard the island and inhabit every craft, bringing good luck to its maker.

Solovetsky Islands

This archipelago, which includes more than 100 islands, occupies 347 square kilometers and is the largest in the White Sea. It is located at the entrance to Onega Bay and is included in a specially protected protected area.

Here is the Solovetsky Monastery with many churches, the Maritime Museum, the airport, Botanical Garden, ancient stone labyrinths and a whole system of canals that you can navigate by boat.

The White Sea beluga whale, the white whale, lives near Cape Beluzhy. Beautiful nature and an abundance of historical and architectural monuments attract many excursion groups to these places.

Lake Pisan

This reservoir is located in the central part of the Republic of Karelia, and is of tectonic origin - the lake was formed as a result of a fault earth's crust, as clearly evidenced by the symmetry of its banks. The name of the lake translates as “longest” - occupying up to 200 meters in width, it extends 5 kilometers in length. In some places the depth exceeds 200 meters.

On the northern shore of the reservoir there are parking areas, convenient places for fishing and launching boats. As you move south, the banks become higher, forming a gorge with rocks rising 100 meters above the water. Virgin nature, silence and lack of nearby settlements make this place especially attractive for lovers of solitude.

White Sea

This inland sea, located in the north of European Russia, belongs to the Arctic Ocean basin and has an area of ​​90 square kilometers. Because of the cold, even in summer time water (up to 20 degrees), there is not too much tourist flow on the White Sea, and nature in many places remains untouched.

Blueberries and mushrooms grow abundantly on the islands of the sea coast; in the water you can see jellyfish, fish, seals and beluga whales. The seabed after low tide is a unique sight - it is filled with a variety of living organisms.

Lake Ladoga (Ladoga)

Located in Karelia and Leningrad region and is the largest freshwater body of water in Europe - the length of the lake is 219, and its greatest width is 138 kilometers. The northern shores are high and rocky, with many bays, peninsulas, large and small islands; the southern coast is shallow, with an abundance of rocky reefs.

Along Ladoga there are a large number of settlements, ports and recreation centers; numerous ships glide along the water surface. Numerous historical finds have been found at the bottom of the lake. different eras, even now these places are popular among diving enthusiasts. Mirages and brontides also occur here - a rumble coming from the lake, accompanied by the seething of water or weak vibrations of the earth.

Lake Onega (Onego)

This lake is called younger sister Great Lake Ladoga - it is the second largest freshwater body of water in Europe. On the territory of Onega there are more than 1,500 islands of different sizes, dozens of ports and marinas are located on the shores, and the Onega Sailing Regatta is held annually.

The water in the lake is clean and transparent thanks to the shungite mineral that literally lines the bottom. In addition to fish, there is bivalve, growing mother-of-pearl balls of pearls in its shell.

Taiga forests rich in mushrooms and berries, charm northern nature, a huge number of historical monuments, architecture, and folk art attract many tourists to these places.

Onega petroglyphs

On east coast Lake Onega in the Pudozh region of Karelia contains ancient rock paintings dating back to the 4th-3rd millennia BC. They are collected in 24 separate groups and cover an area of ​​20 kilometers; more than half of the petroglyphs are located on capes Peri Nos, Besov Nos and Kladovets.

In total, about 1,100 images and signs were carved into the rocks, mainly drawings of birds (especially swans), forest animals, people and boats. The dimensions of some petroglyphs reach 4 meters.

Among the mystical figures is the mysterious triad of “demon, catfish (burbot) and otter (lizard).” To neutralize this evil spirits, around the 15th century, the monks of the Murom Holy Dormition Monastery knocked out a Christian cross on top of the image.

Kinerma village

The name of this ancient Karelian village, lost in the Pryazha region, translates as “precious land”. The settlement, founded more than 400 years ago, has up to two dozen houses, half of which are architectural monuments. The buildings are located in a circle, in the center of which is the chapel of the Smolensk Mother of God and the old cemetery.

More recently, the fate of the village was in question; only 1 person lived here permanently. However, thanks to the efforts of local residents, it was possible to restore the buildings, improve everyday life, and attract tourists. For the preservation of its historical appearance, Kinerma is recognized as a complex monument of wooden folk architecture of the Karelian-Livviks. She also won the competition “The most beautiful village in Russia.”

Kizhi Museum-Reserve

The main part of this unique open-air museum is located on Kizhi Island in Lake Onega. The heart of the collection is the Kizhi Pogost ensemble, consisting of the 22-domed wooden Transfiguration Church, the smaller Church of the Intercession and the bell tower that unites them; the complex is now included in the List world heritage UNESCO.

The museum is constantly replenished with chapels, houses, icons, household items, outbuildings brought from the surrounding Karelian, Russian and Vepsian villages; it also presents a number of historical objects of Zaonezhye and Petrozavodsk.

Assumption Church

The Church of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary is located in the city of Kondopoga, on the shores of Lake Onega. The church was built in 1774 in memory of the peasants who died during the Kizhi uprising (1769-1771).

Thanks to its height of 42 meters, it became the tallest wooden church in Karelia. The interior decoration has survived to this day and, with its modesty, contrasts with the rich modern churches.

A visit to the Assumption Church is not included in the list of obligatory routes; there is no invasion of tourists here, but newlyweds get married and children are baptized by local residents. It’s worth coming here for the surrounding beauty and special atmosphere of this place.

Forests of Karelia

Karelia is a harsh region that has always attracted me with its wild beauty. For a long time I retained my love for its smooth, glacially carved rocks - “ram’s foreheads”, overgrown with twisted pines, for clear cold lakes, for vast moss swamps, for gloomy spruce and light pine forests, for fast rapids rivers rich in trout and grayling.

Everything here bears traces of the activity of the glacier: lakes located in the direction of its movement, and swampy hollows that were once lake basins, and smooth ledges of rocks polished by the glacier, and deposits of glacial rivers - narrow hills (eskers) stretching for many kilometers. , and powerful accumulations of stones and sand, the so-called moraines.

Several hundred thousand years ago, a gigantic ice mass dominated here. With plenty of rainfall and average annual temperature Below zero, the thickness of the ice sheet gradually increased and reached more than a thousand meters.

Imagine dough lying on the table. If you press on it with your hands or add a new portion of dough in the center, it begins to spread under pressure, occupying an increasingly larger area of ​​the table. Something similar happened with the glacier: under the pressure of its own gravity, the ice became plastic, “spread”, occupying new territories.

Fragments of rocks and stones, frozen into the lower, bottom part of the glacier, furrowed, scratched and polished the surface of the earth as they moved. The glacier acted like a giant grater.

Take a look at the map of Finland and the Karelian Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic. Many lakes cover their territory. Most lakes have an elongated shape and seem to stretch from northwest to southeast - in the direction of glacier movement. These lake basins are carved out by a glacier.

But the climate changed, and the glacier began to melt. The stones that had accumulated on its surface or frozen into its body settled on the ground and formed hills and ridges of different sizes and shapes. We still meet them now where the glacier once was.

The influence of the glacier affected the rivers, which have rapids, and the lakes, which are clean, deep, and the soils and vegetation.

Forest, stone and water are found in this region in a variety of combinations. Hundreds and thousands of lakes, covered with granite, proudly sparkle among Karelian forests. Cities, towns, villages are surrounded by forests. Everywhere you look there is a forest.

On elevated parts of the relief, on stony soils or on rocks, and in rare cases on sandy river terraces, lichen forests grow. They are more often found in the north of the republic. These forests are called “white moss forests”; their soil is covered with a continuous layer of white lichens (resin moss), and there is also a lot of heather here.

Trees growing on rocky cliffs have “clumpy” trunks - thick at the base and sharply thinning towards the top. Such forest is not of great industrial value. It’s a different matter for white-washers occupying loose sandy soils along river terraces: they are denser, their canopy is closed. Therefore, the trees in such forests are smooth and produce hard, fine-grained resinous wood.

Another group of forests is represented by green moss forests, spruce and pine. They are located on elevated plateaus and gentle slopes with well-developed podzolic soils. There are several types of forests in this group.

Boron lingonberry is close to white moss. This is a pine forest, with straighter trees, well cleared of branches, and developed crowns. Birch and spruce are occasionally found here. In addition to shiny mosses, the grass cover contains a lot of lingonberries. Cowberry pine trees grow on upper parts gentle slopes.

Green-growing spruce forests have a different appearance. These are dense spruce forests; Pine and birch are quite common here. They stand on the gently sloping lower parts of the slopes. It is believed that previously, mainly pine forests grew in such places, but spruce, as a more shade-tolerant species, settled under their canopy and is now displacing the “hosts”. This is confirmed by the age of the trees: pine here is usually twenty-five to fifty years older than spruce. Where “windows” form in the canopy and where more light falls on the soil surface, fir trees grow in whole groups. This young addition of spruce will eventually completely replace the pine. The surface of the soil is covered with shiny mosses, blueberries and lingonberries, and you can often find cuckoo flax.

In addition to green moss forests, there is also a group of long moss forests. They are located in low parts of the terrain. There's even more here wet soil, therefore, the grass cover consists of moisture-loving mosses; The first place among them is taken by cuckoo flax. In some places, real swamp moss appears - sphagnum. The moss cover in these forests reaches sixty to eighty centimeters in height (hence the name of the forest - “long” moss, long moss). In a continuous carpet of cuckoo flax bushes of gonobobel appear on the hummocks.

Dolgomoshniki can be either pine or spruce forests. Once in these forests, you are immediately convinced how unfavorable the conditions are for the development of trees. The height of the trees is small: at the age of one hundred and fifty they do not exceed fourteen meters. The tree canopy is sparse, the trunks are covered with branches, from which, especially in spruce, lichens hang. Willow and juniper bushes are often found under the forest canopy. Foresters consider this type of forest to be “low-productive.” Hunters quite often look here, finding broods of black grouse and wood grouse.

I remember my first hunt for wood grouse in the Kola forests. Was it in early spring, at dawn, just before dawn.

The capercaillie hears nothing when he “sings”, chatters, or rather, when he performs the second leg of his simple song (“skirking”). Hunting on leks is based on this feature, when the hunter sneaks up on a capercaillie to the sound of a song.

Having walked a few steps from the fire, my companion, an experienced hunter and forester, and I plunged into the pitch darkness of a spruce forest. They moved with great difficulty, often falling above their knees into the snow. Then it either became brighter, or our eyes got used to the darkness, but we began to distinguish the contours of the trees.

We stopped near a fallen fir tree and were silent for fifteen minutes. Suddenly my companion turned his head sharply. “He’s singing,” I guessed rather than heard.

The first note of the wood grouse's song - the bone clicking sound - was reminiscent of the hits of celluloid balls in a game of ping-pong. At first these clicking sounds were heard at large intervals. Then they became more frequent and suddenly disappeared. But instead of them, a new, very peculiar sound was soon heard - either a whistle or a rustling: the capercaillie, as they say, was “sharpening.” And it’s true: it was as if someone was passing one knife across another...

We rushed forward. But, having taken two or three big steps, they stopped dead in their tracks: the “turning” stopped. The seconds seemed painfully long... Then the bird began to sing again. And then I couldn’t stand it: without waiting for the “turning”, I almost ran forward. The snow crunched treacherously, and the capercaillie immediately fell silent. A second later, the flapping of wings was heard. The capercaillie flew away.

Is it possible to describe the grief of a young hunter who so shamefully scared (in the language of hunters - “made noise”) a capercaillie, this beauty of the Karelian forests!

But let's return to the forests. Occurs in the lowlands new type forests - sphagnum pine forests. These forests are more like swamps, covered with sparse, low-growing pine. The height of the trees does not exceed eleven to thirteen meters, and the thickness is twenty centimeters. The cover in these forests consists of a continuous carpet of swamp moss - sphagnum. Along the hummocks there are wild rosemary, cotton grass, and sedge. The soils here are peaty, swampy, and excessively moist. At first glance, it seems that these forests are not old. And when you cut down a tree and count the narrow annual layers, it turns out that it is one hundred fifty to one hundred eighty years old.

So, depending on where the forests are located - on the tops of hills, on slopes or in lowlands - their appearance changes dramatically. This is mainly because the nature of the soil changes with changes in humidity. A sign of a particular type of forest is the grass cover. It “responds” very sensitively to changes in humidity and the quality of the soil and therefore makes it possible to judge the forest as a whole.

Of course, the forests of the Karelian Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic are not limited to the listed types. There are also other forests, such as small-leaved birch and aspen forests. But the forests described here are the most common in this republic.

The so-called Karelian birch is of particular value to the forests of the Karelian ASSR. Who doesn’t know beautiful light yellow furniture with an original pattern made from its wood!

Karelian birch has been famous for a long time. In the 18th century, the “forest expert” Fokel pointed out that birch grows in Lapland, Finland and Karelia, which “inside resembles marble.”

In Karelian birch, unlike other trees, the annual rings are located unevenly around the circumference of the trunk. This gives its wood a peculiar structure, reminiscent of a relief map of a mountainous area. And besides, Karelian birch wood has a particularly pronounced grain pattern, beautiful color and shine.

Previously, the uneven development of annual rings of Karelian birch was explained by the fact that it grows on rocky soil. It has now been established that Karelian birch is special form warty birch. Just like the ordinary warty birch, it grows in mixed coniferous-deciduous forests, but most often among green moss forests.

Karelian birch lives mainly in the southern regions of the Karelian Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic, but is sometimes found in the forests of the Leningrad and Pskov regions, Belarus and the Baltic republics.

What made me turn to the topic of the history of Karelia during the period of revolutionary and military events of the first half of the 20th century was not only the desire to understand for myself all the intricacies of the politics of those times, but also the stubborn ignoring and hushing up of an entire layer of history under the conventional term “that has been going on for a hundred years now, on the one hand.” Karelian independence”, and on the other hand, the understanding that over a hundred years so many stereotypes, lies and distortions of facts have accumulated that there is simply nowhere to go. It seems that for a whole century we have not advanced one iota in understanding what happened in Karelia on the eve of the revolution, at its height and during the civil war.

Kalevala (Ukhta). Our days. Photo: Andrey Tuomi

Over the past years, a “round” historical date has been persistently imposed on us - the centenary of the Republic of Karelia - which we are preparing to celebrate widely and festively in 2020. A simplified and very conventional date is tightly sewn with the harsh red thread of history to the day of the formation of the Karelian Labor Commune, from which the modern Republic of Karelia is based.

But is everything so simple and is everything so clear? Is this really how things really are? Is it really true that a hundred years ago, among the forests, lakes and swamps, suddenly, out of the blue, a red, Soviet national formation arose, striding, at the drop of a hat, into a bright communist future along with the entire country? And what came, a hundred years later, to the same taiga dead end, where did it come from, as official history claims?

I do not claim to be deeply scientific in my analysis, to the ultimate truth and rely only on what I know from open sources, and most importantly, from the stories of my ancestors and contemporaries who lived and are living in Vienan Karjala. Based on what every Karelian in the north is trying to understand and comprehend, asking himself questions - who are we, where do we come from, what will we leave behind?

Part one.

How many Karelias are there in the world?

When we say the word “Karelia”, we rarely think about the fact that there are three completely different Karelias in the world, which equally have the right to be called as such. In addition to Karelia, which we all understand and know, in which we all have the good fortune to live, there is Finnish Karelia and Tver Karelia. In addition, within the Karelia in which we live, there is a division into the northern and southern parts, which we will talk about a little later. And if we are talking about an established historical community, then territorially the “oldest”, primordial Karelian lands can be called simultaneously Finnish Karelia, Tver Karelia and Olonets Karelia, and the most ancient is the Karelian Isthmus, where from the Karelians, however, due to historical events different centuries, only one name remains.

The reason for such a heterogeneous settlement of the people has long been clarified and established. Protracted wars with the Swedes for the Karelian lands throughout the Middle Ages, which exhausted the strength of the Karelian ethnic group, forced the people to the Great Exodus. The Orekhovsky peace treaty (1323) between Novgorod and Sweden played its most negative role in the division of the Karelians, dividing in half not only the Karelian lands, but also the ethnic group itself.

In that part of Karelia that went to Novgorod, the Karelians did not change either their way of life or their habitat. But that part of the people that came under the Swedish crown faced a difficult choice: either die or change their faith. In those distant times, when faith was dominant in all areas of social, political, interstate and interpersonal relations, when religion was the main “fuel tank” of any war, the concept of “freedom of conscience” did not exist in nature. A different faith was a sufficient and generally accepted motive for the physical destruction of people. Some of the Western Karelians professed Catholicism (and later Lutheranism) and Swedish citizenship did not threaten them in any way, but the Orthodox Karelians had no choice but to exodus to the southeast and northeast.

Indigenous and newcomers

The southeastern part of the Karelians coming from their ancestral lands settled in the Novgorod and, for the most part, in the Tver lands, and those who went to the northeast developed the lands of the north of the modern Republic of Karelia. From here we must draw the first and important conclusion, which will play a role in all subsequent history: the Karelian population of the northern regions of our Karelia is not the original (indigenous) population of these places. Reboly, Kalevala (Ukhtua), Voknavolok, Kestengu and hundreds of other villages and hamlets were developed (or founded) and settled by precisely those Karelians who came here from the territory modern Finland, Northern Ladoga region and Karelian Isthmus. Naturally, they did not come to the empty, but sparsely populated Lappi lands and formed what today is commonly called (in the linguistic division) “the territory of the Karelian language proper.”

It would seem that the Tver Karelians (the same newcomers to the lands of Tvershchina as their brothers in the north of the Republic of Karelia), living in the very heart of Russia, are geographically closer to the Onega or Olonets Karelians. But this is only geographically; ethnically they are closer to the North Karelians and the Karelians of Finland. The language of the Tver Karelians is a dialect of the Karelian language proper, and not of the Ludyk and Livvik languages. The simultaneous linguistic proximity of both Tver and North Karelians to the Finnish language just confirms that they all came from the same “ family nest" And both of these subethnic groups are not the original and indigenous populations of their current habitats. That is, they became such quite recently - changing the status of the newcomer population to the status of the established ones. That is, by becoming indigenous. This is their serious difference from their fellow tribesmen in the Onega region and the Olonets Plain, where the local Karelians have been the indigenous population for many centuries.

Karelian identity

Another important historical conclusion that we can draw is that that part of the Karelians who, as a result of the Great Exodus, found themselves on the territory of the modern northern regions of the republic, retained their original Karelian identity for many centuries. I make this conclusion not in order to belittle the dignity of some Karelians and exalt the dignity of others, but so that we understand the significant difference between all existing and existing groups of Karelians.

Judge for yourself: when we talk about the Karelians of Finland, we immediately stipulate that this part of the ethnic group has almost completely assimilated with the Finns, falling under the influence of a more powerful (albeit also very diverse) culture, religion and way of life. Speaking about the Onega and Olonets Karelians, we stipulate that this part of the ethnic group came under the strong influence of Russian culture, language and way of life. We see exactly the same powerful influence of Russians in Tver Karelia. These things stem from the objective circumstances of the Karelians living in those places where there is a strong influence of other strong ethnic groups - Russian and Finnish.

But with the North Karelians, historical conservation occurred when they went to the northeast, “capturing” with them the language, culture and way of life and bringing all this to their new “promised land”, where there was no influence of other powerful ethnic groups. The influence of the Lapps on the Karelians was very insignificant; rather, the northern Karelians assimilated that part of the Laplanders to whose lands they came.

Linguistic diversity

Today the situation with the Karelian language looks very diverse. For a Karelian from the north of the republic, it is more or less easy to speak his native language with northern Finns, he understands them, and they understand him too. Tver Karelians have a slightly unusual, but very understandable dialect for a northerner. The languages ​​of the Ludics and Livviks are understandable to northerners (without language training) in the general context of the conversation, but the language of the northerners is much more difficult for Olonsk and Onega Karelians to understand.

Without delving into issues of linguistics and the secrets of the formation of dialects and dialects, we note that the linguistic diversity of Karelia is enough to draw conclusions about where everything came from and why everything happened this way. Moreover, in addition to linguistic differences, the “theory of different Karelias” has more compelling justification and confirmation.

Songs of our kind

Let's take the pride of all Karelians and Finns - the epic “Kalevala”. More precisely, not the epic itself (for “Kalevala” is still the literary result of creative work on the collection, generalization and systematization of oral material collected by Elias Lönnrot), but what has been preserved among the people for many centuries - Karelian runes.

If we pay attention to the territory where Lönnrot collected almost all the song material to compile the epic (and this, according to various estimates, is about or more than 90% of all runes), we will find ourselves in a very small area of ​​​​the territory located in the current Kalevalsky region of Karelia. These are Voknavolok, Sudnozero, Voinitsa and Ukhtua. It is in this unique “golden ratio” that what has been accumulated by several dozen generations of Karelians has been preserved unchanged. Why did this happen?

Everything is very simply explained from the point of view of the influence of ethnic groups on each other. The North Karelians, who moved to the current Kalevalsky region, due to objective circumstances, escaped the influence of the Russians and Finns, preserving their original Karelian identity for several centuries. That is, simply preserved in the very form in which they left their lands during the Great Exodus.

At a time when the culture of the South Karelians was mixing with the culture of the Russians, and the Finnish Karelians with the culture of the Finns, the North Karelians quietly existed within their area, which was not influenced by other ethnic groups. It was this factor, as well as the Karelians’ penchant for traditionalism, conservatism and natural stubbornness (which was noted by all ethnographers) that made it possible to preserve the culture, way of life and traditions of the people for many centuries, fencing them off from outside influence.

Canned Middle Ages

Moreover, the Karelians of the north of the republic, due to their traditionalism, spread part of their culture to the north of Finland, where the Karelians rushed along trade routes. During the historical period of time that passed from the period of resettlement of the Karelians to Lennrot’s visit to their new lands (3-4 centuries), the inhabitants of the northern regions had not yet settled so firmly on these lands as to finally turn into cattle breeders and cultivators, but preferred the ancient latrine trade .

Lennrot was sincerely surprised that the Karelians in Ukhtua and Voknavolok, having such vast lands, do not engage in agriculture, preferring trade, fishing and hunting to him. Unfortunately, he did not go further and did not conclude that in that historical period the Karelians simply did not have time to settle on the earth enough, to grow to it, in order to begin its full development.

A similar conclusion was made by the Russian Orthodox priests who came here after the Karelians, who saw in this fact the natural laziness, stubbornness of the Karelians and their tendency to trade. They also did not pay attention to the fact that the Karelians, mothballed in the late Middle Ages, retained the trades inherent in the Middle Ages: hunting, fishing and barter.

Even if we compare old photographs of Karelian villages, we will see not only some similarities in the architecture and layout of the settlements of the south and north of Karelia, but also differences that immediately catch the eye: South Karelian villages at the time of photography look much more solid, lived-in, cozy and rich than the villages of the north, which by that time had not yet been fully formed. This is exactly what Ukhtua and Voinitsa look like in the photographs of Konrad Inha, as if in the rooting stage. In almost all old photographs of the villages of Vienan Karjala, the main feature is striking: the absence of trees in them. The only exceptions are Karelian cemeteries, which in photographs are distinguishable by tall spruce forests and less often by pine forests.

(To be continued)

Sometimes gentle, but often grey, dank land of endless taiga and countless lakes. Rocks, swamps, rivers, rivulets. Mosquitoes, midges, berries, mushrooms, fishing. Off-roads, abandoned villages, fields overgrown with grass, carved out of the living body of forests, most often clean. Crazy sunsets and sunrises. Unforgettable white nights. Seagulls over flat water and white steamers.
This is all Karelia. The edge is heavy, but beautiful. With your soul.
Who lives by his own laws and rules.

Karelia is located in the north-west of the country and is part of the North-Western Federal District. This is a republic within Russia: it has its own coat of arms, flag and anthem. About 50% of the territory of the Karelian Territory is covered with forest, and a quarter is covered with water. Karelia is the “land of lakes”; there are more than 61,000 lakes, 27,000 rivers and 29 reservoirs. The largest lakes are Ladoga and Onega, and the most large rivers- Vodla, Vyg, Kovda, Kem, Sunna and Shuya.

On the Ladvinskaya Plain

The Blue Road, an international tourist route connecting Norway, Sweden, Finland and Russia, runs through Karelia. Main types of recreation in the region: sightseeing tours(Kizhi - Valaam - Solovki - Kivach Falls - Marcial Waters - Ruskeala Marble Canyon), leisure(ATV safaris, rafting on rapids rivers, hunting and fishing, hiking, skiing, bike tours, jeep tours), children's and youth recreation in camps, event and holiday tours, vacations in cottages and tourist complexes.

Yukaknkoski waterfall

Vedlozero

The capital is Petrozavodsk. Large cities and tourist centers: Kondopoga, Kem, Kostomuksha, Sortavala, Medvezhyegorsk, Belomorsk, Pudozh, Olonets. Population - about 691 thousand people.

The fauna of Karelia is relatively young, it was formed after the Ice Age. In total, 63 species of mammals live on the territory of the republic, many of which, for example, the Ladoga ringed seal, the flying squirrel and the brown long-eared bat, are listed in the Red Book. On the rivers of Karelia you can see the lodges of European and Canadian beavers.

The Canadian beaver, as well as the muskrat and American mink are acclimatized representatives of the fauna North America. The raccoon dog is also not an indigenous inhabitant of Karelia, it comes from the Far East. Since the late 1960s, wild boars began to appear, and roe deer entered the southern regions. There are bear, lynx, badger and wolf.

From year to year, geese flying north stop to rest in the fields of the Olonets Plain in Karelia

Karelia is home to 285 species of birds, of which 36 species are included in the Red Book of Karelia. The most common birds are finches. Upland game can be found - hazel grouse, black grouse, ptarmigan, wood grouse. Every spring to Karelia from warm countries the geese are flying. Birds of prey are common: owls, hawks, golden eagles, marsh harriers. There are also 40 pairs of rare white-tailed eagles. Among the waterfowl: ducks, loons, waders, many seagulls and the largest of the diving ducks of Karelia - the common eider, valuable for its warm down.

Just like the fauna vegetable world Karelia was formed relatively recently - 10-15 thousand years ago. Coniferous forests predominate, to the north - pine forests, to the south - both pine and spruce forests. The main conifers are Scots pine and Scots spruce. Finnish spruce and Siberian spruce are less common, and Siberian larch is extremely rare. Small-leaved species are widespread in the forests of Karelia, these are: downy birch, warty birch, aspen, gray alder, and some types of willow.

Karelia is the land of berries; lingonberries, blueberries, cloudberries, blueberries, cranberries grow here in abundance; raspberries grow in the forests - both wild and feral, sometimes moving from village gardens. In the south of the republic, strawberries and currants grow abundantly. Juniper is common in the forests, bird cherry and buckthorn are not uncommon. Red viburnum is occasionally found.

Kizhi Museum-Reserve

The Kizhi Museum-Reserve is one of the largest open-air museums in Russia. This is a unique historical, cultural and natural complex, which is a particularly valuable object of cultural heritage of the peoples of Russia. The basis of the museum collection is the ensemble of the Kizhi Pogost - an object of the World Cultural and natural heritage UNESCO.

Church of the Transfiguration

37 meters of unprecedented beauty, 22 domes stretching to the sky!
Undoubtedly, the most famous and outstanding building of the ensemble. The church is the tallest building on the island. It can be seen from almost any point on land and water. The architecture is impressive. I can’t wrap my head around how it’s possible without modern instrument, without nails to build such beauty?! But the church was indeed created without a single nail in 1714. Just this year the laying of the church altar took place. The history of the church says that it was erected on the site of an old one that burned down from a lightning strike.

Church of the Intercession

The second church of the ensemble is the winter one, in honor of the Intercession Mother of God(holiday October 14) - built half a century after Preobrazhenskaya. The church is crowned with nine domes. Such a structure is unique in Russian wooden architecture. The existing four-domed iconostasis of the Church of the Intercession consists of original icons, many of which were painted specifically for this temple. The oldest of them dates back to the 16th century. The Church of the Intercession holds services throughout the summer and until the Intercession itself. In 2003, the parish received stauropegic status and is under the patronage of His Holiness Patriarch and All Rus' Alexy II.

Voitsky padun

It is located in Central Karelia on the Nizhny Vyg river, 2 km from the village of Nadvoitsy. The waterfall as such is no longer there, only its dried bed remains framed by dark rocks, green forest and mighty boulders. But once upon a time the waterfall was famous, legends and traditions were formed about it. Its fame grew significantly in the 18th century, when the Voitsky copper mine began operating nearby.

One of the last famous people who visited the “active” waterfall was the writer M.M. Prishvin. He left a description of it, which contains the following words: “...Roar, chaos! It’s hard to concentrate, it’s impossible to realize what I’m seeing? But I’m drawn and drawn to look... Obviously some mysterious forces influence the fall of water, and at every moment all its particles are different: the waterfall lives some kind of infinitely complex life of its own..."

Balaam. Bay" Rocky coast"

Balaam. Rocky Coast Bay. Having passed from the pier of Bolshaya Nikonovskaya Bay to the southwest of the Valaam archipelago, we find ourselves in the area of ​​​​the most picturesque bay "Rocky Coast" with unique nature Valaam and the surrounding Ladoga.

Balaam. Big Nikonovskaya Bay

Mountain park "Ruskeala". The pearl of the Mountain Park is the Marble Canyon.

Marble Canyon – a monument of industrial culture (mining) late XVIII- the beginning of the 20th century, officially included in the list of cultural heritage of Russia in 1998. There is no such monument in Europe, which is a man-made “bowl” in a solid mass of marble, cut through by a system of mines, adits and drifts. From here blocks were obtained for cladding many architectural creations of St. Petersburg, including the majestic St. Isaac's Cathedral.

This is the oldest of the Ruskeala quarries. Its length is 450 m, width 60-100 m, depth 30-50 m. It is flooded to the level of the upper underground horizon. The Finns flooded the quarry before the start Soviet-Finnish war 1939-40 Most of the adits of the first third of the last century are under water. Only one of them is located above the water level.

Externally, the Marble Canyon makes a colossal impression: gray-white rocks break into a turquoise lake with heavily indented shores, and go to many meters in depth.

Some of the blocks hang above the water at a negative angle, and the grottoes that formed in steep cliffs, you can take a boat ride and admire the play of light on the marble ceiling. The grottoes look very beautiful, the white marble of the arches and walls is wonderfully reflected in the calm water.

The combination of the nature of Karelia and human activity has given this quarry a surprisingly picturesque appearance, which attracts travel lovers not only from Karelia, but also from St. Petersburg, Moscow and other places.

Ruskeala waterfall "Akhvenkoski"

Ruskeala waterfall Ahvenkoski translated from Finnish language"Perch threshold". Locals sometimes call it “the waterfall of three bridges.” At this point, the winding Tokhmajoki River crosses the road three times.
The Akhvenkoski waterfall became especially famous thanks to the film “The Dawns Here Are Quiet”, shot in 1972.

Mannerheim Line

The Mannerheim Line (Finnish: Mannerheim-linja) is a complex of defensive structures between the Gulf of Finland and Ladoga, created in 1920-1930 on the Finnish part of the Karelian Isthmus to deter a possible offensive attack from the USSR, 132-135 km long.

This line became the site of the most significant fighting in the Winter War of 1940 and received great fame in the international press. Three lines of defense were planned between Vyborg and the border with the USSR. The one closest to the border was called “main”, then there was “intermediate”, and near Vyborg “back”.

The most powerful node of the main line was located in the Summakyul area, the place of the greatest threat of a breakthrough. During Winter War Finnish and beyond Western press named the complex of the main defensive line after the commander-in-chief, Marshal Karl Mannerheim, on whose orders plans for the defense of the Karelian Isthmus were developed back in 1918. On his initiative, the largest structures of the defense complex were created.

The defenses of the Mannerheim Line were greatly exaggerated by propaganda on both sides.

place of death of the 1217th regiment

From 24.00 6.02.42 until the outgoing day of 02/07/42, the enemy defended the taken lines, simultaneously all continuous attacks of the defense sector. The 1217th Infantry Regiment heroically, defending every inch of land with fire and counterattacks, threw the enemy back to their original position. The enemy suffered heavy losses. But, having met strong enemy resistance, the units lay down and went on the defensive. Surrounded by 1217 regiments, without receiving reinforcements in manpower and ammunition, he died in fierce battles with the enemy, leaving 28 people from the regiment.

The bodies of the dead Soviet soldiers, according to eyewitness descriptions, lay in 2-3 tiers, and during an artillery attack, parts of the bodies scattered throughout the forest. A total of 1,229 people from the division went missing while surrounded.

From the memoirs of a former private of the 8th infantry division Finns Otto Koinvungas from Oulu: “The first thing we saw when we arrived at the front line was a soldier carrying a whole cart of corpses of Russian soldiers on a horse. At the beginning of January, the Russians launched an attack, but were defeated. On both sides of the road there were so many Russian soldiers, dead and frozen, that the dead, standing, supported each other.”

From Onega to Ladoga. Svir River.

The Svir is a large river in the northeast of the Leningrad region of Russia, near its administrative border with the Republic of Karelia, an important link in the Volga-Baltic waterway. The Svir originates in Lake Onega and flows into Lake Ladoga. There were rapids in the middle reaches of the Svir, but after the construction of a cascade of power plants on the river, dams raised the water level, flooding the rapids and creating a deep-water path along the entire length of the river.

The Svir has two significant tributaries - the Pashu and Oyat rivers, used for timber rafting. The river is home to perch, bream, pike, roach, burbot, catfish, salmon, grayling, etc.
The river is unique due to its many islands. The river flows in lowlands that in the past were occupied by glacial reservoirs. The river is home to perch, bream, pike, roach, burbot, catfish, salmon, grayling, etc.

WINTER IN KARELIA

Kivach waterfall in winter

Ice hummocks on Lake Onega

Russian and foreign tourists have long had their eye on the Karelian region. And the point here is not only in its virgin nature and unique architectural monuments. main reason is simple: the tourist season in the republic is not at all limited to three summer months- People travel to Karelia continuously throughout the year. Both fans of active tourism and those who love relaxing trips with the whole family will find something to their liking here.

Photos are not mine. A huge number of Yandex sites and pages were used. Sorry for not mentioning anyone in particular.