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History and heritage of Arkhangelsk region, Russia

The first thing to be seen in Arkhangelsk region, Russia is the historical and cultural complex of the Solovetsky Archipelago, listed by UNESCO as a world heritage monument, which comprises about 200 monuments from the 3d millennium B.C. to the present times.

The harmony of proportions and the beauty of silhouettes impress visitors – in outstanding fortification constructions of the Solovetsky Kremlin and the Novodvinsk Fortress, in temple complexes of Kargopol, Solvychegodsk, Verkola, Siya rare in their interior beauty, in wooden architectural monuments which glorify the Russian North as a cradle of the Russian wooden architecture.

Of the 800 archeological monuments the most interesting are Neolithic sanctuaries, Saami burial grounds, dolmens and labyrinths on the Solovki, pre-historic settlements of legendary Chud’ tribes along the rivers of Vel, Pinega, Mosha.

Monumental painting is presented with the unique iconostases in the cult constructions, with the brilliant samples of murals, including the so-called ‘nebesa’ (‘heaven’ - painted vaults) which are peculiar only to the wooden churches in the Russian North.

To preserve the unique masterpieces of wooden architecture, more than 100 monuments from the farthest corners of the vast Arkhangelsk Region were brought here in the 1970-ies. The Arkhangelsk Region takes the 1st place in Russia in the number and importance of the wooden architectural monuments and is at the top of the list of 10 Russian regions famous for their cultural heritage. The Solovetsky State History and Architecture Museum-Preserve is on the UNESCO list of the World Heritage.