| Arkhangelsk Museum of Wooden Architecture Malye Korely

Arkhangelsk Museum of Wooden Architecture Malye Korely

The Malye Korely Museum is a unique collection of monuments of wooden architecture. Here, 25 km from Arkhangelsk, on an area of ​​about 140 hectares, 120 of the most diverse buildings are concentrated - churches, chapels, bell towers, peasant estates, mills, barns built in the 16th - early 20th centuries.

The Malye Korely Museum is not just a museum. This is a unique synthesis of landscape, architectural monuments and folk art. The area here is picturesque and has a variety of landscapes. From the high hills, the floods of the Northern Dvina open for many kilometers, where water reaches alternate with vast islands, and the emerald green water meadows are bordered by golden stripes of sandy beaches. Here and there along the shores and islands you can see the huts of ancient Pomeranian villages. The length of the museum from west to east is about 1.5 km, from north to south – 1 km. The terrain of the territory is undulating, intersected by the valley of the Korelka River and adjacent ravines. The slopes are quite steep, but stable, covered with forest.

Landscape elements characteristic of the regions are successfully combined here Arkhangelsk region. Open spaces occupy about a third of the area and are represented by meadows, clearings and ponds. The rest is covered with mixed forests with a predominance of coniferous species. In hard-to-reach places, areas of untouched taiga with trees aged 200 years or more have survived. The composition of the vegetation is quite rich and has at least 400 species; there are even rare plants listed in the Red Book of the Arkhangelsk Region.

The fauna is diverse. About 70 species of birds alone can be found in the summer. Squirrels, hares, foxes, stoats, beavers are permanent residents, and wolves and moose are possible. Plants and animals are protected and protected. In cold weather, feeding of birds and squirrels is organized, and artificial nesting boxes are hung in the spring. To preserve and breed endangered plants, the “Apothecary Garden” was created. In the sectors of the museum, tree species characteristic of the areas of origin of architectural monuments are planted. There are two exposition fields that imitate peasant plots, on which traditional northern agricultural crops are grown annually: rye, barley, oats, wheat, flax. Hops, previously used for brewing, grow on two estates. Various bodies of water decorate and enliven the landscape: springs with beautiful water, streams, small lakes and the Korelka River.

Temple ensemble of the 18th - first third of the 19th centuries. With. Nenoksa, Primorsky district, Arkhangelsk region

The architectural fund of the Malye Korely museum includes an outstanding monument of Russian wooden architecture - a temple ensemble in the village of Nenoksa, Primorsky district. Includes: church Life-Giving Trinity(1727), Church of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker (1762), bell tower (1834).

In the past, Nenoksa was a large salt-industrial settlement on the White Sea coast, located near the mouth of the Northern Dvina. The village was first mentioned in charters in 1397, but salt was boiled in these places back in the 11th century. Extensive preferential trade in salt contributed to the economic growth of the settlement and attracted enterprising people from all over Russia to Nenoksa.

Over the six hundred years of existence of the Nyonok parish, its churches were repeatedly burned and rebuilt by townspeople, who, together with the monasteries, invested in the construction of churches and the maintenance of clergy.

The temple complex of the Nyonok parish is located in the center of the village, on large area, limited along the perimeter by estate and public buildings of the 19th-20th centuries. The tall tents, which dominate the architectural appearance of the town's religious center, organically fit into the landscape of the village. The existing parish ensemble was revived in 1727-1763 on the “old church site” after a fire that completely destroyed the ancient churches. The temples, freely placed along the river, faced the village with eastern facades.

Church of the Life-Giving Trinity with the Assumption and Peter and Paul chapels – main temple parish, located north of the bell tower. It was built in three years by a team of six Nenok carpenters, headed by Kargopol church master Vasily Korsakov. The consecration of the church took place in 1730.

The architecture of Trinity Church is unique. The centric tiered temple has an octagon at its base with four square cuts at the cardinal points. The upper tier is completed by a regular group of five tents crowned with large onion-shaped domes.

In 1819, carved four-tiered iconostases were installed in the church, with a continuous carpet, from the solea to the painted “sky” ceiling, covering the eastern walls of the interior.

The Church of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker is a wonderful example of a winter Pomeranian church from the 18th century. Its construction was completed in 1762. The longitudinal composition of the monument is formed by the different heights of the altar, the church and the refectory, combined in one frame. Adjacent to the refectory was a frame porch with a porch. The main volume of the church was cut into an octagon on a quadrangle and covered with a high rafter roof. The tent, its crowning head and the barrel of the altar are covered with a crenate ploughshare.

In the refectory there are traces of the original black heating: smoked beams and upper logs, an opening for the chimney on the western wall.

A characteristic architectural element of the temple ensemble are kokoshniks of a very rare design, mounted on timber frames. They mark the stepped transitions between the tiers of the quadrangles and octagons of both churches. Apparently, the same kokoshniks were also on the parish bell tower, erected in 1726.

In 1834, this bell tower was replaced by a new one, built according to the approved “plan and facade”. It stands out in the church complex with its unusual domed finish, the coloring of the planked facades and hand-drawn architectural elements.

Comprehensive scientific restoration began in 1990 temple complex continues today. It made it possible to examine and show the original appearance of the ensemble and its temples and at the same time revealed the outstanding historical and architectural value of the monument.

St. Nicholas Church in the village. Lyavlya, Primorsky district, Arkhangelsk region

Tent churches are most widespread in the North. The oldest of them is St. Nicholas Church in the village of Lyavlya, Primorsky district. Since 2004, this monument of wooden architecture has been included in the architectural fund of the Malye Korely Museum.

The village of Lyavlya is located on the banks of the Northern Dvina, 29 km from Arkhangelsk. The majestic tented silhouette of the Church of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker, erected in 1581-1584, like a beacon, attracts the eye from afar.

St. Nicholas Church was built in the Lyavlensky Mother of God Monastery, on the site of its predecessor, and was originally consecrated in honor of the Dormition Holy Mother of God. The octagonal pillar-shaped volume of the church with eastern and western aprons was built entirely, from the base to the cross, from powerful logs up to half a meter thick. The log house, under the roof overhangs themselves, gradually expands, forming heaps. The height of the temple, placed on the basement, reached forty-five meters. The octagonal cuts ended with keel-shaped barrels upholstered with crenate ploughshares. The same ploughshare covered the tent, drum and head of the church. On three sides the church was surrounded by a porch with porches.

In addition to the summer Assumption Church, the monastery ensemble included a winter church with a refectory, dedicated to Nicholas To the miracle worker. Near them there was a pillar bell tower. Both temples and the bell tower ended with tents.

The Bogoroditsky Monastery was founded in the last third of the 14th century by the peasants of the Knyazhestrovskaya volost “on the Ust River Lyavle, on the mountain, near their tithe forests, by the whole world, by their inhabitants.”

The princes took care of their “secular” monastery for centuries. They allocated land for the maintenance of clergy and elders, built temples, made deposits, paid taxes and various fees.

In 1633, despite the stubborn resistance of the princes, the Lyavlenskaya Mother of God monastery was assigned to the privileged Anthony-Siysky monastery. Having become a designated desert, the Lyavlenskaya monastery lost its independence. In 1764, the hermitage was abolished, and its churches received parish status.

In the 40s years XIX century during a major overhaul, carried out at the expense of the Arkhangelsk military governor A.I. de Traverse, the monument was lowered onto several crowns and the circular porch with porches was dismantled. The walls of the church were covered with planks and painted. The renovated church was renamed from Assumption to Nikolskaya, since the parish by that time already had a stone Assumption Church, built in 1804 with the money of the Arkhangelsk merchant Andrei Kharitonov.

The modern appearance of St. Nicholas Church is far from the original. The huge monumental church-tower, having lost several crowns over the centuries, sank. The ancient walls, chipped by the winds, have settled. During the restoration work of the late 60s of the 20th century, the plank lining of the 19th century was removed, and the ploughshare covering of the tent, head and barrels of the sheds was recreated. Time has not preserved anything from the interior decoration of the monument. Nowadays the temple has a unique chopped dome from the 16th century, removed by restorers in 1967.

The Malye Korely Museum takes care of the monument and carries out the necessary conservation measures to prevent further destruction of the ancient temple.

Museum complex "Estate of M.T. Kunitsyna"

At the beginning of the 21st century, in the historical reserve zone “Old Arkhangelsk”, on Chumbarova-Luchinsky Avenue, the Malye Korely museum restored the ancient estate of M.T. Kunitsyna.

The estate at the beginning of the twentieth century was relatively small and included a one-story multi-room wooden residential building with a corridor layout, a wooden one-story carriage house, an icehouse and a small garden measuring 25 fathoms.

The history of the Kunitsyn family, owners of the estate, reflects important demographic processes that took place in Arkhangelsk in late XIX- early 20th centuries. The development of capitalism was manifested in a sharp influx of people from rural areas into the city. Among these new settlers was Maria Timofeevna Kunitsyna (née Trufanova), who came from a wealthy family of state peasants. Maria Timofeevna’s father is a fishing merchant from the Pomeranian village of Shuya. The father gave money to his daughter for the wedding to build a house in Arkhangelsk.

Maria Timofeevna's husband, Ivan Alekseevich, is also a former villager, originally from the suburban village of Zaostrovye. He came from state peasants, his father was a “wheelwright.” Ivan Alekseevich received his education at a rural school, and studied the language in England for some time. He began his working life at the age of 13 as a laborer at the sawmill of the Partnership of Rusanov and Sons in Kovda in 1895 - 1898, and later became a manager at the Fontaines sawmill in Maymax. On February 19, 1938, Ivan Alekseevich was arrested and sentenced to death. In 1956, the case was dropped for lack of evidence.

According to relatives and acquaintances, the Kunitsyn family’s home included furniture made of valuable wood, soft sofas and armchairs, a piano, paintings, and expensive dishes. Despite innovations in the interior of a city dwelling, it, like a village hut, continued to retain a sacred zone - a corner with icons. It was not always present in the main rooms - the hall and living room, but it was always present in all living rooms and the kitchen.

The rooms were lit by hanging kerosene lamps or electric chandeliers, sconces, and table lamps. Electricity was installed in the house in 1914. The estate had Dutch stoves, heated from the corridor and heated 2 rooms at once.

The ceilings of all living quarters and part of the corridor in the Kunitsyns' house were plastered, the walls were covered with wallpaper.

Along the front facade of the house, immediately after the hallway, there was the Kunitsyn family hall, the largest and brightest room in the house. The central place here was occupied by a large table, at which a large group usually gathered. Friendly family. It is now a museum living room.

From the living room you can go to the owner’s office, where the interior of an early 20th century office, typical of Arkhangelsk middle-class houses, has been recreated.

Today the museum complex “Estate of M.T. Kunitsyna" is intended for organizing educational, exhibition, educational and information activities Museum "Malye Korely"

How to get there

The Malye Karely Museum is located 25 km from Arkhangelsk in the village of Malye Karely. You can get there by bus:
No. 104u - pl. Terekhina (Solombala) - village of Malye Karely - sq. Terekhina
No. 104t - railway station - village of Malye Karely - railway station
No. 108 - bus station - Bobrovo village - bus station
No. 111 - bus station - village Lyavlya - bus station

Ticket prices

Foreign citizens: weekdays 200, weekends 250
Citizens of Russia: weekdays 70, weekends 110
Preferential categories of Russian citizens: Pensioners weekdays 45, weekends 70. Students (full-time): weekdays 45, weekends 70. Schoolchildren and preschoolers (from 6 years old): weekdays 20, weekends 30.

Museum opening hours

from June 1 to September 30 daily from 10.00 to 19.00*
from October 1 to May 31 daily from 10.00 to 17.00*
*Visitors have the right to stay on the museum premises for an hour after the specified closing time

About the life and life of people in previous centuries we can find out from ancient legends and legends, as well as from artifacts preserved in museums. How do you like the idea of ​​going for a weekend to a real northern village of the 16th-19th centuries? There is such a place, and it is located very close to a large modern city Arkhangelsk. The Malye Korely architectural and museum complex is located on a vast territory and is one of the largest in the country.

The beginning of large-scale reconstruction

Back in 1963, architects were concerned about the issue of preserving ancient monuments of Russian architecture. Unique and unusual buildings have been preserved in many places where people lived since ancient times. However, the problem was that it was usually a single church or residential building in a remote village. In this case, the object is not properly protected and is not restored in a timely manner, as a result of which it simply deteriorates and collapses.

The chief architect of the Arkhangelsk specialized research and production workshop began creating a unique museum complex. A picturesque place was chosen, and almost all the surroundings of the city of Arkhangelsk were examined in search of monuments of Russian architecture.

In 1974, the Malye Korely museum was opened, and its first visitors could see 11 ancient buildings for various purposes. The complex received its name in honor of the village located nearby.

History of the development of the museum

Today the museum complex is a member of the Association of European And in 1996, “Malye Korely” was included in the State Code of Particularly Valuable Objects cultural heritage peoples of the Russian Federation. 2012 is also noteworthy in the history of the museum, when it received the prestigious “Property of the North” award.

Today the exhibition includes about 120 buildings of various types and purposes. Among them there are residential buildings, outbuildings, and majestic temples. What unites the exhibits is that they are all built of wood and without a single nail. All architectural monuments were created in the 16th-20th centuries, completely disassembled for transportation, after which they were restored and assembled on the territory of the museum.

Architectural monuments

Today, the total area of ​​the museum is about 139.8 hectares. Its uniqueness lies not only in its scale, but also in its organization. All architectural monuments are integrated into the surrounding landscape and look as natural as possible. For the convenience of tourists, “Malye Korely” is divided into several sectors (mini-villages): Mezensky, Pinezhsky, Dvinsky, Kargopol-Onezhsky. While visiting the museum, you can admire not only the architectural forms, but also learn more about the life of our ancestors. In some buildings, the interior decoration has been restored, services are held in churches, and even ringing can be heard from the bell towers from time to time.

In addition to peasant estates, barns, churches and chapels, the pride of the complex is windmills, there are 7 of them in total, and one has a restored working mechanism. Also in the museum you can see wells, ancient vehicles, benches and fences - the same as those used by our ancestors. The Museum of Wooden Architecture "Malye Korely" regularly holds various festivals and festivities on major holidays, with the same true Russian flavor and immersion in a bygone era.

Opening hours and cost of visiting

You can visit the museum at any time of the year. It is open for tourists every day from 10:00, closes in the summer at 19:00, and in the winter at 17:00. You can explore the architectural monuments on your own or accompanied by a guide organized group. Several excursion programs are offered to guests, differing in theme, duration and cost. The price of an adult ticket is 100-150 rubles, with discounts for students, pensioners and children.

How to get to the Malye Korely Museum?

The architectural and historical complex is located 25 kilometers from Arkhangelsk. You can get to it by personal or public transport. You should focus on the village of Malye Korely - it is near it that the reserve of the same name is located. Buses No. 104, No. 108, No. 111 go to the desired locality. Many travel agencies The city offers excursions with transfer to the museum and back to the city. If you are driving a personal car, it is most convenient to use a navigator or follow the signs. If the place of your vacation or work trip is Arkhangelsk, “Malye Korely” is a must-visit place. Only here you can enjoy all the splendor of northern architecture in its original form. A visit to this museum will be interesting for everyone, but if in doubt, come here for a holiday or one of the festivals.

Photo: Museum of Wooden Architecture "Malye Korely"

It is difficult not to succumb to the charm of the Russian North. Was it not he who inspired the artist I. Ya. Bilibin, who created the visible world of Russians folk tales? Marvelous cities with stern watchtowers, peaked temples, quaint towers with porches and passages. And so I was lucky enough to be convinced that all this is not a fairy tale, not fiction, but the real reality of the museum-reserve. Here, in Malye Korely, as soon as you step onto the territory of the reserve, you find yourself in the distant past, in the world of brave Pomors, hunters, woodcutters, and cultivators.

IN THE PHOTO: Chapel of St. Macarius from the village of Fedorovskaya, Plesetsk district, 18th century. Small Karelians of the Argangelsk region

The Malye Karely Museum-Reserve occupies two wooded hills. It contains all types of wooden buildings typical of the North. One would like to call it an encyclopedia of Russian folk architecture. All exhibits - huts, barns, baths, mills, chapels, bell towers, utensils, tools, clothing and much more - were collected throughout the Arkhangelsk region in the most remote and inaccessible places. Of course, much of what was found and brought was in a rather deplorable state and now, restored, rejuvenated, it again gives joy to people with its shapes and colors.

IN THE PHOTO: Ascension Church from the village of Kusherek, Onega region (1669). Museum-reserve Malye Karely of the Arkhangelsk region.

The idea of ​​saving monuments of folk architecture - transferring them to specially created open-air museums - is not new. It was first expressed by the Swiss scientist Charles de Bonstetten almost two hundred years ago. I really liked the idea, but then there was no further discussion. It took a hundred years for it to become a reality.

In 1872, the first in Europe was founded in Stockholm ethnographical museum in the open air, in 1901 a museum appeared near Copenhagen, in 1902 - in the vicinity of Oslo. This is how it arose in the Scandinavian countries new type museums.

The Skansen park museum in Sweden has gained worldwide fame. Its organizers pursued two goals: to preserve the best examples of folk architecture and to show and popularize the riches of folk architecture as fully as possible. At Skansen, visitors get to know the history and culture of their country and at the same time can relax and have fun.

IN THE PHOTO: Trinity Chapel from the village of Valtovo, Pinega region, 1728. Museum of Malye Korely, Arkhangelsk Region

The Malye Korely Museum is relatively young: the first exhibit - a mill from the village of Bor - appeared in 1968, and already in 1973 the museum was open to the public. Eighty hectares of the museum territory are divided into six sectors - according to the number of cultural and ethnographic zones of the Arkhangelsk region: Kargopol-Onega, Severodvinsk, Pinezhsky, Mezensky, Pomorsky and Vazhsky. In every zone settlements have their own characteristic features. This is reflected in the museum's exhibition.

IN THE PHOTO: Malye Karely Museum-Reserve, mill

For example, the Mezen sector is allocated a site near a steep cliff to the Korelka River. The houses stand along the shore, as they were placed on the Mezen, where there was little land suitable for cultivation. That’s why the buildings were pressed against the shore, so as not to take up good land for housing.

In each sector-village, the architectural appearance of northern Russian villages has been skillfully and lovingly recreated, but this is not enough. The visitor sees the picture way of life of the past. Every detail is carefully thought out. Huts everywhere in the North were placed high above the ground, on a high utility basement - it’s warmer, it won’t get covered in snow in winter, and it’s convenient to store supplies under the floor. The utility yard is combined with the housing by a common roof, so in the harsh northern winter you don’t even have to go outside, except perhaps for water. With these general outline in each district of the region, housing was arranged in its own way, introducing some of its own details into the design; something of its own in the decorative design of the hut.

IN THE PHOTO: Poluyanov’s house-yard from the village of Gar, Kargopol district, 19th century. Museum of Small Karelians.

In the Kargopol-Onega sector, an interesting house from the village of Gar. This is an example of the oldest simple four-walled hut, the most common in Ancient Rus' type of dwelling. In such a hut, all the premises - residential and utility - are lined up one after another along the longitudinal axis, which is why this type is called a “timber hut”. It is extremely simple and complete. The residential floor with three windows is raised high above the ground on a blind basement. On the inside, the logs are smoothly hewn to the height of a man. The ceiling and floor are made of chipped plates. The logs were split using wedges, and then the surface of the board or block was hewn with an ax. A matrix beam runs across the hut under the ceiling, on which the ceilings rest. All furnishings, except the table, are traditionally built into the walls.

The house has a minimum of decorations: carved piers and water cannons, a skate and a chimney. Wooden chimneys with valves, or chimneys, through which smoke was released in smoking huts, are characteristic of the North. In central Russia, smoke was released through a door or window, which is less convenient. To enhance the draft, through holes of various shapes were cut in the chimney, so the chimney became one of the most decorative parts of the roof.

In the Severodvinsk sector you can see huts that are more advanced and more suitable for living. There are already huts here, divided by a chopped wall into two rooms, one of which is a cold room. These are five-wall huts. The six-walled house also has two living rooms, and between them an alley, a room between two log cabins, which was used as a closet or a canopy.

In Shchegolev’s hut from the Vychegda village of Irta, a large and elegant porch leads to the entryway. It has become the main element artistic composition street facade. The porch seems to invite you to enter the hut. Such porches not only marked the entrance, connecting the outside space with the inside, but were also the place where ceremonies for meeting and seeing off guests took place. It was on the porch that the guest was given bread and salt. Considering this purpose, the porch was decorated especially carefully and skillfully.

IN THE PHOTO: A well with a wooden wheel, Malye Korely.

There are very large two-story huts in Malye Korely. The second floor had the same number of living spaces as below, but the rooms were unheated. The hut with a large Russian stove was located on the first floor. Such two-story houses were built for large families, where grandfathers, fathers, sons and grandchildren lived together.

The mills fanned by the icy winds give the museum villages a special charm and picturesqueness. They are brought from different parts of the region and are very diverse. There are also pillar mills, in which a barn with wings rotates around an axial pillar. There is also a tent mill of later origin here. In these mills, the barn remains stationary, and only the end rotates.

IN THE PHOTO: Worship cross. Museum-Reserve Malye Korely

The high-rise buildings of the museum complex - churches and bell towers - attract attention. In the center of the Kargopol-Onega sector, the two-story Church of the Ascension from the village of Kushereka rises above the forest. This temple, built in the 17th century, culminates in a complex five-domed cube. The cuboid covering, kokoshniks, necks of the heads and the heads themselves are dressed in scaly clothes made of aspen fur. Nearby is a tented bell tower. Carved roof overhangs give a beautiful play of light and shadow on the monumental walls.

In the Severodvinsk sector there is a forty-meter high Church of St. George, also from the 17th century. This building exudes solemn and heroic strength. Small chapels of simple and unassuming shapes are hidden in the greenery of the trees. Some of them differ from an ordinary barn only in the dome above the roof and a small gallery, while charming bell towers rise above others in the form of an octagonal turret.

You walk around the reserve and marvel at the talent folk craftsmen, the power of the creative forces of the people. In the museum you can enter any house - the doors are hospitably open. The huts are neatly tidied, the pine walls, scrubbed with sand and sponges, shine with a honey yellow color, there are patchwork rugs on the floor, a broom handle near the stove, dishes on the shelf, a pot-bellied samovar on the table. It seems that the owners have left for a minute and are about to enter the upper room.

All household items in the hut are made with great artistic taste. The need for beauty has always lived in the northerners. They cared about appearance things no less than about our daily bread. Whatever you take - spinning wheels, ladles, rollers for washing clothes - All these things would successfully fulfill their purpose even without bright, eye-pleasing painting or patterned carvings, but it is known that when wonderful beauty pleases the soul, the work goes better...

Here you can see hunting skis, peasant sledges with sides diverging from the front, wide sleighs with a seat, one-horse light carts, one-wheeled carts with drags (these are two-wheeled carts to which two logs are attached to the back. They dragged along the ground behind the cart , and when climbing uphill, when stopping, they rested on the ground, and the one-wheeler did not roll down). Each exhibit contains folk ingenuity, invention and artistic taste, especially clearly manifested in the decoration of the most noticeable part of the harness - the arch. They are so different: painted and carved, with copper plaques, with bells.

Since ancient times, it has been the custom that in the North, folk festivals and festivities were crowded and colorful. All festive events took place on a wide rural street, in a meadow, on the river bank. The entire population took part in them, there were no indifferent observers, and therefore laughter and animated conversation were heard from everywhere. Well, they always knew how to have fun on holidays in Rus': with bell ringing, songs, dances, round dances, skating down icy mountains and in troikas. In Malye Korely, long-standing traditions have come to life, the museum has become a propagandist folklore works. Here the characteristic feature of ancient holidays unity of place and action.

Bell ringing is an integral part of the holiday. The small ones respond to the measured bass strokes of the bell, joining the roll call on the three bell towers of the museum. Sparkling, mischievous “Northern Bells” open the folk festival. And this is no coincidence. Since time immemorial, the ringing of bells has accompanied people on life path. He convened a meeting and warned about the appearance of an enemy or other trouble. The bells have always been treated with great care serious attitude, almost like to animate objects. History remembers how a bell was sent into exile, the alarming ringing of which raised the people to riot in Uglich after mysterious murder Tsarevich Dmitry. And Empress Catherine II ordered the tongue to be torn out from the alarm bell of the Moscow Kremlin - its voice called for the uprising of 1771, known as the “plague riot”.

There were legends about the bells. They say that after the conquest of Novgorod, the Grand Duke of Moscow ordered the veche bell, which had sounded over the free city for three and a half centuries, to be removed and transported to Moscow. When he, tied to a sleigh, was taken through the hills of the Valdai Hills, the bell did not want to leave native land. He jumped high, fell and broke into many Valdai bells. Their ringing reached us in thousands of echoes.

They cast the bells with great skill, putting their whole soul into this work. They were decorated with intricate ornaments, brands, and inscriptions. Certain life situations had their own ringing: everyday, solemn, red, dancing, with a crimson chime. The selection of bells and the training of the bell-ringer were also important here. But during Easter week it was allowed to call anyone who wished. And then, “Kamarinskaya”, “In the garden or in the vegetable garden”, dance tunes and other cheerful holiday melodies were often heard from the bell towers throughout the entire district.

Twenty-three bells of Moscow, St. Petersburg, Yaroslavl, Kharkov and local casting, as well as Dutch work, were hung on the three bell towers of the museum. At the top of the hill stands a mighty 16th-century tented bell tower from the Severodvinsk village of Kuliga-Drakovanovo. This ancient building of the museum-reserve is a slender tower with an open tier of bells, topped with a tent. The frame of the bell tower consists of seventeen vertically standing thick pillars: sixteen stand along the perimeter and one in the center. These pillars are protected from the outside to the bell tier by an octagonal frame. The octagon does not start from the ground, but is placed on a kind of base - a quadrangle, which gives the bell tower greater stability and visually connects it with the ground. The tent covering of the rafter structure rests on the framing beam of the frame pillars and on the central pillar. The open parts of the pillars are decorated with carvings in the form of oval melons and plaits.

The bell tower's appearance resembles the watchtowers of ancient Russian wooden fortresses. This is understandable, because in ancient times, bell towers, in addition to their main purpose, also served as observation towers. Climbing up the bell tower from the village of Kuliga-Drakovanovo, you are convinced how far the entire area is visible. The Northern Dvina has overflowed widely and generously carries its waters into the White Sea. It stretches for more than seven hundred kilometers, and here, near the mouth, we see it in all its beauty and power.

For a long time, since the times of Ivan the Terrible and Peter I, timber was floated along this river to Arkhangelsk, the main port of the state, ships with tar, salt, ore and other riches of the North sailed. In the port, all this was reloaded into the holds of English, Dutch and other overseas ships. People settled along the river; they lived by the river and the forest. Here, among the forest, are one, two, three... villages of the reserve. To see them, it’s worth coming to Arkhangelsk.

address: 163502, Arkhangelsk region,
Primorsky district, Malye Karely village

There are not many open-air museums, and, as a rule, they are created so that the visitor can clearly see the life of the peoples who lived in certain place or see exhibits that people were able to create in past centuries, something that has truly become a treasure. For example, there is a very interesting Arkhangelsk Museum of Wooden Architecture "Malye Korely". In the Novgorod region there is a museum "Slavic village of the 10th century", and in Tolyatti a technical museum of AvtoVAZ OJSC was opened. But the museum of the Arkhangelsk region will be described in more detail. We wish you pleasant reading!

Description and location

In the coastal region of the Arkhangelsk region, or more precisely, in the Uemsky rural settlement, there is an open-air museum, 25 km from the administrative city of the region.

The area of ​​the Arkhangelsk Museum "Malye Korely" is 139 hectares, where you can see the life of the former north, and this is actually the only place that tells about the life of former peoples. The entire museum is divided into several sectors, and excursions often take place in parts of the territory, such as the Mezen or Kargopol-Onega sector.

Story

The Arkhangelsk State Museum of Wooden Architecture "Malye Korely" appeared not so long ago, or rather in 1963, on the initiative of the architect Lapin. However, its opening took place only 10 years later, because it was not easy to recreate everything that is presented today. Not only architects were involved in the creation of the museum, but also architects, artists, restorers, ethnographers, for whom it was very important to preserve the national heritage of the north of Russia and show it to tourists who come from all over our country and beyond.

For example, from remote areas of the region, from villages and towns, some buildings were brought that were of historical value and have survived to this day.

In 1983, the museum was included in the list of European open-air museums, and in 1996 it was included in the list of important historical and valuable objects of the Russian Federation.

origin of name

Separately, it is worth mentioning the origin of the name, which the museum received thanks to the nearby village, Malye Karely, and a little further there is Bolshiye Karely.

Disputes often arise about how Karelians are spelled correctly, through a or o, and where this word even came from. Once upon a time, in the XII-XIV centuries, such peoples as the Korels of the Finno-Ugric tribe lived on the territory of the White Sea. It should be said that this is one of the factors that the word Korely must be written with an “o”; also in favor of this version it is worth noting the river flowing near the museum, which was called Korelka, and now Korely.

Why do disputes arise? But because in the process of akanya the unstressed sound “o” turned into “a”, which left a certain imprint.

Sightseeing tours

The Malye Korely Museum in Arkhangelsk, or rather not far from it, can be visited by anyone. Here you can simply stroll or take an interesting excursion, of which there are a considerable number.

The “Northern Village” excursion covers several sectors of the museum and lasts about 3-4 hours. Here you can learn about the culture of the Russian North, get acquainted with architectural monuments and the way of life of the region’s peasants. For example, guests will be able to see the chapel of St. Macarius, a mill from the village of Azapolye, Tropin's house from the village of Semuninskaya and much more. You can find out about the cost at the museum ticket office; this excursion is suitable for both adults and children.

The excursion “Travel to Kargopol” will take about one hour, where you can get acquainted with the culture of the Russian North and see buildings such as the Tretyakov house, the architectural ensemble from the village of Kushereka, and Pukhov’s house. This excursion is part of the first inspection, so it may be better to take a sightseeing tour than such a small one. Also included are such excursions as “Travel along the Dvina” and “Travel along the Mezen”.

There is a very interesting thematic excursion for schoolchildren in the Malye Korely museum, a photo of which can be seen on the Internet, called “Visiting Daryushka”, the duration of which will be 1 academic hour and the children will really like it, where the hostess will talk about how the locals lived peoples, what their way of life was, what buildings were there and what they played with the children.

Another interesting thematic excursion is “Unheard of Unheard of,” which is suitable not only for schoolchildren, but also for students and adults. Here you can get acquainted with the traditions of the Arkhangelsk region, see the bell tower from the village of Kuliga-Drakovanovo, Popov’s house, Tretyakov’s house and the barn from the village of Kondratovskaya. The tour will be conducted in folk costumes and will take one hour.

There are also thematic excursions such as “Curl the birch, curl the curly one,” “Northern Letechko,” “Our village is more beautiful than the city,” as well as a very interesting excursion “Wedding in the Northern Village.”

Events

There are a lot of different events taking place on the territory of the Arkhangelsk Museum of Wooden Architecture "Malye Korely", and museum staff ask you to familiarize yourself with the calendar in advance in order to choose the event you like best. There are events that always take place in the museum, repeating from year to year, such as New Year holidays, Maslenitsa week or Trinity festivities.

In September, for example, there is Horse Day or the Feast of Saints Florus and Laurus, or the Feast of Bread, September 10th.

Some interesting events, which took place in the summer of 2017:

• May 30 "Fire in flickering vessels", where a collection of devices that were used in past centuries, such as kerosene lamps, candles, portable lanterns, earthenware lamps, etc., was presented.
• June 25 - Festival of the Kunitsyn Estate, where you could get acquainted with this house, with the Kunitsyn family, and take part in fun.
• In mid-August, the event "Revived Crafts", where you could get acquainted with how people used to work and conduct their free time: knitting, painting, birch bark weaving, wood carving, etc.

The upcoming event, which will take place in September, is an event called “Leave the city to everyday life”, where various master classes will be held, folk games and performances by various groups.

Before you go to the museum, be sure to check out the official website as you can learn a little about the museum and read useful information, including how to get there and how much a visit will cost.

It should be remembered that the Arkhangelsk Museum of Wooden Architecture "Malye Korely" is located in the open air, so it is important to dress according to the weather, especially if it is in winter or early spring. If you want to visit the museum in the summer, you should not forget to take mosquito repellent with you. And in winter, it is better to plan a visit in the first half of the day, while it is still light.

Study in advance what exhibitions and events will be held, maybe something will not be interesting and it is better to reschedule your visit. The website sets out a work schedule for a month in advance and indicates which exhibitions are temporary and which are permanent. For example, the exhibition "Pukhov's House" is permanent, but the exhibition "Cross Image of the Russian North" is temporary and it may not be possible to visit it in October.

If you go by car, there is a parking lot near the entrance of the museum where you can leave your car and not worry about a parking space.

Whether in winter or summer, you will be impressed by the open-air museum and will recommend it to everyone as a must-visit if you find yourself in the Arkhangelsk region.

Opening hours of the Malye Korely Museum

Before going to the museum, go to the official website and read necessary information not only about the opening hours of the museum, but also about when the events of interest will take place.

But for everyone, the museum is open every day. It is worth noting that only visiting times vary depending on the season. So, from June to September, the museum can be visited from 10.00 to 20.00, and from October to May the museum is open from 10.00 to 18.00.

Ticket price

The Arkhangelsk Museum of Wooden Architecture "Malye Korely" hosts many different events, which you can find out about by going to the official website or by calling. Accordingly, their prices may vary.

Sightseeing tours have their own fixed price. So, for example, to explore a village with a tour where there are more than 6 people, you need to pay 150 rubles for adults; for pensioners, students and schoolchildren the ticket price will be 100 rubles. The price will be different if there is a group of less than 5 people, and an individual tour is also possible.

The cost of a ticket for visiting the temple complex in the village of Nenoksa or visiting the “House of Commercial Assembly” or “Kunitsina’s Estate” will be 150 rubles for adults and 100 rubles for preferential category. For each visit you need to buy a separate ticket, or you can purchase a single ticket, the cost of which will be 500 rubles.

Museum address and how to get there

The Malye Korely Museum, as mentioned above, is located in the Arkhangelsk region, in the Primorsky district, in the village of Malye Korely, 25 km from Arkhangelsk.

You can get to it either by personal car or by public transport, or rather by bus No. 104, which departs from Arkhangelsk, from the railway station. There is also another bus from the bus station, number 108.

Museum "Malye Korely": latest reviews

You can read many reviews on the Internet about how people visited this museum and were very pleased. Some come from Arkhangelsk or neighboring cities and villages, some come from afar, but all visitors appreciate the high level of service, good guides who tell a lot of interesting things, and also note that not only adults are interested in visiting this place, but also children I'm delighted with the museum.