Medvezhyegorsk (Karelia) is a small pretty town located on Lake Onega. Until 1938, this place was called Bear Mountain. The railway station, where they make a short train stop from Moscow, St. Petersburg and Petrozavodsk, is called now. The city is one of the industrial centers of Karelia, located in the north-west of the Gulf of Povenets. It is surrounded by picturesque cliffs and low hills, which are covered with dense coniferous forests.
History of the city
In the distant past, on the site of Medvezhyegorsk, an impenetrable forest was inhabited , in which wild animals lived. It was a marshland. And today one of the streets of the city is called Bolotnaya.
They began to erect Medvezhyegorsk with the start of construction of a saw mill on the Kums river in 1794. Its owners were Andreev, Gagarinov and the Zakharyev brothers, who came from the village of Tolvuya. Gradually, the Zakharyevs became the sole owners of the plant. To this day, this enterprise has not survived, there is not a trace left of its building. But then the two-story wooden house of the Zakharyevs survived.
After the entry of the Russian Empire into the First World War (1914), there was an urgent need for the construction of a railway leading to the Barents Sea. The construction of the Murmansk port, two ports in Soroka and Kemi, as well as the railway began in 1915. The latter was to connect Petrograd with Romanov-on-Murman.
The Bear Mountain station was built on the uninhabited and uninhabited shore of the lake. At the station, a village gradually appeared that had the same name. In 1915, a marina appeared on the shore of the lake.
In 1930, the Soviet government made a historic decision to build the White Sea-Baltic Canal. The village and the station "Bear Mountain" and became the administrative center. As you know, the canal was put into operation in August 1933. Five years later, by decision of the Armed Forces of the RSFSR, this working village received the status of an urban-type settlement and the name Medvezhyegorsk (Karelia).
During the Second World War, in the area of the city, fighting for three years was conducted by Finnish and Soviet troops.
Unexpected fame
Today, many tourists are attracted by the Republic of Karelia. G. Medvezhyegorsk gained wide fame in the 90s of the XX century. In 1984, director V. Menshov made a film here, which later became very popular. Its name is Love and Pigeons. The house in which the main character lived in the film with his family was not preserved.
Republic of Karelia, Medvezhyegorsk: climatic conditions
The climate in this northern town is quite severe. The average temperature in February is -12 ° C, in July it does not exceed +16 ° C. About 600 mm of precipitation falls annually.
sights
The small town of Medvezhyegorsk (Republic of Karelia), a photo of which can be seen in advertising booklets of travel agencies, has such a number of bear sculptures that they would be enough for half of Russia.
Bears there are marble and bronze, gypsum and wood. There are whole sculptural compositions, you can see a bear with fish, with bread and salt.
The bear figure with the symbol of the city is made in full bearish growth. In his forepaws, he holds the image of the coat of arms of Medvezhyegorsk high above his head. As you know, this animal is a symbol of the city. The statue is made of natural wood, and an ordinary stone served as a pedestal.
Belomorsky Canal
The main attraction of Medvezhyegorsk, of course, is the White Sea-Baltic Canal. But tourists should know that the object is guarded and photography is prohibited on it.
City Museum
V.P. Ershov, a teacher at boarding school No. 4, in 1962 created a school museum of local lore in such a beautiful city as Medvezhyegorsk (Karelia). Initially, the collection was made up of household items of citizens, icons, embroideries, as well as elements of national costumes.
The status of the municipal museum was in 1991. It is housed in an old building, which is an architectural monument. Once there was a hotel of workers of the White Sea Canal.
Railway station
It is located in the central area of the city. The building was built in 1916. Almost immediately after the completion of construction, the first trains began to leave here.
This is an original wooden structure with a spire and a tent roof. It was rebuilt and reconstructed many times, but today it has retained its original appearance.
The author of the project was a civil engineer R. M. Gabe. The building was still being built when the settlement was not a city.
Monument to the heroes of the Second World War
As in all of Russia, the inhabitants of the city honor the memory of the heroes of the Second World War. Medvezhyegorsk (Karelia), the photo of which you see in our article, has its own monument in honor of the fallen heroes. The monument was erected on the grave of warriors, where 1,015 soldiers who sacrificed their lives for their homeland rest.
It is located in the square along Kirov Street. This is an obelisk of black marble with a commemorative inscription. Grateful residents of the city bring flowers to him, and from here all the festive processions on Victory Day begin.
Monument to Kirov
The monument was inaugurated in the summer of 1958. The initiator of its creation was the city administration. Today it is located on Dzerzhinsky Street, and at first it was installed in the Zheleznodorozhniki park.
Church
This small temple is located on Artyomiev Street. A modest wooden building painted light blue, parishioners often come here to pray. The pastor of the church is A. A. Ryndin.
Sandarmoh
Another memorable place that will always be reminiscent of the huge sacrifices that we must not forget. This huge forest tract, which became the site of mass executions of the NKVD, is located fifteen kilometers from the Bear Mountain and nineteen kilometers from the village of Povenets.
Over an area of about ten hectares, more than 9,500 people of fifty-eight nationalities were buried, who were killed in 1938. This is the largest burial place in the north-west of our country for victims of Stalin’s repressions.
These were mainly settlers and prisoners from the Solovetsky camps. But there are locals among the victims. To date, 236 shooting pits have been discovered in this vast territory. The graves were first found in the summer of 1997.
Karelia (Medvezhyegorsk): rest
If you like skiing, we want to please you. Medvezhyegorsk has a well-equipped ski slope. There are two tracks on it, the length of which is from 350 to 400 meters. In addition, there are trails for children and for professionals.
Fishermen love these places. For them, bases and hotels have been built here. One of them is located on the lake. There are only three rooms, a cozy lounge. Lovers of winter fishing love to stay at this hotel. Ice fishing in the described places is fascinating. This is largely due to the presence of stone ore. You can catch whitefish and waist, smelt and burbot, perch (next to the ludas), pike perch and bream here.
Hunters (in season) will also have a wonderful rest. In the autumn, a goose sits on the field, in November, a wild boar enters the potato fields, there are capercaillie and grouse currents, ducks, bears, wolves, moose.
Hotels
Probably, everyone who is going to these places, hotels of Medvezhyegorsk (Karelia) are primarily concerned. The city is small, so there are few hotels. If you are going to Medvezhyegorsk to have a rest (hunting, fishing), then you better settle out of town, for example, in the Solnechny Hotel, located on Lake Onega, very close to the Medvezhya Gora Railway Station. You can settle in the guest house “For Onega”.
But if you came to the city on business, it is better to settle in the Onega Hotel. It is located in the city center, in a four-story building, built in 1981. The hotel offers accommodation in 65 single, double and triple rooms. It has a restaurant and bar.
Tourists reviews
A huge number of positive reviews leave fishers and hunters who visited Medvezhyegorsk. In their opinion, the city has a well-organized vacation. Many special bases and beautiful nature energize for a long time.