Approaching Kizhi Island, Lake Onega, Northern Russia
A good half hour before our cruise ship arrived at Kizhi Island, we began to discern the outline of some of the unique structures that this place is famous for, namely the 22-dome Transfiguration Church, the 30-metre belfry and (hidden behind the belfry in this view) the 9-dome Church of the Intercession. There are other historical buildings on the island, 87 in total, which together form an open-air museum (see below). The aforementioned churches and belfry are enclosed in a walled area called Kizhi Pogost, which was included in the UNESCO World Heritage list in 1990.
The island is about 6 km long and 1 km wide. There are presently two tiny settlements on the island, Vasilyevo and Yamka (see map below) but in the 15th and 16th centuries there were at least 14. This number was reduced to 9 by 1900 and to 2 by the end of WWII. Many of the historical buildings presently on the island have been moved here in the 1950s from elsewhere for preservation purposes.
Approaching Kizhi Island, Lake Onega, Northern Russia
A good half hour before our cruise ship arrived at Kizhi Island, we began to discern the outline of some of the unique structures that this place is famous for, namely the 22-dome Transfiguration Church, the 30-metre belfry and (hidden behind the belfry in this view) the 9-dome Church of the Intercession. There are other historical buildings on the island, 87 in total, which together form an open-air museum (see below). The aforementioned churches and belfry are enclosed in a walled area called Kizhi Pogost, which was included in the UNESCO World Heritage list in 1990.
The island is about 6 km long and 1 km wide. There are presently two tiny settlements on the island, Vasilyevo and Yamka (see map below) but in the 15th and 16th centuries there were at least 14. This number was reduced to 9 by 1900 and to 2 by the end of WWII. Many of the historical buildings presently on the island have been moved here in the 1950s from elsewhere for preservation purposes.