Russian North: this is the name of the Vologda lands. In these parts there is a special type of village houses that you will not find in the Central part of Russia, and even more so to the south. A distinctive feature of the houses of the Northern Russian type is their severity and monumentality.
The base is a wooden frame - "it is good for its pristine strength, natural, natural beauty, the simple rhythm of mighty crowns. Try it, cover them with some fancy pattern, neatly sawn boards, plaster or paint - and all the charm will immediately disappear." It is the absence of rich external decoration that gives these houses a peculiar uniqueness.
In this report, I combined several villages of Belozerye and the outback of the Sokolsky land of the Vologda Territory at once.
I will begin my story from the north-eastern part of the Vologda region. Here, on the banks of the Nutrenko River, there are two villages Nikolskaya and Bolshaya with their Nikolskaya-large houses. According to the old-timers, most of the houses were moved here from the northern hinterland. And, indeed, in the neighboring villages there are no such huge log houses. In the Soviet years, a large farm was located here, there was a village council, a club, a school, and so on.
This huge two-story house with a large light room is the first to meet us. Moreover, this is not one, as it might seem at first glance, house, but two huts - two independent log cabins, tightly pressed against each other and having a common roof:
The ends of the logs at the corners are covered with paneled blades, decorated with applied carvings.
The next two houses in the neighborhood are no less huge and also have the type of twin hut, under one gable roof and a light room. Of the external decorations, only one house has laid-on carvings on the corner blades. There is still life in these houses:
Further you can see again a hefty two-story house with a vestibule attached behind. In the North, apart from housing, only barns, baths and a threshing floor were set up, and barns and branches were the back of the Russian house. This allowed the peasant to carry out household work in inclement weather (frequent for local areas) without going outside.
This is a house of five walls with a cut in the center. From the decor, only that which is sheathed and covered with a bar:
This hut is smaller, but still larger than the houses of the Middle Strip. Not decorated at all (except for the cornice). Most likely, the owners were not so prosperous:
Right next to it is again an example of a double hut, each of which squinted in its own direction, which creates the feeling of a sprawling house. So it is in fact. And here is the little light here, unlike the walls, very skillfully and elegantly decorated with carvings:
We stumble upon a frozen artifact - a tractor "Kazakhstan", probably from the 60s:
There are a lot of houses here. To cover everything - the whole report will go away, and I'm going to show other places, so a couple more shots and we'll go to other villages.
"Here was the Village Council" ...
Russia is like that.
Our Batmobile got lost among such dominoes:
We leave the village of Bolshaya (on the maps), it is also Nikolskaya (on the sign). With the next series of photographs, I will present a few houses of the completely abandoned village of Novo, located on the other side of Vologda - on the Belozerskaya ridge, on the banks of the Toytsa River.
The houses are more squat and not as expressive as the previous ones. True, there are no more lights here. Somewhere there is an attic window, and in the house below, it looks more like a dormer window. It was even decorated
Another elongated house with an entrance in the middle through some unthinkable high porch:
I do not pay attention to the interior of houses because it is not there:
Of the interesting finds, there were only these obviously old forged huge chests:
The last resident lived here in 1995. Continuing to move along the Belozerskaya ridge, we leave this village as well.
And now we are in the village of Ulyankino with its extreme well, very colorful house. Finishing, however, at the house of our time:
You can see how much work went into decorating the house. The castle is knocked down, we pass inside.
On the table is a note asking not to destroy the house:
From this facade there is a loggia at the top:
Not far away on the same site is another creation of a handy owner - a "hunting" house with a greenhouse and a corral for animals:
It's getting dark, but we manage to see a couple more villages with their northern houses. This, in my opinion, is the village of Bubrovo.
As usual, the front of the house is for living, the second half is for pets and food supplies.
And in the Soviet years you can’t show off here, and now even more so. So it remains to throw these still strong houses.
Although the houses are neatly chopped, how to live when there are no roads, transport runs twice a week and the entire infrastructure has disappeared.
In this village, the houses are already covered with slate. It seems that the house is quite simple, but there is something in this simplicity.
And finally, a little positive - the village of Artyushino, where not everything is lost, although all tendencies are towards this.
Strange and very old ten-wall mega-domino. Either for the workers, or ... I don’t know for whom:
Two representatives of different eras and both in oblivion. And there is nothing new!
Unfinished, by the way, is very global. A building for a village of colossal proportions. I wonder what should have been here:
And this is the “Bubrovskaya” school with a pedestal by V.I. Lenin. The school was founded in 1878! It trained two Heroes of the Soviet Union:
Surprisingly well-maintained and well-maintained "Victory Park":
In 2006, in case of a man-made disaster (nuclear war, asteroid fall, etc.), humanity created a special "ark" with plant seeds. At 120 meters underground, there are 4.5 million samples of crops from all over the world. The $9 million project was financed by Norway and is located on its territory. The repository was marked out in the village of Longyearbyen on the polar archipelago of Svalbard in the Arctic Ocean. It is the northernmost settlement in the world with a population of over a thousand people.
In August, I visited Svalbard, and the very village from where my journey began was the first place...
Longyearbyen is the capital of Svalbard. About 2000 people live in the village. Near the city is Svalbard Airport - the northernmost airport in the world with regular flights:
The village is located in the valley:
Part of the settlement is located by the sea, part goes deep into the mainland:
The concept of "first coastline" is not here, next to the water there are exclusively utility and storage buildings.
Longyearbyen is visited by about 70,000 tourists a year. There are two seasons - summer (now) and winter, when people come to ride snowmobiles. Cruise ships often visit in summer:
An asphalt street with shops stretches from the port:
In parallel, there is a pedestrian (300 meters). It cannot be said that it is clean and well-groomed in Norwegian, but the houses are in very good condition:
In the middle of the street there is a monument to a coal mining geologist: in fact, the development of the archipelago began because of the coal industry. To this day, coal mines operate here:
All the people in this picture are tourists:
In the distance are the houses of the Norwegians who live on the island:
There are several cafes on the street:
There are also shops with everything you need on a trip to Svalbard. The clothes of the Swedish company "Fjall Raven" are considered the most chic. I bought myself some pants here - very comfortable and technologically advanced:
Museum of the conquest of the North Pole. I went inside, didn’t find anything particularly interesting - just newspaper clippings and old photographs without much explanation:
Four years ago, a Chinese woman from Hong Kong came to Longyearbyen and began developing Chinese tourism to Svalbard. The Norwegians reacted coolly to this idea, and the lady is especially not allowed to disperse. Nevertheless, she has already installed a huge red box of Santa Claus, registering this fairy-tale hero in Svalbard (although, as we know, Lapland was his place of registration all the way):
Local hospital. First aid is provided here, and if you need to do some serious operations, they are sent to the mainland:
Longyearbyen is home to Svalbard International University. It was founded in 1993, and there are classes in Arctic biology, geology, geophysics and everything related to the Arctic. They teach during short-term seminars for three months, they do not study here for 5 years in a row:
There are several hotels, even the Radisson Blu is present:
Remains of the first coal mine that started the city. Today another one works, far from Longyearbyen. They go to work on a rotational basis for two weeks:
Another abandoned mine. For some reason, all the mines that I saw in Svalbard are high in the mountains.
In general, it is strange: after all, coal is a former wood, and it is completely incomprehensible where it came from in myriad quantities. There is a theory that Svalbard is a "breakaway" piece of Africa:
City view. In the foreground is a sundial with a bear:
View of the port part of the city:
Multi-colored houses - downright impossible beauty. True, it is difficult to imagine an even more organic coloring that would be so combined with the island:
While walking through residential areas, I went outside and decided to climb the hill. And suddenly I see a deer!
It turned out that on the island their livestock exceeds 10,000. A special breed: they are smaller than ordinary deer and approach the size of goats. There are no manual ones at all, no one is engaged in animal husbandry. At the same time, they graze completely without fear of a person:
If you look closely at the building in the middle, you can see many white dots. These are snowmobiles.
There are 3,000 snowmobiles for every 2,000 people who live in the city. However, a third of them are rental for tourists:
Insanely beautiful clouds.
Do not miss the next post, we will see how the Norwegians live in this city. Stay Tuned!
The life of historical sights is in many ways tragic and can be interrupted at any moment. And how painful it is to write about the fact that our country is deprived of another beautiful attraction ...
Quite recently I returned from a large expedition to the Russian North. In the Kargopolsky district of the Arkhangelsk region, I was especially struck by the amazing village of Kuchepalda. This settlement has a long history and a unique layout - the once cozy wooden houses were located on the shore of the lyada - a lake that looks like a perfect circle. And next to Kuchepadla, in the middle of a picturesque field, there is a legendary temple in the form of a frozen candle flame in the Red Lyaga.
For a long time, the life of the villagers was built around a beautiful lake. But, over time, misfortune befell Kuchepalda. The water from the lake left, and with it, the outflow of the local population from the village began. Now Kuchepalda is an abandoned village that looks like a beautiful ghost. Despite the desolation, until recently, all the buildings of the village were located in a circle.
A few days ago, bad news came from Kuchepalda. Several old wooden houses burned down. The circle of legends has broken. The further fate of the ancient northern village is under threat.
At the entrance to the village, and it is located in the Arkhangelsk region near Kargopol, a dilapidated chapel has been preserved.
Together with the "Common Cause" we install the sign "Chapel of Elijah the Prophet". It was built at the end of the 19th century - the beginning of the 20th century.
"In the village of Kuchepalda - a chapel in the name of the prophet Elijah - wooden, covered with boards, sheathed outside and inside with boards, painted with oil paint; length 4 s., width 3 s. [L. 21] and height 1 ½ s. ; it has 2 windows and 2 doors. It was built no one knows when, the building is well preserved. Estimated 100 rubles."
RGIA, f. 799, op. 33, d. 1112, l. 20-21. Insurance estimates for the Krasnolyazhsky parish, July 19, 1910
3.
Let's take a walk around the dried-up lake and see the preserved houses of northern architecture.
All lagas have wells from which water is collected. Why the lake dried up - no one can say, most likely these are shifts in the earth.
Kuchepalda was the 4th largest in the entire Olonets province.
You can get to Kuchepalda by turning at the sign "Kuchepalda" on the Kargopol-Pudez highway.
The roads are still intact, they are still maintained in a normal state by lumberjacks who take out the forest from here.
In one of these rickety huts, but only in the neighboring village of Grinevo, Uliana Babkina lived, thanks to her the Kargopol toy was revived.
This is what the village looks like from a drone. In plan, it represents the letter Q, with a handle facing southeast, towards the Red Lyaga. The circle has a length of about one and a half kilometers, if measured along the main street [http://sobory.ru/article/?object=28682]
The houses have stoves.
Leave the village already began in the 70s.
In Soviet times, there was such an action "liquidation of unpromising lands." It began in 1958 and ended in the 1980s. Thanks to this, we have lost and continue to lose most of our villages in the Non-Black Earth region.
Plank roofs are covered with roofing material.
The last resident left here 5 years ago.
Red rowan. In the north it is even brighter.
Yesterday, archaeologist Roman Ivanov wrote to me: “Tonight we returned from Krasnaya Lyaga. Everything is in order at the church. Your table is in place. But in Kuchepalda, two neighboring houses burned down the other day. someone flooded the old faulty stove in the house. And then the flames spread to the neighboring house. These are the two houses that stood across the lake right opposite the entrance to the village. One of these days I will finish an album about the expedition and post these photos as well. It was sad walking through the ashes. It's very sad. As far as I understand, the houses were uninhabited. It's just that someone (hunters, fishermen, stalkers, etc.) came in and lit the stove."
According to the recollections of the former residents of the village, there were more than a hundred houses and about four hundred inhabitants in Kuchepalda.
It is known that after the Second World War in Kuchepalda there was a collective farm "Victory", the chairman of which was the Full Cavalier of St. George's Crosses, a participant in the First World War, a veteran of the Second World War, who went through the Battle of Stalingrad V.Kh. Turygin.
The collective farm in Kuchepalda collapsed along with the neighboring Pechnikovsky state farm in 1992. In the early years of the nineties, the village was still alive and survived due to the farm that was preserved in it.
24.
The karst lake is said to have gone underground overnight. As if people got up in the morning, but there is no lake ...
They say that the name Kuchepalda in translation means “rotten lake”.
To keep warm, cotton wool was often placed between the window frames in village houses.
Some lots have two houses. One of them is smaller - winter, to make it easier to heat.
From a height of 300 meters.
Come to Kuchepalda, but try to keep it the same as it was before your arrival.
Somewhere in the thicket you can find a well with clean water.
The building of the village shop has been preserved.
I hope that after my post, someone will come up with the right thoughts and you will want to buy a house or an entire village here. Kargopolye is rich in beautiful places with unique wooden architecture.
Dikson is the northernmost village in Russia. It does not have mobile Internet and supermarkets, but you can see stilt houses and the green overflowing of the northern lights. Anna Gruzdeva and Anton Petrov from Krasnoyarsk visited Dikson and found out what life is like at the "edge of the world".
Dikson is usually called the "end of the world": it is located in the north of the Krasnoyarsk Territory, on the shores of the Yenisei Bay of the Kara Sea - the outskirts of the Arctic Ocean. To the nearest large cities, Dudinka and Norilsk, from here there are more than five hundred kilometers of uninhabited tundra. You can get to Dikson, a gated community, only with a special pass and only on an old AN-26, which flies from the Alykel airport only once a week, and then when there is no blizzard or fog. For the locals, everything that is not Dixon is the "mainland". On the "mainland" - Siberia, deep taiga, roads, the usual change of day and night. At the "end of the world" - houses on stilts, "did you see how the fox chased the dog in the yard?", wild tundra, open to all winds, and endless ice. Arctic.
Map of Dixon in the village school number 1
Dixon is 102 years old, but his story is not just a biography of a lonely point on the administrative map of modern Siberia. This is the story of the meetings of people and states with the Far North - it is longer. Back in the 11th-12th centuries, Pomors, immigrants from Veliky Novgorod, went "to all ends of the icy sea-ocean" to look for new crafts and trade with "self-eaters". At the beginning of the 17th century, Mangazeya, the first Russian polar city-fortress, became the center of colonization of the vast territory of northern Siberia: merchants and yasak collectors went there for “soft junk” and “walrus ivory”. Later, already in the XVIII-XIX centuries, Russian and European sailors made their way to the North, who were looking for a convenient sea route between Europe and the Far East - to trade.
On August 15, 1875, the Swedish geographer and navigator Nils Nordenskiöld entered the “convenient harbor of a small island in the Yenisei Bay” on the hunting schooner Preven. “I hope that this harbor, now empty, will in a short time turn into a gathering place for many ships that will facilitate relations not only between Europe and the Ob and Yenisei river basins, but also between Europe and Northern China,” he wrote in his Nordenskiöld's diary, named the unnamed harbor "Dikson" (in honor of Oscar Dixon, patron of his polar expeditions) and plotted it on his nautical charts.
In the 20th century, the North became for the USSR a place of trade and development of deposits, exile and scientific research, and, of course, the construction of new polar cities and towns. Among them, Dixon was the "capital of the Arctic", where meteorologists, builders, teachers, hydrographers, military men, polar pilots, radio operators came from different parts of the Union to "explore the North". Today, this Arctic village, like most of the northern settlements of Russia, is going through extremely difficult times. In the 1980s, Dixon's "golden years", about 5,000 people lived here. Now, according to official statistics, there are a little less than 600 residents left in the village, but the locals specify: in fact, about 500.
Dikson is located on the coast of the Kara Sea. One part of it is located on the western edge of the Taimyr Peninsula, the other is on the island of the same name. These parts of Dikson are separated by a one and a half kilometer strait, which in winter becomes a “winter road”
Here, out of habit, they say not “to Dikson”, but “to Dikson”: historically, the village began from an island in the Kara Sea, but later began to develop on the neighboring Taimyr Peninsula. Therefore, Dikson is two parts of the village: island and mainland, separated by a mile and a half strait. In 2009, the "island" was closed, and now it is practically uninhabited. People moved to the mainland, the streets are empty, the wind knocked out windows and doors in the abandoned houses, in the building of the empty school No. 2 - only hare footprints on the snow-swept floor. The only places where the lights are still on and work is going on are the hydrometeorological station and the airport.
There is more life in the mainland of Dikson. People walk the streets and drive Soviet caterpillar GAZ-71 snowmobiles, brand new TREKOL all-terrain vehicles and snowstorms, shops are open, a school gym and a library are open, there is a church. But even here there are more and more boarded up windows and closed doors every year, and only a few monuments to polar explorers and ships in the port remind of the former greatness of the “gateway to the Arctic”.
The average Dixon temperature in December-January is -25°C, but frosts can reach up to -40°C. The most unfavorable weather conditions are low temperatures combined with storm winds, the gusts of which can reach 15-30 m/s. On such days, “activation” is announced at the school, and students stay at home. From about mid-November to early February, polar night sets in on Dikson. It is usually darker than in neighboring Norilsk, Dudinka, Igarka and Khatanga. Northerners note that for some, the polar night ends with the appearance of the edge of the sun, and for some, its end is a hanging round ball above the horizon.
The network of polar stations, the geophysical observatory, the port of the Northern Sea Route, the headquarters of naval operations, the network of coastal airfields, polar clubs, hunting wintering grounds, a fish factory, an art gallery - now only in local history books, filings of the newspaper "Soviet Arctic" and the memory of people who came to settle inhospitable Far North. A frontier post, an unheated airport, a hydrometeorological station, a boiler house, a diesel station, a school, an administration, a library and several shops are all that remain today.
And yet people live on Dikson. They go to the tundra and fish, teach children to draw and solve equations, write "Total dictation" and take the exam, collect archival photographs and bake bread, monitor heating boilers and wind speed, wait out the polar night and enjoy the first sun. Here, on Dikson, every abandoned winter quarter, a closed door, a gaping black opening or a luminous window is a story. And the history of the development of the Northern Sea Route, and the history of the "conquest of the North" in the era of the USSR, but most importantly - the private history of a family or a person.
Robert Prascenis with his wife Marina near his house. Robert came to Dixon in the mid-1970s, now works in the administration, collecting archival photographs of the village. “Before, people here were kinder, there was no anger, but now random people often come here,” says Robert
Dikson is located in permafrost conditions, therefore, as elsewhere in the Arctic, the village has houses on stilts. In such buildings, there is a ventilated underground between the house and the ground, so that the structure erected on piles does not heat the ground, and, therefore, does not lose solidity, does not thaw and does not move
Only a few families can live in such a house today. Sometimes in winter it snows up to the middle of the door, and then the residents have to clear the way out to the street from the inside
Snowstorms, snowmobiles, TREKOL all-terrain vehicles and tracked snow and swamp vehicles GAZ-71, left over from Soviet times, are the most common vehicles on Dikson. Only on such "tanks" in winter can you overcome the snowy expanses of the tundra
During the polar night, most of the day the streets of Dikson are deserted. The village comes to life mainly only early in the morning, when Dixon residents go to work, and at 5-6 pm, when they return home, they pick up their children from kindergarten, go to the store or do other things
Alexander Surkov, a graduate of school No. 1, is now a student at the Polytechnic Institute of the Siberian Federal University (Krasnoyarsk). “There are too many people in Krasnoyarsk, it's annoying. I went out on Dixon - and no one. I don’t like buses, and the fare is 22 rubles. You can walk wherever you want in the village. Trees are weird too. We have only artificial luminous trees on Dixon, and only very low larches in the tundra. At first I wanted to go home, honestly. Missed my parents. On Dixon I can see the sea from the window, and in Krasnoyarsk I can see the construction site. Compared to Krasnoyarsk, Dixon is special,” says Alexander
Mikhail and Zinaida Degtyarev are among the few who have been fishing on Dikson since the 1990s. Their children live in Belarus and Canada, but the fishermen do not want to go to their mainland, because they do not tolerate the heat well and because they do not feel needed away from Dixon
In the 1960s-1980s, the shores of both the island and the mainland of Dixon were dotted with beams (a beam is a light mobile house. - Note ed.), where fishermen and hunters stored boats, tools, nets and other things needed in the tundra in the industry. The places of accumulation of beams were called "Shanghai", now they are empty
Near Dixon there is a valuable whitefish - broad whitefish, whitefish, muksun, nelma, as well as arctic omul. In the village, such fish is sold for 200 rubles per kilogram, on the mainland its price is from 500 rubles and more. Local residents most often do not buy omul or chira separately for themselves, but immediately take a bag of various northern fish
Zimnik is a road between the island and mainland parts of Dikson, passing through the frozen strait of the Kara Sea. “In winter, people go here on an all-terrain vehicle, in the summer - on a boat. In thaw, when the ice melts, neither a boat nor an all-terrain vehicle go - they order a helicopter. The same thing happens in autumn."
One of the operating buildings of the hydrometeorological station on Dikson Island. A radiosonde is located on the roof - a device for measuring various atmospheric parameters, such as pressure, relative humidity, temperature
Anatoly Bukhta, oceanologist and former head of the hydrometeorological station: “In the 90s, devastation began. Wages were not paid for six months, spoiled food was given out as wages. It was difficult, there was a breakdown: I wanted to live and do something on Dikson, and then not. Many of my peers drank themselves, died, but they are not to blame - everyone has their own core and break limit. After all, many people who worked as engineers became janitors. They psychologically could not overcome this barrier.”
The monument to the North Sea sailors who defended Dixon during World War II was erected in 1972 and is located on the island. On August 27, 1942, the German cruiser Admiral Scheer attacked the port of Dixon. The icebreaking ship "Sibiryakov" was shot and killed in battle. However, having met resistance from the Dezhnev patrol ship and artillery from the shore, the Sheer retreated. Some of the sailors died
An abandoned room in a residential building on Dixon Island. Before moving from the island to the village, Dikson residents boarded up windows and doors, but the arctic wind knocked them out, which is why many houses are covered with snow in winter
View of the Airplane Bay, abandoned by fishermen and hunters, "Shanghai" and winter foot stock. “The beam contained a hangar for a boat, a workshop, and a small change house where one could rest or hide for a while from the wrath of his wife. Often, a freezer or glacier with small chambers for storing meat and fish was cut down under the beam. By the mid-1990s, the number of beams was quite impressive, they were located chaotically, so after gatherings, many did not immediately find their way home. Hence “Shanghai”,” says Anatoly Lomakin, a resident of Dixon
A snow-covered classroom at School No. 2 on Dikson Island. “Gladioluses for September 1 were ordered by helicopter. Sandwiches with butter and black caviar… It was awesome,” recalls driver Dmitry Asovsky
A sign near the Dixon airport building. The airport receives passengers once a week, on Wednesdays. Sometimes, due to snowfall, fog or other “unfavorable weather conditions”, Dixon residents can wait for a Dikson-Norilsk or Norilsk-Dikson flight for two weeks
From August 16 to August 24, 2015, an expedition of the Association of the most beautiful villages of Russia took place in the Yaroslavl, Vologda and Arkhangelsk regions. The villages of Velikoye in the Yaroslavl region, Ferapontovo and Pozharishche in the Vologda region and Oshevensk in the Arkhangelsk region were planned as the main points of the route, which needed to be assessed for inclusion in the association. The final chord of the expedition was to take part in the festival in Oshevensk and negotiate with the acting governor of the Arkhangelsk region on cooperation and holding a competition to identify the most beautiful village in the region. In addition, quite naturally and logically, the search for beautiful villages of beautiful villages was carried out wherever possible and when possible by interviewing local residents along the entire route.
Summing up, we can say that the trip turned out to be productive. Two potential candidates for joining the association were found - Ferapontovo and Oshevensk. A wealth of practical experience and abundant food for thought have been gained. For example, it became clear that this kind of expedition is very effective for finding and pre-selecting beautiful villages. Perhaps even better than holding a regional competition for the most beautiful village. There were plans to conduct similar expeditions to the Caucasus and the Volga region. The weather, despite the gloomy weather forecasts, favored us. We were preparing for cold snaps and rains, but in the end there was only one short rain and it was quite warm, and at times even hot. 1600 photographs were taken, more than 200 of which you will see in this report.
So, having left Moscow on Sunday morning on August 16, we drove through Pereslavl-Zalessky, refreshing its views, and briefly stopped in Rostov in order to admire the Rostov Kremlin and take a little break from the road. The Yaroslavl direction, starting from its very beginning, is very rich in sights. Sergiev Posad, Pereslavl-Zalessky and Rostov are the places that can be safely recommended to anyone. Not all areas are so lucky.
The next point of the trip was the village of Velikoye, located closer to Yaroslavl. The entrance to the village, at least the one we used, upset us - a dirt road, thickets of hogweed and a pile of garbage on the side of the road. 
On the entrance street, the usual views of the Central Russian village of the 21st century - there are nice wooden houses with carvings, some houses are sewn up in siding, there are dilapidated buildings, including the legacy of the Soviet agricultural past. When moving to the center of the village and further exploring its territory, it became clear why we were recommended to visit the Great. It really had a great past, evidence of this is the many stone houses and buildings (school, technical school, churches), most likely built in the 19th century. A very beautiful lake in the middle of the village. 
An interesting accidental find was a newly built building with a sign "Potato Riot Museum". 
Unfortunately, despite our strong desire to visit the museum with such an intriguing sign, we could not do it, as it turned out to be closed. An attempt to clarify something with a neighbor, to whose house a huge museum building was literally stuck, did not lead to success. He knows absolutely nothing, has never been there, and so on. etc. We dare to suggest that if a flying saucer suddenly landed in his yard, it would hardly be able to interest him. However, the great Yandex gives very specific information about the Museum of the Potato Riot, see links https://vk.com/club81254186 and http://www.tourprom.ru/country/russia/velikoe/attraction/muzei-kartofeljnogo-bunta/ , according to which there is even a cafe and a hotel there.
Despite the obvious signs of the great past of the village of Velikoye and the presence of sights, its current state causes sadness. Unfortunately, this is typical for most of rural Russia, so there is no point in especially finding fault with the inhabitants of the Great. But still, we saw a decent amount of drunks and drinkers, crumbling houses and a lot of plastic siding. We could not find at least a part of the village that has preserved the authenticity and integrity of the building attractive from a tourist point of view.
Further, we had to move to the north of the Vologda region, so after passing through Yaroslavl, having dinner in the city of Danilov and rushing past Vologda, we stopped late in the evening for an overnight stay at the Vasilki camp site near the city of Kirillov. In these surroundings, we planned to visit the village of Ferapontovo, which was previously recommended, look for beautiful villages in the vicinity of Kirillov and visit the village of Sizma. Having arranged an interrogation with local staff in the morning about beautiful villages, we received advice to go towards Belozersk, where you can find more remote and reserved places. And also visit the village of Goritsy near Kirillov. First, we decided to wave in the direction of Belozersk, where we had to go along a dirt road and by ferry across the Sheksna River. The crossing is always a very beautiful journey. 
Having asked on-duty questions about beautiful villages to the ferry workers, we found out that in one of the surrounding villages Shukshin's film "Kalina Krasnaya" was filmed. So unexpectedly, but very symbolically, our trip to Altai, where we had been literally 10 days before, and an expedition to the European North of Russia were linked. Not immediately, but we found out that this village is called Sadovaya, just like in the movie. Its former name Merinovo was changed to Sadovaya in memory of the work of Vasily Makarovich. The photographs show the location where the shooting took place. 
Of course, the Sadovaya village could become a "mecca" of rural tourism - fans of his work continue to come there, commemorative events are held. The museum of peasant life and the film "Kalina Krasnaya" used to work, but now it is closed. Also, in the vicinity of Belozersk, we were recommended to visit the village of Glushkovo, but we were not interested in it. The city of Belozersk struck with its antiquity - it was founded in 862! A beautiful Kremlin, surrounded by an earthen rampart, has been preserved there. 
Returning to Kirillov, we stopped at the village of Goritsy and were surprised to find that a huge ship was standing on the pier of Goritsy. 
Crowds of foreigners got into buses, examined the surroundings and stocked up on furs and products from Grandfather Frost, who, as you know, lives in the Vologda region. Obviously, from here tourists are taken to see the sights of Kirillov and its environs. There are beautiful houses in Goritsy, and we also found a monastery, but, unfortunately, in a deplorable state. It does not pull on the most beautiful village.
It was decided not to go to the village of Sizma, as we would have to make a detour of 150 km, and judging by the reviews, we would not have found there what we were interested in. Therefore, we immediately decided to go to Ferapontovo, which was closer to Kirillov. The entrance to the village upset the ruins of the Soviet era, but the Ferapontovsky Monastery and its surroundings are beautiful. 
A well-groomed view of the monastery, a beautiful view of the lake, unusual roofs of buildings and fences of the monastery, made of wood and iron, the remains of brickwork carefully covered with wooden flooring, excellent museums. 
Of course, a beautiful monastery is not enough to claim the title of the most beautiful village, what is important is the harmony of the general appearance of the village and the presence of permanent residents in it. Unfortunately, in Soviet times, little attention was paid, and perhaps even not paid at all, to the aesthetics of the appearance of villages. Preference was given to economic expediency, so we can often see the remains of stockyards and other industrial facilities at the entrance to the village or in its most prominent places. The destruction of the historical appearance of Russian villages is so typical that we are looking for villages that have at least partially preserved their architectural identity. This may be its historical center, street or quarter, but it must be residential, not museum-fitted. However, the practice of accepting villages not entirely, but in parts, is also common in foreign associations.
On the territory adjacent to the Ferapontovsky Monastery, we saw estates that, to a relatively large extent, retained their rural identity, without plastic siding and corrugated fences. And even the new houses that we saw were built in a rustic style - log cabins and wooden fences. 
As a result, Ferapontovo became the first village on our route, which could really claim the title of the most beautiful. At least this village can be safely recommended to tourists. However, to join the Association of the most beautiful villages, it is necessary to go through two more stages - to pass a full-fledged field examination and decide on entry by a general gathering of residents. It is very important that the residents of Ferapontovo understand that participation in the association is not only a right, but a serious obligation.
Encouraged by our visit to Ferapontovo, we moved further north towards the village of Pozharishche, on which we had high hopes. On the Internet, which, as you know, do not lie, Pozharishche is called the “national village of the Russian North”, “the pearl of Russian folklore” and other flattering epithets. This, however, does not necessarily imply a beautiful appearance of the village, but it still seemed that the inhabitants who pay attention to folk traditions would not forget about the architectural aesthetics. In general, we hoped and really wanted to believe.
But on this day, we did not have time to get to Pozharishchi, and therefore stopped for the night at the Extreme camp site near the city of Kharovsk. Actually, we wanted to stay at the Harovska hotel, but it turned out to be closed. This was an unpleasant surprise for us, because on the website of the tourist information center of the Vologda region it was listed as working. As always, a mess, we thought, and went to Extreme, which turned out to be a very comfortable and beautifully located camp site, which pleased us with a delicious breakfast, which compensated for the unpleasant experiences that happened the night before. 
In a good mood, we decided to expand our program and visit the village of Timonikha, the birthplace of the famous village writer Vasily Belov. Judging by the Yandex maps, it is located no further than 10 km from Kharovsk, but, as it turned out in the local library, it was necessary to go there on a detour about 70 km and the last part of the way passed along a dirt road, where not every car will pass. Our car would have passed, but it also turned out that Timonikh was actually not inhabited, only summer residents come there. It means that she cannot be a candidate for joining the association and making such a detour, spending maybe half a day visiting her is not reasonable.
In the Conflagrations, an unpleasant surprise awaited us. We didn't find anything interesting. The girl at the entrance told us about the old church, but we couldn't find it. Having traveled around the village in a circle, we remained at a loss. Maybe there were fans of folklore, active people, but the appearance of the village did not inspire at all. We were upset and did not even take a single photo, as there was no point. Looking ahead, I’ll say that a few days later, while already in the Arkhangelsk region, it dawned on us that we were in the wrong Conflagrations. When we were making the route, Google gave out the only village with the name Pozharishche, located in the Vozhegodsky district and fits well into the route, which seemed self-evident. The Fire we need is located much to the east, in the Nyuksensky district. This is what happened to us. We really hope to still visit the real “pearl of Russian folklore”.
So, we are already almost on the border of the Arkhangelsk region. We need to go to Kargopol, where we will have 3 days to visit all the more or less interesting villages around. First of all, we were interested in Oshevensk, where a meeting with the governor was scheduled. Oshevensk was recommended to us by many knowledgeable people, and we had high hopes for it. But here there was a hitch with the route along which we had to move. The navigator stubbornly led us to the M8 highway, apparently along a good road, but it turned out to be about 550 km to Kargopol. And Yandex-maps offered us to drive along some direct road through Konosha to Nyandoma some 270 km. The choice seems to be obvious, but knowing in practice that Yandex tends to overestimate the condition of Russian roads, and being afraid that we would not have to run 100 kilometers behind a tractor, we decided to find out everything in detail from the local residents. It turned out that there is still a direct road and they explained to us how to get to it.
However, the road really turned out to be difficult, perhaps the navigator was trying to save us. No signs of asphalt for about 150 km. Although it was basically a dirt road with gravel leveled by a grader and it would hardly have been possible to get stuck there, but quite often there was a comb, and if the car suddenly accelerated to 60-80 km / h on a flat section of the road, then on the comb it began to jump wherever it pleases , including roadside ditch. Once we met one such small truck that galloped to the side of the road, which we helped to pull out. I also remember the depressing surrounding landscapes, apparently around there was mostly swampy terrain and the painful-looking trees did not inspire optimism. Although a solid stele, which we met on the border of the Vologda and Arkhangelsk regions, hinted that we were driving along one of the central roads. 
Sooner or later we reached Nyandoma and Nyandoma asphalt, from where we had to make the last 70 km dash to Kargopol. On asphalt, yes easily!
None of us had been to Kargopol before, although we had heard a lot. This is obviously one of the pearls of the Russian north, but perhaps we expected too much and were unpleasantly surprised. On the one hand, Kargopol has a huge number of monuments of wooden and even stone architecture. There is something to admire. But, the general appearance of the city is still greatly spoiled by the ubiquitous houses made of silicate brick, dilapidated houses. The city stands on a beautiful wide source of the Onega River from Lake Lache (also Lacha). For historians, architects and art historians who study northern architecture, as well as for enthusiastic tourists, Kargopol is an exceptionally interesting place full of finds. However, we are already accustomed to evaluating the aesthetics of general views and it was very sad to see beauty mixed with ugliness and devastation. 
I really want to thank the administration of the Kargopol district, in which we were told which villages are best to visit. As a result, we have identified 4 directions for finding beautiful villages: Kalitinka-Nokola along the shore of Lake Lache, Lekshma-Bor, Lyadiny-Morschikhinskaya and Saunino-Pozdyshevo-Oshevensk. We were also recommended to visit the Bereginya center, which we really liked. 
In Beregino, as elsewhere, we asked about beautiful villages. 
An indelible impression was made by a cafe-shop in the center of Kargopol, which offered excellent local pastries - rybniki, wickets, tips. We are of the opinion that gastronomy is one of the key aspects of tourism, which is often underestimated. Having a tasty meal, a tourist is able to forgive a lot, and bad food is difficult to make amends with something. For example, after eating local fishmongers, we felt that Kargopol had become much nicer to us.
First we decided to go towards Nokola. By the way, here it would be appropriate to explain one curious feature of the names of the Arkhangelsk villages. There may be many. It would seem that there is a village on the map with its own name, but it turns out that it has several unofficial or semi-official names. In addition, a village usually consists of several villages. We could not always understand what their official status was, but local residents from 8 nearby houses, for example, can single out these 3 houses as the village of Kukuevka, and those 5 over there as Gadyukino. Untrained people can get confused. For example, what we called Oshevensk above (perhaps incorrectly) can also be called Oshevenskoye. But this is not quite an official name, there is a municipality Oshevenskoye, and the village is called Shiryaikha. Shiryaikha is also written on the road sign next to Kargopol, but this is only a part of the settlement, which is adjacent to Pogost, Niz and very close to Big Khaluy. Oshevenskoe or Oshevenskoe seems to be called all this together, or maybe excluding Big Khalui, we did not specify. Interestingly, a similar tradition exists for the names of people. For example, a person's official name is Vasya Pupkin, according to his passport, and in his native village he has another surname - Zakharov. In general, the Arkhangelsk region is a deeply conspiratorial region, one can only sympathize with some pedantic conquerors if they suddenly decide to conquer these lands. They have created all the conditions to get confused and lost.
So, we are going to Kalitinka and Nokola. The habits of a dirt road interspersed with small gravel and profiled by a grader are already well known to us, but here it is only 40 km to ride. The road goes along the huge lake Lache / Lacha, but the first half is at a distance from it, so it is not visible, and after Kalitinka it will go close to the shore. By the way, Yandex-maps knows Nokola and shows it on the map, but under the name Menshakovskaya. And if you try to set the Kargopol-Nokola route, then in the field where you killed Nokola, you will eventually see the “Morshchikhinskaya village”. This name is familiar to us, the next day we will go towards Morshchikhinskaya, but in a completely different direction. Well, here's how it works somehow. Whoever comes to us with a sword will look very stupid.
And yet we got to Kalitinka, which we liked, but not enough to call it the most beautiful. This direction is a dead end and therefore rather deaf. As a result, quite a few houses here have retained their original appearance, but many houses are in a dilapidated state. The remains of a wooden chapel and a brick bell tower were also found here. 
Continue to Nokola. On the way, there is a very beautiful wooden bridge across the Kinema River, which offers a picturesque view of Lake Lache. The place is chosen by fishermen and vacationers, but due to the remoteness of the place there are not so many of them. 
I managed to get to Nokola, it turned out to be a larger village than Kalitinka. By the way, in Kargopol we were told that some time ago the local community of Nokola residents did not let summer residents into their village. This interested us, because it could mean that there would be no newfangled buildings. In addition, it means the existence of a civil society, albeit in such an isolating form. Nokola, unlike Kalitinka, is located directly on the banks of the Lache, which, of course, gives the views additional picturesqueness. The houses are located in several rows along the coast. 
In Nokol, a wooden church of an unusual configuration was discovered, which is in the process of reconstruction, and the ruins of a brick bell tower. There is also a FAP and a shop that used to have its own bakery. 
On the same day, we managed to go in a different direction and visit the village of Lyokshma-bor on the opposite side of Lake Lache. To do this, it was necessary to return to Kargopol, do not forget to eat fish, and drive another 30 km. As a matter of fact, Yandex-maps do not know at all that there is some kind of Lyokshma-boron. We also had a paper, strictly classified card, issued to us by the administration of the Kargopol district. 
If you suddenly want to see the places of our military glory, then look for the Volosovskaya-Kononovskaya-Makarovskaya-Shulginskaya agglomeration in Yandex. Despite the presence of a paper map, we also needed the advice of local residents.
In Lekshma-boru we found disappearing villages, we will show the photos now. The most pleasant impression we had was from a small picnic at a place prepared for some reason with a beautiful canopy and another beautiful wooden bridge and a beautiful river. One of the advantages of the low population density and remoteness of the Arkhangelsk land is the absence of garbage in such places. In the center of the European part of Russia, everything around would be littered. Sorry for the rude expression, but it is too soft to describe this widespread Russian tradition. 
Returning to Kargopol for the night, we had another photo session of the city in the evening. 
In the morning, having reported on our searches and received another portion of information from the administration, you moved towards the Lyadina agglomeration, which is, as it were, Gavrilovskaya plus Dudkinskaya, Stoletovskaya and Fominskaya. Here we had to spend the night in a guest house and see the sights. Lyadiny is famous for a complex of two wooden churches and a bell tower, one of the churches and a bell tower, unfortunately, burned down on Easter 2013. The rest was repaired, but according to many, not successfully. For example, painting in white, on the one hand, from afar gives it the appearance of white stone, but close up it looks unnatural. The traditional gray color of old wood seems more appropriate. The hostess of the guest house, Nadezhda Fedorovna, organized a wonderful museum with many exhibits in the building of the former school and in the guest house, where many household items are collected. In one of the photos you will see an image of a bearded man on an iron. This is Leo Tolstoy, to whom, as an apostate, people's dislike was expressed in this way.)) 
In the evening, a chic dinner awaited us, a master class on cooking tips and a bathhouse. 
We liked Lyadiny, well, you remember our opinion about the importance of gastronomy. Despite the presence of a half-burnt house, crumbling houses, a house covered with siding, there is something to see and there is a certain integrity of the image. Although, Lyadins are still a little short of the title of the most beautiful village. This could be fixed if the residents really wanted to, but it seems that the initiative is still lacking.
After spending the night, we moved to the village of Morshchikhinskaya, located on the territory of the Kenozero National Park on the banks of the Lekshmozero. One of the offices of the national park is located here, in the hotel of which we planned to stay. On the way, we drove the beautiful woman Alla Mikhailovna to the village of Orlovo and photographed her against the backdrop of beautiful architraves. Our main interest in Morshchikhinskaya was to visit the village of Maselga, which was highly recommended to us. Naturally, we also examined Morshchikhinskaya. 
Morshchikhinskaya did not fit into our idea of the most beautiful village, we are going to Maselga. At the entrance, curious architectural installations made of wood were waiting for us. 
Across the road is the architectural park "Kenozerskie spillikins", which is a model of a village with toy houses. However, we are not interested in spillikins, we need living villages, so we sternly drove past without taking a single photo. At the entrance to Maselga there is a checkpoint of the national park, travel by car is possible only with a special pass. Hungry, we decided to refresh ourselves and admire the views of Lake Maselskoe. 
It turned out that Maselga was no longer living. As far as we understood, some of the houses are occupied by summer residents, and some of the houses, judging by the standardized appearance, are guest houses. The views, of course, are gorgeous and the houses are beautiful, but alas. We need residential villages. By the way, these places are also legendary because they are located on the White Sea-Baltic watershed. On the way to Morshchikhinsky we drove along a low ridge surrounded by lakes. Water on the left sooner or later ends up in the Baltic Sea, and on the right it flows into the White. 
And finally, the final chord of our expedition, what we left for dessert - a visit to Oshevensk. We return 80 km to Kargopol and go first to Saunino, where Alexander Bykov, the owner of the North Wind travel company, shows us a wooden complex of a church and a bell tower. 
Further Pozdyshevo, it is also Vorobyovskaya, it is also Pozdyshevskaya. 
Pogost Navolochny with a beautiful brick church and a beautiful wooden bridge. Despite the fact that the bridge is clearly new, we liked the fact that it was made antique. It's our way. 
And finally we drive up to Oshevensk. At the entrance is the Alexander Oshevensky Monastery, named after St. Alexander Oshevensky. Unfortunately, the monastery is in a partially ruined state. 
But the monastery is active, I would like to hope that they will begin to restore it. Oshevensk itself begins after the traditionally wooden bridge over the Churiega River. The views are very beautiful. 
Having crossed the river, we see wooden houses of classical northern architecture on the left and on the right. 
Having gone to the left, we reach one of the main pearls of Oshevensk - a complex of a wooden church and a bell tower. 
Around we see well-preserved houses, a well. 
The arrival of the acting governor is timed to coincide with the return of previously stolen icons from the local church, and active preparations are underway for the event. 
Let's explore further. Charming, isn't it? 
The head of the Oshevensky rural settlement shows a place where the sign of the most beautiful village would look good. 
The administration of the Oshevensk Defense Ministry, someone did not deny themselves anything. 
Light and dark side, sorry. 
Oshevensk is a relatively large settlement, to save time we get to know it by driving around it. I am glad that there is not very much plastic siding. There is a quarter built in Soviet times, there are other houses, which are called cottages. Oshevensk has its own school with its own boiler room, a hospital (perhaps it is now a FAP, but quite large), a cafe. Surprisingly, in the Arkhangelsk region there is a huge amount of hogweed. On the border of the Vologda and Arkhangelsk regions, we saw entire plantations. And there is such beauty near Oshevensk. 
In Halua we found another church, and on the way there a chapel. 
Agricultural production facilities are located in the backyards, which is extremely intelligent. 
We stayed with the locals for a stay and in the morning we were ready for new adventures. 
Preparations for the holiday, on the street and in one of the houses, preparations are underway for a feast. 
In the next house there is an exhibition "Heritage of the Russian North". 
The Acting Governor of the Arkhangelsk Region I.A. came to us, came to us. Orlov. 
I managed to take a few photos from the bell tower. They just don’t let them in there, because it is old and it is dangerous, but in connection with the solemn event there was a bell ringing and managed to leak. They clearly show the quarter of classic Soviet buildings. 
Production of grouses, ceremonial Arkhangelsk cookies. 
Festive events. 
Our preliminary opinion - Oshevensk can be attributed to the most beautiful villages in that part of it that adjoins the church. It is very fortunate that the whole order of houses along the street near the church is well preserved in the unified style of northern wooden architecture. To make a final decision, it is necessary to conduct a full-fledged field examination by the Association and a general meeting of residents from Oshevensk. Having previously talked with the head of the Oshevensk municipality, the Kargopol district and the acting governor, we see that there is interest from the authorities. Unfortunately, we did not have the opportunity to visit other areas of the Arkhangelsk region, in which, judging by the reviews, there may still be applicants for joining the Association. In fact, we only looked at the southern tip of the region.
Summing up the results of the expedition, it is very pleasant that it was productive - we found two candidates for the Association. It was not without curiosities, it's a pity that we confused one Conflagration with another, maybe there would be another candidate. We worked out in practice another model for the search and preliminary selection of candidates for the Association. We plan to develop forwarding practice.
Anatoly Karpov
Expert of the Association of the most beautiful villages in Russia
Member of the Russian Geographical Society
