Kizhi

The island of Kizhi is one of the most popular stops among travelers on river cruises between Moscow and St. Petersburg. The entire island and the nearby area form a national open-air museum with more than 80 historical wooden structures. The most famous being the Kizhi Pogost, a UNESCO World Heritage site, which is composed of two main churches (the 22-dome Transfiguration Church and the 9-dome Intercession Church) and a bell tower built in the 18th century.

Since 1951 when the Kizhi museum was opened, numerous historical wooden buildings were moved to the island in order to preserve them and make them accessible to the public. One of these being the Church of the Resurrection of Lazarus from Murom Monastery, which is the oldest wooden church in Russia built in the late 14th century.

The island offers a lot of interesting buildings and exhibitions to explore. An old peasant village has been reconstructed on the Island which demonstrates traditional crafts and other activities in the everyday peasant life in Russia's Karelia Region. Kizhi offers the most famous and most intricate examples of wooden architecture anywhere in Russia, and maybe the world!

The easiest and most enjoyable to get to Kizhi is by a cruise. The island is only accessible by boat, and a cruise gives you the opportunity spend the day exploring the island while also experiencing many other Russian wonders along the way!