旅人る - Tabibito

 

Kargopol

 

An old town in Arkhangelsk oblast, previously famous for its inaccessibility. I've heard that gonzo travelers loved to make pilgrimages here and staying for two weeks without any benefits of civilization (simply because there was none in Kargopol). Now times have changed. However I can’t imagine what to do in Kargopol for two weeks. The entire town, with all the museums, can be explored in less than a day, and there will still be time for wooden temples in the villages nearby (but about them in the next reports). Actually, the entire interesting part of the city fits into this panorama from the bank of the Onega River.

 

There are few nice civilian houses.

 

The main attractions are concentrated along Oktyabrsky Prospekt.

 

Fresh public spot.

 

But the town is most famous, of course, for its temples. On the cathedral square: the Nativity Cathedral (1552-1562), two more newer churches and a bell tower.

 

The Cathedral has powerful buttresses to prevent it from falling apart, covered with wood for safety.

 

Museum in the Vvedensky Church.

 

Bell tower.

 

Its decoration.

 

You can and should climb the bell tower for the splendid views.

 

False windows in the drum of the Vvedenskaya Church.

 

Strange empty pedestals next to Cathedral Square.

 

Obviously it was not Lenin who was demolished, since he is still there.

 

"Kargopol district: we do not abandon our own soldiers".

 

In general, such a thing as a night curfew for children has existed throughout Russia since 2009, but it is rarely reminded of with posters.

 

Empty Resurrection Church (late 17th century).

 

Trinity Church is the repository of the Kargopol local museum. It was originally built in the Baroque style, but in 1878, after a fire, a finial in the Russian-Byzantine style was added to it.

 

Ascension (1734-1751) and Dukhovskaya (1772-1797) churches, previously used as a garage.

 

Complex of churches on Torgovaya (Krasnoarmeyskaya) square. The most elegant is the five-domed Annunciation church (1682-1692).

 

Church of the Nativity of the Virgin Mary (1678-1682, with a bell tower from 1844) - is one of the few active that wasn't closed for a long times during the Soviet rule.

 

Completing the theme of temples, at the southwestern end of the city stands the yellow temple of Zosima and Savvaty Solovetsky (1814-1816), which functions as a museum and concert hall.

 

Interiors.

 

Icon-triscenorama.

 

Skull.

 

A rare example of a preserved cobblestone street (Akulova Street).

 

Also a now rare example of a wooden sidewalk. Almost everywhere the sidewalks are already asphalt.

 

The house of the peasant Mokeev (1903) and behind it is the superstructure of the theological school.

 

Not much more - the house of the timber merchant Wager who was a Norwegian.

 

District hospital on Sovetskaya Street.

 

River barns.

 

Other wooden houses.

 

Barrack with Christmas trees.

 

Birds.

 

Beauty.

 

And ugliness.

 

Getting in (as of August 2023): there is no railway station in Kargopol. When travelling by car consider the route from M-8 Highway near Velsk. You can also get there by car from St. Petersburg via Pudozh, but the road will be tough.

Where to eat: The Rashen Sushen cafe on Gagarina street but you must not be afraid of the gloomy metal doors with the inscription “Entrance only 18+”, as well as the fact that under the guise of “four cheese” pizza they mean Ossetian pie, and “Mac & Cheese” means kindergarten pasta with milk. If in doubt, you can always buy ready-made food at the Pyaterochka supermarket.

Where to sleep: Kargopol hotel and Poonezhye hotel. Both obviously cannot be considered dream accommodations, but these are the realities of the town.

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