Kizhi

Panorama with churches and farmhouses

Kizhi ( Russian Кижи of Karelian kischat for "Games") is an island in Lake Onega in Russia . Its ensemble of churches made of wood , called the Kizhi Open-Air Museum, has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1990 . It currently comprises about 80 buildings of Karelian timber architecture.

history

Church ensemble

The name of the island suggests that there used to be a pagan ritual site of the Karelian people on the site . The island is about 7 km long and 0.5 km wide. It is surrounded by a large number (approx. 5000) mostly smaller islands that belong to the "Saoneshe" landscape (around Lake Onega). Settlement of the slightly hilly island can be proven from the 11th century. Even in the 21st century, around 100 people live on the island, spread over two villages. Their main occupation is tourism, earlier it was fishing, as a specially exhibited flat sailing boat, the "Kishanka", attests to. Today around 170,000 guests from all over the world come to Kizhi every year.

In the 17th century an ensemble of churches was built, which also includes the Transfiguration Church and the Church of Mary Protection and Intercession . In the 18th century a fire destroyed most of the buildings and with the help of all families they were rebuilt and more beautiful.

A "Kischanka"

Some buildings

The Transfiguration Church (Церковь Преображения Господня), completed in 1714, consists of a striking summer church with 22 small, pyramid-like domes, all of which are covered with shingles made of alder or poplar wood . Except for iron nails for fastening the roof shingles, all other parts of the church are joined together without nails. - The Transfiguration Church is currently being reconstructed and will not be reopened until the 300th anniversary in 2014. Because church services should also be held in winter, the residents built a so-called winter church (Покровская церковь) next to it in 1764 , which means that it can be heated. In its rooms there is a four-row iconostasis made up of 102 individual icons and some icons from earlier church buildings, which with their ornamented frames are a special testimony to the typical Nordic icon painting of the 18th century. The winter church has a wooden flat roof with 8 small wooden domes around a middle one, its structure is lower than the summer church. The churches were built directly on the naturally existing stones without their own foundation. Both churches have a wooden bell tower (Шатровая колокольня), which was built between 1863 and 1872. It consists of three different walls, the lower part has a rectangular floor plan, on top of which there is a polygonal section, the upper tower area is round with a conical roof. Pine wood was used as the main material . The bell tower will also be renewed by 2014.

The church has been active again since 1994.

Another church ("Raising Lazarus " / Церковь воскрешения Лазаря) as well as various chapels and farmhouses with outbuildings from villages in the area were moved to Kizhi. A post mill from 1928 of the former 12 mills on the island has been preserved. The buildings are open to tourists and are explained by tour guides.

Nature and climate

Because of the high groundwater levels, the island's ground is always moist, so that early morning fog often forms. The vegetation is limited to grass, bushes and only a few larger trees. The average annual temperatures are between −13 and +20 degrees Celsius. There are no paved roads, and wooden walkways have been built for visitors.